Drawing visual inspiration from horseless carriages of the late 19th Century and performance inspiration from a 6.3-liter Chevrolet V-8 is quite the combo, but that’s the sort of creativity that caught the eyes of the judges on the Hot Wheels Legends Tour.
“Reboot Buggy” is the brainchild of Michigan-based artist Joey Ruiter. The hand-built steel-tube chassis is reminiscent of something from a video game that’s only partially loaded, but that’s part of the charm. It’s exactly the sort of thing that would look epic as a 1:64-scale toy car.
Regardless of how you feel about the styling, the performance on tap here is undeniable. Reboot Buggy uses a mid-mounted, 6.3-liter Chevy V-8 mated to a Turbo 400 transmission to power the rear wheels. Those wheels, by the way, are shod in 40-inch Yokohama M/T tires, and the build reportedly has 28 inches of suspension travel.
Detroit was the fourth U.S. stop on the Hot Wheels Legends Tour, with previous stops including Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. The next stop will be June 28 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with events in Texas, California, Nevada, and Kansas to follow.
Reboot Buggy will join the winners from the other stops at the end of the year, where one winner will be selected to represent the United States region and go head-to-head with winners from the European, Middle Eastern, and Latin American regions. Last year’s winner, La Liebre, hailed from Chile.