E21 Group 2 tribute bags Hot wheels Legends Tour UK

A dad ‘n’ lad-built BMW 3-series has won this year’s Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK round, overcoming stiff opposition from a kustom Jaguar MkVII and a ‘90s-style Volkswagen Polo. The winner was declared at SlammedUK’s Gravity Show.

Paul and Ethan Foster’s first-generation 3-series has recreated the looks of early-‘80s Group 2 racers, with a fibreglass wide-arch kit as well as generously-proportioned front and rear spoilers (the rear an original Group 5 one) beefing up the looks. The quad-tone colour scheme adds to the ‘80s Group 2 look.

Under the bonnet there’s no highly-tuned BMW four-pot, instead a 5.0-litre Rover V8 running on throttle bodies providing the power. Side pipes get the gases out, power going from mill to tarmac via a DTM Getrag ‘box and Quaife slipper.

“It’s amazing to win the Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK. Built together with my son Ethan, it’s part of our family and we’ll never sell it. We’ve both been huge Hot Wheels fans since we were kids. I just can’t believe it,”

says Paul Foster.

More than 200 entrants were whittled down to seven finalists with the winning BMW, along with a kustom Jaguar MkVII going straight to the final, the pair joined by the Volkswagen Polo that won the UK fan vote.

The Foster BMW goes into the European final, which will be run virtually, other regional finals coming from the Middle East, Latin America and the United States. One car from each region goes into the Global Grand Finale.