.
[engines revving]
[dramatic music]
- Hello, and welcome
to "Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge."
Tonight two more Hot Wheels superfans
are taking cars they loved back in the day
and turning them into life-size ultimate Hot Wheels.
And one will be driving home with $25,000
and a key to the finale.
Let's get into the show and meet our superfans.
- Hi, my name's Lauren.
I'm 19 and from Ohio, and I race cars for a living.
I grew up at my family's racetrack,
and I even made Hot Wheels tracks out of dirt.
I definitely want to win this competition as much
as I would want to win any race.
[upbeat music]
- Hey, I'm Kris.
I'm from Manhattan, New York, and I work in education.
I remember, as a kid, my mom getting me
kind of a multi-pack of Hot Wheels cars.
So now building my own Hot Wheels is insane.
- Kris, Lauren, look at you two.
You've made it to the Hot Wheels ultimate garage.
Let's talk about the special cars
that you just can't forget.
Kris, what's that car for you?
- My car was a 1994 Dodge Neon.
Now, this car was for my 16th birthday.
When I got my Dodge Neon,
it really opened a door for me
to be able to express myself.
Growing up, I really had a hard time understanding
who I am, not only as being a Black man
but also figuring out my sexuality.
- Now, that Dodge Neon, did it, by any chance,
look a little something like this?
- What do you mean?
[laughs]
That is wild.
I am speechless.
- You want to check it out?
- I mean, can I? - Please.
- To see this car right in front of me
in all her ugly green glory
brings back so many memories.
Oh! Oh, it smells like it.
Ah! [laughs]
[exhales heavily] Oh, my gosh.
Oh, wait, what are these?
- You got some CDs.
- Oh, my gosh, OK, a lot of music,
I couldn't listen to growing up.
I grew up kind of conservative, very religious.
Pop divas, that was not allowed in the house.
So in this car, you know, I had all these things
I couldn't listen to anywhere else.
This car was, you know, my therapist.
- That's unbelievable.
- I am so excited,
turning this Dodge Neon into something amazing,
something that really matches who I am today.
- Lauren. - Hi.
- Tell us about what that special car was for you.
- So I had a 2007 Ford Crown Victoria.
At 16, I thought that I was gonna get a new car,
like all of my friends did.
But I actually got this old cop car
that still looked like a cop car.
My family has a locally owned racetrack in Ohio,
and it was already a race car there.
So I kind of got a racing career based off of this car.
I raced every weekend in the local league at our racetrack.
And I was actually the only female
in the entire series that raced.
- Wow. - So that was really unique.
- I love your story. That is so inspiring.
And here's a Crown Vic just like the one you used to race.
- Oh, my gosh.
It looks just like it,
maybe a little bit cleaner.
I can tell you guys washed it.
- [laughs] - I absolutely love it.
I feel like I'm on my 16th birthday again.
The car has the unique, quirky features
that it used to have when I was 16.
- Hello? Hello? - Yes.
This is the famous part of the entire car.
Me and my friends used to go and drive
to fast-food restaurants and order over this.
- Can I get one iced coffee and a large regular coffee?
- The coolest thing to see on the Crown Vic
is the "You just got passed by a girl" sticker.
I was racing go-karts one day with my brother.
I would go back to the pits and be like, yeah,
you just got passed by a girl.
I've been in the racing world my entire life,
so I know what Hot Wheels are supposed to look like
and what the judges are going for.
- Let's get our other super-talented judges out here.
She's our Hot Wheels brand ambassador, Dalal Elsheikh.
And one of the most skilled builders in the game,
Hertrech Eugene Jr.
Now, before you start tearing these hunks of metal apart,
we want to let you both know what we're looking for
in these big builds.
- We want to see originality, execution, and hotness.
And of course, is it deserving of the Hot Wheels namesake?
- Got it. - Let's start sketching out
what your life-size Hot Wheels are gonna look like.
Kris, Lauren, let's roll.
Our superfans have three steps to produce
their dream Hot Wheels.
Step one is design.
The Chrome Zone is a one-stop shop
packed with thousands of legendary Hot Wheels cars
logos, and images.
Welcome to the Chrome Zone. - Wow.
- This is the place for inspiration.
So go big. - Got it.
- Dude, this is wild.
I feel like I'm back-- like, I don't know,
amazing childhood dream.
But, like, this is real.
- In your mind, what are you conceptualizing?
- As a kid, I used to love butterflies.
A butterfly would start off as a cocoon.
- Right. - And then it goes through
kind of this metamorphosis into a butterfly.
And my Dodge, it was kind of like a cocoon.
- Let me give you a little inspiration.
- OK. - Right here...
we've got the Draggin' Tail.
Now, this was inspired by a dragonfly.
You can see those big wings there.
- The wings are something I want part of my car.
I want that car to feel like it can fly.
I mean, how amazing could it be
if they actually, like, flap?
- This right here is one of the Dodge Neon Hot Wheels.
- I mean, the bright colors right now,
that stands out to me.
My Dodge Neon was just one color, green.
Could be, like, a disco neon.
I don't know, something like bright lights.
I feel like New York City, that's such a big part
of who I am, and some kind of, like,
disco neon on the sides or interior-wise.
I want this build to represent my family, my friends,
my heart, my passion.
- OK, OK.
- Bam, let's go.
- Any of these cars jump out at you?
- Well, I really like this one.
- That's the Dirty Outlaw.
- I would like to do something--a logo like that
on my car, like a sponsor.
- What's your inspiration here?
- I want it to be loud, pink, and sparkly.
I definitely want a disco ball in this car.
We have to hit home with the race car style.
You're like, that's a race car,
and that's a girl driver.
And since it's gonna be a race car,
it's got to have a roll cage
and the cool racing seats, I think.
- OK, right here, this...
- Ooh. - Is the Roll Cage.
- What I like about this as well is,
it's got the racing seats inside.
And right now, the Crown Vic just has
regular driving seats.
- Are you gonna have a number on the door?
- Of course. I'm thinking I'm gonna go
with the same number 4
that was on the Crown Vic when I was young.
- And whose number is that?
- So it's actually my dad's racing number.
He's been racing for over 30 years.
I want to be able to inspire girls
to not only just like racing but to like cars in general.
It's not just a man's sport anymore.
- Absolutely.
You know, there's never been a Crown Vic Hot Wheels.
- Really?
- So you've got open track in front of you.
- Well, I guess it's time to make some history.
- Here we go, you guys.
Kris, you'll be with the Red Garage.
- Whoo! - Yeah, give the man some love.
There we go. - Hey.
- Now, Lauren, your Car Pool is in the Blue Garage.
- Whoo! Hi, guys.
- High five. - Nice to meet you.
- Kris, what's the name of your build?
- The Metamorphosis.
- All right, there we go.
- Oh, my God. - I love it.
Claudia's already excited. - [sighs]
- Now, Lauren, what's the name of your build?
- Team Racer Girl.
- Oh, the Racer Girl.
Your teams have one week to turn your original rides
into jaw-dropping ultimate Hot Wheels.
When the lights flash green, that means go.
Are y'all ready? - Oh, yeah, baby.
- Set. Go!
- Keep going all the way, Kris.
- There you go. - Don, stop.
- Whoa!
- So right now, you know, I'm a proud, you know,
gay man in New York City,
and I want this build to represent that.
The big thing I want, butterfly wings.
- I love the wings.
- Let's chop the roof off first.
That will leave us with all of the space we need
to mount the wings in the center of the car.
- Getting these massive wings on this car
it's gonna be a huge challenge.
This is like one of those challenges
where they give you, like, fish and tell you to make a dessert.
- I am a race car driver.
- Very cool. - What? For real?
- Yes. - Me too.
- Really? - What are the chances?
- I actually started racing this
as it was also my daily driver.
So I would drive this thing to high school
with mud still under it.
And I just kind of want to re-create that
but in a bigger, cool version
to show the girly racer side of me.
So we need a big engine.
And then you see the spoiler.
Then we have the racing net, the roll cage.
I want the interior completely redone.
Lowered. - Full-blown race car.
- Let's do it.
- So we got a lot of work to do,
and we don't have much time, so I'm thinking we start
trying to get the engine out.
And you guys start... - Let's get this interior out.
- Getting that interior ripped out of there.
Yeah? - All right, sounds good.
all: Team Racer Girl!
- Stay tuned for wild and magical rides.
- Harder. - Whoo!
- It feels like the battle of mild versus wild
and we're on the mild side.
- We got to go Hot Wheels big.
- Oh, they can move. They're gonna flap, yes.
- Oh!
- Oh, we're gonna make it dance, baby.
- You don't want to miss a thing.
- I'm thinking we go the brightest pink possible.
- I've got lots, lots, lots to do.
Why is that one not moving?
- I don't know.
- Are you serious?
[dramatic music]
- Hot Wheels Handbook time.
Let's find out what Dalal has for us today.
- Every Hot Wheels fan needs to know Larry Wood.
Larry Wood, aka Mr. Hot Wheels,
created some of the most iconic Hot Wheels die casts
in history,
like the Bone Shaker,
the Sharkruiser,
and the Rodger Dodger.
So everyone should say thank you to Larry Wood.
- Wow, Larry Wood.
Rutledge Wood-- do you think we're related?
- No. - I should check with my mom.
[touch tones beeping] - What are you doing?
[line rings] - Just a second.
Hi, Mom. Hey, do you know a Larry Wood?
- OK, this has been the Hot Wheels Handbook.
- In step two, the Car Pool teams
transform their wild designs into life-size Hot Wheels.
- I need to get the front suspension apart on this car
so we can lower it and put the lowering springs in it.
It gives it an aggressive look and everything else.
It should gain us some points with Hert.
We need to get it done today so we can
move on to building the body panels
and everything else we need.
But we need this done first.
- Almost there.
And, oh, whoo!
OK, there's one.
- I guess we're coming out your side?
- Yeah. - All right.
- Well, the teams are hard at work in the garage.
And I love that our superfans are both starting with cars
they got when they turned 16.
- Ah. - OK.
We'll get a shot of that over there.
- Kris' team is transforming
his '94 Dodge Neon into a butterfly
that's undergone a metamorphosis.
And hopefully it's gonna have some additions
that really give it a sense of speed and it
doesn't just look like a bug.
- I would really love to see Kris
take this idea of metamorphosis
and butterflies and really start sculpting away
at this thing and showing us what butterflies
literally and metaphorically could look like.
I want to see that safe space that he grew up in.
- Harder.
Hey. That's got it.
You got it, yeah. - OK.
- That's it. Straight into the bin.
- Yo, whoo!
- Lauren's team is building that 2007 Crown Victoria
Racer Girl as a tribute to her family's racetrack
and her racing career.
The plan is to have a roll cage,
single race seat, wide fenders.
I can see that they have a vision to bring it home
and make it hot.
- I finally got the stock springs
and struts out of the car.
Now we can lower the car where we need to lower it.
Make Lauren happy, make Hert happy.
And after this, I'm taking a break.
Those were a fight.
- Hot Wheels has done so, so many race cars.
So how are they really gonna make sure
that the Racer Girl stands out among that vast history?
I really hope they can add flames or crazy exhaust
down the side, anything that just brings this thing up
and bolder and louder.
- We want to incorporate all of the aesthetics
of an actual race car.
So Lauren and I are stripping down the interior
to prepare for putting in a roll cage.
It's pretty gratifying, getting to tear it apart.
- The destruction part's easy. - This is the fun part.
Roll cages keep you safe when you're traveling
at 200 miles an hour and things go wrong.
- Well, we've got to start to make the roll cage.
The first step is actually the main hoop.
The main hoop is the area that would protect the driver.
So it sort of just goes across on the inside.
- Mark is offering help on building this roll cage.
He's got the profile for the main hoop.
Now it's up to me and Lauren to bend those pipes
and get them in the car.
It's gonna have to come up quite a ways,
so don't be afraid to keep-- keep working on it.
We need to make sure we have everything fitting
how we want it to fit
and we keep that element of it safe.
We're gonna have to feed the cage in first.
- OK.
Do you want to just scoot it forward
while it's angled like that and lift it up?
Savanna's not just helping me with just the race car.
She's teaching me things that I can also take home
and always have.
Who knew I was gonna be in the School of Savanna?
I'm ready to learn how to weld.
Like the welding, the angle grinding,
everything that would be with a race car,
I'm learning it here.
So I started racing at our family dirt track
at 13 years old. - Wow.
- And I was racing with 30 grown men every single weekend.
- That's so cool. I do sports car racing.
So I'm a first-generation racer.
I tend to think that I'm doing what I love every day.
And when I turned 18, I was told it's time to grow up,
get a job, be a normal person.
And that just was never gonna work for me.
- What's your advice to me
as a young driver coming up the ranks?
- The longer I stayed in it, the easier it got.
In the very beginning, I had to get
tough, you know, thick skin... - Oh, yeah.
- Constantly just dealing with a barrage of,
"Are you good?" - Yeah, yeah.
- Like, you would never ask a boy that.
That can be really, really frustrating.
- I feel like Savanna is already becoming
an older sister to me.
She's teaching me things about the car and about her history.
You like fire. - That's probably good.
- OK.
- So I designed a few different types of wings.
- Really liking this one.
- On the end of the wings... - Mm-hmm.
- Maybe we can add a little bit of a Hot Wheels fire.
- I love the fire ones on the Hot Wheels.
Like, the Pontiac, the Firebird,
was one of my favorite Hot Wheels.
- I love fire. You're fire.
- Come on, now. - I mean, we're Red Team, baby.
[both mimicking sizzle]
- So come on, now. - Yes, I love it.
So I'm thinking they're gonna move.
We're gonna--we're gonna--
- They can move? - Oh, they can move.
They're gonna flap, yes. - Oh!
- Oh, we're gonna make it dance, baby.
So tell me a little bit more about your story,
because when you were talking over there,
your story really touched me
because my daughter is also gay.
And it's so important as a parent and as family
to support.
There shouldn't be no judgment.
It should be only understanding.
- You know, I was very conservative,
grew up very religious.
And so I have to live the life
that everyone else kind of already has for me.
And then in my late 20s, realizing that, you know,
I want to live the life that's best for me
to make myself happy.
- Everybody has the rights to be themselves.
Everybody has the rights to express themselves.
You know, we should all accept each other.
We should all love each other and not judge.
For me, it's important to make these wings
iconic for you, for my daughter,
and for the LGBTQ community.
- So we're thinking, like, really boxy,
pretty aggressive fender flares.
- Yeah.
- So we're gonna follow that line
and extend it rearward past the taillights, even,
to kind of follow how far back and aggressive
the wing is gonna be on the chassis.
We're gonna weld the rear doors shut.
We don't need those anymore once we have the cage in.
- Yeah, that's right. It's a race car.
- Yeah, it's really gonna tie it all in together
and give it that aggressive race car over fender look.
That's something that really hasn't
been done with Crown Vics, so...
- Right. - We're learning as we go here.
- I'm so excited. [laughs]
[upbeat music]
* *
- Blue Garage.
- Hey. - Hi, guys.
- What's up? - How you doing?
- Look at this, man.
Oh! - Some kind of thing.
- This is crazy, you guys.
- Back's looking pretty good.
There's a little space here, but...
- Yeah, we've added some [indistinct] there, yeah.
- I'm sure you're gonna address that.
- You know, mild versus wild is a battle
that we've seen before.
And sometimes too wild is too much.
And sometimes mild is not enough.
But right now, you guys are more on the mild side.
And the roadster Neon butterfly car, I would say,
is more on the wild side.
- Lauren loves the aesthetics of the '80s NASCAR race cars.
But race car type Hot Wheels has been done
so many times already.
We have a challenge here making this Crown Vic stand out
amongst all the other race car Hot Wheels
that have already been done.
- I'm thinking it's a cool race car.
I just--you have this, like, insane build over there,
so I really want to see you guys hammer it home
with the Hot Wheels elements.
- We need to blow this build up.
We can't go too simple.
We can't go too mild.
We have to prioritize the things we think
are really gonna bring the Hot Wheels out of this build.
[engine revs]
[tools buzzing]
- I'm doing the early stages of cutting off the roof.
We're gonna have way more room to fit the butterfly wings
in the back of the car.
- I've never seen a Dodge Neon get turned into a Hot Wheels
at all, let alone a butterfly Hot Wheels.
So I think, for me, they get points for originality.
- Are you ready for this?
- I am ready to cut this baby up.
- How wild to chop the roof off and then make it
sort of that roadster feel?
It's kind of insane.
- That thing is pretty awesome.
I love the idea of it.
But I am actually really worried.
When you spend as much energy as they have
figuring out how to make the car look good with wings,
they're gonna run out of time figuring everything else out.
If it doesn't work, if it doesn't look good,
they can't go back.
- This is one of those moments where if they don't execute
everything perfectly... - Yeah.
- It'll miss because they took too much of a chance.
- Right.
- No!
Will just cut the roof off of my car,
and now it looks like a two-door convertible.
I am trusting you, Will,
but I'm really scared.
- All right, down we go.
.
- What was y'all's first car?
- I had a silver 2007 Lexus ES 300.
- Oh. - 1994 Honda Accord.
- It looks like mine would be a tractor.
But it was actually a 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit pickup.
- Our first cars say so much about us.
Like, the Lexus is quick, sharp,
a little fancy, just like Dalal.
- And the Honda Accord is a reliable family car
that moms love, just like Hert.
- The Rabbit, really strong legs.
And it's self-conscious about its ears.
Don't look.
[dramatic music]
- All right, down we go.
- For Kris in the Red Garage, the hard part
is making sure that it all flows together.
- They're really focusing on one design element
of the butterfly.
- This is a mechanism using linear actuators
that's gonna make the butterfly wings move.
Fingers crossed, we've got a mechanism here
which is gonna be dynamic and reliable.
- Look, the three of us love wings,
both chicken and automotive.
- Factual.
- But right now, there's nothing done to the front
and nothing done to the rear.
- They made the wings look like they're jamming,
they're going. - Yeah.
- That's pretty cool.
But you're gonna have to take that energy
to the back of the car as well.
- I want to create the effect of a stained glass window.
And it's gonna go all different colors
in different part of the wing.
I'm marking the acrylic that will go through the holes.
And then I'm gonna cut it.
And I go too fast.
And this thing cracks easy.
And we're running out of materials.
So wish me luck.
- So when you look over at Lauren in the Blue Garage,
I just keep thinking, it's got to be more.
- I know we're talking about adding things
like pink and a disco ball.
But I really hope they can add
those classic Hot Wheels elements,
whether that be flames or crazy exhaust,
anything that just brings this thing
up and bolder and louder.
* *
- So I'm taking personal charge on the sparkle side of things.
You definitely can't have too many bedazzles.
So I think the bedazzling's gonna stop
when I run out of time.
* *
- Hope it's going well.
You got four days left.
- Can you hold on to it there while I weld it on?
* *
Lovely.
- [screams]
- The wings are on.
- Fly, baby, fly.
- And they look amazing, way better
than what I was imagining.
- OK, you can let go.
- [screams]
I love it!
Do you love it? - Hey, what?
What's all this racket about?
- You're in our dust. You're in our dust.
- We're flying to victory, baby.
- Oh! - We're flying to victory.
- I'm looking across this garage, and I'm thinking,
there's wings on that butterfly car.
And it feels like the battle of mild versus wild
and we're on the mild side.
We're gonna need to bring something bigger to the build
to make sure that we're really encompassing
that Hot Wheels energy.
- Oh, no.
* *
- Oh, no.
- What's going on?
- The Inspirationator really is a thing of beauty.
Just when our teams are chilled out,
The Inspirationator spits out one of the over 800
Hot Wheels that live inside it.
* *
- Oh, what do we got?
- Yes.
Oh, boy, one of my favorites,
the 2012 Mad Manga.
Dalal, tell us all about it.
- Don't mind if I do.
Let's break down this super-awesome Hot Wheels.
It's based on the Japanese car scene called Bosozoku.
It's an anime-inspired speedster.
And it's been released as a hardtop and a convertible.
- OK, friends, so here's your twist.
To win this challenge and earn a key to the finale,
both of you will have to add
something Mad Manga to your build.
- That could mean adding multiple exhaust pipes,
an outrageous front splitter, a wild paint scheme, slam it,
or all of the above.
- I think we should just do them all.
- Do them all. [laughter]
- Kris, Lauren, you each have one of these Hot Wheels
in your garages.
When the lights flash green, get back to work.
Ready.
all: Go!
- Those exhaust pipes are gonna be crazy.
- We could build a splitter for the car.
- I say go for it. Go big, or stay home.
We're kind of throwing out some ideas, you know,
looking at the splitters
and really also looking at the colors.
You know, it's all about colors in a Mad Manga.
- You're down with that paintwork, aren't you?
- I am. - I know you can see that.
- Yes.
- We can build an exhaust system.
- What about putting it like antennas?
- Oh, yeah. - Like antennas?
[screams]
- The Inspirationator 5000 has given us a twist car.
And, man, is it a twist.
We had already gone super bold,
did everything to turn this car into a butterfly.
But now we've got to make it a Bosozoku butterfly.
So the plan is to turn two of the exhausts into the antenna.
I just hope we don't have too many ideas
to fit on one tiny car.
- Oh, wow, look at that.
Oh, that's cool.
- We're going with the racer look, so of course,
that splitter in the front is everything.
- I think that would certainly make it more aggressive.
- Mad Manga is over the top.
It has this massive front splitter,
big exhausts, big arrow elements.
These things are gonna work in our favor.
I'm actually feeling pretty good about this twist for once.
What do you guys think about the blast pipes?
- Maybe if we could figure out a way
to do something like that but on the sides?
- There's some things we know we can
get started with--the exhaust.
We better get on it, or we're gonna run out of time.
- OK, on 3. - All right.
both: 1, 2, 3.
all: Racer Girl.
- All right, Lauren, so what we're making here
is actually an air dam that's going to mount
the splitter to the bumper.
- All right, cool. - And then it's gonna bring
that front bodywork down quite a bit as well,
which gives us a lower ground effect.
So it'll kind of go just on the factory bumper here.
- OK.
- We'll get it tight fit in here.
- I think that'll look really good.
* *
- This is the little bustle-y back end.
This is all a little bit like sculpting.
This is not an exact science.
Just got to keep on working at it
until you get exactly what you want.
- What's up, y'all? What's the feeling?
- Hi, friends. - Hey.
- Hi. - Morning.
- Oh, what is going on back here?
Baby got back. Look at this.
- Wow. - Yeah.
It's a butterfly bustle.
- Is that what you call it where you're from?
- Well, you know the old-fashioned ladies' dresses
with a big bustle at the back. - Oh.
- This kind of looks a bit like that.
- Yeah.
- But I'm trying to re-create
the tail end on a butterfly.
- I was trying to see, like, the shape
of what this is gonna be, but it's all not connecting.
- What if y'all make this look like
the butterfly has landed on this oasis,
this safe place for Kris?
Because the car can't turn into a total butterfly,
but maybe it's-- - Ah.
See, that's why we like you. - I like that a lot.
- Yeah, I like that idea. - Yeah.
- So I love the idea of the butterfly
being, like, on top of the car.
- It feels like if there's a butterfly
in the middle of this car,
you're probably gonna need some antenna.
- So the idea, you know how the exhaust comes out in the back?
Instead of doing it in the back,
we'll make the antenna like the exhaust, the front.
- The only issue with doing the exhaust out of the front hood,
that's what you mean, I think it'll just ruin
the silhouette of the car.
I think to add more mass to that on top of the V-8
would just take away from the silhouette
that you guys have worked so hard to build.
- To kind of go along with the twist of the Mad Manga,
I just imagine a butterfly flying, legs going backwards.
Your exhaust goes along the bustles in Boso style.
And then-- - I like this dude.
- And then that opens up the whole side of your car
for beautiful paint.
- We want to see that Bosozoku style
come through the car.
- We're gonna have to dig deep. - Absolutely.
- We really want to win this for Kris
and decided to take the judges' advice.
Problem is, I just don't think we've got the time.
.
[dramatic music]
- I'm, like, freaking out.
- We need to rejig the whole idea.
- And we have no time.
So it's like, we have to make decisions right now.
- We're changing up the design of the car,
looking at how we're able to incorporate, you know,
these elements of the Mad Manga into this butterfly car.
- So if we bring this exhaust and we make it straight.
- All right, well, what do you think about putting it
on a slight angle, more like a bug,
a little more anthropomorphic?
- Gonna have to be a compromise.
And we've got to go on.
- Hey, Blue Garage.
- Hi, hi. - Well, hello there.
- Wow, some changes are afoot.
- Do you see any big difference up here?
- Oh, yeah, big splitter looks great.
- Yeah, we're loving that.
I got to say, now that you guys have gotten this twist
and you've added these side and front splitters
and things are really tying in together,
I'm getting real excited about this build.
- Us too.
- Where is that Bosozoku style exhaust?
- Of any of the parts of the twist car,
that's probably throwing us a little bit.
And it's the battle between, like, the race car
versus the style input of that.
- With the Mad Manga, you definitely
want to trend overboard.
- I mean, you definitely need some sort
of crazy exhaust here.
- We have completely evolved this car
already for the twist.
But that exhaust is crazy.
That is such a big piece of the Mad Manga car,
so we're gonna have to go bigger.
[engine revs]
* *
- We had great plans for the whole exhaust system.
After the judges' comments, bang go our antenna.
And in came the crazy exhaust sticking out
the back of the car, flowy and beautiful.
- One of the hallmarks of Bosozoku style
is these big, tall exhaust pipes.
But it's gonna be a tall order.
All right, I wanted to get
along this reveal line on the taillight here,
so about right there.
All right, cool. Next one.
We have made some major changes.
And I hope this works, 'cause everything we've done already,
there is no going back.
- Are you happy with it now?
- Yep.
* *
- We got to go Hot Wheels big, crazy big.
- If we take one shot at it, we might as well take--
take a big shot.
- All or nothing with it, pretty much.
We have two choices with the Mad Manga exhaust.
Either we leave them straight and even with each other
or stagger them.
I think the staggered look
will make the car look like it's
in motion sitting still.
And I think that's the direction we need to go.
- Lauren, this is where we are with the exhaust.
Either we can go wide with it, or we can go narrow with it
and keep them pretty tight together.
- OK. - Something like that.
- Let's do it narrow. - Perfect, do it.
- I'll get it welded up. - All right.
[engine revs]
- It's your final build day, which means it's time
for everything to come together in the final stages of paint,
decals, and other fabrications
that will all be a surprise to you.
Kris and Lauren, you both killed it in those garages.
But it's time to let your Car Pools
finish the race on their own.
- I don't want to leave my team.
Give me some love. - We got you, baby.
- All right.
You know, I know my team is awesome.
But I got to admit, I'm really scared.
both: 1, 2, 3. all: Racer Girl.
- I'm nervous because there are big pieces left to this car
that need to be finished,
and I don't get to see it until the judges see it.
So I don't know, I guess we're just
gonna put our trust in the team and hope it works out.
Good luck, Kris. - All right. Good luck.
- Bye, guys. - Whoo! See you guys.
Bye, guys.
- All right, Car Pools, get back to work.
- Get back to work.
- Time's running out.
Step three is all about finishing touches,
adding wild colors and decorations
before the cars are reassembled.
- This butterfly here, we're gonna have to get
this long tongue for drinking flowers.
I've taken some Hot Wheels track, made it into a tongue,
and used our twist car, actually run it down the ramp,
jump it right off the dashboard.
It's gonna be cool.
- So we got these 4s. - What are you thinking?
- Trying to figure out-- well, I don't know.
We got a little bit of empty real estate here at the doors.
- We really have to make sure that we
honor her father's number.
I think maybe a little bit lower.
- I know that Lauren was dead set on having a 4 on the side.
- Send it. - Yep, send it.
- One hour to go.
- One hour left.
- I've got lots, lots, lots to do.
- Look at this.
One hour left, and Claudia is still
painting the car right now.
- I need the wings up so I can finish the paint on the top.
There's no paint in the top. I need them up.
- I'm literally-- I'm working on it right now.
That one's actually stopped working now.
- Are you serious?
- The actuators for the butterfly wing movements
are now just not working.
- It's not moving.
- I know. I'm working on it.
- We have no time left. I still have to do all the top.
- I can't magic it. I'm doing my level best.
* *
- Hey, Mark, you need a hand? You got it done?
- You'll be the first to know.
- Let me know if you need a hand.
- Some days, it's the little things.
- 15 minutes left.
- Y'all better get those wings flapping.
- We'll be all right. Don't panic.
- No, I still have to do the body too.
- One of our finaling touches I'm pretty excited about,
I know Lauren is really excited about.
- Someday you're gonna be in an absolute panic,
trying to stick Hot Wheels track into a giant butterfly.
Nobody tells you that at Career Day.
- I hope our racer girl likes this.
- Five minutes. - Five minutes.
- Oh, no.
- Are you done with the lights? - No.
- Dude, I need them closed so I can finish the back.
all: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
- Stop! - Walk away.
Hit the brakes.
The race is over.
.
- The car transformations are complete.
It is time to see some life-size Hot Wheels.
Let's get our superfans out here.
Kris and Lauren, get out here.
[applause]
What's up?
Oh, Kris, Lauren, you both worked so hard with your teams
to take a super-special car and turn it
into an ultimate life-size Hot Wheels.
Are y'all ready? - Ready as I'll ever be.
- Yes.
- Kris, you're going first.
- I'm first? Oh, gosh.
- It's Metamorphosis.
[exciting music]
[engine revving]
- Wow!
- Whoo! [laughs]
[engine revving]
This is insane.
I mean, this is more than I can have ever imagined.
Hug me, Car Pools.
[laughter]
[squeals]
- [laughs]
- It's a butterfly.
- Oh, it sure is.
- Oh, there's a Hot Wheels right here.
- Oh, yeah, you could play with it.
- [exclaims]
- Kris, what do you think?
- I'm kind of speechless.
Reflecting on, like, 16-year-old Kris in this car
and the finished person that I am,
I'm in the place of my life I know I should be
and the person I am that I want to be.
And now I have a car that represents that.
And I super appreciate each and every one of you guys.
Oh, God, don't cry.
This amazing Car Pool team, they have poured their hearts,
their sweat into this car.
And I am just so thankful they were able to bring
my design and vision to life.
- Kris, walk us through.
What are we looking at here?
- You know, kind of taking this 1994 Dodge Neon
and turning it into this butterfly type car
car that represents who I am.
The first day was, like, taking the roof off the car.
Then after y'all guys' visit,
literally instead of making this butterfly car,
have it represent more so a butterfly landing on the car.
- You guys spent all that time on the wings.
Will, I know you were working out some issues
with the actuators.
Can you show us the wings?
- Yeah.
- Here we go in... all: 3, 2, 1.
- Go.
- Make her fly, baby.
- Oh, yeah, look-- oh, they light up.
How cool is that?
Yes! - [laughs]
The butterfly wings are moving.
And the coolest thing right now is that they light up.
I am just in awe.
- Well, you know, the hard part for us
is, we do have to judge these cars.
So, Hert, what do you think?
- You guys, I think, did a fantastic job.
Starting with the way that you cut the roof off,
you guys executed that flawlessly.
And then, Claudia, these wings are gorgeous.
Adding the flames, making it look like the butterfly
is going so fast that it's catching on fire
was such a nice touch.
And then you guys took it to the next level
and made them flap.
That's out of this world.
But I also wish you went a little more original
with the paint instead of just following
the paint scheme that the Mad Manga did.
But regardless of that, I think you guys executed
Kris' story flawlessly.
- Dalal?
- This car completely changed from the original idea
of becoming a butterfly to Rut's suggestion
of actually a butterfly landing on the car.
So kudos to you guys.
We also have to touch on these Hot Wheels elements.
The flames on the paint, the crazy exhaust,
I've never seen exhausts like that before.
And then you have this giant character
in the middle, which is such a Hot Wheels statement.
I will say, I wish you guys hadn't freehanded the paint.
I think had you gotten, like, really clean lines,
that would have done you a lot of favors.
But you guys did a great job.
- What I see is a car that oozes originality.
Y'all took a four-door economy car
and you completely change the shape of it.
You chop off the top.
You had one shot at this, and you nailed it.
You kept this perfect body line the whole way down.
You rethought the silhouette of the car
that so many people know.
That's one of these details that so few people
could get right.
How can you not love this huge front splitter,
the crazy exhaust?
I mean, what a genius idea to use Hot Wheels track.
I can actually play Hot Wheels
in your life-size ultimate Hot Wheels.
That's like someone saying, I heard you love Hot Wheels,
so we put Hot Wheels in your Hot Wheels.
[laughter] Well done. Way to go, y'all.
All right, we have to check out our other ultimate Hot Wheels.
We've seen Kris' metamorphosized Dodge Neon.
But we've got to see Lauren's queened-up Crown Vic.
Are you ready? - Let's see it.
I'm nervous.
I haven't gotten to see any of it put together.
I pretty much threw it in Savanna's hands and left.
And I simply don't know if they had enough time
to get it all done.
[engine revving]
.
- We've seen Kris' transformed Dodge Neon.
But we've got to see Lauren's queened-up Crown Vic.
- Let's see it.
- It's Racer Girl.
- [laughs]
[engine revving]
Oh, my God.
- Yeah! Yeah!
You hear that turbo?
- I love it.
That's amazing.
- Oh, yeah. - All right.
both: 1, 2, 3. all: Racer Girl!
- I see everything that I could possibly want on a car,
the racing and the girliness.
It's perfect.
Wow, it's, like, everything a girl could dream of in a car.
- Is this what you wish it had looked like when you were 16?
- Oh, my gosh, yes.
I would have gotten a lot of speeding tickets
at 16 with this thing.
- Walk us through where this car started
to where it ended up.
- The '07 Crown Vic, it was my sweet 16th car,
my first real race car, and now
me and my team have turned it into the ultimate
girl Hot Wheels car.
We had to make this thing go to the ground
if it was gonna be a race car.
They made it a wide body
from the front all the way to the rear.
We had to tear everything out of the inside.
We added the roll cage.
For the Mad Manga twist, we added those exhausts.
And then I glued every single one of these rhinestones
onto the wheels.
- Was the disco ball your idea?
- Of course.
That used to be a police spotlight.
It looks like it's ready for a party now.
[laughs]
- Dalal, why don't you go first?
- I don't think this is a Crown Victoria anymore.
I think it's a Crown Lauren. - I like it.
- And I got to be honest, when you guys told me
that you were gonna turn this thing into a race car,
I was like, Hot Wheels has done so many race cars.
How are they gonna stand out?
But you guys have really taken the Mad Manga
and used it to your advantage.
The colors, the livery looks great.
Purple flames, such an iconic Hot Wheels detail.
And truly, I just love anything with my name on it.
- We appreciate your sponsorship.
- You're welcome. I will not be swayed.
- Would you drive it? - Course I would drive it.
And I've never said that about a Crown Vic in my life.
[laughter]
- The way you guys curved the fenders
and then boxed them out, they mold into the car
so perfectly while adding that aggressive race car style.
And then to really bring the Boso style home,
you got these huge exhaust pipes coming out the side.
There's a little bit of space through the canards.
I know you guys were low on time,
but I have to point that out.
- I think what's crazy is, you still see
that original body line of the Crown Vic.
And yet you've created a car that a lot of us
didn't think could exist.
The interior does just leave a little something
to be desired.
And using a steel wheel, they're pretty ugly.
I'm so glad that you put the rhinestones on there.
- Me too.
- But I really like the tribute to your dad,
running his number on this car.
Y'all did a great job.
- I think my dad and my brother would secretly
be jealous about this car.
They might pretend that they don't like the pink,
but there's no way, with their racing background,
that they wouldn't be obsessed with this car.
- We've got to decide which ultimate Hot Wheels
is our favorite.
So who's leaving here with $25,000
and a key to the finale?
The superfan who inspired
our favorite ride this week is...
[dramatic music]
* *
Lauren!
- [laughs]
- Yeah, real good.
- Oh, look at that.
There's the good stuff.
- This win isn't just for me.
It's for all the little girls watching this.
If you chase your dreams at top speed,
you can do anything that you dream of.
Team Racer Girl, we won.
I'm so--I'm so excited.
- Ultimately it came down to how cohesive the build was.
Her story, who she is, you could see that
from every angle in that car.
Did you think it was possible?
- No, I mean, just look at the wings.
I didn't think I had a chance.
- Lauren had a vision that if you were walking down
the supermarket and you saw this Hot Wheels
that your little girl, she was gonna pick
that one out of a crowd.
And I think that we accomplished that.
- Congratulations, Lauren. - Thank you.
- You've got 25 grand and a key to the finale,
where you'll compete against this season's winners,
presented by Xfinity, to see if your next creation
will become an actual Hot Wheels die-cast car
that you can buy.
For Hert and Dalal, I'm Rutledge Wood.
Catch you on the next lap.
[applause]
* *