Nicknamed “Ain’t No Saint,” a Volvo P1800 gasser is going from the drag strip to the finals of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour as the UK representative in the competition for one full-scale vehicle to become a 1:64-scale Hot Wheels’ die-cast toy in 2022.
The car’s nickname is a reference to the P1800 driven by actor Roger Moore in the 1960s television series The Saint.
The “Ain’t No Saint” was built by Lee Johnstone of Somerset, England, and is raced by Johnstone and his three daughters — Ellie, Tori and Sarah — under the banner of JD Racing, the JD short for Johnstone & Daughters.
When Johnstone got the car, it was a stripped shell too far gone to restore as a road car, so he installed a big-block 454cid Chevrolet V8 with a supercharger that boosts output to 600 horsepower. The car has covered the quarter-mile in 10.01 seconds at 133 mph.
Judges for the UK round of the Legends Tour, including car designer Ian Callum, were unanimous in their selection of the P1800 to represent the UK.
“As a team, we were ecstatic to hear our car was chosen,” Lee Johnstone is quoted in the Hot Wheels news release. “We never thought it would be chosen against some of the other entries.
“Everyone always says it looks just like a Hot Wheels and maybe it will now become one!”
“This is a beautiful example of a gasser – a drag racer with street car form,” said Callum. “Often with dragsters, the chassis is so important that the body gets overlooked, but this example is fabulous with great attention to detail. It’s a super quality, beautifully built car. And it completely hits the Hot Wheels brief.”
“Ain’t No Saint” will compete in the Hot Wheels Tour semi-finals November 4. The global final, to pick the car to become a 1:64 die-cast, is scheduled for November 13.
