A former dirt-track race car has been converted into a show car that took honors recently this at the 2021 Hot Wheels Legends Tour stop in Detroit.
The car, a 1975 Opel Manta, was acquired off Craigslist in 2019 by Joshua Liem and Corrine Currie of Garden City, Michigan. Doing all the restoration work themselves, they transformed the car from a track battered shell into a “Hot Wheels worthy ride” in six months, and doing all the work themselves, according to the Hot Wheels Tour news release.
It retains a 1.9-liter 4-cylinder engine and is believed to be one of only 6 Opel Mantas registered in Michigan and one of fewer than 200 in the US.
By impressing the judges in Detroit, the car advances to the national finals this fall, an event that will turn one home-built vehicle into a Hot Wheels toy.
The next regional Hot Wheels Tour stop is scheduled for September 18 in Houston, Texas.