Beating a record number of over 100 entries, ‘The Misfit’, a 1963 Ford Anglia with a supercharged BMW engine, will represent the UK in the global Hot Wheels Legends Tour and stake its claim to become a 1:64 scale die-cast model in the 2023 line up.

Originally built by Rob Rashbrook and now taken to the next level by Michael Charalambous, The Misfit is propelled by a four-cylinder, now supercharged, engine and drivetrain from an E30 BMW, mounted on a bespoke chassis using a mix of Ford and Hillman Imp parts. Finished in a flat military green paint, sitting on old-school cross-ply tyres, Charalambous uses the car regularly on the road and is no ‘trailer queen’.

The Misfit features a myriad of attentive details and a fastidious finish inside and out, leading to the Anglia scooping a series of awards at car shows in its debut year. Examples include BBS wheel centres that came from a Ferrari GT racer that took six months to modify with the correct offset and rims to achieve the desired stance. Even the centre caps have been intricately sign written by renowned signpainter Neil Melliard. Inside, the custom interior features colour-matched details from the Marshall audio, cup holder and leather trimmed seats. The steering wheel has been replaced by another BBS wheel centre and Melliard has added sign written quips on the gauges and rear view mirror.

The 10 UK finalists were brought together at Studio 434 just outside London, home of the Rodger Dudding Collection. In front of a live audience, the judges spent the day assessing the cars, chatting to their owners and painstakingly scoring and vigorously debating each car against the criteria of demonstrating authenticity, creativity and ‘garage spirit’.

The Misfit will now face cars in the Semi Finals on November 10th with the Global Final on November 12th. With the increasing popularity of the competition, Mattel has confirmed two winning entries will be reproduced in 1:64 scale. Last year’s winner from the UK, the Volvo Gasser ‘Ain’t no Saint’ is expected to be in stores by Christmas.