Written by Tara Bush
Robert Harden of Ocala decided to take a little ride on April 26, 2025 to Tampa for the Hot Wheels Legends Tour car show. Mattel has partnered with Walmart in a global search of the next Hot Wheels vehicle. “The Hot Wheels Legends Tour celebrates the builders, visionaries, and the people in the automotive world who put in the late nights, early mornings, and 10,000 hours of challenge accepted in their drive to be legendary”, according to their website.
Tampa was the first stop in an 11-city tour, ending in California on October 4, 2025. Only one vehicle will be chosen from each city. From the winning 11, only one will become the next Hot Wheels. With hundreds of vehicles competing for the judge’s eye, Robert’s Porsche caught their attention. He certainly had no visions of winning but thought he’d go have fun for the day. It was extremely important that the chosen vehicle had to have been built by the owner; not hired to be built, or bought, but hand crafted and designed by the owner themselves. Robert fit that criteria and won the first tour-stop challenge. Here’s some details about Robert’s Porsche:
It started life as a Porsche 914 in 1974. Over the last five decades, Robert Harden of Ocala has rebuilt, modified, updated, and morphed this Porsche into exactly the way he wanted. The body is completely
handmade in one piece made of composite and carbon fiber. The front has been widened to 75” and the rear to 80” to accommodate the larger wheels which are 17” x 10” and 17” x 13” respectively. This eyepopping paint color is a Lamborghini Pearl Orange which complements the customized interior including the seats, door panels, center console and dash, along with a moveable steering wheel.
This Porsche is now powered by a huge 427 stroker motor from Bill Mitchell of World Products Motor pumping out 630 horsepower. It is topped with a downdraft eight stack fuel injection. The tranny is still Porsche by from a 911 
Turbo 4-speed limited slip with a custom-made cable shifter. With all this power, the brakes have been upgraded to a Porsche Boxster S brake system along with coil over suspension.
Robert is as excited as a little boy getting his first Hot Wheels car and the floppy track that went with it. Be on the lookout in 2026 for this bright orange Porsche to show up in your local Walmart toy section. Check out the Hot Wheels video HERE.
