Fiat ‘Rally Car’ wins Hot Wheels Legends Tour
A one-off creation from Poland has won the 2025 Hot Wheels Legends Tour. The seventh edition of Hot Wheels’ global custom car competition drew entries from 16 different countries. Following a series of heats in USA, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, the regional winners headed to the US in November for the Global Grand Finale, where the champion was chosen.
The winning car for 2025, a Fiat ‘126B’ created by Pawel Czarnecki, was based on a Polish-built version of the Fiat 126 compact hatch. More familiar to Australians as the ‘FSM Niki’ that was sold here between 1989 and 1992, the Polish Fiat 126 debuted in 1973 and would remain in production until 2000.
Badged as the ‘Polski Fiat 126p’ for most markets, this compact car was virtually identical to the Fiat 126 it was based on. Initially, the only concessions to local conditions and regulations were increased ground clearance, amber indicator lenses and a revised grille for the rear-mounted, air-cooled 594cc two-cylinder engine.
As updates were made to the Fiat 126, they were usually applied to the Polish version, too. These included a larger 652cc engine, the introduction of an opening tailgate, better brakes, plastic bumpers and interior improvements. In 1987, a water-cooled 704cc engine was introduced that would remain the standard powerplant until the 126p was discontinued.
With 3,318,674 built, production of the Polish Fiat 126 exceeded the Italian version by more than two to one. Along with its short stint in Australia, the Polski Fiat 126p was exported to most Eastern European markets, aligned communist countries like China and Cuba, as well as some markets in Western Europe.
While the ‘126 Bis’ produced by Polski Fiat identified the 1987 water-cooled 704cc version, the ‘126B’ tag on the Hot Wheels Legends Tour winner is a fabrication. The ‘B’ presumably refers to the car’s Group B-inspired body modifications and evocation of the Martini livery seen on the likes of Lancia’s 037 and Delta S4 rally cars, as well as the later Group A Delta Integrale.
More than 2,500 hours went into the build, with a further 800 spent 3D printing components that included a widebody extension (that increases the width of the car by 47cm), flip-forward nose and functional aerodynamics. Wheels are three-piece 13-inch units from HTN Motorsport.
In place of the 704cc twin this car would have had originally, Czarnecki fitted a 1.4-litre turbo four-cylinder engine from a Fiat Uno, matched to a five-speed gearbox from a Fiat Punto GT. Adding a GT28 turbocharger from a Nissan 200SX boosts output from 114hp (85kW) to a claimed 200hp (150kW).
Brakes were taken from a Fiat Uno, and custom coilover suspension was fitted. Group B-inspired touches inside include a motorsport steering wheel, Sparco race seats, drilled pedals, additional gauges and a full roll cage.
In the Global Grand Finale, Czarnecki’s Fiat 126B went up against a VW Beetle pickup truck conversion from Mexico and a custom Chevrolet S10 pickup for the USA. The judging panel included Jay Leno, actor Michael Cimino, race driver Therese Lahlouh, automotive content creators Nhu Tran, Hert Life and Juca, as well as Hot Wheels key principal designer, Bryan Benedict, and Hot Wheels senior designer, Craig Callum.
In an event hosted by motorsports ambassador Jarod DeAnda, the Fiat was judged to best exemplify the ‘Garage Spirit’ mentality that Hot Wheels judges look for in every submission.
“Car enthusiasts in Poland have shown incredible support for the Tour over the years and Paweł Czarnecki’s custom Fiat exemplifies the talent and imagination that fans from Poland — and around the world — bring to the Hot Wheels Legends Tour,” said Ted Wu, global head of vehicles and building sets at Mattel.
“From its roots in the U.S. to stops across 16 countries, the Hot Wheels Legends Tour has grown into a truly global celebration of creativity and the automotive community.”
Czarnecki’s unique Fiat 126B will now be reimagined as a 1:64 scale Hot Wheels diecast toy for release sometime this year. Previous champions include the inaugural winner, 2018’s 2JetZ, THE NASH from 2019, 2020’s 1970 Pontiac Firebird, the 1969 Volvo P1800 Gasser that won in 2021, 2022’s ‘Texas Toot’ jacked-up Autozam Scrum kei truck, the New Zealand-built ‘Chimera’ Mazda MX-5 roadster from 2023, and last year’s winner, a 1968 custom Ford Falcon nicknamed ‘La Liebre’.
