Lucky owner to see his car made into a Hot Wheels car

Luis Rodriguez won a nationwide contest with a Toyota-powered road jet.

At SEMA this week, one lucky car enthusiast received the ultimate honor -- to have his home-built creation immortalized in Hot Wheels form.

To celebrate their 50th anniversary this year, Hot Wheels has been touring the country, holding 15 car shows in as many cities around the US. At each stop on the Hot Wheels Legends Tour, the Hot Wheels design staff and select celebrity judges picked one winner. Then, all 15 finalists were brought to Las Vegas last week for the SEMA show and one winner chosen.

That lucky owner was Luis Rodriguez and his jet-inspired car, called the 2JetZ. The name is a pun, taken from the jet canopy cockpit, but also the 2JZ Toyota engine that powers the machine. It's the same motor that powered the legendary 1993-98 Supra Twin-Turbo, as well as many other Lexus vehicles (in naturally aspirated form). Its 627 horsepower is fed through a Subaru WRX STI 6-speed manual. Rodriguez's car will now be turned in to a 1:64 scale model to appear in next year's Hot Wheels lineup.

Other finalists included a Datsun Sunny pickup from Dallas, Texas; 1957 Crosley drag altered from Detroit, Michigan; a 1966 Chevy C10 dragster from Phoenix, Arizona; a 1938 Graham Phantom Cabriolet from Los Angeles, California; a Datsun 240Z from Seattle, Washington, and a 1963 AMC Rambler Wagon from Nashville, Tennessee. You can see the full list of finalists at the Hot Wheels Legends Tour website.