Ask any group of car guys — or girls — if they grew up with a box full of Hot Wheels, and you’ll almost always get a resounding “yes,” or at least an enthusiastic nod. For many, that childhood obsession faded once the thrill of gripping the wheel of a real-life hot rod took over. But for Las Vegas business owner George Abittan, that wasn’t the case.

Maybe if Plymouth created Hot Wheels-inspired cars like this in the new millennium, it might still be in business. (Photo by Jody Only)

Fueled by the same passion that drove him to collect the hottest wheels as a kid, Abittan turned his Hot Wheels dream into reality, transforming a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner into his own full-scale, gasoline-gulping, rubber-burning version of the die-cast model car from Mattel.

In the hands of builder – dare I say magic-maker – Dustin Hacker, founder of Nostalgia HotRods, Abittan’s real-world Hot Wheels toy roared to life as the beautifully-crafted Roid Runner.

“Watched it go from metal junk to one-of-a-kind amazing,” said Abittan.

One look and it’s obvious: this Road Runner remake isn’t just another car – it isn’t even a
typical restored – it’s a street legend forged into a modern muscle flex that can only be looked
at as pure automotive artistry.

Eighteen thousand hours of wrenching and fabrication over a span of eight years, and a build budget that
exceeded a mil, culminated in this rolling work of art, and a walk-around by Hacker quickly underlined the drool-worthy aesthetic didn’t stop with the Road Runner’s exterior – bumper to bumper, inside and out, the details are virtually limitless.

Hand-Fabbed Hot Wheels Body

It may be easier to list the parts that Hacker didn’t fabricate than the ones he did. Starting with the roof, it was narrowed by ½-inch, chopped 1 3/8-inch in the front, and 3/8 in the rear. The handmade floors were dropped two-inches to accommodate the necessary post-chop headroom for Abittan.

Further altering the original silhouette, the A-pillars were laid back 10 degrees and inward five degrees. The door handles were a flush-mount redesign. Both the rear quarters and front fenders were stretched, with the rears going 1.5-inches and the fronts one-inch. Inner fenders and wheel tubs were handcrafted for fitment. While flush-mount glass punctuated the sleek exterior.

Hammering panels into the newly imagined Road Runner spawned a deck lid, rear spoiler and rear bumper with inspo drawn from the modern Charger. The result evolving with a uniquely modded exhaust exit, and taillight section.

Circling around to the front, hand-fab continued with the front splitter, hood and scoops as well as the firewall, engine bay, and cover.

“Every panel in the car is handcrafted,” said Hacker. “Every detail is intentional.”

The original graphics combine a 1960s feel with a contemporary graphic design and were configured by Abittan himself.

Under the Electric Hood

Old school hood poppin’ is definitely a thing of the past for the Roid Runner. The powerplant at the core of this Plymouth is unveiled from within–through a tech touchpad that opens and closes the hood, but more on the iPad interface later.

In search of insane horsepower in the pre-Hellcat era, Hacker drew on a 2.9-liter Magnuson-supercharged 6.2-Liter HEMI V8, handcrafting many of the parts. Enhancements include Dart heads and racing camshafts and although Hacker hadn’t dyno’d it yet; he anticipates it will create 700-horses.

“Even the serpentine setup had to be created,” shared the hotrod visionary. “No one made one for this combo. So, we did.”

Other drivetrain components include a TREMEC T-56 Magnum six-speed transmission, three-inch aluminum drive shaft, Aeromotive fuel system and a billet aluminum nodular 9-inch rearend with limited slip and 3.73:1 gears. The fuel, blower, coolant, and brake lines are all hard plumbed.

“And all hard lines are polished – even every nut and bolt is polished,” added Hacker.

Bespoke Chassis & Luxury-Lined Cabin

Nostalgia Hot Rods is responsible for the fabricated chassis with custom independent front suspension, and four-link rear suspension. The 14-inch drilled and slotted Wilwoods have six-piston fronts and rears. Power steering comes from Flaming River.

The air ride system relies on RideTech’s ShockWaves, with a handcrafted lower control arm that allows the
Roid Runner to lay frame.

“With 24 x 14 rears and 22 x 12 fronts, you know what a gigantic wheel and tire this has and what that means to get a stance like this,” Hacker said.

The cabin is wrapped in as much sophistication and hand-crafted elegance as the exterior. This custom HRH Designs interior is not simply a polished ‘60s-era cockpit; it is a plush, premium detail-drenched interior that leaves no inkling of OG muscle behind. Carved with 4,000 hand-shaped wood pieces skinned in burgundy Moore & Giles leather. Underglow ambient lighting washes over the handmade seats, custom fit carpet, and one-off gas and brake pedals.

“There is 18,000 hours on the car and half of that was the interior,” shared Hacker. “It took two years with no renderings.”

Having taken the better part of a decade to construct didn’t deter the advancement of its interior technology. The electronics are central to a Holley HP Engine Management System with a Holley 12.3 digital dash. Also installed is a Vintage Air Gen4 Magnum, a wireless charging pad, a Wi-Fi hotpot, an Infinity Kapa audio system, and LED heads and tails. These as well as all the smart components and electronic architecture are commanded through a vertically-mounted Apple iPad, embedded upright in the center stack.

“We used a micro-relay system that is controlled by the iPad to close the hood, open the trunk, door locks, start the engine, the stereo, everything,” explained Hacker. “The steering column is telescoping and also controlled by the iPad.”

In the end, words hardly do the Roid Runner justice. This one-off neck-breaker just can’t be measured on paper; it is eye-candy that should be experienced firsthand. And – for Abittan, it was the payoff he’d hoped for.

“It evolved from a really nice driver to this incredible show piece it is now,” he said. “The reaction that I get is that it looks fake and that is exactly – precisely – what me and Dustin are looking for: When you walk up on a beautifully built car, it doesn’t look real, it looks like a Hot Wheel and that’s what we achieved on this.”

Naturally, the trunk did not escape the customizers. (Photo by Jody Only)