Hot Wheels Legends Tour: Take a ride with the Santa Fe man who is now a finalist

SANTA FE, N.M. — A Santa Fe man’s real-life roadster could become the next Hot Wheels car.

Paul Kalenian built the aluminum racer named Lulu from scratch. For Paul, it was a labor of love.

"As I got older, I thought, you know, I wonder if I could build a car from absolute scratch," he said.

It took him nine months, but he did it. Lulu is completely street legal, and clearly fun to drive with a 325 horsepower turbo-charged engine in the back.

Lulu also caught the eye of judges for the Hot Wheels Legends Tour after Paul entered the car show and zoomed through the semifinals Thursday night.

The winning car will be made into a Hot Wheels toy car and sold in Walmarts around the world.

Paul hopes that if Lulu wins, it will show others that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.