Cambridgeshire man turns VW Beetle into Hot Wheels car

Ben Tuckwell worked alongside Ramsay on parts of the project and said his friend was known for doing “radical stuff”.

“Nothing with Ray is normal,” the 49-year-old said.

Hot Wheels spokesperson Nick Bailey said the car was a “phenomenal build”.

“As soon as the judges saw it, they knew that it was a car worthy of becoming a Hot Wheels finalist,” he told the BBC.

The judges – including former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond – also had the choice of a reconfigured 1989 Fiat Panda and a 1951 Tempo Matador truck that used to deliver potatoes in Australia.

Ramsay said he hoped to sell his masterpiece after the final of the competition to raise funds for a cancer charity, after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

“It is a frightening thing,” he said. “When we all hear the word ‘cancer’ we all think that’s it, we’re going to die.

“I’ve had fantastic support – I really, really have. So this is just a way of me saying ‘thank you very much’.”

Spending time in his workshop building the Riddler had been a welcome distraction from his treatment, he added.

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