September 15th to October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM). In celebration of that and Hispanic car culture, Hot Wheels hosted an event on Wednesday, September 21st that included vehicles on display and live discussions, with a select panel of HHM trailblazers who spearheaded the scene and represent its future.
There were a few vehicles on display from low riders to drift cars.
’58 Impala named “Dead Presidents” from the De Alba family, Elite CC.
’71 Custom Chevy Blazer owned by John Oro.
’86 Toyota Corolla drift car owned and raced by Stephanie Rodriguez.
The event had delicious food catered by Guisados Tacos who also put on the “G’s on Sundays” car show series.
There was a variety of speakers that talked about their history, roles and goals for the Automotive industry.
Hot wheels designers Mario Godoy and Ralph Benitez
Armando De La Torre of Guisados and G’s on Sunday
Stephanie Rodriguez, amateur drift racer
Eric Graciano – automotive brand consultant
Ricardo Rodriguez Long – head of the Hispanic motor guild
Albert De Alba Jr – 3rd generator painter with De Alba Customs and member of Elite CC
Hosted by Victor Carrillo, CEO of the ID agency
This Hispanic Heritage Month, Hot Wheels, Unidos en Mattel, and the Mattel Children’s Foundation have partnered with AFJA, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated to granting access to the power of play. AFJA collects new and gently used youth sports equipment and sustains free youth sports programs in underserved communities worldwide. Since 2018, AFJA has maintained community-organized soccer academies in Central America and is on track to launch its first academy in Los Angeles, CA in 2023. All donations made to this campaign will help sustain AFJA’s youth programs.
