Image: Little Car Co.
Most of us will probably never get the chance to own something like an Aston Martin DB6 or a Ferrari 250 GT. But, as Bloomberg reports, a company in England is willing to make those big dreams come true, albeit in a smaller form.
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Image: Little Car Co.
A company called Little Car Co. builds actual operating scale models of classic cars. Working out of an old aircraft hangar in Oxfordshire, England, a small team of 25 hand builds every model. These aren’t just some run-of-the-mill, rich people toys. These are sophisticated, drivable (not street legal of course) models. Think of them as being a few steps above a go-kart in terms of sophistication and features, but still below a golf car and full-on car as far as speed and legality go.
Damien O Carroll05:00, Apr 30 2021
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The Tamiya Wild One was one of the most beloved toys of the 1980s. Now it is back, but a bit bigger.
If, like me, you were a child of the 1980s, then there were a few essentials you
had to have as a kid – a Walkman, a bunch of Star Wars figures, the odd Transformer and a BMX. And, of course, a Tamiya radio-controlled car. The original Tamiya Wild One was released in 1985 and became one of the brand’s most iconic models. Indeed, such was its popularity it was even re-released in 2012 to further acclaim.
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, and it’s one two companies are hoping people will pay at least £7,200 for a hit of. That’s the sum you’ll need to get behind the wheel of the Wild One Max, the latest creation from radio-control and model maker Tamiya, and The Little Car Company – the firm behind ‘junior’ cars such as the three-quarter-scale Bugatti Baby II.
The Wild One was an iconic Tamiya model, launched in 1985 when radio-control cars were becoming more mainstream, capable and affordable. A one-tenth-scale rear-wheel-drive off-road buggy, the Wild One was emblematic of Tamiya’s eighties range, as the firm played a huge role in the rising popularity of radio-control cars, at least partly due to a focus on off-road models at a time when many cars could be driven only on tarmac.