The Little Car Company Supersized a Tiny RC Car Into a Full-Size EV Buggy
The Little Car Company is trying something different with it’s latest release.
The British shop’s new creation isn’t another shrunken-down interpretation of a beloved classic like the Bugatti Baby II—it’s actually bigger than the vehicle it’s based on. That’s because the shop’s new EV is a life-size version of the Tamiya Wild One RC car from the 1980s.
Up until now, the Little Car Company’s models have all been junior-size EVs based on automotive Holy Grails such as the Aston Martin DB5 and Ferrari Testa Rossa J. That wasn’t an option with the Wild One, though, which started out life as a 1:10 scale RC car that kids could build themselves. Because of this, the brand had to blow the dune buggy up so that an adult could actually get behind the wheel.
The Wild One Max, as it’s being called, has a full-size space frame that measures 141.7 inches (nearly 12 feet) in length and 74.8 inches in width. The upscaling, along with the widening of the one-seater’s chassis, means that the vehicle has room for a full-size cockpit that features two Cobra bucket seats with four-point harnesses that grown folks can sit in. The Little Car Company has kept the RC car’s red roll cage and colorful racing-style livery, but it equipped the bigger version with some new creature comforts, including a windscreen with wipers to clear dirt and a five-inch display that acts as an instrument panel. Completing the package is a set of 14-inch wheels wrapped in chunky all-terrain tires.
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The EV is powered by a single electric motor that gets its juice from eight swappable battery packs with a combined capacity of 14.4 kWh. This setup can produce up to 37 hp, allowing the car to hit a top speed of 62 mph. Maybe more impressive than that, though, is a predicted range of 124 miles on public roads. That’s right, the Wild One Max is street-legal in the U.K. and Europe (sadly not in the U.S., though). The EV, like the RC car it’s based on, can also be taken off-road thanks to its 10.6-inch ground clearance and revised suspension. Just a warning, though, riding around in the dirt and mud does reduce the range to 68 miles.
The Wild One Max will make its public debut later this week at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Little Car Company will start taking orders for the vehicle on Thursday, July 13. The dune buggy will start at £35,000 (about $45,000), with a deposit of £3,500 ($4,500) due at the time of ordering.
Click here for more photos of the Little Car Company Tamiya Wild One Max.
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