The Little Car Company is taking a break from shrinking vintage cars into incredible (and extremely expensive) kid-sized creations and doing the exact opposite: turning kids’ cars into incredible full-size, road-legal dune machines . LCC’s Tamiya Wild One MAX is one of the coolest car projects in recent years and has been in development for several years now. This large drivable rc car is a dream come true for kids and adults alike and is available to order soon. Santa better get ready for a rare July frenzy of letters and wish lists.
Even if you’ve never actually held a handheld remote for Tamiya’s Wild One radio-controlled car first released in 1985, you have to admit that it’s pretty cool that a company actually makes and sells a life-size version. Almost every child has such fantasies at one time, but they all become reality in the end. We’re pretty sure the kids of the ’80s are salivating over this more than the kids of the 2020s, but they should all be pretty excited about this endeavor and the other possibilities it may herald.
Usually when we see a project like this it’s a one-off concept or YouTube DIY build, but the Tamiya Wild One MAX is officially on sale this week. The Little Car Company will begin taking orders on Thursday, July 13, the same day as the company’s public premiere of the Wild One MAX at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Let the holiday and birthday lists start writing…
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Since last detailing the progress of the Wild One MAX earlier this year, Little Car Company has filled the spec sheet with more. The 14.4-kWh eight-pack is said to provide up to 124 miles (200 kilometers) of on-road range and about 68 miles (110 kilometers) of off-road range.
The MAX continued to grow in size during development, measuring 141.7 inches (360 cm) long by 74.8 inches (190 cm) wide. Little Car Company also replaced the original R/C car’s trailing-arm front suspension with a double-wishbone design.
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The Wild One MAX has the same 11 inches (270 mm) of ground clearance as before, and approach/pass/departure angles of 34.1/28.4/50.8 degrees, respectively. A top speed of 62 mph (100 km/h) is only slightly faster than the previous estimate of 60 mph (96.5 km/h), or perhaps just an adjustment to advertise a clean 100 km/h on the Continent. The off-road vehicle’s electric drive delivers 38 hp peak and 20 hp continuous (28 kW and 15 kW).
Ben Hedley, CEO of The Little Car Company, said of the company’s Wild One MAX approach: “We believe you don’t need a thousand horsepower, stomach-ache acceleration or electronic torque vectoring to make an electric car fun. ” “Following Colin Chapman’s ‘simplify, then add lightness’ ethos, we worked hard to make the Tamiya Wild One MAX an exciting driving experience.”
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The Wild One MAX starts at £35,000 (about $45,300) or €41,000 (excluding VAT) on the mainland, and the first 100 buyers who pay a 10 percent deposit will get their hands on the First Edition. The Launch trim comes with a few extras, the coolest of which is a re-released 1/10 Tamiya Wild One R/C model car kit complete with remote, battery and charger. A Titanium First Edition nameplate inside and First Edition badges outside accentuate the MAX’s build, and carbon fiber trim adds extra premium performance.
All Wild One MAX models feature premium components such as adjustable Bilstein shocks with Eibach springs, Brembo brakes, 14-inch Maxxis Bighorn tires and two Cobra bucket seats. Each car also comes with a giant sticker sheet full of decals that owners can put on themselves, just like the real RC cars. The Standard Road Package brings the off-roader up to UK/EU street-legal L7e heavy-duty four-wheeler standards, adding a windscreen with wipers, mirrors, fenders, exterior lighting and number plates.
Little Car Company will begin delivering complete vehicles in early 2024. The company says there are also plans to develop lower-spec models and car kits for future launches — good news for those of us who love cars as much as we do but don’t know them all.
source: car company
