It’s impossible to stay up to date with all the unique brands and innovative products we’ve introduced you to on If It’s Hip, It’s Here over the years. As time passes they change. Some grow and others go out of business. In this case, the brand and product behind one of our most popular posts, Pocket Classics miniature gas-powered models of classic sports and luxury cars for kids and adults, has been surpassed by The Little Car Company’s miniature cars whose junior sized models are electric-powered.
The Little Car Company Miniature Cars
This is not merely a high-end toy manufacturer of cool ride-on cars. Like Pocket Classics was, The Little Car Company miniature cars are scaled down models of the real thing, with price tags closer to real automobiles than most parents can spend. Serious automobile enthusiasts and collectors are the target.
The Little Car Company is a serious expert in producing junior versions of cars in partnership with the actual car manufacturers. Every expertly hand-built vehicle is an official licensed product of the brand, be it Bugatti, Aston Martin or Ferrari. The attention to detail and amount of personal customizations are hard to believe. These are as impressively built as they are to look at.
The Little Car Company launched in 2019 and has doubled the size of their team since the start of 2020. With a new design and production studio located in The Command Works at Bicester Heritage, UK, clients can collect their cars in person and even test them on Bicester Heritage’s test track.
They presently offers 3 models with more options than you can imagine.
The Bugatti Baby II
Their first was the Baby II, a 75%-scale version of the smallest member of the Bugatti family.
The mini Bugatti Type35 is electric powered with two selectable power modes for drivers of different experience: a 1kW ‘child mode’ with a speed limiter and a 4kW ‘adult mode’ that goes up to 45mph.
It’s available in three versions: Base, Vitesse and Pur Sang, targeted at collectors. The Pur Sang offers the same powertrain as the Vitesse but with beautiful, hand-formed aluminum bodywork. Using the same traditional coachbuilding techniques as the original Bugatti Type 35, each aluminum body takes more than two hundred hours of skilled craftsmanship to create.
Just like the original, the Bugatti Baby II was produced in a strictly limited run. The very first of 500 bespoke Baby II models started to reach owners across the globe in May of this year.
Next up was the Aston Martin DB5 Junior.
As an official Aston Martin model, the DB5 Junior pays homage to the rich history of the brand. Each of the limited-edition vehicles produced features classic Aston Martin badges, Silver Birch paintwork, Smiths instruments, and individually numbered chassis plates.
In tribute to Aston Martin’s more recent technological advances, the DB5 Junior will include swappable lithium-ion battery packs and regenerative braking.
The DB5 Junior has all of the iconic details you would expect from an Aston Martin. The DB5 will be built to 66% scale of the original and will feature a rear-wheel-drive, fully electric powertrain and multiple driving modes. Just like the original, only 1,059 of the models will be made, providing a rare opportunity for fans of the marque to own a piece of history. Starting at £35,000*.
Their most recent model, The Ferrari Testa Rossa J.
This is a 75% reproduction of the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – one of the most iconic models in the history of Ferrari and motor racing. Paired with the instant acceleration from the fully electric powertrain, this is a fun car for everyone.
The body is made of hand-beaten aluminum, using the same process with which the original cars were made. The paint is the same as that applied to the range cars, as is the front badge. The front lights, the rear brake lights and the horn are fully working, the rims are re-proportioned on the basis of the original Borrani rims, and the tyres are Pirelli Cinturato.
The dashboard houses the instruments with the original design and provides the driver with all the necessary performance information including; battery temperature, engine temperature, speed, energy delivered and battery charge level.
‘Novice’ mode allows the user just 1kW of power and features a remote kill fob that also limits the range the vehicle can be from them. ‘Comfort’ mode will allow between 4-6kW of power to the user and allows the driver to begin to explore the full potential of the vehicle up to around 40km/h. ‘Sport’ mode delivers the maximum 12kW of power available and an ‘unlimited’ top speed that will be in excess of 60km/h. The final mode – ‘Race’ – will allow a balance of performance between all cars produced by The Little Car Company to ensure fun and friendly competition on the race track.
Developed and built from the original drawings kept in Ferrari Classiche, just 299 cars will be built.
The company’s brand philosophy is to produce beautiful cars that allow our clients to share the love of driving across generations, and encourage every driver to create memorable experiences today and for years to come.
The Little Car Company
all images courtesy of The Little Car Company