You probably already know everything about The Little Car Company (TLLC). Based at the Bicester Heritage classic car business park near Oxford in the English countryside, TLLC builds miniature replicas of some of the world’s most iconic cars.
Designed in the best possible way, these vehicles are for children and adults alike, and dare not call them toys. Licensed by the automakers themselves, tested, tweaked and signed by factory test riders, these are serious cars, only smaller than normal. and electric.
The the latest creation is called Aston Martin DB5 Junior. It’s a two-thirds replica of its namesake and comes after an equally impressive Bugatti Baby II and Ferrari Testa Rossa J.
Measuring three meters long and 1.1 meters wide, the Aston Junior is 66% the size of James Bond’s car and was designed using 3D scans of an original DB5. TLLC plans to manufacture 1,059 copiesjust like the full-size DB5 that came to market, and owners of the original car can request matching chassis numbers and color and leather specifications.
The attention to detail, from the wire wheels to the Smiths dash dials, is extraordinary. Get in the car, sit on the leather seat and put your hands on the beautiful wooden Nardi steering wheel. Start the car, select ‘Drive’, release the ‘fly-off’ handbrake, and the DB5 Junior immediately feels special.
A totally different experience from the Bugattis and Ferraris of TLCC, the aston is heavier but, as a result, feel calmer and more at ease. It’s more of a cruiser than a race car, but with extraordinary pace. Put in the most powerful driving mode, the DB5 Junior produces 10 kW and reaches a top speed of 45 mph.
If you brake briefly or let go of the accelerator when entering a bend, the rear ends in a skid; at full throttle, the angle can be held for a second or two, until the tires squeal and the driver chuckles.
Tested by Darren Turner
Aston test driver Darren Turner was involved in the development of the car, and it shows. It’s a car that has its own character, and it takes some learning to get the most out of it. It is, in short, a real car and one that drivers want to master. There are several driving modes to choose from, allowing young drivers to get to grips with the car at their own pace, plus a remote kill switch to keep parents in control, when not in the car. passenger seat.
I’m only 5’7″ and skinny, so I fit comfortably in the Junior. However, for my height, the top of the windshield falls directly into my line of sight, so I have to shrink or sit up straight and face the passing wind.Sunglasses or a helmet fixes it quickly.
However, drivers over 1.80 meters should also be comfortable here, and the car is designed so that an adult and a child can sit next to each other.
As you may have already guessed, the DB5 Junior it’s not cheap. Its price is 35,000 pounds ($42,000) plus tax and you get 5 kW (6.7 hp) and a 1.8 kWh battery. If you increase your budget to 45,000 poundsyou can buy the DB5 Vantage Juniorwhich has twice the power and battery capacity, as well as carbon fiber body panels.
Finally, but which will arrive at the end of the year, it is the no time to die edition, which features replica mini-guns popping out of headers, changing digital license plates, a smoke screen, 16 kW (21.5 PS) power and ‘drift mode’. For this you will need to find at least 90,000 pounds sterling, and TLCC says many people who pre-ordered the DB5 Junior asked to upgrade to the 007 edition.