Tamiya Wild One Max is a life-size, drivable version of the R/C legend – Roadshow

If you’re an automotive enthusiast “of a certain age,” then it’s likely that you went through a remote-controlled car phase, and if you did that, then the name Tamiya likely looms large in your memory.

There are a bunch of really memorable Tamiya models like the Sand Scorcher and the Hornet, but the one that will forever hold a special place in our hearts is the Wild One. The 1/10th scale buggy with its boxy bodywork and ’80s-tastic stripes and decals was not only great to look at, it was a blast to drive, and we always wished we could drive one for real.

Of course, now, we’re grown up, and while we’d like to think that our tastes and desires have matured, that desire to drive a real Wild One never went away. Thankfully, the Little Car Company — aka the folks behind the electric Bugatti Baby — is making those dreams a real possibility with the Wild One Max.

That’s right, the Little Car Company partnered with Tamiya and is creating a real Wild One at 8/10 scale that you can hop in and drive yourself. Like the Bugatti Baby, the Wild One Max is electric. It’s powered by a 5.5 horsepower electric motor that will propel the Wild One to a top speed of 30 mph, which we suspect will be plenty fast.

The Wild One Max is 137.8 inches long and 70.8 inches wide and weighs just 551 pounds, which means that performance should feel pretty brisk, despite the somewhat tame motor package. Even better is that the Little Car Company will offer modular Power Packs to increase range and performance.

And any dyed-in-the-wool Tamiya nerd knows about Hop-Up kits. In news that delights us to no end, the Wild One Max will have its own catalog of available Hop-Up kits for purchase, including Road Legal Packs that will make the Wild One Max legal for road use in the US, UK and Europe.

The Tamiya/Little Car Company Wild One Max is set to retail for $8,250 in the US and should launch officially in 2022.

Source: Electric - cnet.com