You probably already know all about The Little Car Company (TLLC). Based in 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 intended for children and adults alike, and don’t you dare call them toys. Licensed by the automakers themselves, tested, perfected and signed by the factories’ own test drivers, they’re serious cars, only smaller than normal. and electrical.
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.
At three meters long and 1.1 meters wide, the Aston Junior is 66% the dimensions of the James Bond vehicle, and has been 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 dashboard dials, is extraordinary. Get in the car, sit back on the leather seat and rest 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 Bugatti and Ferrari of TLCC, the aston is heavier but, as a result, feel calmer and more comfortable. It’s more of a cruiser than a race car, but with extraordinary pace. Put into the most powerful driving mode, the DB5 Junior puts out 10kW and reaches a top speed of 45mph.
If you brake briefly or take your foot off the accelerator at the entrance of a corner, the rear end swings in a skid; on full throttle, the angle can be held for a second or two, to the screech of tires and laughter from the driver.
Tested by Darren Turner
Aston test driver Darren Turner has been involved in the development of the car, and it shows. This is a car that has a character of its own, and that requires learning to get the best 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, ensuring younger drivers can get to grips with the car at their own pace, plus a remote kill switch to keep parents in control, when not in the seat of the passenger.
I’m only 5’7″ and of a slim build, 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 fix it soon.
However, drivers taller than 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 is not cheap. Its price is 35,000 pounds ($42,000) plus tax and you get 5kW (6.7hp) and a 1.8kWh battery pack. If you raise your budget to £45,000you can buy the DB5 Vantage Juniorwhich has twice the power and battery capacity, plus carbon fiber body panels.
Lastly, but which will arrive at the end of the year, is the No Time To Die edition, which includes mini-gun replicas popping out of headers, changing digital number plates, a smoke screen, 16kW (21.5PS) of power, and a ‘drift mode’. For this you will have to find at least 90,000 pounds sterling, and TLCC says that many of the people who have pre-ordered the DB5 Junior have asked to upgrade to the 007 edition.