When visiting the property Heritage of Bicester there are always some unique vehicles to see in Oxfordshire, southern England. Because: Since its founding in 2013, Bicester (pronounced: bite) the unofficial headquarters of the British classic car industry. What was a bomber base in World War II is now a business campus for SMEs offering highly specialized products and services: restaurateurs, restomoders, training companies, racing stables, publications, a gin distillery and so on.
But one of the automakers based there is doing things a little… differently.
A little smaller.
The Small Auto Company – these are handcrafted, true to scale and highly detailed miniature versions of some of history’s most iconic cars. The Little Car Co. works with their respective parent companies to integrate high-precision design and equipment elements.
The Little Car Company started with the 2019 Bugatti Baby IIa mini version of the legendary 1920s Bugatti Type 35 racing car.
The original idea for this came from Ettore Bugatti himself, who had a miniature version of the Type 35 made in 1:2 scale in 1926 for the fourth birthday of his youngest son: the Bugatti Baby.
The Bugatti Baby II from The Little Car Company, also based on the Type 35, is in 3/4 scale, which is why adults can also sit in it. Incidentally, the use of the name Bugatti is officially licensed and the vehicle was developed together with Bugatti.
All Little Cars are battery powered. The Baby II offers three levels of performance: kid mode limits the car to 1.4 horsepower and a top speed of 12 mph, adult mode to 5.4 horsepower and 28 mph; and there’s also a Pur Sang upgrade where the thing gets a whopping 13.4 horsepower and doesn’t come with the speed limiter, which is said to allow speeds of up to 70mph.
Production is limited to 500 units. Depending on the equipment, the price is between CHF 34,000 and CHF 70,000 each. Which of course is a lot for something that is ultimately a toy. The minutely precise craftsmanship has its price.
But: thanks to the collaboration with Bugatti, this little car is officially a Bugatti product, which is why the average consumer could – at least in theory – buy such a thing for the price of a VW Golf and then say: I bought a Bugatti .
That too second car from The Little Car Company is a tribute to a classic, this time to the iconic Aston Martin DB5 from 1963 to 1965.
The DB5 Jr is a ⅔ size replica with the same double wishbone suspension as the original car and some interior details such as clocks and counters identical to those of the Aston originals.
Yes, here too we worked with the current Aston Martin brand to ensure the necessary technical attention to detail.
There is a Novice mode that limits the speed to 20 km/h, while the Expert mode has all 6.7 horsepower and a top speed of 50 km/h at its disposal. And who cares about that benefitmodel decision gets 13.4 horsepower and a limited slip differential.
The total production of the DB5 Junior corresponds to exactly 1059 units of the total production of the original. Prices for the DB5 Junior start at 44,000 francs, for the Vantage at 56,000 francs.
And then, oooh yeah, there’s another one that’s limited to 125 vehicles “No Time to Die” edition! In addition to Novice, Expert and Competition modes, it also offers Escape mode, which boosts performance to 22 horsepower.
Above all, it offers – and this is no joke – classic James Bond gadgets such as (quoting from the sales brochure): “Miniguns, interchangeable digital number plates, a smoke machine, a spin mode and a secret control panel” for access to the gadgets just mentioned.
The price: 102,000 francs. By comparison, auction prices for a genuine Aston Martin DB5 start at 500,000 and can easily go well above two million.
Which brings us to Little Car Company’s newest product, the Ferrari Testa Rossa J:
Yes, a mini version of the legendary 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, the race car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times. One of these original cars fetched a whopping $39 million at auction in 2014.
Again, this car is available with the official cooperation and consultation of the parent company. In this case, The Little Car Company got Ferrari’s official blessing only under the pit toughest condition ever: The Ferrari logo is only available if the Ferrari Little Car is faster than the other Little Cars.
For example, the Testa Rossa J (J for «Junior») in the Pacco Gara version (Race Pack) up to 80 km/h.
Of the Testa Rossa J Only 299 copies will be made, which are powered by a 48-volt electric motor that enables a range of about 90 kilometers.
Prices start at 90,000 francs.
Bargain.