£35k Buys You A Tamiya Buggy That's Big Enough To Drive

The Wild One is a legend amongst OG Tamiya fans. The 1/10th-scale R/C buggy first emerged in 1985 before being re-released (and quickly selling out) in 2012. It’s back again for 2023, but this time, it’s a little bigger.

Pricing details and availability have now been announced for this life-size, road legal Wild One, which is built under licence by The Little Car Company, known for its two-thirds-scale recreations including a £35,000 Aston Martin DB5 and the Bugatti ‘Baby II’ Type 35 recreation. The big Wild One is full-scale version, meaning it’s big enough to fit in, and drive. Oh yes.

The £35,000 (+VAT) ‘Wild One Max’ is 3.6 metres long (similar to something like a Toyota Aygo) and 1.9-metres wide, tipping the scales at a pithy 500kg. It’s built over a space frame chassis and features 14-inch Maxxis tyres all round – nobbly boots at the rear and grooved ones at the front, just like the original.

The Max has grown in size compared to the concept LLC first revealed in 2021, but don’t worry, there’s significantly more poke to make up for this. It’s powered by eight swappable battery packs that give you a total capacity of 14.kWh and an estimated range of 124 miles per charge. Power is up to 38bhp (previously just 5.5bhp), and it has a top speed of 62mph. Two Cobra bucket seats with four-point harnesses will keep you and a friend secure, while adjustable Bilstein dampers and Eibach springs keep your spine intact off-road.

Originally planned to be an off-road-only vehicle, overwhelming demand has led to the addition of brake lights, indicators and mirrors among other things, making it comply with quadricycle rules in the UK and Europe.

The first 100 customers that place their order for a Wild One Max (with a £3,500 deposit) will get the Launch Edition, which includes a titanium plaque on a carbonfibre dashboard, and matching carbonfibre key fob. Oh, and a Tamiya Wild One model kit to build while they wait for their new car to be made. Deliveries are due in 2024.