The Tamiya Wild One MAX: A 100% Electric Road-Legal Buggy

This is the Tamiya Wild One MAX, to cut a long story short, it’s a full-scale version of the iconic 1:10th scale Tamiya R/C car. Tamiya has now partnered with The Little Car Company to make the car a reality, with an electric drivetrain and optional street-legal status.

The Wild One MAX is due to enter production in 2024, with 100 Launch Edition vehicles slated to be built and delivered to customers around the world. Other versions of the car are planned to follow soon after, with different performance specifications and options.

Fast Facts – The Tamiya Wild One MAX

• The Tamiya Wild One MAX was announced in May of 2023 as a full scale version of the classic 1980s-era Tamiya 1:10th scale remote control buggy called the Tamiya Wild One.
• The original Tamiya buggy designs were based closely on American sandrails that appeared in the 60s and 70s. Sandrails are simple tubular steel framed off-road vehicles with a rear engine, rear wheel drive layout, two seats, and little else.
• The Tamiya buggies typically had electric drivetrains, with a battery pack, a rear mounted electric motor, independent four wheel suspension, and ample decals.
• Now for the first time Tamiya has partnered with The Little Car Company in Britain to produce a full scale production version of these classic buggy designs. 100 Launch Edition vehicles will be built first starting in 2024, with other versions due to follow soon after.

The Grasshopper, The Hornet, And The Wild One

In 1984 Japanese scale model and remote control car manufacturer Tamiya released two vehicles that would become some of the most important in the company’s history: the Tamiya Grasshopper and the Tamiya Hornet.

This is the Tamiya Hornet, it was a mainstay of the 1980s R/C buggy boom and it was re-released more recently by Tamiya.

Both the Grasshopper and the Hornet were released within a few months of one another, and they kickstarted the 1980s R/C boom that in many regions was largely focussed on buggies. Many other buggy designs would follow, but these two are among the earliest and most influential.

The Grasshopper came first in early 1984 with the Hornet following later in October of that same year. While the Hornet was faster, the Grasshopper was slightly cheaper and the fact that it came first helped sales a great deal – Christmas morning of 1984 saw countless children tearing open presents and whooping with delight to see that Tamiya logo on their new buggy kit.

Both the Hornet and Grasshopper shared a very similar design, with an injection-moulded bathtub monocoque chassis onto which everything else would be attached. The battery pack was installed centrally for optimal weight distribution, the electric motor went in the back to power the rear wheels, and the speed controller, servos, and transmitters/receivers were all tucked inside the plastic bodywork.

A new buggy called the Tamiya Wild One was unveiled in 1985 and it joined its two earlier siblings at the top of a wishlist for kids from across the USA, Europe, and as far away as Australia and New Zealand.

Above Video: This is the original promo video for the Tamiya Wild One from 1985, it gives a detailed specification breakdown for the buggy which was clearly intended for more advanced R/C racers.

The 1:10th scale kits were relatively simple to build, taking just a few hours even for an inexperienced first time kit builder. Once the construction phase was complete it was time to apply the stickers and charge the battery, impatiently waiting for that amber light to turn green ready for the first drive.

Battery technology being what it was at the time, each drive was limited to just a 10 or 15 minutes before the speeds would slow and it would be time to plug the battery in and wait for that hallowed green light to make another appearance.

Of course, those kids born in leafy suburbs on the right side of the railroad tracks would have two or more battery packs on hand, and as a result much less patience was required.

R/C racing leagues popped up across the western world in the 1980s, both on and off-road racing disciplines were catered for in various classes, with the Grasshopper, Hornet, and Wild One being among the most popular choices for those new to the racing world.

This is the design from the front of the classic Tamiya Wild One R/C buggy from the 1980s – one thing Tamiya has always been great at is supplying detailed sticker packs.

The Tamiya Wild One MAX

The Tamiya Wild One MAX was developed as a modern, full scale version of the 1980s-era Tamiya Wild One from the golden age of R/C racing. Just like its 1:10th scale forebear this buggy is 100% electric, it has a removable battery system, and a rear-mounted electric motor powering the rear wheels.

The Wild One MAX has eight removable lithium-ion battery packs, offering a total capacity of 14.4 kWh, and power is sent to a single electric motor mounted behind the driver and passenger powering the rear wheels via half shafts.

The buggy has a tubular steel frame, seating for two, ground clearance is 270mm, the approach angle is 34.1 degrees, the breakover angle is 28.4 degrees, and the departure angle is 50.8 degrees. The total curb weight of the buggy is listed as approximately 500 kilograms, which works out to approximately 1,102 lbs.

it was the dream of almost every 80s kid to one day own a full scale Tamiya buggy – now for the first time it’s become a reality.

The roads legal status of the Tamiya Wild One MAX takes advantage of UK and EU laws that allow a four-wheeled vehicle to be road registered under L7e quadricycle regulations if it meets certain criteria including a curb weight of 450 kgs. This weight can be easily met as it wouldn’t include the weight of the batteries (or fuel in other instances).

The buggy has independent four wheel suspension and Maxxis Bighorn tires measuring in at 29” high and 11” wide on a 14” rim at the rear, with a smaller Maxxis tire up front. The top speed is listed as 60 mph (96.5 km/h) and no range or pricing has yet been announced.

If you’d like to read more about the Tamiya Wild One MAX you can visit the official page on Tamiya here or the page on The Little Car Company here. It’s possible to register your interest if you’d like to buy one, and at the time of writing there is no additional information about road legal status in the United States or outside of the UK/EU.

Images courtesy of Tamiya + The Little Car Company

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Barn Find: An Aston Martin DBS Project Car

This is an Aston Martin DBS, though you may be hard-pressed to recognize it given its current state of undress. The car is currently sitting in a barn in Kent awaiting a full rebuild, and it’s now being offered for sale.

The car consists of a full shell for a 1968 DBS, it lacks an engine or any drivetrain components which means the new owner will be able to rebuild it to their own specification without upsetting the purists. Well, perhaps without upsetting them more than the usual amount.

Fast Facts – The Aston Martin DBS

• The Aston Martin DBS was released in 1967 as the successor to the Aston Martin DB6. Unlike its immediate predecessors the DBS was designed to be fitted with a V8 engine, and it was designed by a Brit rather than an Italian – William Towns.
• There can be no denying that the DBS had gigantic shoes the fill. The Aston Martin DB4/DB5/DB6 series of cars had an outsized impact on the world, including the DB5 being the car of choice for everyone’s favorite British secret agent, James Bond.
• William Towns penned an all-new design for the new car, with just the slightest references to the earlier vehicles. The DBS was to be a new car for the upcoming new decade of the 1970s, and it was to be powered by the new Tadek Marek-designed Aston Martin V8.
• As it happened, the new V8 wasn’t quite ready in time and as such Aston fitted the car with a 4.0 liter version of the earlier DOHC Tadek Marek-designed straight-six that had powered the earlier DB cars. In 1969 the V8 was ready, and the DBS could then be ordered with your choice of either engine.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

As the first all-new Aston in years the public pressure on the company to release a car worthy of the earlier DB-series vehicles was immense. As luck would have it, there was a new James Bond in need of a new car, and the Aston Martin DBS fit the bill rather nicely.

This is the original movie poster for the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service starring George Lazenby, Diana Ring, and Telly Savalas. Image courtesy of United Artists.

When On Her Majesty’s Secret Service debuted at cinemas worldwide in 1969 Sean Connery was no where to be seen, a new Bond had taken his place – George Lazenby. The earlier Aston Martin DB5 was similarly absent, having now been succeeded by the new DBS. Another major publicity win for Aston Martin.

As it happens the next James Bond film, Diamonds are Forever, also featured a DBS however it was only seen in the background at Q Branch being fitted with some discrete missiles.

The 007 franchise wouldn’t be the DBS’ only brush with fame, a Bahama Yellow DBS was used in the TV series The Persuaders! starring Roger Moore – who would of course go on to play Bond himself. In the series Moore plays Lord Brett Sinclair who drives a six-cylinder DBS, though it was presented in the series as a V8 model.

The Aston Martin DBS

The development of the Aston Martin DBS was fraught with disaster from the very beginning. The two most significant calamities were that the planned new Tadek Marek-designed Aston Martin V8 would not be ready in time for the car’s unveiling, and the Italian body designer Carrozzeria Touring had gone out of business after completing just two prototypes.

Above Video: This is the opening scene of “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” the Aston Martin DBS makes an appearance – this was also the public’s first time seeing anyone other than Sean Connery playing James Bond.

So it was that Aston Martin had no engine and no body for what was to be one of the most important new models in the company’s history.

Plans were swiftly put in place to solve both of these issues. The earlier Tadek Marek-designed straight-six in 4.0 liter form was approved for the car – this was the same engine design that had been used in the DB4, DB5, and DB6.

Getting a new body design would prove more of a challenge, particularly due to the compressed timeline, so British automotive designer William Towns was brought on board and set to work. Towns was one of those designers who was ahead of his time, he later developed a slew of advanced cars and he penned the Aston Martin Lagonda.

The Aston Martin DBS debuted in 1967, it featured entirely modern styling and it was a clear step forward over the DBS. That said the DB6 remained in production for a further two years with both cars selling side-by-side in Aston Martin showrooms.

This pair of images appeared in the original Aston Martin brochure for the DBS, they show you how the car in this article may look after a full restoration. Image courtesy of Aston Martin.

By 1969 the new V8 engine was ready, an advanced design with double overhead cams per bank and a displacement of 5.4 liters offering 320 bhp at 5,000 rpm and 330 lb ft of torque at 5,000 rpm. A significant step up over the straight-six engine’s 2809 bhp at 4,500 rpm and 288 lb ft of torque at 3,850 rpm.

The DBS would leave production in 1972 to be replaced by the similarly-styled and simply named Aston Martin V8.

The 1968 Aston Martin DBS Barn Find Shown Here

The car you see here has clearly seen better days, however it does come with a full body shell as well as some additional panels. It is missing some important parts, like the engine, drivetrain, wiring loom, and the interior. This means that the new owner will need to source what’s missing and rebuild it from the ground up.

As you can see from this image and the other below, this car is going to require a lot to get it back into running and driving condition – including a full drivetrain, running gear, and an interior.

The good news is that since the engine is already long gone there can be no complaints about it having been ruined during the rebuild, and so we may very well see a different Aston Martin engine installed, or an engine from another marque altogether.

There is also a non-zero chance that this car will be picked up by someone wanting to convert it to full electric specification, an increasingly common decision particularly when classic cars are already missing their original engines.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can visit the listing here on Car & Classic. It’s being sold out of Kent in England and it will require its own trailer when the time comes to take it home.

This is a second image from the Aston Martin DBS brochure showing the car underway, powered in this case by the 4.0 liter straight-six engine. Image courtesy of Aston Martin.

Images courtesy of Car & Classic

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There’s An Extremely Rare Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa For Sale

The Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa is a lightweight sports car that was built by the Italian automaker in the late 1960s in very limited numbers – just 12 were made in total and the car you’re looking at in this article is the last one manufactured before the factory shutdown.

The 1900 GT Europa was the smaller sibling to the larger Bizzarrini 5300 Strada, whereas its more sizable sibling was powered by a fire-breathing V8 the 1900 GT Europa was powered by a 1900cc Opel engine producing 110 bhp. This may not sound like much but the car weighs just 650 kgs (1,433 lbs).

Fast Facts – Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa

• Giotto Bizzarrini, a former engineer for Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, founded Bizzarrini S.p.A in Livorno, Italy in 1964. The goal of his new company was to develop high-performance sports cars, utilizing his extensive experience in the Italian automotive industry.
• Bizzarrini began designing the 1900 GT Europa, with the goal of creating a more accessible sports car that maintained the brand’s signature blend of style, luxury, and performance.
• The Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa was officially launched in 1966, receiving praise for its stunning aesthetics and well-engineered performance. Despite being overshadowed by its more powerful sibling, the 5300 GT, the 1900 GT Europa garnered a loyal following among sports car enthusiasts.
• Due to financial difficulties and limited resources, Bizzarrini produced only 12 examples of the 1900 GT Europa. The car’s rarity, combined with its impressive design, engineering, and heritage have contributed to its status as a highly sought-after collectible.

The Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa

Giotto Bizzarrini, the mastermind behind the Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa, was an accomplished engineer and designer. Before starting his own company, he worked for several prestigious Italian automakers, including Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Iso Rivolta.

This is the first page of the original Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa brochure, it lays out the technical specifications of the car and mentions the close relationship to the Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada. Image courtesy of Bizzarrini S.p.A.

His work at these companies, particularly on the iconic Ferrari 250 GTO, laid the foundation for the Bizzarrini brand. In 1964, Bizzarrini founded his own company, Bizzarrini S.p.A., with the aim of producing high-performance sports cars that would rival the best from Ferrari.

The Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa was a significant milestone for the company, as it was their first affordable production model. It was a smaller, more attainable counterpart to the Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada. The Europa was powered by a 1.9 liter Opel inline-four cylinder engine, which delivers a respectable 110 horsepower.

With a top speed of 128 mph and a 0-60 time of 10.5 seconds, the Europa offered drivers an exhilarating driving experience thanks in no small part to the impeccable engineering experience of Giotto Bizzarrini. The car was developed with independent front and rear suspension, a front-mid-mounted engine, four wheel disc brakes, a limited slip differential, an integral roll bar, and a well-balanced chassis that was more than a match for its competition in the late 1960s.

The curb weight of the car is remarkably low thanks to its lightweight racing-derived chassis and its fiberglass bodywork. The use of fiberglass instead of hand-formed aluminum allowed the car to be built faster and for a significantly lower cost, which in turn helped keep it competitive cost-wise with its rivals.

This brief bio about Giotto Bizzarrini doesn’t go into a whole lot of detail about just how important he is to the history of high-performance Italian cars. Without Bizzarrini we would have had no Ferrari 250 GTO and no Lamborghini V12 engine. Image courtesy of Bizzarrini S.p.A.

The 1900 GT Europa’s distinctive design was a collaboration between Giotto Bizzarrini and the talented young Italian designer, Pietro Vanni with ample influence taken from the Bizzarrini 5300 GT. The final body shape was honed in the wind tunnel at Pisa University in order to get it as aerodynamically efficient as possible.

The Europa was notable for its low-slung profile, aggressive lines, and a minimalist cockpit designed with racing in mind. Its distinctive design language captured the essence of Italian sports cars in the 1960s, embodying elegance, performance, and outright speed.

The Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa remains an exceedingly rare sports car, with only 12 production models built. This limited production run is due to several factors, including financial constraints and the company’s focus on the more powerful and prestigious 5300 GT Strada.

Consequently, the Europa has become a highly sought-after collector’s item, commanding high prices in the classic car market when they (rarely) come up for public sale.

The 1969 Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa Shown Here

The car you see here is believed to be the final factory-built example of the Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa model run. 12 cars were manufactured by the factory in total, however it’s believed that a small number of cars may have been completed after Bizzarrini shutdown using left over chassis, possibly bringing the total number to 17.

The Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa remains largely unknown due to the low number of cars that were made, but there can be no denying that it’s one of the most beautiful sports cars of its time.

This vehicle is finished in red over a black interior and it’s fitted with gold Campagnolo alloy wheels shod with Michelin tires at all four corners. A comprehensive restoration was undertaken in 2010 and the car has covered just 2,000 kms since this time, approximately 1,242 miles.

Unlike many of its siblings in the 1900 GT Europa model run, this car has been tuned by Conrero, as a result the 1.9 liter Opel engine now produces a claimed 200 bhp instead of the original 110 bhp, vastly improving the performance of the car.

According to the seller the engine was tuned by Conrero specifically for competition, however the car was never actually raced. As a result it’s also been set up with independently adjustable suspension on all four corners which will allow the new owner to have the car dialed in to suit their driving style.

This beautifully presented Bizzarrini is currently being offered for sale on Car & Classic out of the town of Jablonec nad Nisou in the Czech Republic in Central Europe. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of Car & Classic

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The Compressed Natural Gas-Powered “Magnolia Special” Roadster Is For Sale

This is the “Magnolia Special” Roadster, it was built by well-known motorcycle designer J.T. Nesbitt of Curtiss Motorcycles based out of Birmingham, Alabama. Unusually, this car is powered not by gasoline, diesel, or electricity, but by compressed natural gas (CNG).

Nesbitt built the car between 2009 – 2011, once it was completed he drove it from New York to Los Angeles over a span of 89 hours in October of 2011. The car didn’t skip a beat. It was featured on Jay Leno’s Garage in 2012 after arriving in LA, and Jay was clearly impressed with it.

Fast Facts – The Magnolia Special

• The Magnolia Special was built by motorcycle designer J.T. Nesbitt between the years of 2009 and 2011. Nesbitt designed motorcycles for Confederate Motorcycles, and is now the head designer at Curtiss Motorcycles.
• Nesbitt developed a custom chassis for the car based on a 1928 Ford roadster frame, a steel Superleggera-style frame was then constructed to support the sleek, lightweight alloy body.
• Power is provided by a 4.2 liter Jaguar XK inline-six that has been highly modified, it’s now fitted with 12.5:1 compression forged pistons, stainless-steel valves, and a pair of high-lift, short-duration camshafts.
• Dual CNG tanks are fitted under the vehicle, they consist of extruded alloy cores wrapped in carbon composite. The tanks are said to serve as chassis stiffeners and they sit on either side of the driveshaft (see underside shots of the car below).

The Inspiration For The Magnolia Special

The spark of an idea that led to the development and construction of the Magnolia Special was a comment made during an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage. Jay had commented that he didn’t understand why compressed natural gas, or CNG, wasn’t a more popular fuel source for vehicles.

This is the Magnolia Special, a car that was built a little over 10 years ago from scratch in New Orleans by J.T. Nesbitt. It has a completely bespoke body, a 4.2 liter Jaguar XK inline-six, a Tremec T5 five-speed manual transmission, and it uses compressed natural gas as its fuel source.

Motorcycle designer J.T. Nesbitt was watching from home in New Orleans and he thought the idea was fascinating.

He began researching the fuel and its potential uses, and before he knew it he was designing a car powered by CNG to take him on a remarkable cross-continental adventure to meet Jay Leno in person and appear on the show (you can see the episode in full below).

Building The Magnolia Special

The design began with a 1928 Ford roadster frame with TIG-welded boxed-steel rails which incorporated two CNG tanks underneath in the center that both held the fuel and acted as stressed chassis members to increase rigidity.

Onto this chassis a Superleggera-style frame was constructed, a series of small steel tubes that act as a structure for the lightweight alloy body work that was all painstakingly formed by hand. Under the body the car has a steel bulkhead, a steel stringer nose framework, and tubular steel cabin reinforcement around the two occupants.

Above Video: This is the episode of Jay Leno’s Garage dedicated to the Magnolia Special, in it designer J.T. Nesbitt goes into detail telling the story of the unusual car’s inspiration, design, and construction.

Suspension consists of double A-arms and pushrod-operated inboard coilover shock absorbers up front and a live axle in the rear with a four-link arrangement including a Panhard rod, and adjustable coilovers to match the front end.

The car has modern Wilwood disc brakes with aluminum calipers and ventilated rotors front and back, with twin master cylinders. The car rides on Custom Dayton 72 spoke wheels with black rims and polished spokes shod with 6.00/6.50-20 Excelsior Competition tires.

Under the hood you’ll find a 4.2 liter Jaguar XK inline-six that was rebuilt before it was installed. During the rebuild the engine was given a refurbished by Simplex Automotive Machine in New Orleans. A set of 12.5:1 compression ratio forged pistons were fitted as well as stainless-steel valves, ARP fasteners, and high-lift, short-duration camshafts.

A custom six-into-one exhaust header was fabricated and wrapped to keep engine bay temperatures down, and on the other side of the engine an intake plenum was made with a cast badge bearing original Louisiana State motto “Non sibi, sed suis,” Not for one’s self but for one’s own in English.

The Magnolia Special has seating for two and some trunk space in the rear. The car is completely road legal and it attracts crowds wherever it stops.

Power is sent back through a Tremec T5 five-speed manual transmission and from there back to the live axle and its 3.50:1 limited-slip differential to the rear wheels. Steering is rack and pinion, and it has an unusual tubular-rimmed metal steering wheel with cast adornments on its spokes.

The fine detailing over the entire car is impressive, everywhere you look you notice new elements and small touches. The styling of the car has a distinctly pre-WWII feel to it, helped along by the exposed alloy cycle fenders front and rear, and that raked V-shaped windshield.

The end result is a car that’s both beautiful, completely functional, and road legal. As noted above Nesbitt drove it from New York to Los Angeles in late 2011, it took him 89 hours and he was able to stop and refuel the vehicle along the way at standard CNG filling stations, often attracting plenty of curious onlookers in the process.

Their car is now being offered for sale on Bring a Trailer by J.T. Nesbitt himself out of New Orleans, Louisiana. It’s showing just 6,700 miles on the odometer and it comes with a clean Louisiana title in his name describing the car as a 1928 Ford Roadster – you can visit the listing here.

If you’re interested in seeing some of Nesbitt’s more recent work you can visit Curtiss Motorcycles here, he’s the head of design for the company, a new American electric motorcycle manufacturer that’s certainly been making waves.

Here you see the three carbon-wrapped CNG cylinders. They’re tucked out of the way to protect them from impacts and they act as chassis stiffeners to increase rigidity.

Images courtesy of Bring as Trailer

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