Boys and their toys

I'm fascinated to discover that there are very realistic pedal-car and electric-drive reproductions of some very famous automobiles out there, targeted at kids. Some of them are hugely expensive, but others are relatively affordable.

Turbo Toys in the UK offers reproductions of Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Mini Cooper, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles. Prices are not too bad at the equivalent of $300 plus shipping. To whet your appetite, below is a picture of their BMW Z4 roadster.




Going up-market a little, Berg Toys offers a pedal-powered version of a Ferrari, which it calls the FXX Racer, for about $730. A buffed-out and "loaded" model, the FXX Exclusive (with seven-speed transmission, race tires and an on-board computer) will set you back about $2,200.




The ultimate in kiddie wheels, however, has to be the reproduction Baby Bugatti offered by Singulier. Ettore Bugatti made only about 500 of the originals in the 1920's, and if you can find one of them they're worth a fortune! This reproduction is electrically powered (you have to add your own motor and battery), and is a mere snip for the well-heeled (or well-wheeled) at about $9,250 plus shipping.




Regrettably, the manufacturers haven't addressed the Southern market yet . . . I can't find any kiddie pedal-car pick-ups in a camouflage paint job with a shotgun rack!

Now for something for larger boys - with a lot more money. It seems that in Finland, the owner of a 1929 Model A Ford visited the Mäkelä Auto-Tuning company and asked them to restore his vehicle . . . and give it a little extra get-up-and-go while they were at it. They obliged.

Oh, boy, did they oblige!




They not only restored the car to pristine condition, they installed a 250hp 2-liter Ford Cosworth racing engine from the Escort BDA rally car. This gives it an acceleration of 0-60 in about five seconds and a top speed of over 120 mph. I bet Henry Ford is spinning in his grave with outrage!

A gallery of 200 pictures detailing the conversion may be found here, and there's a short article and more pictures here. Below is a video shot from both inside and outside the car, showing its performance. (Note: when the video shows "THE END" about half-way through, let it run on - there's more to follow. Must be a Finnish thing!)





I'd love to take that out for a spin . . .

Peter