Before iPhones, Snapchat, and bingeing on TV series were things, kids grew up playing with toys. We know: stunning revelation, right" If you are anything like us?and we’re betting you are, since, um, you’re reading a car website?and grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, you likely remember Tamiya radio-controlled model-car kits. The high-quality Japanese toys were fun to build and even more fun to rip around the yard. So consider our surprise when, at the 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed, we nearly tripped over three full-size creations inspired by iconic Tamiya R/C kits.
Fabricated by restoration outfit Lanzante, which most recently has busied itself making McLaren P1 GTRs legal for road use, the trio of 1:1-scale Tamiya models belong to one Olivier Ellerbrock. Clearly a man of means?and excellent, if slightly zany taste?Ellerbrock had Lanzante build him a Sand Scorcher, a Wild Willy Jeep, and a Fast Attack Vehicle. These were put on display in the paddock adjacent to Goodwood’s hill-climb course, accompanied by original, toy-size versions of each car and a 1:1-scale remote control, just for fun.
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The Sand Scorcher is based on a real-life Volkswagen Beetle, whereas the Wild Willy Jeep and the military-esque Fast Attack are more custom creations. All three are fully driv...