GRR

The DB5 Junior is a scale EV for kids with a limited-slip diff

27th August 2020
Bob Murray

Aston Martin’s iconic DB5 is back in the showrooms, a continuation model of sorts that’s all electric and costs from £35,000. Car-mad kids with a James Bond fixation – surely that’s all of them then – get ready to be wowed…

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The car youngsters almost certainly now want beyond any other is called the DB5 Junior. It’s a two-thirds scale model of the real thing, accommodates the youngest of drivers along with an adult passenger, and in true 007 style is finished in Silver Birch with a black leather interior.

And as you will have by now worked out, it’s a convincing dead ringer for the real thing, right down to the correct Aston “wings” badges. Aston provided the Little Car Company, which makes the model for the sports car firm, with digital scans of a real DB5 to ensure the design was spot on.

The 270kg model is based around an aluminium honeycomb chassis and composite body, with double wishbone suspension at the front and live rear axle. A 6.8PS (5kW) electric motor drives the 10-inch wire wheels while stopping from the model’s 30mph top speed is courtesy of four-wheel ventilated disc brakes. The battery pack is under the bonnet and can last for between 10-20 miles.

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Like any modern grown-up car, it comes with selectable drive modes. For the younger DB5 driver there’s the Novice mode, which restricts top speed to 12mph and comes with a kill switch – no, not a James Bond-style gadget but a remote control for anxious parents to disable the car while up to 30m away.

More experienced steerers can opt for Expert mode while a Race setting introduces a balance of performance so DB5 Junior punters can take on drivers of other Little Car Company models – chief among them the Bugatti Baby II – on an equal footing.

There may be no secret agent gadgets but the 3m long, 1.1m wide convertible does come with an impressive array of features. Functional Smiths dials and 1960s style clock, a two-thirds scale replica of the 1963 car’s steering wheel (quick release for easy access) and working headlights, brake lights, indicators and a horn all feature. There’s also a boot for luggage and a rally-style hydraulic handbrake for stunt driving fun and games.

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And yes, before you ask, there’s a Vantage version. True to Vantage form, this gets less weight and more power, with a fourth drive mode – Vantage – unleashing twice the base car’s power (13.6PS, or 10kW). You also get carbon-fibre body panels, a slippery diff and extra battery capacity, doubling the range to 20-40 miles – depending on just how much of a lead-foot your offspring is.

A thousand and fifty nine DB5s were made in period and the Little Car Company hopes to shift the same number of junior versions. Owners of grown-up DB5s can ensure the model comes with matching colour and trim as well as matching chassis number, keeping the DB5 very much in the family.

There are options (fitted luggage!) and plenty of ways to personalise the DB5 Junior but be warned these cars don’t come cheap: the base car is from £35,000 plus local taxes, while the more powerful DB5 Vantage Junior starts from £45,000 plus local taxes. Deliveries start next year.

  • Aston Martin

  • DB5

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