The Little Car Company and Aston Martin have announced that the DB5 Junior, a two-thirds scale electric junior car, has been officially approved as an Aston Martin product.
Aston Martin’s high performance development driver Darren Turner gave the DB5 the final seal of approval after putting it through its paces on the test track at Bicester Heritage in Oxfordshire.
The DB5 Junior was subjected to the same testing procedures as its full-size counterpart.
Every detail of the vehicle was examined from its performance and handling to its responsiveness and weight distribution.
“The DB5 Junior is certainly no toy. The quality and attention to detail on the car is amazing,” said Darren Turner.
“Driving the car was epic; a real surprise actually. I wasn't expecting so much performance from the vehicle and the handling was very authentic. Despite its reduced size, it still has all the charm and characteristics of an original DB5.”
Only 1,059 examples of the DB5 Junior are to be built, matching the original production number of the original DB5 between 1963 and 1965.
This 3-D scanned replica of the iconic Aston Martin DB5 has an electric powertrain delivering 5kW / 6.7bhp to the rear wheels.
A removable battery pack stored beneath the bonnet provides 10 to 20 miles of range on a single charge. If running low on charge, this can be replaced with a second battery in seconds.
There are three driving modes: a Novice mode for less experienced drivers with a 12mph top speed; an Expert mode for more experienced drivers which has a 30mph top speed; and a Competition mode which sets the top speed of the vehicle to match other Little Car Company models so they can be raced head-to-head.
Those looking for more performance can opt for the DB5 Vantage Junior giving drivers a fourth Vantage mode – this top speed is yet to be confirmed though.
A second battery pack doubles the range to 20 to 40 miles with the Vantage Junior, depending on driving style.
Pricing starts at £35,000 for the standard DB5 Junior while the Vantage Junior starts at £45,000.