I've had this open on my desktop for days now, not posting it, but I guess I'd better put it up here, just in case you're the knucklehead who's going to buy it.
"It" is a 1989 Aston Martin Junior, a handmade 4:7 scale replica of one of the greatest cars to come out of Newport Pagnell, the V8 Volante. Instead of a hand-hammered aluminum body, it has a handlaid fiberglass one. Instead of a 5.3-liter V8 assembled by one craftsman, it has a 319cc Honda 4-stroke.
But the seats and interior are still upholstered in matched Connolly hides, and it'll still reach 40 mph. It probably is exactly what Bonham's auction house is calling it, "the ultimate child's conveyance."
Why the hell anyone in his right mind would put an 8-year-old boy behind the wheel of a convertible that can go 40 mph is completely lost on me, though. But in case you needed any more evidence of the lunacy required to buy one of these things, the guy who's selling it was a longtime Aston Martin dealer in the UK, and frankly, anyone who stuck in business with that crazy money pit of a company for any length of time has to be certifiably insane. Great cars, though. I'd buy an old one in a heartbeat.
12 May 2007, Lot No. 219: c.1989 Aston Martin Junior (4:7 Scale V8 Volante), Estimate: £6,000 - 8,000 [bonhams.com]
update: it sold for £12,650.
Allan Stone Gallery on East 90th is showing a fully operational kids' sized Bugatti in their current show. The "Baby Bugatti" was built as a miniature Type 35 in 1927 for the designer's five year old son.
http://www.allanstonegallery.com/
[whoa, nice catch. for some reason, this doesn't bother me. maybe because it doesn't go 40 -ed.]
Only 40? How's the kid supposed to keep up with traffic?
is it convertable to