If you’re a sports car enthusiast who always dreamed of driving a classic Porsche 964 but knew you could never afford it, you can now fulfill your dream for cheap. Well, technically, anyway, as you can spend under $9,000 on a miniature “Junior Porsche 964” that feels almost as powerful as the original.
Scaled-down sports cars recently attracted the attention of motorists all over the world, after videos of Arab drivers in Kuwait drifting in veritable adult toy cars went viral on social media. They look like kids’ toys, but they definitely have some serious power under the hood, if the viral clips are to be believed.
Photos: End of S.T.A.Y. Art Studio
A quick online investigation revealed these big boy toys to be the work of End of S.T.A.Y. Automotive, an art studio based in Shanghai, China, that has been producing “junior” versions of iconic sports cars for years. Only they don’t focus purely on design; they make sure the small vehicles feel fun to drive as well.
Founded by an aerospace engineer and a multimedia artist, with educational and professional backgrounds that include the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, leading engineer of the 3D Printing Laboratory at Eastern Airlines, director of the Public Art Department at the East China Architectural Design & Research Institute, and Harvard University China Arts Media Lab, among others, End of S.T.A.Y. Automotive blends art and automotive engineering in a very unique way.
Equipped with a 3,000W to 4,000W electric motor, junior cars can reportedly reach a top speed of 100 km/h (60 mph). They feature rear-wheel drive that makes them perfect for drifting and donut driving, and they even come with a realistic engine sound simulator to really recreate the experience of driving an iconic sports car.
Junior sports cars are about 2.2 meters long, depending on the model, and can support weights of up to 300 kilograms. The adjustable seat system is designed to comfortably accommodate drivers from 140 to 190 cm tall. Buyers can customize the body color, decal design, interior, wheel design, and rear wing to suit their individual tastes, but End of S.T.A.Y. Automotive explains that the level of customization can affect delivery times.
Apart from the Porsche 964, End of S.T.A.Y. Automotive’s portfolio of junior cars includes miniature versions of the Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86, Mazda RX-7, and the Nissan GTR R34, among others. Some sources report that prices start at approximately $5,000 USD for some models, but the only available junior model at the time of this writing, the Porsche 964, is priced at $8,800.
Are these little speed demons road-legal? Well, it depends on where you live, I guess.
