Collectibles: Mini Driver

Christian Gulliksen

12/01/2007

The original idea for the Roadster-E was to build a real car for children," says Marcelo Foglia, co-owner of the Argentine company Fine Replica. "The high-end products available today do not represent scaled-down reproductions. They are just look-alike toys with no attempt at realism." Unimpressed by the almost cartoonish proportions of children’s cars on the market, Foglia and his partner, Luis Roman, decided they could do better.

Fine Replica chose the Cobra 427 design not only for the racer’s iconic allure, but because its convertible body made verisimilitude easier to maintain—a roof would have created the stylistic and functional impediments Foglia hoped to avoid. Fine Replica’s commitment to realism even informed the Roadster-E’s size. "We established that the perfect scale would be two-thirds because the young driver would look like an adult in the car," explains Foglia.

Almost 9 feet long and 4 feet wide, the fiberglass-bodied Roadster-E weighs 600 pounds and accommodates children ages eight to 12. An electric motor—hence the E in the car’s name—produces 2.7 hp and propels the car to a maximum speed of approximately 15 mph; it can travel up to 16 miles between charges. The Roadster-E’s real-world specifications include features like rack-and-pinion steering, drum brakes, and a fully operational instrument panel with an ignition for an honest-to-goodness key.

Costing about $28,900, the company plans to make about 300 examples. As Fine Replica builds each Roadster-E to order, delivery time depends on demand and you can expect anything from three to six months.

Fine Replica, www.finereplica.com