The '80s was a golden era for radio-controlled cars that saw more intricate model kits making their way to the public. Fast forward to today, and the unbridled joy of racing miniature motors lives on through serious hobbyists and has even been retooled in gaming, most notably in Rocket League and Nintendo's Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. Now, a British company is taking things up a notch by creating a life-size RC car that you can actually drive.

The upcoming "Wild One Max" is an 8/10th scale replica of the 1985 model built by The Little Car Company in partnership with its original manufacturer, Tamiya. According to autoblog, the buggy measures in at about 138 inches long and 71 inches wide, which is roughly as long as a Fiat 500 and as wide as a Volkswagen Golf. In terms of the design, it features a polycarbonate bathtub chassis and metal roll cage suspended by coilovers and oil-filled shocks and a trailing-arm rear suspension. The buggy also packs 15-inch wheels and hydraulic Brembo disc brakes on each corner.

The almost full-size replica has a top speed of 30 mph, with a modular battery pack that lasts about 25 miles in range and can be recharged by regenerative braking. Though it's hardly a scorcher, the Wild One Max will come with a range of hop-up parts that can improve the speed, suspension and brakes. The aim is to recapture the experience of upgrading RC cars using additional components. The Little Car Company is also promising three packs that will make the car road legal in the US and Europe. These will come with brake lights, turn signals, reflectors and rear-view mirrors.

The Wild One Max will cost about $8,250, excluding tax, and is available for pre-order now. It goes on sale in 2022.