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Mini Sports Cars for Adults Are a Thing Now, and They Can Hit 50 MPH

Watching a miniature Porsche-style car drift with an adult driver inside causes a strange cognitive dissonance.

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Watching a miniature Porsche-style car drift with an adult driver inside causes a strange cognitive dissonance. The proportions look absolutely silly, but the handling is uncannily real. Viral drifting videos from Kuwait brought the whole subculture into the spotlight, and now people want to know who’s making them.

One of the names tied to that rabbit hole is End of S.T.A.Y. Automotive, an art studio in Shanghai that makes “junior” versions of iconic cars, including a Porsche 964-inspired build. The company pitches them as adult-size machines, not kiddie ride-ons, and the spec sheet backs that up. End of S.T.A.Y.’s own page for the 964 Turbo Junior lists a 2,200 mm length (about 86.6 inches), a 300 kg weight capacity (about 661 pounds), and adjustable seating meant to fit drivers roughly 140 to 190 cm tall (about 4 feet 7 inches to 6 feet 3 inches).

Power is where the internet starts losing its mind. End of S.T.A.Y. lists a 2,500W electric motor with a top speed of 80 km/h (around 50 mph), plus a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and a hydraulic handbrake. Some reports describe junior builds in the 3,000W to 4,000W range, with top speeds up to 100 km/h (62 mph). Either way, that’s a lot of speed for something that looks like a souped-up luxury Power Wheel.

These Adult-Size Mini Sports Cars Hit 50 MPH

The appeal scratches the itch of an adult fantasy. You want the look, the attention, and the fun little tactile steering inputs, without taking out a loan or babysitting a collector car. You also want something you can customize. Oddity Central reports buyers can change colors, decals, wheels, and aero details, with delivery depending on how deep you go into customization.

Then there’s the question everyone wants to know the answer to. Can you drive these on the street? That depends on where you live and what the vehicle class ends up being. Some brands in the broader “junior car” space have actively stayed off public-road legality, even when the builds meet high standards. A feature on The Little Car Company in Wallpaper quotes CEO Ben Hedley saying, “We build our cars to road car standards, but brands have asked us not to make them road legal.” These mini cars live happiest on private property, tracks, and controlled spaces where nobody has to explain them to a cop.

Prices aren’t for the mere middle class, with outlets reporting an End of S.T.A.Y. 964 Turbo Junior around the mid-to-high four figures, depending on version and options. That’s the whole deal, really. A compact machine that looks ridiculous, drives seriously, and sells the feeling without the full-size commitment.

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