Mini racers

4:11pm Thursday 3rd July 2008

If you've always fancied being a racing driver, take a look at these four-wheeled mini wonders - they'll attract as much attention as a supercar, but with far less wear on your wallet.

LEWIS Hamilton will be hoping to get his Formula One campaign back on track at the British Grand Prix this weekend.

Most gadget men (and quite a few women) would love to swap places with Lewis, but for all but a very select few a career in racing remains a distant dream. Don't dispair, though. Thanks to the wonders of miniaturisation you can release your inner child by taking to the tarmac at the controls of a shrunken vehicle.

At full throttle you can achieve some incredible (albeit to scale) speeds and pull some amazing skids, stunts, swerves and stops without incurring the wrath of other road users.

Knight Rider Car
£29.95 www.firebox.com

When I was a kid, Knight Rider was unbearably naff - even to a ten-year-old.

Somehow the series has stood the test of time and, in some quarters, it's now considered something of a camp classic. With this model you can relive those golden 80s' moments in your very own Pontiac Firebird. With glowing lights on the bonnet and the voice of the car available at the touch of a button, all you're missing is the Hoff's perma-tan and a super-tight leather jacket.

RC Hummer
£349 www.boysstuff.co.uk

In America the full-sized Hummer is slimming down, but this model is still a giant among minatures. A 26cc engine takes this machine to speeds of up to 80kmh - quicker than many a secondhand car. It looks pretty tough too.

Corgi H2GO
£129.99 www.h2-go.net

This solarpowered machine is as eco-friendly as they come - its refuelling station splits water by electrolysis into its two basic elements, oxygen and hydrogen which is captured for use as power for the car. Turn it on and the on-board fuel cell produces an electric current from hydrogen, which in turn powers the motor and the back wheel.

Zero Gravity Micro
£27.99 www.play.com

Tired of racing your vehicles at top speed? Try this gravity defying remote-controlled machine for size - just set it on the wall or ceiling and its internal vacuum machine will cling to the surface like glue as you steer it around.

The headlights flash when it's running low on juice, so you can retrieve it before an almighty clunk occurs.

Dukes Of Hazzard
£29.95 www.firebox.com

The Duke brothers did a good line in screeching as they launched themselves from yet another perilous drop, but the sound of the airhorn they used to tease their pursuing sheriffs was even better.

This remote-controlled beauty gives you both and is responsive enough to pull some decent stunts.

Daisy Duke's shorts not included.

The Lunchbox
£199.99 www.argos.co.uk

After labouring (for not too many hours) putting your sandwich box together, you'll have a lean, mean street-worthy machine capable of pulling some incredible stunts.

This powerful vehicle can handle the roughest terrain thanks to its semi-pneumatic tyres and massive ground clearance.

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