Road Test: Traxxas XO-1

There’s a catch, of course. There’s always a catch.

A boon for tiny hoons: the Traxxas XO-1

What is it? An “electric supercar” that costs less than two grand!

Hmmm. What’s the catch? It’s only 69cm long and 30cm wide. Traxxas claims it’s the world’s fastest off-the-shelf remote-control car.

So it’s a toy. “The XO-1 is NOT a toy... it is for use by experts only,” the firm says. And no wonder: it’ll hit 100km/h in 2.3 seconds – quicker than a Bugatti Veyron – and top out at 160km/h in under five seconds.

At which point, presumably, it’ll be a dot on the horizon. Yes, so you should only fang this thing on a race track – or a disused runway.

Is it easy to control? No, of course not - but all-wheel drive, slick tyres and the downforce that’s generated at speed by the aerodynamic shell all help to keep it stable; clever software also makes automatic steering corrections to enable “full-throttle acceleration without fishtailing and spinouts”.

Verdict: Fun. But it’ll all end in tears.