Collect’Car84: “You race like a cake is waiting for you at the finish”

At Le Mans Classic, the Little Big Mans race is just as popular as the main events. Close to one hundred kids performing the traditional running start on the grid and zipping away in their miniature cars, it’s the stuff Instagram was invented for. For a company like Collect’car84, Little Big Mans is the big opportunity to showcase the qualities of their BMW 328 junior car. Leo Escouffier is proud he is the one that gets to show his dad Sébastien’s efforts.

Collect’car84 is a family business in the strictest sense: dad Sébastien Escouffier is the technical brain, mom Mary provides the energy and keeps the dynamic going, daughter Elisa is taking care of the content production, and son Leo is there to defend the family’s honour on the track. It’s a bit like Michel Vaillant, only – literally – on a smaller scale.

De la Chapelle basis

It would be wrong to catalogue these junior cars under toys. They are the result of long hours in the shop and tons of passion to create possibly the most accurate scale recreation of – in this case – the 1930’s BMW 328. “I took over an existing project,” Sébastien Escouffier tells us. “De la Chapelle originally made 6/10-scale versions of the BMW 328, with a small petrol engine. Later on, Bérard took on the production, who then offered it to me. The 328 can be powered by a combustion engine, as the project was initiated, but I find it more interesting with an electric engine.”

Competition special

“The coachwork is polyester, the dashboard is made in brushed aluminium, the seats are leather. We can personalise the car completely to how the customer sees fit.” The junior car is typically aimed at children from ages 6 and onwards. It can accommodate drivers up to 1,70 metres in length. The 328 comes with an 1800 Watt engine, powered by lithium-ion batteries. Typically, you can expect a half a day’s driving before the BMW 328 needs recharching. “That is, in the basic model where speed is limited to 25 kph (15.5 mph),” Sébastien explains. “The car Leo is driving at Le Mans is our prototype and is – shall we say – a bit of a competition special,” he smiles.

Cool as McQueen

Leo is cool as McQueen in his race suit, posing alongside the real article, the BMW 328 Brian Rivett and Andy Prill are sharing in this year’s Le Mans Classic. He’s not the least bit impressed, zooming through Paddock 1 behind the pits on his way to the photoshoot. It’s a sight to behold, that little 328 dashing through a paddock full of Bugattis, Alfa Romeos, and of course, BMW 328s.

“You give it all you have”

“This is my second participation in Little Big Mans,” Leo says. “I’ve always dreamt of becoming a race driver,” the youngster tells us. Occasionally, he gets his kicks on karting tracks in the South of France. “Little Big Mans is a bit different, as I represent Collect’Car84. I want to do well. It’s all over so quickly, you just have the start and then one lap, and that’s it. There isn’t a lot of strategy involved. You give it all you have, as if a cake is waiting for you at the finish.”

With prices hovering around €30.000 (excluding taxes), these junior cars are serious business. “Our product is fully ‘Made in France’,” Sébastien explains. “We expect to produce around ten cars per year.”

With the production of the BMW 328 now well under way, Sébastien has turned his attention to a new project. “I have started building junior versions of the AC Cobra, on a 7/10 scale. The first versions will be ready for delivery in September 2026.” More legendary junior cars are on the way as well.

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