There’s a new Cars 3 Lightning McQueen toy racer and it’s ace

The new Cars 3 movie will soon be upon us. Not-at-all coincidentally, we have just discovered this new Cars 3 Lightning McQueen toy racer, and it’s actually really rather cool.

Made by the folks over at Sphero, it is a scaled down version of Lightning’s ‘big personality’, and basically allows you to control – via an app on your phone – a mini McQueen that’ll do big things.

There are six motors onboard: one controls the animatronic mouth, two do the suspension, two work the front tyres and one does the steering.

Further, the tyres are made of a material to allow MiniMcQueen to properly drift about not just on hard surfaces, but – and we’re not making this up – “average carpet surfaces”. It’ll also donut too.

Then there are five capacitive touch sensors, allowing the toy racer to respond to taps on his roof, taps on the bonnet, the side doors, and 'his' rear window. Bluetooth and wifi allow for updates and app control, while inside, there’s a main processor that controls McQueen’s eye movements. Yup, HIS EYES MOVE.

The windscreen itself is an LCD screen, which means live animation renders, while an ambient light sensor can sense the light in the room, and switch the front and rear LED lights on or off accordingly.

There’s also a pit-stop inspired mini game, said to help ‘sharpen your skills’.

“With Ultimate Lightning McQueen, Cars fans and families of all ages can interact with the character in a whole new way and experience the Cars story through technologies that weren’t even imaginable ten years ago,” we’re told. Yup, you’re safe: ‘fans of ALL AGES’.

It’ll set you back a bit, mind - $299. Still, a fine way to while away many, many afternoons. Watch the slightly cheesy trailer video here.

TG has spoken to the men behind the upcoming Cars 3 - for more information, click here.