Mini cars come in go in the trendy world of RC. Many times they are too small, too expensive, or handle poorly compared to their 1/10 or 1/8-scale counterparts. They usually look a little strange too because their looks get lost in their size reduction. All this may change with HPI's new Cup Racer Series of 1/12-scale 4WD touring cars, however. HPI could be credited with starting a mini trend with their micro RS4 and its combined small size and scale looks. HPI went a little bigger with their mini size, then threw in some real suspension, drivetrain, and normal sized electronics. That combination alone might have made some people want them, but throw in some classic, highly detailed bodies like the Datsun 510, the Toyota Corolla, and the sexy Datsun 240Z, and more people start paying attention. Can this little touring car bring back what made TC so popular? Time will tell, but we took out the 240Z to find out how this classic body worked on a modern 4WD chassis.

Features
Stand up, sit, lay down - These commands are usually used on dogs, or given by our wives, but on the Cup Racer they refer to the options you have with the front suspension. Don't be fooled by our lay down position of the shocks; the kit comes with the parts to allow traditional position shocks (which work on all the current bodies from HPI), and when a body that requires a lower front profile comes along, a simple change of the towers will accommodate it. We picked the lay down position because it looked cool.

Body of Art - Most touring cars are like a blank canvas. Take away the headlights stickers and they don't look like they're of this decade, or like real cars for that matter. Part of the appeal of TC is that they looked like real cars. The Cup Racer's body might be heavy, but it's highly detailed and ready for LED lights!

Mr. Adjustable - The highly tunable suspension is enough to get you cranked on angles from the start. HPI is all about details, and this is true of any scale vehicle they make. The front suspension has degree marks so you don't have to guess what camber you have on each side. That compliments the full range of tuning that's on the car and the array of options parts coming soon.

 - Rear ball diff externally adjustable and easy to maintain
 - Front gear diff�highly durable and easy to adjust the action with grease
 - Adjustable wheelbase to fit the wheelbase of the scale body
 - Stand up or lay downsteering servo can be put in two different positions
 - CV-axles keeps the power to the ground; these are found on high end kits

Testing
It was tough to decide where a proper test should be done. The body is really too nice to be banged up on an indoor track, and full-on outdoor tracks are rare and way too big. So I did what I thought most people would do. I set up a small course in our parking lot, ran it in the office on carpet and bombed around in our warehouse on smooth, dusty concrete.

Acceleration and Speed - What may surprise many about the car is that despite its small size it uses full-size electronics and six cells (or 2s LIPO), which makes for some good old fashion American style fun. Fast! While we clocked her in at a cool 25mph, that speed was exaggerated by the smaller size and nimble reactions of the car. There was some noticeable torque steer, and though it is to be expected on a small car with a heavy NIMH on one side, it is still a negative.
Rating: 8 / 10

Braking - I dialed a lot of the brakes out of the ESC, which was super easy on the Tekin controller. A smooth finger rewarded me with arrow straight stops on most surfaces, and a hard jolt of the brakes got the back end kicking out. This would be desirable if you were going for a drift, but it can sneak up on you a little. Stiffer front suspension would help reduce weight transfer.
Rating: 9

Low-Speed - I was pretty surprised by the reaction of the Cup Racer at low speeds. It was almost a little too aggressive in that it could easily flick the rear around with too much throttle, but on the higher traction of the pavement it was much more controllable. The setup we ran made for neck breaking left to right transitions and if controlled properly made for a fun ride.
Rating: 10

High-Speed Handling - Hey, now. I'm sure that when this was on the design board going 50mph wasn't really a goal. It's small and it's low and it's fast. Those are things that can cause a car to have some issues at high speeds on surfaces that are maybe too rough. I wouldn't say our parking lot is rough, but all I could think about was if I flipped or broke a mirror or scraped up the paint on that work of art I was going to be depressed. So the one time I was being a hero and ripping a full throttle a small rock sent it up in the air, but luckily it just jumped and nothing happened. It was a little too nimble at high speeds and would probably be more comfortable going slower on smaller tracks. Dialing that out would hurt some of the low-end, but that balance of stability and quickness is often hard to find.
Rating: 8

Wrenching
Maintenance - Over the years HPI has made some great leaps in ease of maintenance, and despite its smaller size much of the car is accessible for repair or maintenance. If you've touched a 4wd touring car in the past 10 years this will feel like an old hat.
Rating: 9

Wear and Tear - Okay, I'll be the first to admit I didn't try to break this car. I drove it fast but with some care because I love the body and I wanted to keep it looking perfect. I did get a little crazy inside and crashed while drifting, but it wasn't a sold hit. If you flipped this car over you would probably break a mirror, or maybe a bumper. These things are replaceable, but many people like me won't want that to happen and might keep another bashing body (B-Body) just to have some more fun. Based on what I put it through it's a tough cookie; just remember that it's small and little rocks are like big rocks and can cause some problems.
Rating: 9

Tuning - As I've become an old, wise man in the hobby I've come to appreciate the appeal of fewer tuning options. The Cup Racer doesn't lack any tuning options, and it offers those who want to change things the opportunity to have some creative fun. It's not pro-factory-racing complicated, but you can get lost in the options.
Rating: 9

Conclusion
Sometimes looks make you ignore a lot of problems, but this is not the case with the Cup Racer. Put in its element - small medium speed tracks - the Cup Racer is going to shine on many levels. Sure, it gets a little hair raising as the speed increases, but isn't the fun being at the ragged edge of insanity- The Cup Racer delivers that insanity at more human speeds, but can provide the racing platform some may be looking for in a small 4WD. You're not going to be able to run this everywhere, and just walking around the body makes me nervous because it's so detailed, but there's something about an old car that just makes people smile. This kit provides all the speed, performance, and smiles a car should.