There are some things that seem like a good idea when you first dream them up, but turn out to be impractical when subjected to the harsh light of reality. Things like solar bike paths, laser razors, and drone package delivery all fall into this category, along with the subject of this video: Converting a real, full-size car to remote control.
Of course, those aforementioned impractical ideas lack the one thing that turning a C6 Corvette into an RC car has – the potential to run yourself over with your own car. That’s the added element of lunacy that takes this video over the top.
We’ll admit that the creator of the system seems to have pretty decent control over the vehicle, performing burnouts and donuts at will while standing in close proximity to the car. But then again we don’t get to see the car moving at speed, and as anyone who’s ever driven an RC car can attest, that’s when you get in trouble. Except with this car, instead of bouncing off the dishwasher in the kitchen, you’ll be crashing into things with 3,600 pounds of steel and SMC bodywork.
Perhaps the most disturbing part of the video is how well he’s integrated the remote controls into the interior of the car. Jump ahead to 4:30 or so and you can see that there are no visible actuators, just the steering wheel and shifter moving themselves, which is extra-creepy.
If you’re interested in ghost-riding your own whip via radio control, he’s working on a commercial version of his control system that converts the remote commands to signals to drive the 12v actuators that make the system work. Please don’t do this to your car, though. If you think running a 1/10 scale electric stadium truck into your ankles hurts, just imagine how it would feel to go over the hood of your own Corvette while desperately flailing at the transmitter controls…