Thames & Kosmos V8 Race Car – a model car kit with an engine you can watch

By Ricardo de Jong ·

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Finished Thames & Kosmos V8 Race Car model, a red vintage open-wheel racer with exposed chrome exhaust pipes and a clear engine block

Ask a ten-year-old how a car works and you’ll hear “you press the pedal and it goes.” Ask most adults and you’ll hear roughly the same thing, just with more confidence.

The Thames & Kosmos V8 Race Car fixes that for about 40 bucks. It’s a 233-piece model car kit that you build from the inside out: a visible V8 engine, a real four-speed manual gearbox, a differential and working suspension, all wrapped in a red vintage racer body. It’s a STEM toy that doesn’t look like homework.

Thames & Kosmos V8 Race Car box with the red vintage race car and a close-up of the visible engine

What is the Thames & Kosmos V8 Race Car?

Thames & Kosmos started in Rhode Island in 2001, as a team-up with a German publishing house that’s about 200 years old. The V8 Race Car (item 620403) is new for 2026: the maker lists it as “Year Released: 2026”, and The Toy Book previewed it in February ahead of Toy Fair.

What you build, according to the maker:

  • a V8 with crankshaft, pistons and an exhaust fan, in a clear block so you can see it move
  • a four-speed manual transmission with reverse and neutral, plus a working shifter
  • a rear-wheel torque differential, the part that lets wheels spin at different speeds in a corner
  • shock-absorbing suspension and steering you can mount on the left or right

The finished car is about 10 x 11 x 3.9 inches. A 40-page full-color manual walks you through the build and explains each system as you go.

How does it work?

A small electric motor, powered by two AAA batteries (not included), turns the input shaft. From there the power goes through the gearbox you built, out to the differential, and the pistons pump away in plain sight. Shift gears and you can see and hear what changes.

The Amazon listing estimates 2 to 3 hours of building, followed by seven experiments.

What I like / What could be better

What I like:

  • You see cause and effect. Shift, and the engine speed changes in front of you.
  • The Drive liked that, unlike a LEGO Speed Champions set or a plastic model, this kit “can show how cars actually work.” And it costs less than many LEGO sets.
  • It’s rated 4.8 out of 5 on Amazon, though from a few dozen ratings so far.
  • The vintage Grand Prix look means it doesn’t end up in a drawer. It’s a shelf piece.

What could be better:

  • It’s not a real combustion engine, obviously. The motor fakes the “engine” part, so you learn the mechanics and nothing burns.
  • Batteries aren’t in the box. Wrap two AAAs with it.
  • Ages 10+ is honest. Younger kids will need a parent on gearbox duty.

Who is the V8 Race Car for?

Kids around 10 to 14 who take things apart, car-obsessed teens, and the adult who watches engine teardown videos on YouTube. It’s a good companion to the marble madness of the GraviTrax Starter Set or the wooden mechanics of the UGEARS R2-D2.

For more ideas in this direction, see our older list of STEM toys for kids.

Where can I buy the V8 Race Car?

Thames & Kosmos sells it through its own store on Amazon. It was about 36 bucks at the time of writing (October 2026), a little under the $39.95 list price.

Vroom. Educationally.