When we met you in 2008 you said that you were hoping to complete the development of your car that year and race it at the World Championships;-) We’re three years down the line now and the much anticipated car is finally here; What delays have you encountered during the cars production, and how were these overcome?

Well back then I was working together with another company. I actually tried getting THECar produced twice together with other companies, but I got the short end of the stick both times. So then at the end of 2010 I decided that as I literally had nothing to loose, that I would do it myself. Well I did and I am really happy I took that chance.

What was technically the most challenging aspect of designing and testing THECar?
Well I learned the CAD program pretty much by designing THECar, so some of the parts were really hard and pissed me off, because I knew what I wanted but couldn't do it. I had try doing them in different ways, starting from scratch a few times to get them right. If I had to name one part, it would be the C-hub.

What revisions have you had to make to THEcar throughout its production, what version of the car has now been released?
The basic layout and the adjustable weight distribution is still the same, but I have reduced the size and weight of many parts, and also some of the geometry, for the shocks and upper links. It is nearly like this is already the 2.0 version. If it had been released back in 2008 it would have been 1.0.

Do you have any improvements or upgrades in the pipeline?
I am working on improving the quality continuously, and also the performance. The first option parts that will be released are most likely lightened outdrives, an overdrive gear to get the front to pull more than the rear, and colour kits, where the gold parts can be replaced with different colours.

What do you think are the outstanding features of THEcar & What separates it from other cars in its class?
I think mainly the adjustable weight distribution, where you can move the centre diff and the engine 8mm forwards and backwards, and you can add ballast weights on special locations on the chassis. Also because of the short arms and large offset on the rear, the steering and cornerspeed is higher than on other cars. It drives differently to other cars, you should try it!

Now that you have achieved your primary ambition, what comes next? You previously hinted at the potential for a 1/10th car, is this work in progress?
Yes I want to make a 4wd and 2wd (10th). I can't say when I will have them though, as I want to create something new and better. My 1:8th scale was delayed 3 years, so it wasn't quite as ”new” as it could have been, but for my 10th scales I want to make them really stand out.

If you create a 10th buggy or something similar - will that also be called THEcar? Surely there's only so many things you can start with THE?
THE 4wd and THE 2wd (electic) of course!

A rare electric buggy outing for JQ at the 2007 European Championships - with the hand-made Durango prototype. JQ at the 2008 neobuggy race

Where did the ‘THE’ come from?
It is the brainchild of Jess Saunders. We were in Greece testing the very first prototype, and we kept refering to it as ”the car”. Then when we talked about a name for it, we wanted to find something to set it apart, and Jess said ”Why don't we just call it THECar”. I said that's stupid, but then we thought about it some more, and we started saying THEeverything, and after one of us said we could make THESticker, we both just knew we had to do it. I really like THEIdea for 3 reasons.

1. It's unique, when you hear it, you won't forget it.

2. It is easy to name stuff, and funny. (agreed, the comedy never ends)

3. Even the people that hate it talk about it, and maybe even more so, and additionally, people say the car about other cars, and it refers to THECar even if they don't mean to. (ahhhhh, nice touch!)

THANKS JESS!

The body-shell was designed old-school style

What would you like to achieve professionally in the coming three years, and what help/support do you think you’ll need?
I would like for it to become a profitable design/marketing/racing company, outsourcing all the rest like manufacturing and logistics, with a few employees around the world. I would like to have the most important offroad racing vehicles winning races around the world. I will also try to set the standard for customer service, specially as far as set up help, and getting the best out of your car. I want to make JQ Products the ultimate RC Racing company with the best and coolest race team to be on.

Some of the test-parts Joseph went through in the development process. The first prototype

And what about personal ambitions?
My ultimate goal is to win a major championship. I don't know if I will ever achieve it, but I will try really hard. The only way I can achieve this is if I can get my company to a point where I don't have to do everything, and I don't have to work 24/7. I hope that I can hire some people to take care of sales and everyday stuff, so I can focus on designing and testing stuff, and racing. I don't have much natural talent, I suck pretty bad if I don't practice and race much. But when I do, I have the speed to win, I have been pretty close before, so I know I got it, if I get the opportunity to prepare well.

I've seen it said you're a master marketeer - a genius at subversive promotion of your design ideas and products. What do you think - and have you studied how to sell your ideas?
Well this is truly flattering, and surprising to me, because I have never studied business or marketing, and people did mention that this would be my downfall. I think the reason the release of THECar was such a success, was because I was the only one at the time being truly open and honest, explaining reasons for doing things instead of using superlative adjectives to describe a new product. Also for some reason most companies tend to at least try to appear as large powerfull corporations with huge engineering teams and marketing departments with the power to crush the competition with awesome products. I took a different approach and just told it like it is, and maybe I got lucky, or then I truly am on to something, because it worked. People liked what they saw, they got involved, and followed the release.

THEcar already has good exposure - on par with the big companies. How do you think you've achieved it?
People were interested in the project, so whatever material I posted, pictures, videos, articles, everyone seemed to re-post them all over the place, and that is how the word spread. I think the fact that this car was being made by a goofball from Finland, and not an established company helped me, because it stood out from the masses of cars being released around the same time.

How long have you been involved in R/C Racing, where did it all start for you?
10 years now, I started pretty late when I was 17. I saw a RC Race ata hobby show a couple of years before I started and that's when I decided I wanted to race.

Who would you like to thank for any help or support you have received throughout the production of THEcar?
Loads of people, big thanks to all my friends and family, and to everyone that has helped me, and also thanks to the haters for giving me more motivation to get this done.