• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer, March 4, 2013

This isn’t your parents’ version of slot-car racing. Audi Canada set out to reinvent the test drive by creating a miniature outdoor installation where passersby could test drive a custom-made 1:32 scale Audi A4 quattro using an iPad as a controller. What can’t the iPad do?

Zulu Alpha Kilo created the project, which takes place on a 140 sq. ft. (20’ by 7’) custom slot car track, crafted by David Beattie of Slot Mods USA.

The track itself has a small-town feel to it and doesn’t resemble your typical slot car track. Here, cars race past tall buildings, trees, a mini Audi dealership, a group of men in a red truck and a clever billboard knocking its competition: “BMWho” it reads.

In addition to the customized racetrack, a 15-minute documentary called “Painting Coconuts” follows Beattie and his team as they create the track, surrounding environment and scaled-down Audis.

Visitors to the installation were able to race one another through icy mountains, tight turns and rural surroundings.

Each driver left with a video of his or her performance that could be uploaded to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.