---
title: "RC Car Spotted Chasing Pickup Truck Down Highway in a Real-Life Toy Story"
description: "Drivers on a Houston-area highway were treated to an impromptu re-enactment of the first Toy Story movie this weekend when a small radio-controlled buggy was spotted chasing a pickup truck down the road at around 80 mph."
date: "2018-01-16"
modified: "2018-01-16"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/17720/rc-car-spotted-chasing-pickup-truck-down-highway-in-a-real-life-toy-story"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
tags:
  - "highway"
  - "Houston"
  - "radio controlled"
  - "RC Cars"
  - "Texas"
---

# RC Car Spotted Chasing Pickup Truck Down Highway in a Real-Life Toy Story

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/01/rc-car.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Drivers on a Houston-area highway were treated to an impromptu re-enactment of the first *Toy Story* movie this weekend when a small radio-controlled buggy was spotted chasing a pickup truck down the road at around 80 mph, [*KTRK* reports.](<https://abc13.com/traffic/remote-control-car-chases-white-pickup-truck-on-hwy-59/2944749/>)

The bizarre scene [was captured on video](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71yth6ku8bg>) by a man named Alex Villa, who saw the [RC car](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/16230/rc-car-catches-fire-and-totals-3-vehicles>) cruising behind a pickup truck in the right lane of Highway 59 southbound just west of Houston. The little car looks remarkably stable considering how fast it's traveling, and you can hear the engine whirring away as Villa speeds up to get a closer look. There's no sign [of a cowboy sheriff or space ranger,](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oN5RCIMF2o>) sadly.

https://youtube.com/embed/71yth6ku8bg

The video ends as the [RC car](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/1754/dad-makes-rc-chair-for-baby-wins-internet>) follows the pickup down an off-ramp and out of view, just like any other commuter. "That was his exit, apparently," Villa concludes.

Of course, the car wasn't really a toy come to life, and it's likely the operator was riding along in the lead truck. If you're surprised by the fact that a plaything can hit 80 mph, you should know that [radio-controlled cars](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/15577/toyota-transforms-hilux-into-full-size-remote-controlled-pickup>) have come just as far as their real-life counterparts over the decades. Today's top-of-the-line kits can scratch 100 mph with a few modifications and the right gearing and tires.

But while this particular buggy managed to handle a big-kid highway without a problem, it's probably best to save these kind of test runs for a less populated area. Even if it's not likely to cause an accident, all it would take is a quick merge from an inattentive driver to end the experiment permanently.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)