As a parent, there are a number of toys I buy for my kids because I secretly want them myself. This Christmas, for example, my 3-year old son got a starter Scalextric set and Dave, the talking yellow Minion, from "Despicable Me." He loves them, as do I, and it only set me back around 100 bucks.

But then there's the $27,000 Aston Martin DB Junior: It's what rich folk buy for the kid that has everything. A toy that I'd sell my soul to own.

The DB Junior isn't like one of those measly Cadillac Escalades or Corvette Stingrays from Fisher-Price. And the Aston laughs at their pathetic 5 mph top speed and the electric battery that runs out of juice before you've driven to the end of the driveway. This baby travels up to 46 mph, features a 110cc four-stroke engine, arrives with Brembo disc brakes, and adopts a 3-speed semi-automatic gearbox. And it looks exactly like a shrunken Aston Martin convertible from the 1960s.

Sold through Nicholas Mee & Co.'s Aston Martin dealership in London, the baby Bond car blends performance with timeless luxury — like leather seats and a wood-rimmed steering wheel. It has working indicators, headlamps and comes in an array of colors. In most cases, it's the closest any of us would come to owning a DB4 or DB5.

Naturally, the top speed can be tamed, and it arrives with a minimum age limit of ten and up. But here's what makes the car extra special: Unlike Fisher-Price's toys designed to survive a limited number of childhood birthdays, the DB Junior seats full-sized adults, thanks to an adjustable pedal box. In fact, Nicholas Mee & Co. claim that some of the DB Junior buyers don't even have kids, with many simply wishing to add to their Aston collection; the dealership markets the toy to "Junior drivers of all ages."

If death by enraged family members wasn't a real possibility, I'd consider trading in my family car. I know it's hideously expensive, and owning one would make me annoyingly pompous, but the Aston Martin DB Junior stands as the ultimate in parental desire. If you've got the means, I say buy one. Kids make for a great excuse.

Photo: Nicholas Mee & Co.