The series is called "Bionicle" and it's a Lego theme from 2001. From left to right they are Onua, Lewa, Pohatu, Tahu, Kopaka, Gali. There were quite a few iterations and stories about them and the island Mata Nui where they live. Mostly it was told through comic strips and video games. It's difficult to tell exactly what they are - technically they are probably robots but they each embody a certain elemental spirit and fight various evil counterparts and "evolve" into more advanced versions of themselves. You probably haven't heard about them because the theme has been discontinued and you sort of "had to be there" - I don't really think the video games hold up to today's standards anymore (on account of them being from the early 2000s). They're not cars, they have legs (they just aren't in the picture). If you're into that, I can suggest an even older theme: Throwbots/Slizers (depending on where you live) from 1999, one of which actually was a car. Their actual play value was probably a bit higher than that of Bionicle but the actual finctions were never really the focus. As for your last question, I don't really know. Probably out of sheer excitement. 😋
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