Here’s Why A McLaren M8 Model Car Is Worth A Whopping $27K
YouTube channel, DriveTribe, visits the Amalgam Collection in the UK to find out why their model cars sell for such high prices.
Have you ever dreamed of owning a supercar, but don’t have an extra few million dollars to spare? Then this model is an affordable option.
The Amalgam Collection, in Bristol, England, offers scale model reproductions of any car. Yes, any car, but more on that in a minute. Amalgam has a wide selection of marque models with scale ratios ranging from 1:40 to 1:4. You could own a 1:18 scale Ferrari F40 for under $1000. Prices and level of detail increase with the bespoke lineup.
What Makes a Model Car Worth $27K?
Have you ever heard the old saying, “The devil is in the detail?” Those details are what drive the price of these model cars. In a recent interview on DriveTribe’s YouTube channel, Mike Fernie discusses these detailed models with Chris from Amalgam Collection.
The most expensive example in the video is the bespoke model 1:8 scale McLaren M8. This model features a race-specific chassis, sponsorship decals, and other details including the positioning of the fire extinguisher. While the $27,000 price may at first seem excessive, it’s important to remember that Amalgam Collection invests over 4,000 hours into a model like this one to replicate every detail to exacting standards.
Engineers at Amalgam start with data acquired from the life-size car’s designers and use computer-aided design (CAD) software to edit that data into forms more suitable to model cars. For example, a car’s engine consists of several components bolted together, but a scale model car engine is one solid piece that, in Amalgam Collection cars, conveys every external detail of the real engine. The 1:8 and 1:4 scale models contain more detailed pieces than the 1:18 scale specimens, but in every case the level of detail is much like looking at the real thing.
Amalgam uses the same automotive finishes, painting processes, and equipment used in modern automotive paint shops. Carbon fiber is an area where they take some artistic liberty, however. Since there is no material available to reproduce the actual woven material that makes up carbon fiber, the artists at Amalgam created the artwork necessary to make the replica look like the real thing.
A Scale Model of Any Car?
What if a 1971 Volkswagen Beetle was your first, or favorite, car, and you would like to have an Amalgam Collection 1:8 scale model of it sitting on your mantel, is it possible? Yes, it is possible. In fact, Amalgam can replicate any vehicle down to the tiniest detail using photographs or digital scans. Depending on the complexity of the project, the desired scale, and level of detail, the project could cost from $65k to over $200k. It would likely be less expensive to buy a life-sized version to keep in your garage.
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