Would You Pay Five Figures for a Model of Your Car?
Forget the Monogram kits and Franklin Mint die-casts! These hand-built replicas go above the norm, with a hefty price to match.
A lot of us would love to have a stable of fine rides to choose from. Alas, we all don’t have the big bucks to make it happen. Instead, we usually turn to little die-cast replicas and model kits from the hobby shop to build our dream fleets. Such things don’t break the bank, allowing us to display our favorite McLarens, Ferraris, Aston Martins and more anywhere we want.
Of course, if you’re among those who have a garage filled with dream machines, you also likely have the means to go above and beyond with your bookshelves, too. According to Robb Report, there are companies who build scale replicas of amazing rides, with a price to match.
“The target is to produce a model that looks exactly like the real car,” says Sandy Copeman, Amalgam Collection brand director. “There should be nothing that gives the game away.”
Companies like Amalgam Collection go far above what you can find in your favorite hobby shop. Their scale replicas are detailed to the extreme, using CAD drawings direct from the factory to bring them to life. Replicas of older cars, meanwhile, rely upon photos and digital scans of the real thing. The end result takes thousands of hours to create.
“A fine car model is like a song. It can take you back to a specific point in your life, like a race,” said collector Kurt Carlson. “To me, models are more than an object. They are an emotion. They’re like mechanical watches, real craftsmanship in a digital world. Models let me have cars that I could never own.”
And they’re worth every penny, too. Amalgam, for example, offers models ranging between three and five figures, depending on scale and level of detail. The ultimate replicas, though, can hit the low six-figure range. These are bespoke models the company doesn’t have already in its lineup.
“I know the Amalgam cars are expensive,” said Carlson. “But I don’t know how they make money with the amount of labor hours going into each one. They must be the true enthusiasts.”
Photos: Amalgam Collection
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