Amalgam’s Model of the Ferrari 12Cilindri Took 3,000 Hours to Develop
Ferrari’s latest—and possibly last—V-12-powered flagship is a textbook homage to the past. With a crouching stance and an audacious snout that echoes the familiar form of the great Daytona from the late 1960s and early ’70s, the 12Cilindri achieves an inscrutable balance between classic and modern. Translating the new model’s complex curves to desktop scale is no small feat, but one that Amalgam Collection has achieved with disarming accuracy.
Amalgam’s just-released offering shrinks the imposing two-seat grand tourer to 1:8 and 1:18 scale, offering the larger version in an off-the-rack Rosso Imola/Blue Sterling interior spec for $18,220, or a bespoke configuration priced at $25,510. The 1:18 scale model comes in at $1,330.
“We work directly with the Ferrari factory, as well as with [other manufacturers], to make sure our scale models look just like they do on the real car,” says Sandy Copeman, Amalgam’s founder. “Our relationship with Ferrari opens the door to having information early on and having opportunities to collaborate with them.” Copeman says Amalgam’s access to the marque’s CAD files used in manufacturing the full-size vehicle enables identical reproductions via 3-D printing. “We’ve got a big department that is just doing 3-D work,” says Copeman.
The 12Cilindri incorporates thousands of intricate parts that include photo etchings and CNC-machined metal components, the latter of which Copeman says has become increasingly employed in his firm’s manufacturing. Amalgam, which started by building architectural models in the mid-1980s, is uniquely able to tackle the bespoke orders that require highly detailed work, such as custom-tinted seat stitching, surfaces that replicate carbon-weave patterns, and the myriad other intricacies that separate one-off builds from run-of-the-mill examples.
Executing this 1:8 scale model involved 3,000 hours of development time in collaboration with Ferrari’s Maranello team, and each example requires 300 hours of hand assembly. Of course, additional work, such as custom paint, demands further time. “[Some custom paint schemes] have very complex finishes,” Copeman says, referring to modern formulations whose finishes shift with light and position. “So you don’t end up with a massively thick layer of paint, it takes a lot of practice and intense learning to know how to do that.” He adds that his company leverages “clever spraying techniques to create texture at the right scale,” and that other time-tested approaches are employed to ensure the desktop cars look like they were magically transformed from a full-sized vehicle.
It takes a global village for Amalgam Collection to produce its vast vehicular body of work, using branches in China, the United Kingdom, and Hungary. Amalgam also offers everything from Airbus A380s to subscale mega-yacht models for enthusiasts seeking to bring a mechanical furnishing to their desks or boardrooms.
According to Copeman, of those who purchase car models such as the 12Cilindri, between 20 and 30 percent typically own the real deal. Amalgam Collection’s Ferrari 12Cilindri is being limited to 199 units (also available in Spider form) and will begin to be delivered in early 2025, which is ahead of Ferrari’s first deliveries of the actual car.
Click below for more photos of the Amalgam Collection’s Ferrari 12Cilindri scale model.
Authors
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Basem Wasef is an automotive and motorcycle journalist and photographer with two coffee-table books to his credit: Legendary Race Cars and Legendary Motorcycles. A contributor to publications…