WHEN A “MODEL CAR” COSTS MORE THAN YOUR REAL ONE – MEET AMALGAM’S ULTRA-DETAILED, RACE-WEATHERED FERRARI 499P HYPERCAR
Model cars are big business, and have been for pretty much as long as cars have existed. As with full-sized machines, they come in various sizes, qualities, and materials. But at the top of the model car food chain? That’s where you’ll find companies like Amalgam, crafting scale replicas so detailed, so exact, and so jaw-droppingly expensive, you’d need F-you money just to consider one. We’re talking high-end art pieces for garages, boardrooms, or private collections where “price on request” means you probably can’t afford it. Heck, the previous 1:8 Ferrari 296 GTS model rang in at R375,000 - and now, Amalgam’s gone even further with their latest creation: a race-weathered Ferrari 499P Le Mans Hypercar to accompany the spotless version released a few months back. Yes, it’s weathered. As in, dirty. On purpose. And it's glorious. Amalgam has unveiled this new Race Weathered edition celebrating the #51 Ferrari 499P that clinched Ferrari’s first outright win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in fifty years. Driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi, the car made history at Circuit de la Sarthe in June 2023. And now, you can own a piece of that moment - albeit in 1:8 scale - if you’re one of the 51 lucky (and very wealthy) individuals quick enough to snag one. This isn’t some slap-dash, pre-painted desk trinket either. Oh no. Each model measures over 62 cm in length and is hand-built by a team of artisans in Bristol using original CAD data, paint codes, and material specs supplied by Ferrari themselves. The base model took over 4,000 hours to develop, with an additional 450+ hours poured into building and weathering each individual piece. The result? A scale replica that looks like it’s just rolled off the Mulsanne Straight and into your living room - complete with scuffs, grime, and the right kind of battle scars that scream “we earned this win.”
Every unit also comes with an A1 Giclée print of the actual car cruising the pit lane in its post-race glory. It's not just a model - it’s a moment, frozen in time, recreated with obsessive perfectionism. The weathering isn’t guesswork either; it's applied using archival imagery to match the exact dirt, brake dust, and rubber streaks seen on the real #51 car as it crossed the line after 342 laps of endurance warfare. This is a proper tribute to Ferrari’s return to endurance racing greatness with the 499P. Built for the new Hypercar class in the FIA WEC, this hybrid beast marks Maranello’s first top-class prototype entry in fifty years. The car’s name harks back to Ferrari tradition - 499 referring to the engine’s unitary displacement and P for prototype - and it sports a retro-laced livery inspired by the 312P of 1973. Even the race numbers have meaning: 50, for Ferrari’s half-century absence from the top tier at Le Mans; and 51, a number synonymous with Ferrari GT wins. On track, the race was drama-laden: a crash for the #7 Toyota, a recovery moment for the #51 after avoiding a wreck, and a radiator-breaking stone for the #50 car. But in the end, it came down to a gritty duel with the #8 Toyota. A late mistake at Arnage handed Ferrari the breathing room it needed, despite a tense final system reboot with just 20 minutes to go. The result? Victory. Bells ringing in Maranello. History made. And now, thanks to Amalgam, immortalised in miniature. Is R500,000 too much for a model car? Absolutely. Do we still want one? Also absolutely. We'll leave all the accompanying images in full size so you can see all the glorious details without having to click thorugh, we're cool like that at SXdrv.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off the stupendously detailed Ferrari 499P, although this is the clean version, as seen before the iconic LeMans race - the actual scale model comes complete with all the scuffs and dirt, fresh from a race. This thing is absolutely stunning, and way outta any normal person's price range: Handling Your Model: Ferrari 499P 2024 Le Mans at 1:8 scale | Amalgam Collection
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