TODAY 19 MAY Exclusive Ferrari News

...primer, a colour base coat and several coats of gloss lacquer, finishing with a hand cut and polish. No, this is not how Ferrari’s latest super car, the Ferrari 458 Italia, newly launched in Australia and New Zealand, is made. This is how the latest 1/8th scale model of the Ferrari 458 Italia, now available from the legendary supercar maker, is produced Amalgam Fine Model Cars. The attention to detail in the model is such that photographs of the model, both inside and exterior, are almost interchangeable with the studio pictures of the actual car. The detail not only includes the full dashboard and even the stitching on the seats, it also even includes the manufacturer’s watermarks on the each of the car’s windows – just like the real thing.

At the core of the company producing the 458 Italia model is a highly skilled team of model makers. The team took three months of painstaking research and development to create the master patterns for the 458 Italia model. It is all about attention to detail.

To start with a pattern is made for every component of the model, using a wide range of traditional engineering and pattern making skills along with leading-edge techniques such as laser cutting and CNC machining. Epoxy pattern board, sometimes known as chemical wood, is used for the large components and cast acrylic or brass for the smaller items.

The patterns are used to make ‘soft’ tooling from clear silicon rubber, into which the prototyping quality resin is poured to cast the components. These moulds faithfully reproduce even the most complex details and textures, providing outstanding levels of accuracy in the casts.

For the suspension and some of the other smaller components, patterns are used to create a vulcanised rubber mould into which molten white metal is poured under centrifugal force. The white metal components are carefully fettled and polished, or if they are to be painted, the resin parts are joined and prepared for painting with the authentic Ferrari specified paints.

The model components are given several coats of primer, followed by a colour base coat and several coats of lacquer. Lastly, each model is cut and polished to achieve a beautifully fine finish.

Ferrari’s artwork is used to produce screen-printed decals to ensure absolute authenticity and compliance with the original logotypes. The tyres are modelled to the exact tyre type used by the original car and are cast in rubber. Finally, a team of six model makers precisely assemble the cars, each model taking around 350 hours to complete.

The Ferrari 458 Italia model is available in a choice of three colour schemes – black with a black interior, yellow with a black interior and red with a tan interior. Like the real 458 Italia, the model is made to order, however, with a limited production run of just 199, the model is set to be even more rare then actual Ferrari 458 Italia!

With each car built to order, pricing is in Euros, at €4,150 from the Ferrari Store or via Ferrari dealers.