Our good friend Jay Engel examines some of the worlds best model cars. Jay writes for great publications like Autoweek and knows his models!

Most of us think of the beautiful automobiles we all revere are
actually rolling works of art. The Delahayes, Bugattis, Duesenbergs,
Mercedes, etc all qualify for this category. The appreciation we all
share is now beginning to extend to cars in scale; exact scale models
of so many vehicles that a collection of all that are available might
fill the entire main floor of the L.A. Convention Center! The scale
models discussed here will be restricted to the creme de la creme, so
to speak: model cars for the connoisseur collector.
Such a model is the spectacular 1/12 scale replication of the 2003
Mercedes Benz MacLaren SLR Coupe.

What makes this piece so desirable is not only its imposing size
(approximately 18″ from stem to stern), or its impressive parts count
(over 2200 comprised of copper sheet, leather, zamac, aluminum, wire,
rubber… several different kinds of rubber….. cloth, and hand
stitched thread)… it is its amazing fidelity to the original 1:1
prototype that totally embraces the essence of the $460.000 Mercedes
wundercar. The key is the design of the replica itself; the model is
replicated right down to the very last nut and bolt; even the parts
you cannot see are present and faithful to the original. Automotive
correct materials are used where others would use plastic. This
revelation is what makes the replica seem real, even as you realize it
is a car in scale.
To begin with; each and every replica receives a body stamped from
flat copper sheets which duplicate the exact thickness of the original
sheet metal, but in 1/12 scale. The 6 pice body is seamlessly
assembled and machined to look as if it were one carved piece. The
finished bodies are then sprayed with the exact paint used on the 1:1
and buffed and polished to a brilliant shine. The assembly is done in
modules….engine, interiors (the leather seats are comprised of the
exact hides as used in the original, hand stitched in the original
pattern, and complete with all the proper accoutrements found in the
full size car. Assembly of the the instrument panel is comprised of
over 250 parts and takes a full day for an assembler to complete. The
clamshell hood panel, with its most unique “ballet hood hinges” is an
amazing collaboration. The hinges, alone, are built with over 40
separate components per side. The rear deck lid hinges use another 12
parts per side… the idea being to exactly duplicate the function of
the originals. The gull wing doors are unlatched using mechanical
duplicate buttons and the doors themselves lift on gas filled
cylinders (each imprinted an serial numbered…), open the fuel door
cover and you may remove the gas cap. Further refinements include and
exact design of the Bi_Xenon lights and rear LED lighting. And to top
it all off, if you don’t like the Laurite Silver paintwork or the
extra cost 300SL red leather interior, you may select form a total of
six factory colors and matched leather interiors of red, black, or
medium gray. The cost of this confection is $2500.00 and it available
from www.cmc_modelcars.com. The company is a German firm with offices
in Rochester, New York and they do have this model in stock