Photography by David Gooley
Beautiful Cars of Brianza
October 1, 2003
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High-quality model cars have a life of their own, a special appeal that makes them much more than mere undersize representations of the originals. Of course they provide an up-close look at cars generally admired from afar—if ever seen in person at all. But they also display a level of craftsmanship that is rare in this injection-molded, computer-controlled age. Forming and finishing the tiny bodies is an art in itself, as are the techniques used to miniaturize fuel fillers, windshield wipers, wheel spokes, and all the other details that make the best scale models as authentic as the originals. (Click image to enlarge)
In fact, some models can be classified as artwork. Like the full-size cars they represent, they require the uncommon talents of their makers: an ability to shape metal, apply paint, and fabricate components—and most importantly, perhaps, a sculptor’s eye for form. The latter is critical because the modelmaker must subtly alter the contours of the original, if a scaled-down version is to look accurate. That applies not only to the overall shape, but also to the small parts that cannot, for practical reasons, be exactly reduced.
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On an exact automotive replica—in one-twelfth-scale, for instance—the body panels and glass would be too thin to retain their shapes. Hoods and doors could not be opened, because the gaps between them would be too small. Worst of all, the proportions would look wrong, for the same reasons a Rolls-Royce radiator shell, which appears to be made up of flat planes and straight lines, is in reality a series of subtly curved forms. The end result, then, must be an artist’s interpretation, not an exact copy. (Click image to enlarge)
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