Watch: This Insanely Detailed Model of the Ferrari 296 GT3 Is the Coolest Car You’ll See Today
Stripped of its hybrid power-train components while decked out in downforce-intensive aerodynamics and purpose-built hardware, the Ferrari 296 GT3 is a motorsport-focused variant of the Prancing Horse’s first production car to carry a V-6 engine, the 296 GTB. The GT3 version, though, enables amateur and pro racers the opportunity to experience Maranello’s 296 in a fiercer light.
Now, enthusiasts who would rather not part with the roughly $600,000 for the race car (or those seeking a miniature reminder of their real-life track toy) have the option to spring for Amalgam Collection’s 1:8 scale model of Ferrari’s six-cylinder competitor. And, fittingly, the attention to detail seems to take a page from Enzo’s own playbook.
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Amalgam’s execution makes a powerful case for spending an economy car’s sticker price on a scale model. The Bristol-based firm produces remarkably intricate models at workshops in the UK, China, and Hungary. The 296 GT3 required around 3,300 hours in order to design and develop the production tooling. Those tasks included 3-D printing, hand-working hundreds of patterns, and the production of molds before the prototyping phase. Every 22-inch long example requires approximately 350 hours of fettling, fitting, and painting. The result is a near-perfect replica that looks like you’re peering into a shrunken version of the actual vehicle.
The project was done in partnership with Ferrari, which provided the car’s original CAD data, paint codes, and material specifications to Amalgam. The model sits with convincing stance on accurately cambered, Pirelli P Zero–branded rubber. Every detail, from its St?ubli fuel-filler cap and magnesium gearbox case to its 2.9-liter V-6 (finished in Ferrari’s signature red-headed hue), is faithfully reproduced.
Pull the tiny handle, and the lightweight door swings open to reveal a purposeful cockpit complete with a manettino-equipped steering wheel, a Bosch-branded monitor, a button-clad control console, and innumerable details such as individually stitched racing harnesses. The car’s meticulously finished parts include photo-etchings and CNC-formed metal components.
Sandy Copeman, Amalgam’s founder and director of its brand and business development, tells Robb Report, “Creating a deeply detailed 1:8 model of the Ferrari 296 GT3 was a no-brainer for us. The car is a gorgeous combination of beautiful lines blended with complex devices and details reminiscent of a high-end watch. Everyone who has seen this model is blown away by it.”
Production of Amalgam’s Ferrari 296 GT3 is limited to 199 pieces. The model is priced at $18,090 in standard Rosso Corso livery, but can also be ordered in a bespoke configuration—which allows you to specify everything from paint finish to interior details—for a cost of $23,520.
Click here for more photos of Amalgam Collection’s Ferrari 296 GT3 model.
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