When the Bugatti Veyron came out 20 years ago, it was both a collection of stunning numbers and a singularity. The Veyron was powered by a quad-turbo 8.0-liter W-16 that generated 1,001 horsepower and 922 lb-ft of torque. It delivered its Earth-rippling thrust and grunt through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and all four wheels on its way to a top speed of 253 mph. The price for this staggering engineering achievement? An MSRP of $1.25 million. Everything about the Veyron was superlative — and remains that way. It’s only fitting that the 1:4 scale model of its engine and transmission from Amalgam Collection is equally stunning.
As a former diecast model car collector, I’m aware of many of the brands on the market, such as CMC, AutoArt, and Maisto, but I didn’t discover Amalgam Collection until several months ago. I continue to be impressed by the execution and detail I see. Every type of product has its own “Rolls-Royce” — as in the most prestigious of them all. For example, many would consider a Patek Philippe to be the Rolls-Royce of wristwatches. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Amalgam Collection may be the Rolls-Royce of model cars and other automobile-related items.
On its website, the company states, “Amalgam has been creating fine model cars since 1995, after our founder Sandy Copeman approached the Jordan Grand Prix and Williams Formula 1 teams. Ferrari came on board in 1998 and Amalgam has since developed strong and lasting relationships with the most important manufacturers and teams across the world of car manufacturing, motorsport and design.” To get all the details of the Veyron’s W-16 engine and Ricardo-made transmission just right, Amalgam went straight to the source and used the CAD from Bugatti’s design studio.
Despite that privileged access (or perhaps because of it), it still took Amalgam 3,500 hours to develop its model of the Veyron’s engine/gearbox combo. Craftsmen spent 325 hours assembling castings, photo-etchings, and CNC-machined metal parts to create each piece in the 199-unit production run.
The pictures back up those numbers. Every curve, texture, finish, clamp, wire, and even tag looks as if it’s straight out of Molsheim. Measuring 17 inches long and 11 inches wide, the Amalgam Collection version of the Veyron’s engine and transmission is just as much of a singularity as the 1:1 car itself. It also has the price to match: $18,495.
