Let’s say, for argument’s sake, you’re incredibly rich and need to buy a present for your buddy who is a huge Honda racing fan. If you can’t decide what to give them, I humbly suggest you buy this incredibly detailed scale model of the Honda RA272 Formula 1 car — the first Honda to ever win an F1 race. Now, sixty years after that Mexico Grand Prix, Honda Racing and the craftsmen at the Amalgam Collection teamed up to commemorate that car.
Honda
Production is going to be super limited, with fewer of these models than most supercars, even. Honda says it’ll be available in both 1:18 scale and 1:8 scale; in total there will be 300 examples of the former and just 30 of the latter. That makes this one rare piece of art, and the price reflects that. The 1:18 model costs $1,735, but if that’s not enough to show your buddy how much you really care about them, step up to the 1:8 model. That bad boy costs an eye-watering $28,995, making it more expensive than a big chunk of Honda’s actual vehicle lineup. Vehicles like the HR-V, Civic sedan, Civic hatch and Accord are all cheaper than this 1:8 scale RA272.
More than a model
Honda says the patterns for the models were created using incredibly accurate digital scans as well as hundreds of in-period photos of the car during the 1965 season. Each 1:8 scale car is built from around 1,600 parts that include castings, photo-etchings and CNC-machined metal components. In total, about 4,500 hours were spent developing the tooling for a model they’ll only make 30 of, and each one of those will take about 450 hours to complete. It’s truly a mind-boggling exercise.
The cars will come with a tiny replica of the RA272’s 1.5-liter V12 engine that pumped out 230 horsepower. Today, those numbers sound rather trivial, but that was a ton of power back then. Of course, it would also rev to a motorcycle-high 12,000 rpm, but unfortunately, the scale model isn’t going to do that.
Honda
Each model will come accompanied with a bespoke display case, certificate of authenticity and commemorative booklet signed by HRC President Koji Watanabe. If you want one for you or your friend, you’ll have to be at The Quail or Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion during Monterey Car Week on August 15 and 16.
If this car isn’t for you, or you miss your shot to buy one, you’ve really got to check out what Amalgam does. They truly make some of the most breathtaking models I’ve ever seen. It’s hard to imagine anyone is doing it better.
Honda
