This year’s Large Scale Car of the Year sits at the intersection of some incredible talent. A car from a historic sports car manufacturer, named after history’s greatest F1 driver and produced by a brand known for their dedication to extreme detail. Guessed what it is yet? None other than the Amalgam Collection 1/8th scale McLaren Senna.
While Driving for the McLaren F1 team from 1988 to 1993, Brazilian Race driver Ayrton Senna won 3 world championships and secured himself, and McLaren, a place among F1 legends. That’s not even half of his story. What makes this car special enough to receive such a storied name?
Based on the chassis underpinning the 720s, the Senna, unlike the latest McLaren hypercar the P1, does not use a hybrid powertrain. It uses a pumped up and bored out version of the combustion engine at the P1’s heart to make 800hp, a fitting tribute the the Senna days of F1 before those cars, too, were hybrids.
Sculpted with computer-aided design to achieve aerodynamic efficiency, the Senna strikes an intimidating pose, especially if you’re a model maker trying to recreate it. With Ducts, slats, creases, wings, sills, and scoops covering nearly every inch.
That’s where Amalgam shines. For a modern car like the Senna, Amalgam actually used the original CAD (computer aided design) data which the manufacturer uses in production. Working with this, as well as the real car’s design team, Amalgam has made some of the most exclusive and carefully detailed model cars in the world.
This Senna is no different. From photos it’s hard to tell it’s a model at all. Everything from the Brake discs to the interior is sculpted to perfection, using the real materials you’d find on the full-size McLaren Senna. This Amalgam costs a princely sum, but for what your’e getting: One of the most faithful recreations of a car in history, It’s worth it. That’s why we’re happy to induct the 1/8th scale Amalgam McLaren Senna as our 1/8th scale car of the year.