OT - but I know some of you like models

[smarjoram]

I met Tony Dennis at the recent Goodwood Festival. He's a former engineer turned modelmaker after a string of redundancies. The models he builds are 1/13th scale replicas - usually for the owner of the original car who'd like a miniature version to look at in his office.

The detail is phenomenal - every leaf spring, steering box, torsion bar works as it would on the original (it's not a working motor though). Almost everything is machined rather than cast and then soldered rather than glued. A model takes around 2 and a half years to build and costs £35000 - (about $50000)

I forgot to ask if he would tackle a 911 - I imagine a monocoque would be trickier than a car with a separate chassis. Not to mention all the complex curves of the bodywork. Anyone got a spare $50000 dollars?

There's a bit more info about him here...

http://www.maserati-indy.co.uk/alfieri21.htm

and here's one of my photos of a work in progress...

[ErVikingo]

Wowo reminds me of the guy who made the Ferrari racecar with working engine and transmission.

[Glasgow 911SC]

Couple that with one of these.

[dean]

I never understood models like that. If you are going to that much trouble why doesn't the model maker make them full size? Then you could drive them

[smarjoram]

Because the owners already have a full size one. These are desktop niknaks

[masraum]

Wow, that's very cool. Almost as cool as the guy who made the running ferrari.