Bigger is DEFINITELY better…

Large scale diecast models are centerpieces; impossible to ignore due to their size and presence on display. That’s certainly the case with this stunning piece from Kyosho - a 1:12 Ferrari Enzo in bad ass black - despite the dark hue’s usually stealthy effect. A lot of that has to do with the real car’s sleek stance. Enzos are wicked machines, packing 650-horse V12 power and Formula 1 inspired technology at all four corners. In scale, the car’s a real feature fest, with opening doors, rear deck, and front boot, and a removable set of custom fitted luggage set into an equally doffable nose-mounted package tray. We loved the overall tightness and fit of everything, from the beautifully textured faux carbon fiber and leather surfaces to the ceramic brake discs that get revealed when you pull the road wheels. It ain’t cheap - this one tags at around $525.00 -  but there isn’t a single bit of the model that doesn’t warrant the price of ownership!

Kyosho USA

Sweet Re-coupe

Here’s a figure to roll around your tongue: $7.25 million dollars. Nice ring to it, huh? That’s the price a collector paid for this singular machine, one of the only six Shelby Daytona Coupes ever made, at the Mecum auction. Of course, that was a little while ago; the machine may or may not be worth that kind of lofty figure in the current economy. The good news is that for a whole lot less - say, fifty bucks or fewer - you can tote this nicely done Greenlight Collectibles version home in the crook of your arm. The model makes the most of a relatively few pieces to get its point across, and the result is… well, see for yourself. Just don’t forget to stow your bags in the overhead bin before takeoff.

Greenlight Collectibles

Special FXX

It’s got to be cool to be Hot Wheels Elite these days: They’ve grown into one of the large scale diecast collecting hobby’s best suppliers of affordable, yet comprehensively detailed models. If Ferrari is your brand of poison, take a whiff of this pair of FXXs - Ferrari’s uber-performance, special-customer-only racer/test bed variant of the Enzo. These tag for around 1.5 mil - 2.5 if you buy into the Ferrari program that comes attached to ownership. Luckily, these scaled versions will run in the just-under-$100.00 range. Enjoy your flight!

Hot Wheels Elite

Stay tuned for our special live broadcast from the 2010 Hot Wheels Summer Smash in Warwick, RI! We’ll be starting at the special time of 4pm EST on Saturday, August 21st. We have a lot in store for the show including many special guest appearances.

There are some good things coming from M2 Machines this year. Some very good things! Don’t believe me? – Then feast your eyes on this pair of 1:64 scale Studebakers that are in the works for the Auto-thentics line.

Proto Time! Bonus text and pics!

Here’s a peek at another “Team Car Room” Subscriber exclusive from the July / August issue of CRM. Enjoy!

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Business guru Jack Welch probably said it best: “If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete”. And while we can’t testify as to whether or not Mr. Welch ever watched a drag race, we estimate he’d consider the altered wheelbase quarter mile machines that Chrysler put forth in the ‘sixties - the original factory “funny cars” - as pretty damned competitive.

For many of us, these cars and the clones they spawned represent the very image of factory drag racing’s heyday. That fact has not been lost on Minnesota, USA’s Supercar Collectibles. This late-process pre-production sample went through here much like the real cars did - rapidly, and with a lot of style - but we wanted to share the pictures and our impressions while we’re waiting for the production pieces to arrive.

Fasten Your Seat Belts…

TrueScale’s 1:18 Tyrrell P34s are bringing a whole new level of high detail to market at a reasonable price point, with clever engineering, great assembly, and the types of working features savvy collectors demand. We put the models under the lens of our video rig for the first of many planned “Fly-By” segments - sixty seconds of eyes-on fun for the collectors who want to see the newest releases. You can cop the Scheckter car separately, but this pair of cars (modeling the 1-2 place Tyrrells driven by Scheckter and Depailler at Anderstorp in 1976), comes as a set. Look closely - the Depailler car is only available when you buy both. The good news? The price of under three hundred bucks for the pair is more than acceptable, given the eye-popping detail beneath the models’ skins. Fasten your seat belts - and enjoy!

TrueScale Tyrrell P34

A 1:24 Corvette Giveaway - and it’s easy to enter!

Nothing says “Red, White,  and Blue” like the Corvette - even if the cars are silver, green, and copper! Thanks to Diecast Reproductions and Car Room LIVE!, you can win all three of these sweet 1:24 Corvettes just by sending in a postcard!

Built by Franklin Mint to Diecast Reproductions’ specs, all three of these limited edition cars come with Fiberglas bodies and opening doors and hoods. Each Corvette has a fully wired and plumbed engine - in the 1971 ZR-1’s (limited to 350 each), it’s a 350 V8, and on the ‘72 ZR-2 convertible (limited to 425 made), it’s a 454! Each of the three features removable roof panels, and the green ZL-2 gives you the choice of a color-matched hardtop or a clip-on convertible up top.

All three cars - a value of $460.00 - can be YOURS. All you need to do is send a postcard - the more creative the better - to: 

The Car Room Magazine ‘Vette Blast
1069 Main Street, Suite 118
Holbrook, NY 11741

OR - Sign up for a free membership in Team Car Room (tm) and we’ll enter you twice! We’ll draw the winner and announce the results on Car Room LIVE!, Saturday, August 28, at 7:30 PM sharp! Click the “Sign Up” button at the upper right corner of this page to join Team Car Room(tm) and enter.

Get those cards and entries in NOW!

The legal stuff: