PINT-SIZED PERFECTION: Scaled-down replicas of classics are making waves in the collector world

October 2, 2019
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by Barbara Toombs

With its builder, Dean McLaren of McLaren Classic Restorations, behind the wheel, this 3/4-scale replica of a Shelby Cobra crossed the block at the 2019 Scottsdale Auction and sold for $57,500.

A brilliant blue Shelby Cobra made its way across the block during the 2019 Scottsdale Auction. The car had attracted much attention while on display prior to its appearance on the famous Barrett-Jackson stage, so it was no big surprise when bidding began to escalate. The hammer came down, and the Cobra was off to its new home for $57,500. What made this remarkable is that this was during the Automobilia Auction, and this particular Cobra was a 3/4-scale replica, a meticulously crafted “mini car,” also referred to as a “go-kart” or “kiddie car” – although the diminutive automobile can also accommodate an adult.

Another build by McLaren Classic Restorations, this 1/2-scale Ford GT40 sold for $53,760 at the 2011 Scottsdale Auction.

The car was the handiwork of Dean McLaren of McLaren Classic Restorations, who recalls going to a car show shortly after he came to the U.S. from his native Australia and seeing a “real” Shelby Cobra with a matching go-kart right next to it. “I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen,” he says. McLaren proceeded to build a dozen or so mini-cars over the years, including five Cobras and two GT40s.

Each vehicle is hand-fabricated and incredibly detailed. The Cobra at the 2019 Scottsdale event, which is powered by a 36-volt lithium battery, has custom seats with Cobra emblems featuring eyes that glowed; a Bluetooth stereo; functioning doors, trunk and hood; and LED lights in the front hood scoop that spell out “Cobra.” From beginning to end – including research, sourcing parts, building the mold and then the final product – it took approximately two years. “You have to make everything from scratch – that’s what’s unique about it,” says McLaren.

This hand-built 3/4-scale 1956 Chevrolet Corvette SR Prototype known as “The Real McCoy” sold for $27,600 at the 2018 Northeast Auction

While there are a number of companies that produce 3/4- or half-scale classic cars made to order, many builders are individuals just like McLaren: car enthusiasts who have such a passion about a certain iconic car they decided to make their own mini version.

Building miniature versions of vehicles has been going on for some time. Most famously, back in 1926, Ettore Bugatti and his son Jean decided to build a half-scale Bugatti Type 35 – generally acknowledged as the most successful racing car of all time – for Ettore’s youngest son, Roland, on the occasion of his fourth birthday. In the end, around 500 copies of the “Baby Bugatti” were produced between 1927 and 1937, each made of aluminum and sheet metal, with a gear lever, a Bugatti dashboard, a Paris-Rhône electric motor and a leather seat. Each stamped with a serial number, they became quite a craze in their day, purchased by the wealthy and elite for their children. In 2019, to celebrate the company’s 110th anniversary, Bugatti introduced the Baby II, an electric-powered tribute to Ettore’s original masterpiece, with a limited run just like the original: only 500 cars.

Selling for $40,000 at the 2014 Scottsdale Auction to benefit the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, this 1/2-scale replica paid tribute to the Le Mans-winning Ford GT40.

In the 1960s, a French classic-car restorer named Francis Mortarini abandoned his work with full-size vehicles in favor of collecting and restoring scaled-down children’s pedal cars and small-engined go-karts. With the Societe de Construction des Automobiles, Mortarini sent half-sized replicas of GT40s and Ferrari 330 P2s into the hands of lucky children in Europe and America. In the mid-1960s, he even organized the 24 Minutes du Mans, a mini-car version of the famous 24-hour Le Mans race.

Whether destined for the collections of enthusiasts to display next to a full-size example or to the homes of lucky children whose parents or grandparents are looking to indulge them (and perhaps ignite the automotive passion early on), the exquisite scale-model replicas making regular appearances on the Barrett-Jackson Automobilia Auction block continue to attract the attention of bidders far and wide.

For a look at all the authentic items on the docket for the 2019 Barrett-Jackson Automobilia Auction, click HERE.