Amalgam Collection, one of the world’s finest model makers, has announced a special Man and Machine edition which captures racing legend Jean-Pierre Wimille and the Bugatti Type 59 car he raced at Spa-Francorchamps in the Belgian Grand Prix on 14th July 1935.
Only five model and figure pairings of this 1:8 scale special edition will be produced, three of which have already been purchased by collectors. The model can be ordered either in pristine clean pre-race condition or patinated to reflect the post-race dust and grime.
Accompanying each model is a figure of Jean-Pierre Wimille that stands around 22 centimetres (eight inches) tall. To make it as realistic as possible, the figure has been digitally sculpted, 3D printed and exquisitely hand-painted in Venice by a small team of artists, accurately representing his physicality and character at the time of the race, having researched photographs and archive material.
Sandy Copeman, Director of Brand at Amalgam: commented:
“We have long wanted to create driver figures that will match the quality of our 1:8 models and sit or stand well alongside them. Our research into his appearance at the time of the race has been deep and extensive. The type of suit he wore, his shoes, his physique and complexion have all been very carefully considered and rendered into this fine figure of J.P. Wimille.”
The Bugatti Type 59 model itself, is the result of around 5000 hours of skilled design and development that began with a detailed digital scan of an original Type 59, chassis 59122. Amalgam’s team then set about reworking the CAD, before 3D printing and hand working hundreds of patterns. Moulds were created, and every part was then cast in prototyping resin, before being fettled and fitted, painted and finally assembled into these impressive pieces of art. The original prototype only received the approval of the historians at Bugatti once they were fully satisfied with its accuracy of representation. In its final form, the model car is 52 centimetres (20 inches) long and takes 500 hours to cast, fit, fettle, paint and assemble.
Amalgam have managed to accurately capture every visible detail of the car as it was raced at Spa in July 1935, perfectly replicated using archival imagery and data that was shared by Bugatti and the Bugatti Trust.
For example, the model’s engine cover can be completely removed and is secured to the model with scaled leather straps, exactly as you would have seen on the original car. Once removed, you will be amazed by the detail of the supercharged 3.3 litre straight-eight engine, from the ‘engine turned’ pattern on the dashboard, to the cable brake linkages and the perfectly engineered piano wire spoke wheels. Each wheel is a piece of art in itself, made up of over 80 parts, which took several hours to assemble.
If you request patination of the car, Amalgam will meticulously hand-paint and detail the model to reflect its exact post-race condition.
Bugatti’s Type 59 Grand Prix car was a testament to Ettore and Jean Bugatti’s extraordinarily creative engineering talents. In an era when the art of race car design was superseded by the science, the Type 59 remained competitive despite its continued use of ‘old-fashioned’ mechanics and remains Bugatti’s last successful Grand Prix racer.
Considered to be one of the finest racing drivers of all time, Jean-Pierre Wimille was cited as a paragon by even the great Juan Manuel Fangio. It was testament to Wimille’s abilities that Bugatti remained competitive despite the giants of Mercedes and Auto Union beginning to dominate Grand Prix racing.
This remarkable new Man and Machine pairing is the first in a new series from Amalgam, with more iconic drivers and their cars planned for the future, with Copeman adding:
“This very small and exquisite edition of the Bugatti Type 59 and Jean Pierre Wimille is just the start. We look forward to sharing more very refined and perfectly posed figures of motorsport icons going forward.”
This beautifully detailed Bugatti Type 59 Jean-Pierre Wimille Man and Machine Edition is available from www.amalgamcollection.com, priced at £20,755 / $28,020 / €25,530.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man Behind The Wheel, a member of The Guild of Motoring Writers, professional photographer and former saloon car racing driver.
Photographs courtesy of Amalgam Collection
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