The battle for top honours in the 2014 Model of the Year polling has come to an end, and boy, was it a good battle! Filled with seriously desirable masterpieces from various brands, the list was to die for. The fifth place goes to the much-anticipated, but ultimately flawed Hot Wheels Elite LaFerrari. Great value for the money, but too many corners cut to be a true contender.
The fourth and third places both go to the maestros at CMC, with the niche, but exquisite Alfa 8C 2900B, and the classic and stylish Bugatti Corsica. Understandably, these are priced at the level that reflects the craftsmanship, so it is extremely impressive that these unique pieces managed to score so high, which only goes to underline the massive respect CMC folks enjoy from the diecast community. Second place goes to the much-loved and highly anticipated AUTOart McLaren F1 LM. Finished in Papaya Orange, this commanding piece belongs in every true car nut’s collection. Indeed, it would have snagged the top spot, if it weren’t for its AUTOart cousin, the sublime Huayra.
One of the finest models ever produced by AUTOart, the Pagani is a testament to AUTOart’s craftsmanship, offering the level of detail and presence deserving of Mr. Pagani’s lovely creation. It looks great in pictures, but even better in person. The weight, the opening panels revealing the magnificent detailing and architecture, the paint, all come together in a stunning crescendo that will be celebrated until AUTOart tackle their next diecast masterpiece. Although with the recent news of a novel material being used for the bodies, who knows, it may be an ABS masterpiece instead.
Time will tell! We’d like to thank you all for voting, and please sound off in the comment section below, and let us know which model you think deserved to win the most.
Final Result as of: February 28th, 2015
AUTOart Pagani Huayra (27%, 193 Votes)
AUTOart McLaren F1 LM Edition (14%, 102 Votes)
CMC Bugatti 57SC Corsica (12%, 87 Votes)
CMC Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B LM Coupe (12%, 82 Votes)
Hot Wheels Elite Ferrari LaFerrari (6%, 44 Votes)
Fronti-Art Koenigsegg ONE:1 Carbon (5%, 33 Votes)
OttO Audi Sport Quattro Rallye Monte Carlo (3%, 20 Votes)
GT Spirit Porsche 911 (997) Speedster (3%, 20 Votes)
Norev Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse (2%, 17 Votes)
BBR Corvette C7 – Street/Livery (2%, 16 Votes)
Minichamps Porsche 911 (991) Turbo S (2%, 15 Votes)
MR Collection LaFerrari (2%, 15 Votes)
Truescale Miniatures Lotus 78 (2%, 15 Votes)
Spark Lancia LC2 (2%, 14 Votes)
Minichamps Porsche 918 Spyder (DE) (2%, 13 Votes)
Schuco Schuco Cooper T53 (1%, 8 Votes)
ACME 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge (1%, 7 Votes)
Kyosho Bentley Flying Spur W12 (1%, 6 Votes)
GT Spirit Audi RS4 Avant (1%, 5 Votes)
Total Votes: 712
Mr Pagani´s award-winning masterpiece blew its competition out of the water in 2012. Small wonder (and predicted by many upon its release) the equally masterfully crafted model won the title like the original. The poll is testament to the fact that enthusiasm for the real steel (or carbon, in this case) is not enough (otherwise a competitor´s model could have been in the poll), but that collectors hold quality craftmanship in high esteem and prefer diecast over plastic. In this respect each of the first four would have deserved the title.