CMC 1964 Porsche 901 Coupé

In one sense, you could call this car the beginning of a dynasty, but Porsche's signature sport car line is more about evolution and refinement. The 901 which was developed under the auspices of Porsche's son, Ferdinand "Butzi" Porsche as a larger, more elegant and powerful sport coupé to replace the type 356 yet stay true to typical Porsche design. So the 356 was modernized with a bigger window for better visibility, an updated interior to cater to 1960s' esthetics, and, the star of the show, the 2 liter six-cylinder boxer engine. This little air-cooled beast produced 130 hp at a high revving 6100 rpm. The 901 was shown at the 1963 Frankfurt IAA event and made its production debut at the Paris Auto Show in late 1964. Peugeot immediately protested the type number having copyrighted all triple digit type designations with a "0" in the middle. Porsche changed the type designation to 911, but not before 82 901s had already left the plant making the 901 Porsche a rare and desirable collector car.

CMC has designed and produced another masterpiece. It's a brilliant successor to the Ferrari 250 SWB. The quality just leaps out at you the moment you uncover this model. Of course the finish is perfect with CMC using ICI "2K" single layer urethane automotive paint that perfectly matches the original finish and polishes to a dazzling lustre. But there's so much more that first meets the eye. Metal is real metal. Chromed parts look just like automotive chrome (due to the fact that all parts are actually chromed metal rather than flash plated plastic. The optically clear front and rear glazing are not only framed in metal, but the black rubber seals are also there. There are so many small details that you'll discover as you try to figure why this model looks so realistic. After all, with 971 individual parts, it's virtually impossible to take everything in in one sitting.

The exterior sports so much detail as well as many novel features. The engine cover grill consists of louvers of 12 horizontal and 6 vertical stainless steel strips over a perfect diecut stainless steel grid of diamond-shaped openings. The opening fuel filler door reveals vertical and horizontal protective leather flaps that open to reveal the gas cap. The wipers consist of stamped metal parts that house rubber blades. But the star feature is the removable stamped metal wheels. Remove the magnetically retained hubcaps, take out the supplied socket driver and you can remove the miniscule lug nuts and remove each wheel. The parts are all accurately machined and threaded metal that is strong enough to support this hefty model.

Both the front and rear panels open and close assisted by miniature springs and air struts. The front end bay is covered by a beautiful stiff, bordered carpet that, when removed, reveals a wealth of detail including a removable spare and plumbed fuel tank. On the opposite end, the engine bay is crammed full of all the wires, cables, tubing, ductwork secured by metal straps... all the gizmology you would hope for surrounding the replica 6 cylinder boxer engine and transaxle. Viewing it from below reveals the working independent suspension of transverse and longitudinal control arms all in metal.

The interior is just exquisite. The upholstery is patterned cloth bordered with leather and is hand crafted to perfection. The frame, seat adjustment hardware and sliding tracks are in metal. The carpeting has scaled pile rather than flocking. The steering wheel and dash insert have faux wood trim that has to be seen under magnification to appreciate. The leather map pouches are hand stitched. All the hardware including the vent window mechanisms are scaled metal castings. The gauges are that period luminescent green and are crisp and legible. Flip down the passenger visor and there's a vanity mirror insert. This is arguably the most well done interior I've ever seen in this scale.

I might as well go one better in praise. This museum quality replica is the absolute state of the art in 1/18 scale modeling. Having been a collector of CMC models since their inception, I can't help but to be impressed how each new release seems to build on the success of the prior. They don't stand on a standard of excellence, but rather strive and succeed on raising that standard with each new project.

-Rich Sufficool