Mega Model: 1/8 Scale Mercer Raceabout Expected To Fetch $18,000 At Auction

Mega Model: 1/8 Scale Mercer Raceabout Expected To Fetch $18,000 At Auction
Written by: Evan McCausland [G+] on May 28 2012 7:00 AM
 

The Mercer Type 35 Raceabout shown above is expected to fetch anywhere between $18,000 and $25,000 when it crosses the auction block in early June. If that sounds inexpensive for a Raceabout – a car that typically commands close to seven-figure prices — it isn’t. Or, at least, it isn’t least once you consider the car shown above is actually a 1/8th scale replica.

This yellow Raceabout is the handiwork of Sapor Modelltechnik, a small shop in Ingolstadt, Germany, that produces – or, at least, produced – exquisite 1/8th-scale models of classic cars, including the Mercedes-Simplex, the Mercedes-Benz SSK roadster, and the Hispano Suiza H6. From 1992-1994, the company also focused on building a similar-sized replica of the Type 35J Raceabout.

Sapor’s model isn’t anywhere as large or as fast as the actual car, but it’s still impressive nonetheless. Though it won’t actually run, the big four-cylinder can still crank over, while steering, brake, and gearbox, mechanisms are also workable. Plug it into an electric power source, and both lamps and horn spring to life. Though the Raceabout is a rather simple design, Sapor’s model still consists of nearly 3000 parts – many of them handmade. The finished product measures in at 21.25 inches long, 8.3 inches wide, and weighs nearly 11.5 pounds – and that’s without the custom wood display stand.

Of course, models with this sort of detail, precision, and passion don’t come cheap. Though we’re unable to find an original MSRP for the model when new, Sapor models continue to fetch incredible sums when placed at auction. A similar model – albeit painted blue – was sold by Christie’s for $8700 in 2005. Another yellow 35J replica fetched an incredible $28,000 earlier this year at an RM Auctions event in January.

Exactly what this mini-Mercer brings remains to be seen: it’s scheduled to cross the block at Auctions America’s Auburn Spring event in Indiana sometime between June 1 and June 3rd..

For more information on the model – and other full-scale vehicles up for auction – visit www.auctionsamerica.com



Read more: http://rumors.automobilemag.com/mega-model-18-scale-mercer-raceabout-expected-to-fetch-18000-at-auction-143605.html#ixzz1wGqtl51t