DESIGN / Amalgam Collection

For those of you reading who have seen our previous issues, we have featured an Amalgam 1:8 model in each of our issues 1,2 & 3 already covering Ferrari, McLaren and Bugatti.

For this issue we are writing about something a bit different from Amalgam, their 1:4 scale racing steering wheels. The detail in these highly collectable models is exceptional as you would expect from the world’s leading model maker, and for this specific issue we have concentrated on their Ferrari SF90 Steering Wheel.

Scuderia Ferrari’s contender for the 2019 Formula One World Championship, the Ferrari SF90 is named to celebrate the marque’s 90th anniversary. Driven by four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel and his new teammate for 2019, Charles Leclerc, the SF90 is the sixty fifth single-seater to be built by Ferrari to compete in the Formula One World Championship and the sixth built for the hybrid era. Vettel, famous for giving his cars female names, named his car ‘Lina’.

The SF90 is powered by a 1600cc V6 engine that produces over 1000 horsepower to shift its 743kg weight. To cater for the 2019 season regulations, Ferrari produced a rather radical front wing design, that tapered downwards from the middle towards the endplates of the wing, which was designed to encourage the majority of the air flow to be felt on the middle of the wing and flow within the front tyres, making the car more predictable with its downforce levels but give less downforce overall.

After an impressive pre-season testing programme, in which the car showed very strong outright pace, the car attempted to take the fight to the everdominant Mercedes and would probably

have been even more successful but for driver errors, team mistakes and a few reliability issues. The SF90’s engine was the star, considered by most to be the best engine of the grid, enabling Ferrari to take nine pole positions throughout the season. Leclerc took seven of them, outshining veteran teammate Vettel. In fact, come the end of the season, Leclerc took fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, 24 points ahead of his much more experienced colleague. Leclerc was the standout star of Ferrari’s season, immediately looking the part, and, without some of Ferrari mishaps and a few errors himself, he may well have even been in championship contention.

The SF90’s best period of the season came at the Belgium, Italian and Singapore Grand Prix, where Ferrari took all three of their victories in a row. The high-speed nature of these circuits meant they were natural hunting grounds for the SF90 and its powerful engine and so it proved, as Leclerc took his maiden win at Spa before delivering victory in front of a jubilant Tifosi at Monza. Vettel took his only win of the season in Singapore after lining up alongside Leclerc on the front row of the grid.

Though both drivers only failed to make the podium at four races during the course

of the season, the SF90 only scored a double podium on three occasions and this lack of consistency hurt Ferrari’s title challenge. The SF90 holds qualifying records in Bahrain (LEC), Canada (VET), Austria (LEC) and Japan (VET) and race records at the Azerbaijani (LEC), French (VET) and US (LEC) Grand Prix (statistics correct as of the end of the 2019 season). In total, the SF90 powered Ferrari to second in the Constructors’ Championship, earning three wins, sixteen further podiums, nine pole positions, six fastest laps and 288 points.

Available directly from the Amalgam Collection website, I’m delighted to announce that b500 has secured one for a free giveaway courtesy of Amalgam Collection & b500 magazine.

This fine 1:4 scale model of the Ferrari SF90 Steering Wheel has been crafted and finished in the workshops of Amalgam Collection using detailed colour and material specifications, and original CAD data supplied directly from the drawing office of Ferrari. Furthermore, it has undergone detailed scrutiny by both engineering and design teams to ensure complete accuracy of representation.

Please note that the 1:4 scale steering wheels do not come with moving parts. To enter to win this 1:4 scale Ferrari SF90 Steering Wheel all you have to do is this.

1/ Please follow b500 magazine and Amalgam Collection Models on Instagram @b500magazine and @amalgamcollectionmodels

2/ Look out for and find the b500 Instagram post scheduled for Saturday 29th August for this specific giveaway.

3/ Tag two friends in the comments of the post. Tag extra friends for extra entries.

4/ Contest starts when the post is seen on Saturday 29th August 2020

5/ Contest ends on Saturday 05th September 2020 at 22.00 BST

6/ Winner will be announced on Instagram on Sunday 06th September 2020 at 18.00 BST

Please note. Our giveaway abides by Instagram’s promotion guidelines and Instagram has no direct involvement in this offer giveaway.