LaFerrari Model Restoration Shows Fanatical Attention to Detail
Abused prancing horse probably looks better after its restoration than it did when it came out of the box.
It’s tempting to call this restoration of a ruined Ferrari LaFerrari model car magic, but that wouldn’t be an accurate description. Most magic tricks are a quick sleight of hand. What the person behind the YouTube channel Restore Machines does in this video is genuine, amazing work that took a hell of a lot of time, tools, and tenacity.
It’s not exactly clear what happened to this particular LaFerrari. Our guess is that a kid filled it with firecrackers, set them off, let the car burn, then threw the car into the ocean because it’s rotted like the world’s tiniest shipwreck. To us, the mangled heap looks like a complete write-off. The plastic chassis is warped, the tires are partially melted, and there are even chunks of metal missing from the body. Clearly, Restore Machines saw it as a surmountable challenge.
The restoration starts with completing the LaFerrari’s destruction. The artisan completely disassembles what’s left of the scaled-down hypercar. Once every spring, nut, and body part is separated, they get deep cleaned, whether that means a soak in cleanser, a thorough scrub with a metal-bristle brush, or media blasting.
Fire destroyed various part of the model, including parts of the seats and wheels. The artisan wields the power of heat to bring the unfortunate plaything back to life. They use various sources such as a heat gun and a candle to reform the plastic base plate and some of the wheels.
Whatever can’t be reshaped or patched with body filler has to be fabricated. Thanks to some helpful materials and an extensive array of power tools and small implements, the artisan is able to create their own seatbacks, headlight, windows, and even wheel spokes. They choose not to create their own rear tires (this time around, at least) and opt for some of the rubber from the Lamborghini Aventador they restored previously.
Once the various components are reshaped into recognizable parts, they get multiple coats of glossy paint – black for the wheels, red for the seats, and a pinkish pearlescent red for the body. Everything else, from the lettering on the 6.3-liter V12 engine to interior trim bezels, gets painted by hand.
In one more impressive feat of painstaking attention to detail, the artisan applies a set of custom badges.
The end result is truly a marvel. Restore Machines took what was effectively nothing and somehow found a way (and the time) to turn it into a mini masterpiece that we’d be proud to display. They may not have performed magic, but they might as well have. We still can’t believe our eyes.
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