Are the mouth-watering images of the McLaren 600LT making you want to rob a bank and buy one? Well, there's now a less felonious way to own McLaren's latest "LongTail" car. You can get yourself an accurate scaled-down representation of the real thing, either at 1/18 scale or 1/43 scale.

The model cars, developed in secret using blueprints of the real beast, are made out of resin by TSM (TrueScale Miniatures). The company's relationship with McLaren dates back a few years, having made model cars of all the previous creations from Woking, including the F1 and the P1.

While the running and driving 600LT costs $243,000, the 1/43 scale model is yours for just $85 while the 1/18 scale model, bigger and even more detailed, is priced at $263.

Why it matters

There's a burgeoning demand from clients to own small models of the cars they have in their garage. They want to have something to sit proudly on their desk. These models usually come with an acrylic case and a plastic base in order to keep the model away from dust.

For those of you who aren't into collecting model cars, the scale refers to the amount of times the model is smaller than the real thing. So, a 1/43 scale model is 43 times smaller than the real thing. When you think about it, buying a tiny 600LT sounds like a bargain compared to the real car - which it is - but collecting model cars can get very expensive very quickly. It really is an addicting hobby.

The practice of launching a small-scale version of a new car at the same time as the new car isn't new. Many manufacturers commision "dealer edition" versions of their upcoming models to offer to their customers when the real car is revealed to the world. You can also find these model cars and more on the TSM website, various model car dealers.

This business matters because, not long ago, one of Porsche's highly anticipated new models got leaked in the press when pictures of the accompanying model car emerged. Sadly, there are no surprises this time from McLaren. The open-top model you see there in the pictures isn't the 600LT Spider that we've talked about recently, but the 675LT Spider.

Further Reading

Read our full review on the 2019 McLaren 600LT.