Miguel Sánchez
PHOTOS AND VIDEOS MODELS: JORDI REIXACH
Recreating in miniature what we like most about reality is something that comes a long way. In fact, Already our Paleolithic ancestors carved horse heads on ivory. And finally, if those humans lived obsessed with the gallop of an equine ... How can we not be fascinated by the pace of a Hispano-Suiza or the curve of a Porsche?
Even having passed oceans of time, the truth is that the prehistoric carver and the modern model maker are more alike than it may seem. After all, both are two craftsmen in need of patience and technique. A technique that in the case of Jordi Reixac has led it to be one of the most respected professionals in the world of automotive miniatures, with a series of fascinating scale models to its credit.
Dedicated to them since at the beginning of the 2000s he presented his Voisin Biscuter 1: 8Jordi Reixach has spent two decades working in the company of his wife Merçe Ros, who painstakingly carries out the interior upholstery. Hours and hours of meticulous craftsmanship that they start in his workshop at four in the afternoon to continue until after midnight. And it is only in this way that large-scale models can be made for which one to two years of work are needed.
Now, and after having made replicas of Mercedes, Bentley or Bugatti, Jordi Reixach seems to be more focused on Porsche. After the beautiful model of a 356 Carrera GS GT fair just presented that of a 356 90 Cabrio. A 1: 6 scale model full of curious details with a manufacturing process that is breathtaking.
JORDI REIXACH: BODYMAKER
One of the most fascinating things in the world of motorsports is body design. And more specifically the molding phase. Watching those designers roll up their sleeves while sculpting clay, wood, or veneer has a lot to do with why some cars fascinate without having to start their engine. The case of Jordi Reixach is the same… But in reverse.
And it is that, in his work all part of taking measurements from the real car to be reproduced. Something that, in cases like chevrolet bus "Pullman La Llaneza", it took up to a week between two people. Of course, for a while now, he is also making use of 3D digitization, from which to be able to make the typical volumetric model or master in resin On which to work the brass panels to shape the body.
At this point there are hours of work with the lathe and the milling machine, making the multiple pieces to be assembled. To that we must add the work with the upholstery and the interior. A delicate point that can become quite complex in closed models such as Bugatti 57 Atalante, a model that Jordi Reixach himself defines as the most complex in his entire career. As if all this were not enough, you have to take care of the operation of various mechanisms. In short, a job at the height of Swiss watchmakers.
WITH MOTOR OR WITHOUT MOTOR. THERE IS THE QUESTION
The Jordi Reixach thing is passion for detail, so much so that if it were up to him all his models would have the reproduction of the engine. Just like he did with the Hispano-Suiza H16, in which he mounted a little electrical wit that acts on the fan, the water pump, magneto and dynamo. Including even a chip with the recorded sound of the original engine!
However, reaching this point of realism would make each model shoot from the approximately 2.000 working hours of one without an engine to 3.500 of one with mechanics included.
And, as he tells us, it seems that a Porsche 904 could soon be added to his list of creations. He even plans a series of engines from the Stuttgart brand! Something that would not be bad at all since, although Ferrari's are the best visually finished engines… Porsche's they hook the eye from the first moment thanks to their mechanical peculiarities.
In short, we will be attentive to the fascinating evolution of this Barcelona man who began years ago by reproducing the tank of a BMW R75.
