Models
AUTOart has produced more than 45 different car marques in nine different scales. Sizes generally range from 1:64 scale (2 to 3 inches long) to 1:12 scale (about 12 to 14 inches; see Koch 2007). Wheels & tires, carpeting, seat belts, door handles, engines, suspension, even sun visors and door/hood/trunk lid dampers are reproduced. As an example, the company's 1:18 scale 1971 Mustang featured accurate details down to engine wiring, underside hood insulation, wood grain inserts in the doors, and authentically detailed brake and accelerator pedals (Doty 2004a, 87). The 1:18 scale 1941 Willys military Jeep features accurate weld rivets, shaped reflectors, wood shovel and ax, tied whip antenna, and accurate period dashboard labels (Sufficool 2012). Dennis Doty authority on models of all kinds - and not known for gushing praise - calls AUTOart models "truly spectacular" (Doty 2004b, 89).
Many AUTOart models are of exotic racing, sports, or super performance vehicles like the white, red, and blue BMW 3.0 CSL 1973 winner at Spa, or the Showroom Stock 2007 Mustang Road Racer, but more mundane vehicles like the New Beetle or the Chrysler PT Cruiser are also produced. One interesting example is the 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, a car offered by Kaiser, AMC, and Chrysler over a period of twenty-five years (Doty 2004b, 89). Featured on it were accurate and realistic period wheels, turn signals, roof rack, vinyl 'wood' siding, and a working tailgate (Doty 2004b).
The AUTOart line favors, but is not limited to, European vehicles. One example reviewed in Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car was the company's 1970 Lamborghini Espada 2+2 which the magazine saw as a good choice - distinct from the plethora of model Countaches or Diablos (LaChance 2009). Thus AUTOart features both new and vintage vehicles, including a number of Can Am and Grand Prix cars from the 1960s and 1970s. The earliest years of actual vehicles represented in the line-up are from about 1938, with the BMW 328 Mille Miglia. American Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptors and British "Humberside Police" Subaru Imprezas along with a Mercedes-Benz E220 Berlin taxi are examples that show the company includes professional vehicles alongside stock and race cars. Additionally, several Italian Vespa scooters have been offered.
Australian market Holdens and Chryslers are also featured, but here another firm comes into play. Biante Model Cars of Australia were made in the AUTOart factory in China with several models boxed under both names (Koch 2006). Biante was the company of Trevor Young, who died in 2006.
More recently, AUTOart has also produced TV and film tie-in vehicles, like the Mad Max Road Warrior 1973 Australian Ford Falcon Interceptor driven by Mel Gibson, the Gulf Porsche 917 driven by Steve McQueen in the movie LeMans, or the Toyota Trueno from the anime show Initial D. All of these were offered in 1:18 scale. The Mad Max car was also offered in 1:43.
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