For me it started with Tonka trucks and plastic model cars. For others it might have started with Hot Wheels. I think we can all trace our fascination with cars to our youth and the toys we had. If you're a car enthusiast you probably have some automobilia around that includes a few die-cast vehicles. Quality, detail, and rarity can vary by manufacturer, but GMP die-casts rank among the best.
GMP is headquarted not far from Atlanta and I had the opportunity to tour their facility last year. The offices have models of die-casts covering the walls, inside display cases, and on every desk I saw. It was like attending an amazing car show in 1:18 scale. I've always been a GTO enthusiast and I saw a display of GTO's in a rainbow of colors, hardtops and convertables. But the displays that included 1:12 scale replicas blew me away! The quality, craftmanship, and detail make these a true works of art. Yeah, they're on the expensive side, but after you get close and examine and handle them, you begin to wonder why they aren't twice the cost. There are more than cars on display. GMP has produced a series of replica dashboards from a '57 Chevy to a '65 Mustang to a Ferrari. In the past they did a series of Fender guitar replicas. My personal favorites are the GTO's and '32 Ford Deuces. If you haven't seen them you should check them out. If you have GMP die-casts you know what I mean.