In the years before he started his company, Zeno was a hobbyist who lived for the weekends, when he and his friends would race the scale models they made at home in their spare time. Of course, as history now shows, the models Zeno made were exceptional. So much so that his fellow racers - his competitors - would often ask him to make parts for their cars.

"Little by little, I began modifying and making a few of the more simple parts on my cars. Eventually, I made almost all parts, not only for my cars, but also for anyone else who wanted them."

Thanks to the Internet, and the close-knit community of fellow scale-racers, Zeno's customers were able to easily track him down. The orders began to roll in. "It's a niche market," he says, "so production volumes are not huge, even though we sell worldwide. However, we now make around four hundred full cars a year: the ‘Touring' model - designed to resemble a BMW, Mercedes, or Alfa Romeo - as well as the ‘F1' model."

Given such a positive early experience with the Haas Super Mini Mill, Zeno didn't need to look far for his next CNC machines. "We bought a Haas VF-2SS, a VF-3SS, and a standard VF-2," he says. "So, now we have four Haas machines, a dedicated, fully trained operator, Mr. Clemente Pocovaz, and no need to use subcontractors or buy-in parts except for the motor - from Japan - and the fiberglass body shell."

On a bench in an assembly area adjacent to the machine shop, there are several chassis in various states of build, at different stages on the production line. The parts - even a beautifully miniaturised centrifugal clutch - look just like those used on full-sized race cars, and they behave very similarly.

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