Crappy Replicas thread

I bet you didn't know where that one kit style came from.....
It's called the Aston Martin Twenty-Twenty.
I'm stunned there's a kit car made of it!
When I was in Italy near Turin the real thing (20-20) passed me from behind. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. It really has presence.

First the Kit, then the real car.....
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

hi as a Ferrari fan and ferrari replica builder / owner thought I'd add some thoughts on replicas into the mix.

I have been building a Daytona replica and for me the challenge has been to replica as accurately as I can. It has been a hugely rewarding hobby. My main objective has been to own and drive a car that gets about as near as possible to the beauty of the Daytona.

Ok, so I have about 95% of the Daytonas performance about 99% of its look and about 0% of its heritage -but I love it and it cost me 20% of an original. It puts a huge smile on my face, and I bet drivers of original Daytonas will be envious of the ease with which I can leave it in public places. Its abit like considering horse power per tonne figures.... Im sure I would enjoy an original Daytona no more than my replica as other things like an originals value/parts availability, salt! would weigh heavily on my mind and cancel out my enjoyment. So my car better fulfils my joy to practicality ratio.

Ok so it replicas a Ferrari but I dont care if people think its real or not that wasnt my motivation for having it. For me its the shape.... ohhhh!

Picking up on a point in an earlier thread - more often than not the first question anyone gets when theres a Chrome horse on the hood is - 'is it real'. So I just say no.

Most people are very interested in the car. On two occassions I have had people turn their nose up at my car once told it was a copy.(One guy standing there - in his mock leather jacket - was getting very passionate in explaining his objections). Hay thats their view - they dont have to drive it. But it got me thinking about the whole Copy/replica/fake argument and so decided to try and clarify a few thoughts but putting them down here. They are basically rhetorical points and Im sure if I had the time would have been better researched. Its just a personal point of view.

Original and replica owners alike know that both cars can be beaten at the Lights by a half tonne Japanese hatchback with a few tweeks and some Nitrous Oxide.

I got very close to buying an original GTB but just struggled with the thought of the hugh expense of looking after it properly and just felt I'd never feel comfortable leaving a 100K(£) car anywhere other than a secure garage.
On the other hand I can service mine myself with relatively cheap and plentiful Rover and Jag parts. If it got pinched I'd cry just the same, after 5 years hard work.

A number of the parts on the car are original. I think this actually helps the ferrari support industries. With most replica owners using at least some original parts it means the market for new product introductions is much bigger therefore more items can be produced at lower unit costs making the items more affordable for original and replica ferrari owners alike, a bit of a win- win situation.

If you are an original Ferrari owner - do you ever question where your parts come from. I know for a fact that a few of my local kitcar/ replica manufacturing companies make items which Ferrari parts dealers then sell on to genuine ferrari owners.The parts origins - the kitcar world. The kitcar industry can only survive by keeping costs right down. These guys are cunning as hell at producing and replicating items at low cost. This is why there have been several new products available to Ferrari owners which otherwise would have been cost prohibitive to mass produce and reintroduce via 'official' channels.

So in a way one could argue that original cars are becoming more like their replicas with every new part added and replaced. Ok so thats overcalling it a little but if my point is made just using local examples think whats going on the world over in terms of parts supply. Its the time old argument of practicality vs originality. If you need an aircon switch who really cares if a kitcar manufacturer originally developed it for their replica, as long as it does the job.

You also have to question who the fool is - the one who buys the part as replicated or the guy who buys the same part at dealer prices (2-3 times mark up) thinking they have parts with some kind of provenance.


Replicas are also a marketing 'vehicle' for the originals. The more they are seen the more Ferrari is front-of-mind and remains one of the most successful brands on the planet. The Miami Vice replica Daytona showed that and I bet non of the owners of originals back then complained when the interest generated started fueling mammoth price rises of originals. In fact thats an irony in itself that it took a kitcar to push awareness and prices of originals which puts them so out of most peoples reach that a market for replicas opens up.

Car ownership is personal and each to their own - as long as people are enjoying cars and supporting the industry in what ever way possible surely thats a good thing. If you own a replica good for you, its cheaper but you have to live with no originality, if you have an original thats great - its expensive but you have a piece of automotive history. Both double edged swords you'd think.

Replicas have their place as they provide a means for would-be genuine ferrari owners to get close to their dreams. Sometimes price is the issue, sometimes just the joy of building/restoring a car thats more practical or accessible etc. I know of one guy who has an original car but its cocooned in plastic and never leaves the garage - his daily drive a copy of the same car. Makes sense to me.

When is a copy a copy? Is there a pecking order for copies? I know even in the kitcar world there is alot of 'my fakes better than your fake' going on which is kind of laughable. When does a Jag engine have more heritage to it than a Rover engine when In a replica?
Is there more justification for killing another Ferrari 330 GT for a GTO replica or a plastic copy of a 308 on a Fiero?

Its surely all about aspiration and what a dull world it would be if we all got exactly what we wanted.
Does the formica in your kitchen worktop look like granite - though it isn't? Have you got laminate floor - (because it looks like wood but oh so practical)?
Do you have a copy of a Miro print from Ikea in your lounge because you like his work?
There is something just a touch ferrari about those Honda Civic rear lights.... most things in our lives are aspirational as well as functional, iluding to a life we think we want to live.

Thanks be for Replicas, they are just a 'vehicle' to enjoyment.

 

Are those excerpts from a book you're writing!?!

My goodness! What a long post!

Since this is your first post I should assure you there isn't as much condescention about replicas around here as you might think. Check out my profile, I own one as well, and I agree with everything you've said....well at least the parts I read.

Kit cars are a great way to start, I worked my way into a real one eventually, but the point of this thread was that some of those replicas are so awefull, you and I would agree they shouldn't see the light of day.

If your car is ready for photos feel free to post a pic!

And welcome!
Wes

 

Thanks Wes for the welcome.
I love your GTO - very smart. I have not seen one in the flesh yet. Which gets more heads turning the GTO or the 328?

Actually I did get a bit carried away with the first post - but hey , as Im new thought I'd make an impact by using up a few hundred Gigabites of server space!
I figured if there are replica builders out there they would be used to speed reading 2 inch thick build manuals anyway, so my post would be short by comparison!

Jason

 

Sorry for the delay.

I'd have to say the replica. The red, with those stripes really make it stand out. My 328 is black because I wanted something that didn't stand out, but I'm amazed at how much people still notice it.

As far as fun factor, I think the replica probably has it. The triple carbs really give outstanding throttle response, plus the ANSA muffler just sounds perfect. But the ride in the 328 is quite superior. I have an XJS as well and the 328 I think rides even better. Must be that motor by my head.

If you wanted to e-mail me a pic or two of your car I'd be happy to post them here for you.

Take care,
Wes

 

a book of a reply that didn't change my mind in any way. replicas are no less tacky than a fake rolex. especially when they have real badges.

authentic badges on a replica should be illegal.

 

It is cars like this one that makes people hate kit cars.



http://tinyurl.com/auny9

 

That is a bit strange. A Toyota MR-2 trying to be a Ferrari, but having wheels straight off a Ford Escort ZX2

 

What about this yellow Lambo, it was at Carlisle this spring, BMW v-12, $$


http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rodrieguz/album?.dir=7deb&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%25

 

replicas came into prominence in the early 80s during the first supercar boom.
yuppies had their porches,so ur average joe had his....mk2 mustang.with 112bhp.they started building replicas,first at reasonable amounts,then went all ape-****.in the late 80s and early 90s,replicas would even reach up to us$50k!
nowadays,there are many fine kitcars,with many modern improvements but
w/o any of the cache or problems of the original.
IMHO.the solution to kit car enthusiasts is to aspire for an ORIGINAL kit car,like
an ARIEL ATOM,if u want a copy of an original get a WESTFIELD Seight or
CATERHAM 7 or if u want a good cheap car with panache get an early,used
porsche boxster.in the UK,ppl tend to go for exotic japs or a used bmw m3 or
a boxster or porsche 924/944/968.

 

Okay, so I read all this stuff and I agree that bolting a cheesy fiberglass "ferrari-like" body on an old Datsun or 'Vette and then applying real Ferrari badges, etc., is some special kind of mental disorder. Now, for the confession. I've always wanted to own an original Ford GT40 MKI. They are and forever will be beyond my means. So I bought this:

http://hometown.aol.com/damaamadams4/gt40.html

I consider it to be more of a "reproduction" than a replica. Check out the views of the cars under construction and you'll see what I mean. I'm not gonna try to pass it off as the real thing...just want to know what it was like for the heros of yesteryear when they drove these cars. If you all are totally repulsed, I'll won't ever speak of it again and I won't park it in the same garage with my "thorobreds". It'll just be my dirty little secret. I'm interested to know your reaction.

 

Sorry 'bout that. Pudgy fingers on a small Treo keyboard. Here is the correct link:

http://hometown.aol.com/damaadams4/gt40.html

 

superformance is supposedly as good as it gets. The brock coupe they do is just awesome.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

you will be paying the bill to my opthamologist

 

Sounds like a guy with a fake leather jacket and a nissan sentra thumbing his nose at someone else's hobby

 

Is it me, or does this look like a Mitsubishi 3000GT that they have slapped some badges on? What a POS!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Fe-ra-i-GT-Many-Pics-and-a-VIDEO-Check-it-OUT_W0QQitemZ4591817091QQcategoryZ7251QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

At least he didn't ruin a perfectly good car. It appears to be just stickers and badges on a Mitsu 3000GT.

 

The guy who is selling it has to be kidding. Why wouldnt he even bother to take off the front mitsu badge?

 

POS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

LOL, yes, the 3000GT/Stealth board has torn this one apart. Their repost rate on this one is about the same as our "wood F50". They even went so far as to send him email asking about the paddle shifters, some were just brutal.

We cars guys are pretty much on the same page when it comes to thise sort of thing.

 

POS, POS, POS. Ridiculous!!!!!!!!

 

Perfect way to make a fool of yourself

Sorry for my ignorance, but what does POS mean?

 

POS = piece of sh*t.

 

Thanx, that makes it all clear