i dont have any pictures and it probably a replica of the most exotic kind, but there was somebody with a lamborghini murceilago who butchered the roof and made it look like a murceilago roadster, the pictures were in some depth, think it looked okay afterwards, but i wouldnt risk doing that if i had one! might have been some tuning company in america somewhere
Well I just thought I would add some personal insights to this thread which seems to be a mix of blind emotion and personal opinions based on position in life thrown in with valid opinions of people with true expeience in the worlds of exotic and kit cars. I am all for the concept of a replica: bringing a special experience within reach of people who wouldn't otherwise have had a chance to enjoy said experience. However, some have made a bad name for the hobby with poor practices that tarnish the reputation of many industries. These people should be disregarded as they do not represent anything about this hobby accurately. I think Factory Five Racing is easily the volume leader in kit cars so lets take a look at them. Of 5 cars available from them, two are entirely originally and the other three are radically improved compared to the originals. They sell a race car that allows someone with and average income and some mechanical ability to become a real Cobra race driver. How can you fault that? People enjoying cars the way the were meant to be enjoyed. Factory Five's cars are easily of higher build quality than the original cars and are a real performance value whatever you choose to compare it to. Kirkham is another good example in the replica field. They build an aluminum bodied replica that remains true to the original car while blowing it out of the water in regards to performance and build quality. These two, CAV, Dragon Motor Cars, Gardner Douglas, Caterham, Dax, WCM and others offer things the great makes of the past could never offer. Do you think people in the 60's could ever have dreamed they could drive a Lola T70 on the road or that they could afford such a car? How many people got to race the real Jaguar XJ13? I'll give you a hint: None. And yet, you can purchase and race a replica. Replica makers are hardly stealing. Instead they are improving and contributing to legacies built, not on trademarks, but on people and a love of cars. It can hardly be said they lack creativity when one considers that several manufacturers build custom designs alongside the replicas.
Unless im dead wrong, I think this car is a unique one of its own, the manufacturer doesnt try to replicate countach's, they just happen to look like them (and have smoother lines too.) I have some more pics i'll try and find.
Here for now, i know i have some more in this 5 gig folder of car pics! Image Unavailable, Please Login
that's not a replica anything, it's a Nova/Sterling/Sebring/Eureka (depending on country). it's based on a VW beetle floorpan with a bodykit and a clamshell (whole window goes up for you to step into). very lightweight and can take anything from a regular vw engine to a rotary. there are the odd few who try to make them out to be something they're not, but i for one wouldn't mind one as a fun little toy. http://www.nova-international.net/galleries/Eureka/Page.html
http://www.allegro.pl/show_item.php?item=76399492 Ok, the most hilarious bit is the ad itself... I'll translate some of the better bits; - the car is a faithful F50 replica - compliant with original shapes and dimension - judged by european replica experts as the best, most precisely executed and nicest F50 replica Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
http://www.drautos.com/search/srDetails.asp?itemid=261737&sessionkey={79237694-797A-400D-9E26-6AF74ED3FC6C}
Oh look, i found the motherload of replicas, some of them not that bad. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitcars/show/ Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
more pix of that car Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
And last but not least, my favourite contribution to the crappy replicas. IMO, it doesnt look that bad, and neither does the diablo or the RR posted in earlier pics, but i very highly doubt that the build quality is far better than a fiero. (sorry fiero owners, if any) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Didn't read the whole 20 page thread but does anyone remember the Pontiac Mera that was a 308 copy that was actually sold through Pontiac dealers untill Ferrari sued? Now get this, some of these Mera are still around and they have a following ( there is a web page etc.) and they are damn rare and hold their value! For me I am actually ( what a waste of money but I would want to drive it every day and throw it around) considering a 246 Dino copy if anyone can suggest which they think is the best...
I can't judge this one as crappy or not. Have to see it finished and to what level it's ultimately built to, but it does look interesting and promising. http://www.paralleldesigns.co.uk/miuraproject.html JD Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Daryl, I totally love this great GT40 replica. That's the one to get. Congratulations! Hope to see it one day in the metal. A friend of mine has a Superformance Cobra and I'm trying to push him into the GT40 direction; IMHO so much more interesting as you end up with a car that can actually turn. Personally I'm less thrilled about your comment regarding the mental disorder, but so be it. PS: I actually read all 20 pages of this thread. It was quite interesting; especially Spasso's exhaust idea. Have to look into that in more detail.