Have you EVER burned a kit car owner posing his car as a "real thing"???

I hope you're sitting down.

As an enthusiast, I would have to be an idiot to think that the Lamarossa is anything close to a true replica. A true replica generally uses OEM running gear, body panels, electronics, etc. It looks almost identical to the real thing. The Lamarossa doesn't. Its probably one of if not the poorest replica (I use that term loosely) in existence.

I didn't make any judgements in regards to your original post however the title of the thread is a bit misleading if you're not really intending to cause that person embarassment. And you say I'm showing a double standard?

You have the real thing, you shouldn't have to prove anything to anyone. If you dislike the Lamarossa or someone else trying to dupe the unwitting, than maybe you're more insecure than other owners out there.

For the record, I've disagreed with two of your posts since you've been posting, this happens to be one of them.

Sunny

 

A friend of mine keeps talking about getting a replica '36 Mercedes 540K. I hate replicars, just as much as I hate fake Rolexes and people with fake (non-accredited) PhDs. I have neither of the three, but I'm working on EARNING all three of them.

My friend's reason for wanting the fake thing intrigued me somewhat though. He wants the fake because it'll have the styling of the '36 Mercedes but with the reliability, driver-friendliness and safety of a modern vehicle.

That's really the only good reason I've ever heard for owning a fake car.

 

I disagree, the Lamarossa is a unique car. The only thing that it is a "replica" of is aisle #5 at your local Home Depot.

 

Ditto, many "all original" classic and historical vehicles are not all that much fun to drive, especially for long distances.

 

Erik,

At least you can honestly say your cars are Fiats. I use the same line, but unfortunately I'm lying. Fiat didn't take over until '69.

Everyone else,

I see no problems with replicas or people telling others that their replica is real. If its important to them, what's the harm? That said, I personally don't understand the need for replicas in general. A replica is a copy, a hotrod, even a ricer, is the unique creation of its builder.

I have seen a couple of really cool recent rebodies of Ferraris converting, say a 400i into a unique creation (I think the term is period rebody). I do have a problem with Ferraris rebodied into old racecars because a genuine car is destroyed to create a fake.

Personally, I love the round tail Alfa duetto, cheaper than a replica and loads of style and fun. There are a number of magnificent vintage Maseratis at a fraction of the cost of their Ferrari equivilents. There are so many great cars out there, why put the effort into a replica?

Regards,

Art S.

 

Spasso,

A lot of American hotrods are now restored with modern mechanicals and amenities for exactly that reason. Kind ofan interesting idea. Actually, this summer I wouldn't have minded if my car had AC.

Regards,

Art S.

PS. That said, the AC hasn't been all that important because the car's been in the shop ALL SUMMER

 

I really dont get this.. so, you wanted a Daytona Spider. There are a lot of other things besides looks that seperate a Ferrari from a Chevy. Yet your mindset was to make it look like a D.S., for much less. Why? So, at shows you tell people that it is a replica. What about the people you pass on the street? To them, its the real thing - but your intention was never to fool anyone into believing it is the real thing. The whole purpose of a replica is to recreate a much more expensive car off of a cheaper body style. To replicate the car is to clone it! Personally, with all the time and effort you spent building that car (which I admire - that is many hours of labor.. believe me, I know) I don't understand why you wouldn't create something new and exciting.. something no one has seen before. I guess the whole point was too fool yourself into believing it was something more than it was not.

 

I'll trade you Mongo for your car so that you'll no longer be lying if it will make you feel better.

 

Art - having had the opportunity to drive, see, be around a 250 GTO rebodied from a 250GTE (an 'original' Favre) I have to disagree strongly with you here - for significantly less than the $7-$13M a 250GTO would cost, this was a very period correct (sure there were some telltale clues for those in the know) rebody, using pretty good Ferrari running gear (iirc it was a 4.0L 330 motor, but done nicely with the Weber 40DCNs, supposedly correct heads, cams, etc for the 4.0L, very close to correct interior, etc) that just wasn't something that came from the factory. For someone who appreciates the look, sound, driving experience of the 250GTO (and believe me, with a correct cross flow exhaust and the webers, it was SOME sound!) but doesn't have the $10M to drop, why would this be considered killing an original. As I recall, ole Enzo did this all the time, this time, it just happened to have been done a couple decades later. In addition, given that this 'rebody' GTO sold for significantly more in used trim that the same GTE would have, I would have to disagree that "a genuine car [was] destroyed to create a fake" - sort of like dropping a crate Hemi into a 383 'Cuda et al. Someone wanted something a little better than they could afford and someone else (after the fact) recognized the value in what had been done. Still using essentially factory parts, or close to it. Fiberglass replicas etc are a different matter, but imho if you have the sac to drive a countiero or fierorossa, more power to you, just wouldn't be my choice.


I have seen a couple of really cool recent rebodies of Ferraris converting, say a 400i into a unique creation (I think the term is period rebody). I do have a problem with Ferraris rebodied into old racecars because a genuine car is destroyed to create a fake.


Regards,

Art S.[/QUOTE]

 

Well....this really isnt on topic with the thread but I didnt feel like making a new thread over it.....

Anyways.


Back in about 6th grade I believe, I was riding my bike outside one of my friends house....just then an AWSOME Azurro 328 drove past. Natuarally my friend and I sped over there on our bikes and luckly for us he stopped at a house in a neighborhood (showing a friend of his new masterpiece, no doubt)

Anyways, we got there just as he was stepping out and the first thing I said was "Cool Car! IS IT REAL?!

Looking back on this situation I feel soooooooo damn stupid. I was only 11 or 12 at the time, so I guess I could be cut some slack...but still.

I seriously wish I could find that owner and tell him sorry I said the most horrible thing to a new Ferrari owner, his 328 was one of the nicest looking I can remember seeing. Hopefully he posts here and didnt choose to forget that day

 

No, being an enthusiast and knowing the difference is. Please re-read what I posted above and notice what I prefaced my comments with.

Cheers,
Sunny

 

Erik,

I've finally got the last of the bugs out of mine, Francois S. says it runs and drives better than many of the fully restord cars out there (at this point the drivetrain is fully restored but the paint and interior are still original). I don't think I want to part with it. If John V. made a similar offer for his pf coupe, that would be a different story .

If you are up in NJ, let me know, we can go for a drive in mine. I'm a few minutes from the Washington - NY train line.

Which one of your herd is Mongo? I remember looking at your 365 (via photos and phonecalls) when you were considering selling it.

Regards,

Art S.

 

Bill,

Madison is not the hotbed of Ferrari-land. If you were at a car show and some snobby jerk kept showing off his MR2 turned Porsche CGT complete with badges and show sign, then claimed how his car could whip the 328, I would definitely take offense and feel the urge to take them aside. I see more of these type of people at shows than I do on the road and it is seldom that their comments, almost always directed towards you, are not positive. You'd probably see the same type of person at the Milwaukee art museum standing besides the famous paintings and as a group comes by to admire it, replicaman would probably be too forward, and in the most annoying manner bust out some fakes that his high school aged cousin made that can be purchased for 20 bucks a print. The prints are better cause than the original they come in a very durable plastic frame from Staples and no one except an expert art critic would be able to tell the difference!

When you work hard to obtain something that is very exclusive, anything that dillutes the brand towards anything that is not authentic is simply crap in my opinion. A Ferrari is supposed to be expensive and rare. Enzo used to whine and complain to Gilles how he was "destroying his beautiful cars." I'd much rather very rarely see the real beauty than be overdosed by cheap fakes. If a Lambo Murci pulled up next me in the 575 and claimed his was a better performing car, I wouldn't put up a fight because the numbers back it up and I would appriciate the fact this person must have some good work ethic to obtain such a car. I wouldn't drive back home and throw some fart cans on and convert the 575 to have scissor doors then go out looking for another Lambo to claim how mine is better, cheaper, feels almost like the real thing and how I appriciate the work I did.

Just enjoy your car. Don't feel the need to race anyone on a public road because that is simply childish. Only worry about the people who directly attack your hard work that think they deserve the same credit because they "saved 50 grand" by doing it themself. Besides, their work really is an "it" compare to a work of art like what you have created from your years of saving.

RocketBoy

 

Well said, Rocketboy

 

No, I've never burned anyone, but I've told more than a few people that the 360 was a Fiat.

Art

 

Who cares how many trophies you have? It's still a replica.

 

Agree with many others here that have said "What's the big deal"

Imitation is the sincerect form of flattery, is it not?

This is a great thread and brings to mind some questions for me.
Where is the line drawn on what is original and what is a fake? Lets consider a barn find that needs so much love, it's not much more than a chassis. Is the finished project a Ferrari? What if some of the necessary parts were custom machined? What if 50% were? 75? Does the chassis make the car or does the engine? Who decides if the guy is a liar when telling everyone it is a Ferrari?

If I had the time, ability and interest to build something from scratch that looked like a real F-Car, I probably would. Badges and all. Why not? What's it to anyone else what I do with my time and $$. If I were to sell, I would, however, be up front about what it was....

I like to put myself in other's shoes before judging anyone. What if you're the guy with the replica. You have wanted, no LUSTED, for a Ferrari your whole life. You finally got a replica, for whatever reason....and you love it. Somebody takes interest, likes the car and you endulge yourself in the THRILL of getting to talk for the first time, in your whole life, about your 'Ferrari'. What's wrong with giving the guy his fantasy?

 

....... I bet huskerbill never thought this thread would turn into this. Wow. Anyway, CONGRAT's again on the car Bill. You worked hard for it, you earned it, you deserve it. ENJOY! I'm not going to go into the real vs. fake issue here. I think that in itself sums it up. Allthough the 125 issue is interesting. I say if Ferrari built it It's as real as it gets. After all they ARE Ferrari, yes? It's simply a 2001(or whenever they built it) 125, instead of a 1948 125. I think they call it a replica because it wasn't the original built by Enzo himself. (obviously- duh). Anyway, crazy thread.

Kurt

____________________________________

There is nothing like a Ferrari, there never has been and never will be!

 

Just my OPINION...

I can't understand why anyone would want to "burn" someone. Unless it was to make themselves feel better by "confirming" they are really special for owning a "real Ferrari". Personally, I think its lame when a guy tries to make his car into something it isn't. Replicas are either very well done in which case why not buy the real thing (does not apply to super-accurate replicas of unobtainable cars IMO), or they are crappily done - like the ones that are misproportioned and such.

Two things come to mind about relicas and their owners. First, I remember going to get the tires on my Viper replaced. It was a year or so old, nice car, gets attention, lots of awe etc, etc. A guy pulls up in a Cobra. I didnt know much about them but the guys in the shop of course started into the whole "oh this Cobra will lay waste to your Viper dude! Seriously!". So the guy swears up and down its a real Cobra and is really loving all the attention and bench racing that says his Coba would wax my Viper. So when I go to pick up my car with its new tires, I sneak a peek under his hood... and what do I see but a 5.0L Mustang engine in there. I went back and asked if he wanted me to stick around until his tires were mounted so we could do a little 0-60 run down the street but he declined. I was smirking now and I think he knew he had been caught. I thought it was so lame... who doesn't love to get attention for their car? But can you imagine getting it and worrying that it will all turn to mockery when they realize you're a BSer?

Second story. Guy with a Ferrari (not sure the model, maybe a 288 or something) drag races at my track. Everyone is in awe. The car sounds just NASTY, in a good way. I go to the guy after he is cooling the car down and tell him he earned my respect in a big way for racing such a car. He tells me its just a replica so no big deal. But the car looked AMAZING. I talked to my friend who knows almost all the old timers at this track and he tells me the guy is not being totally honest. Its a REAL Ferrari, but he replaced the original engine with a Chevy big block after he popped the original motor. So the car was real, just not a Ferrari engine. most people would go the other way. This guy was just there to race. Major props.

 

The first driver is so needy, that he has to impress people he doesn't even know. I can understand that you might want to impress people you know, but then it better be the real thing since they can "catch you out" and then you get a rep for BS. But trying to impress people you don't even know is so pointless, I've never understood it.

The second seems to realize it's not the car that affects his self-worth and plays it down, he has self-confidence and doesn't need other's approval. Seems like a guy worth knowing (isn't that the irony of it?)

 

/thread hijack on
Art:

Mongo is the Mondial. Wife's least favorite.

Actually, none of them are for sale, I've decided to keep all of them. I think they grow on trees around my place.

I'm moving to the area at the end of 1Q06. Going to be just over the Delaware river for taxes. Need a new drinking buddy?

Cheers,
Erik
/thread hijack off

 

Erik,

Sounds like a plan! Where across the Delaware will you be?

Regards,

Art S.

 

Spicy and I are going to try and find a place around the Easton, PA area. Job will be in Iselin, NJ. Keeping the house in FL to defrost in the winter.