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Thread: New reproducton parts vs original

  1. #51
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    Keep in mind that licensing is about making money. it's really not about helping us. In most corporations the vintage parts license program is run out of the legal department - not the parts department. I'm not sure about the arrangement at Porsche.

    Richard Newton
    Vintage Race Car Images

  2. #52
    From reading this thread, the inference seems to be that reproduction parts are considered inferior to genuine items. Unfortunately, this has proven to be true many times over in the modern car world and the cheap race to the bottom suicide slide that the planet is on. Rant over!

    As a developer of replacement parts for classic vehicles, I see this differently. ALL cars are/were designed to a price, so it follows that the design of some OE parts left a little to be desired. We all know the Achilles heel's of the 911 and read about them often on forums like this one. Personally, my mission is to make reproduction parts that are better than the original parts and therefore they are intrinsically more valuable. We are proud to display our logo on them too! Effort in = value out.

    So as to the value of original parts over reproduction, it very much depends on the part. Yes, if you have some lovely original Fuchs wheels they will be more valuable than copies. But I can't imagine mass produced original heat exchangers would ever be more valuable than a set of beautifully made SSIs for example. Can a poorly designed OE part be worth more than a part that is designed to address the issue?

    For me, it's all about quality.

  3. #53
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    Actually it might not be about quality.

    A lot of the current discussion is about stewardship. Some cars (not all) are now viewed at historical objects. The original history of the car is important. Being a good steward means you're protecting history. A restoration on the other hand is a permanent change of the object.

    The interesting part of this discussion was that cars were never meant to last for hundreds of years. The designers and builders expected them to wear out. That simply doesn't happen with a Monet.

    It's an interesting discussion but it does get a little rarefied. What cars are worth preserving? Which ones can be restored?

    Richard Newton

  4. #54
    This does get to be a thin line at some point but when you need a replacement part spending the money on quality with specialized vendors clearly the way to go, Jonny's post above made a good point about the to-a-price-point consideration.

  5. #55
    OTOH, What cars are worth driving?

    SRP, Wevo, SSI, PMO, Elph. Racing and some others make aftermarket parts that are better than the factory versions. Maybe include M&K and Monty mufflers.

    What is true stewardship for a car? Is it keeping the car frozen in time as a rolling museum? Or does it also include evolving the car as new materials become available to improve the functions it was designed to do?

    For the 911, more than virtually any other car, the factory evolved the car over time. Otherwise we'd all be driving with lead wt.s in our bumpers.

  6. #56
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    I think stewardship is irrelevant for most Porsches. They were mass produced cars and there are always a bunch of them on the market.

    If you should own a 911R though it's a totally different situation. Very few cars were made and they definitely qualify as a true collectible. The same with a 917 or 908.

    We really have different groups of cars. Most of our 911s are hobbyist cars. A few though are collectible. Those are two rather different situations.

    Richard Newton

  7. #57
    Quote Originally Posted by 37yrold911 View Post
    OTOH, What cars are worth driving?

    SRP, Wevo, SSI, PMO, Elph. Racing and some others make aftermarket parts that are better than the factory versions. Maybe include M&K and Monty mufflers.

    What is true stewardship for a car? Is it keeping the car frozen in time as a rolling museum? Or does it also include evolving the car as new materials become available to improve the functions it was designed to do?

    For the 911, more than virtually any other car, the factory evolved the car over time. Otherwise we'd all be driving with lead wt.s in our bumpers.
    Anybody recall Upfixin der Porsche? There was a time when a point of pride was that all the "updates had been completed" on a given car.
    This was clearly stated in old Pano ads. These were the cars that you gravitated toward as you knew the owner was a like minded gear head who had cared for his car.
    Early S Registry #235
    rgruppe #111

  8. #58
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    Quote Originally Posted by Richardnew View Post
    I think stewardship is irrelevant for most Porsches. They were mass produced cars and there are always a bunch of them on the market.

    If you should own a 911R though it's a totally different situation. Very few cars were made and they definitely qualify as a true collectible. The same with a 917 or 908.

    We really have different groups of cars. Most of our 911s are hobbyist cars. A few though are collectible. Those are two rather different situations.

    Richard Newton
    Richard,

    Well stated. While a select few will be "collectible". Most are hobbyist/enthusiast cars. Once the age cohort that has wanted one of these gets them (i.e. Available disposable income), the market will take a significant down turn except for the true collectibles. Witness what is going on in the post WWII hot rod market to see our future.

    For me like I think many here, it is the cool cars of the 60's and early 70's.

    I went to a roadster show recently and saw all kinds of hot rod/roadster builds. The paint, interiors, motors etc were awesome but I would never want one on my garage. They are too "old fashioned". That said, the workmanship exhibited would be great for a car of any era.
    Harry

    Member #789
    1970 VW Sunroof Kombi Bus - "The Magic Bus"
    1973.5 911T Targa for fun - "Smokey"
    2009 MB C300

  9. #59
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    sithot,

    I sold off all of my UpFixin books this year. They were great. I even posted some of them for sale and no one wanted them

    How quickly we forget.

    Richard Newton
    Stewardship

  10. #60
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    I suppose it’s time for me to update my thinking Eric.

    First up, I still own the same cars and most of the original parts I’ve collected over the years as I did when I first posted.
    No change there then.

    I’m still wondering the same things however even though things have moved on since the original post. There seems to be a large shift in customizing the original 911 factory concept. Hot rods, clones, replicas and special wish 911’s seem to be more common. Are owners becoming tired of ‘originality’ in all its respects? I have to pay more (in the UK) for a 72 replica ST (backdated with modern replacement lookalike parts) than a very original 72E. A lot more!

    So I’m still wondering what value (desireability not financial) there is to keeping to use, sell, exchange original parts from a receding generation of knowledgeable experts to a generation who don’t know (or care) any better. Are the originality dudes just as prolific in the SC, Carrera, 964 and 993 generation now?

    Are we losing the originality of the longhood into the mists of time forever?

    Does it now matter as much that Eric and others mark their parts proudly so that we can say in the future ‘ah that’s an Autoforeign exact reproduction which was the absolute best available at the time and indistinguishable from the original 70’s part’.



    Regards
    Mike
    RS#1551(sold)
    67S
    73E (home after 25 years) and sold again
    Early S reg. #681

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