Jay Leno on replicas

[curtisaa]

http://www.autotraderclassics.com/ar...rticleId=44203

[69Sman]

Curt, that's a great article. I wonder if he would feel the same way if he could not afford to have both...

[JohnT]

One may buy a brand new Lola T 70 from Lola Cars inc complete with FIA papers. There are enough Maserati 250F replicas out there that Cameron Millar [the original replica constructor who was honest enough to give his cars CM-# serial numbers] replicas now have replicas of their own! Imagine that a genuine Cameron Millar Replica 250F replica!!

These cars are all raced, wrecked and tossed away in Europe and at more and more venues in the states. What we hear from owners of the real thing is that they wish not to go side beside into turn #7 or the Carrousel or anywhere else with a "throwaway" car, and the original and it's owner quietly depart the scene. There is only one original 250F owner that has told me he enjoys racing with replicas and doesn't care.

What I regularly see is that the replica moniker somehow gets lost about the third or fourth owner who conveniently "forgets" to include the word replica in the ad, on the bill of sale, or event entry form. I'm not accusing anybody, however the opportunity to gain the $$$ from selling an original is quite high if one can purchase it for a replica price.

How about the Shelby Owners' Club who got themselves sued by the original Mr. Shelby over the ownership of their database which was the only source of information on which Shelbys are real and which aren't. I've personally seen one beautiful 289 cobra with 4 X Webers and monster side pipes all set up in Dan Gurney, Targa Florio FIA trim that left the factory in cream with a Fordomatic and hydraulic lifters according to the data! Which history would you like to be buying? or selling?

There's no answer to this question. Unless honest replica builders offer their wares with unique identifying VIN numbers and sell them on a contract which specifically prohibits resale of the car (use it then crush it!) replicas are going to find their way into the marketplace at even the highest Level (remember the Pre-War Auto Union GP car that got pulled out of the auction in Paris earlier this year?).

At the same tim I too love to see and hear the Lancia-Ferrari D50 F1 cars and Lancia D24 Mille Miglia winning replicas run anywhere. There are no originals of these cars remaining and the attention to detail and authenticity are such that the fit the replica definition moniker at the highest detail. I have heard that finding Italian craftsmen that could buck the aluminum bodies and particularly fuel tanks using the original tools took the builders almost a year, These cars are beautiful and have become "priceless" in their own right and can never be represented as "original" because the whole world knows there ain't any originals. But then the whole world knew there weren't any original Auto Unions to...

This is wintertime discussion when the nights are longer and colder and the red wine tastes better.

cheers!

johnt

[ttweed]

... replicas are going to find their way into the marketplace at even the highest Level (remember the Pre-War Auto Union GP car that got pulled out of the auction in Paris earlier this year?).

Are you talking about the 1939 D-type Silver Arrow that was pulled from the Christies auction two years ago? I don't think that car is really an appropriate example of the point you are making about fraud, as it actually was an original, it was simply pulled from the auction due to questions regarding its history. It turns out that it was #19 and not #21 as Christies had represented in their catalog, so they pulled it since there was not time to confirm its true provenance. Audi has since confirmed that it is chassis #19, not #21, which means it was not the French GP winner, but still has true GP racing history including a 6th place with Hans Stuck driving. It will be auctioned by Bonhams & Butterfields at Quail Lodge this month and is expected to fetch $8-12M.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/04/a...block-at-bonh/

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/28/u...e-from-auctio/

TT

[Eric Johnson]

Jay Leno is right on. It's the experience of driving a replica that is fun. When I belt in and fire up my GT40 rep, I could care less what others think about the car. It's the Walter Mitty feeling of being in a historic sports racer.If I could afford the real thing, you better believe I'd have one. Until then, a replica it is!

[Chuck Miller]

NICE Eric.......

[Eric Johnson]

NICE Eric.......

Chuck,

Thanks! The car is a lot of fun...

[curtisaa]

Great Eric !!!!

[JohnT]

What's new?? I guess the question for me is is the car being entered in competitions against real ones. I was going to say, "raced" but then I suppose concours folks are equally competitive (I've just never understood a vehicle competition with the vehicles stand still). What one drives is one's business.

I've driven some replica D-Types (and a replica lightweight E) and find them little different from the one real d-type I've driven and I've driven 289 Cobra replicas that seemed to have the fell of the real thing as well. The lightweight E's that are circulating in Vintage racing today bear absolutely no resemblance to a real one. Nor do 700-800 hp Corvettes, Cobras, and A-sedan cars running in a lot of vintage vaces bear much resembelence to their 1967 & 68 predecessors which struggled to produce 45/475 reliable HP in the day.

And I didn't understand Leno's Bugatti example because I think that difficult starting etc. is part of the mystique of a Bugatti. It's not just pointing one of them down the road that constitutes being a Bugatti driver.

Anyway for "driving" whatever floats your boat. If I can tolerate a Prius, I can certainly admire and enjoy any replica anything (except a replica Prius perhaps) and I just try not to have opinions on other folks' rides.

johnt

[BBausser]

Here is the second comment to Jay's Blog on Replicas'. I think this guy is off his rocker. There are so many replica Speedster's that they have ceased to be a replica and have become almost a marque of their own. To me real replica's are like the Buggati and a few GT40's and Cobra's where the craftsmen who built them have painstakingly duplicated every nut and bolt in them. I have called on many Speedster advertisements and asked if they were replica's and have usually been told "Didn't I put that in the ad?". Think of the unknowedgeable novices that have been nicked and are forever dubious of any Porsche cars for sale because of this as well as the Slant Nose, Carerra 2 updates etc.

Mar 26, 2009
Totally agree, especially the driving bit

Aug 3, 2009

I am lucky to have a replica Speedster. It feels and drives pretty much like the real thing. It was not built on a VW chassis, but a purpose built replica chassis. It has a VW engine with some upgrades, much like the original speedster. With no power anything, the air cooled engine it feels, sounds and smells like to real thing. Although I will tell anybody it is a real Porsche when asked. The good news is that mine does not rust, did not cost $200K+ (although a bit more than a kit car), and does not loose value when I drive it every weekend. I have seen quite a number of Cobra replica's that I would not mind owning either, as long as they are close to the original. Maybe that's next.