Replica's

[Cedric]

Do you think replica's should be able to participate in historic races? Some time ago there was commotion about this question, as some were opposed to this. I've seen some great replica's which are practically indistinguishable from the real thing. Do you say no I don't want the reps to mix with the old bunch or do you find it ok if exact replica's compete in the same races?

[Meluion]

If the replica's look the same under the bonnet too, I would say yes to their participation; same sort of engine, same sort of brakes etc...

[DasModell]

they can-t be identicall.... .. if they are identicall ... :) :) .. those cars are not replicas :) :) :)

[Cedric]

You have a point there, but when do you call it a replica? If a car is not built under licence of the original manufacturer it is a rep. Take the Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato: it was first built in '61 and in 1991 the building of four other cars was commissioned, being the Sanction II cars. It is merely a continuation of a great car. It is a shame that this does not happen to other cars. It's difficult for me to use the word replica for some cars which you can't really cal replica, but in fact they are. For example the Lynx Lightweight Low-drag E-type, http://www.lynxmotors.co.uk/index1.htm, which is exactly the same as the original one, you can hardly refer to it as a rep. Thus they could well be sold under the name Jaguar.The Lynx D-type is probably the best D-type replica around, yet it has E-type IRS instead of a live axle. It also has a 3.8l engine instead of a 3.4l. Apart from that it's hard to notice the difference.
Of course some replica's aren't even worth it to be referred to as replica. Examples of shabby Lotus 7 and Cobras are abundant.

[DasModell]

:) i know the lynx cars .. and yes I belive that those are replicas ... even if they do look identical .. under the hood .. it's a different thing .. even if the parts are from a period very close to the original ... i don't say that they should not compete in the same events . but it should be in different classes .... a replica class .. just an ideea :)

[Cedric]

I've read similar ideas in C&SC a couple of years ago, that is the replica class. But then again they should look as close as possible to the real thing. The cars shouldn't be modified then, cos that won't do the aspiration for originality any good. I must admit that most original old racers have been modified into machines that are faster than they used to be.

[DasModell]

just wondering .. do you have a replica???? and if yes . tell me some information about it ....

i've seen a report about Le Tour ... and in that races for the winn only cars pre 1965 competed .. but wew also present cars from around 1970 ..

[Cedric]

No I don't have a replica, although I'd like to own a perfect Cobra replica, or a Lynx E-type.

[DSM owner]

I'm a big fan of replicas. But I don't think they should be allowed to participate in vintage races. Despite the fact that a replica may be an exact 1:1 model as the real thing, it won't be made from the same materials, won't be made by the same people, and won't have the same stregnth and reliability.

Picture a guy who spend $10 million on his GTO replica, who gets bumped by a guy in a $100,000 GTO replica. Is this fair to the guy who spend $10 million on his car?

Maybe they should have a seperate class for replicas at vintage races. I'll bet the racing would actually be more exciting for those classes.

[Wouter Melissen]

I prefer the real deal, a replica does not have the history that makes a real classic so good. As for the Cobra replicas, that is a different matter, many of them are kit-cars in the shape of the Cobra, just like the Caterham Seven is a kit-car based on the Lotus Seven. They don't pretend to be the real thing, and in most cases it's quite obvious not the real deal.

A replica racing class sounds a little absurd. There are only very few true replicas around; some GT40s, the Lynx E-Types and the Dino 246 and Lancia D50 F1 racers. If you do want to race something, try something modern like the Radical SR3 featured this week, it offers a lot more for a fraction of the cost of a good replica.

[ozi]

my father made a replica of a morgan based on ford granada it had a 2.8 V6 engine. He sold it for 10 000 euros

[motormaniac]

no way! replicas r replicas they r not the real car and they should be BANNED!!!!

[motorhead]

no offence but some replicas look better than the real cars

[motormaniac]

that's cause they r new and "restored"

[motorhead]

restored with inverted commas eh - do you even know what the hell restored means - replica is a totally different - go find out what the meaning of inverted commas mean then use it

[DSM owner]

What's an inverted comma?

Replicas should be banned? Why? So people have to pay millions of dollars to drive a car like that of their dreams? Looking at an original worth millions of dollars is great, but I'd rather be driving a replica any day for a reasonable price.

[motorhead]

Originally posted by DSM owner
What's an inverted comma?

Replicas should be banned? Why? So people have to pay millions of dollars to drive a car like that of their dreams? Looking at an original worth millions of dollars is great, but I'd rather be driving a replica any day for a reasonable price. but it may not be as good looking or has powerful as the real one - obviously

[Michiel356]

I don't agree that replica's should be banned all together. I do agree with some of the other replies that it is ridicul to let replica's compete with the original. If you want to compete in a race I recon that it is fair that the cars are as similair as the can be for an honest endresult. But Replica's can also be a part of the same event without being in the overall ranking. I have been on several events and never had any problems with the organisation or the other drivers. In the end it should be fun to drive your car and share your experience. And the spectators are the real winner even if it is a replica.

By the way I own a Porsche 356 A Carrera Speedster Replica (built by a former Porsche mechanic) which -almost- fooled some well knowed specialists in The Netherlands! see the picture I enclosed.

[Madman]

What about the handful of Model T's recently built by Ford to celebrate the company's 100th birthday?
Technically, they are "replicas" because they were not part of the 15 million or so originally made by Ford from 1908 to 1927.

But, these new model T's were made using the original drawings and incorperated many replacement parts (which are identical to the ones originally made by Ford) designed for owners of the original Model T. Ford even casted brand new engine blocks based on information gleaned from x-raying an original Model T block because Ford themselves no longer had specs and diagrams for the Model T engine.

So, should or shouldn't one of these cars be allowed to participate in a vintage event? If a car is an exact, down-to-the-last-bolt replica, I don't see why not, so long as you disclose the details of the car's pedigree to one and all.

Sadly, this type of replica is very rare. Most are bodge-jobs with less-than-convincing-looking glassfibre bodies glued onto the floorpans of scrapped old heaps. A few will spend the time, money and effort to stuff the biggest motor they can find into the thing, but most do not. Either way, these cars are a long way off from the ones they try to emmulate. These are the ones which give replicas, in general, a bad reputation and should not be allowed to participate in vintage events.

Madman of the People

[Roy Visser]

Originally posted by Michiel356


By the way I own a Porsche 356 A Carrera Speedster Replica (built by a former Porsche mechanic) which -almost- fooled some well knowed specialists in The Netherlands! see the picture I enclosed.

your car does have alot of the correct touches, but that -almost- should be -ALMOST-

My Porsche love is purely 356 based, and i have been on the look for early 356's, and your car just doesnt have it. It misses something, it looks too long, and the wheelarches arent right. Nice car, but give me an original one..

[NoOne]

There are people who can afford the "real deal" an original or restored classic car. Most likely these are people with unlimited amounts of cash that can afford their absurd prices. I say their is nothing wrong with a replica as long as it isn't passed off as the real thing ... which would be fraudulent. I have been for a ride in several Cobra kit cars, to me they felt how a 40 yr old car should feel - harsh ride, no creature comforts - but having never been in an original I really have nothing to compare it to.

I think they should keep them from competing in vintage racing, but they could have a replica only class with original for the car engines etc. For example a Cobra replica with a 289 or 427 engine in it. What could be exciting would be a "modified" replica class - sounds like an oxymoron I know ;) - in this class you could have any powertrain you like I.E. ; Cobra replica with a blown small block or a "crate engine" , someone near my place has 1 of the Cobra replica's with a 540cid GM monster block ... fast and extremely cool looking. :cool:

Just an opinion

Later

[Falcon500]

Well at the track day down at wakefield park the local cobra club all went for a burn there and it was a top day and eveyone had fun! make note they were all replicas there was a few GT40s as well all the cobra replicas. All but one had a ford motor in it he seemed like a black sheep to the rest of the club to me also.
And we have historics here in australia most of them are replicas of the cars they used to race pre 71 in this country (none scratch built) whats the point of racing somthing genuine that would be a tragity to crash?

[NoOne]

Very good point, I hadn't even considered it .... anyone with a big dollar original is not gonna drive it balls out ....even if thats what the car originally was intended for

[fpv_gtho]

Originally posted by NoOne
There are people who can afford the "real deal" an original or restored classic car. Most likely these are people with unlimited amounts of cash that can afford their absurd prices. I say their is nothing wrong with a replica as long as it isn't passed off as the real thing ... which would be fraudulent. I have been for a ride in several Cobra kit cars, to me they felt how a 40 yr old car should feel - harsh ride, no creature comforts - but having never been in an original I really have nothing to compare it to.

I think they should keep them from competing in vintage racing, but they could have a replica only class with original for the car engines etc. For example a Cobra replica with a 289 or 427 engine in it. What could be exciting would be a "modified" replica class - sounds like an oxymoron I know ;) - in this class you could have any powertrain you like I.E. ; Cobra replica with a blown small block or a "crate engine" , someone near my place has 1 of the Cobra replica's with a 540cid GM monster block ... fast and extremely cool looking. :cool:

Just an opinion

Later

ive seen a couple of cobra replicas with jaguar irs setups, so maybe they'd fit in that category