Over the weekend I spotted this car for sale at a local car show. To see more pictures, make the jump, and while your doing that, ask yourself if you could ever see yourself driving a replicar?
Remember when the Replicar Market was thriving (wasn’t it in the mid to late 80’s?) and these things were being produced by various manufacturers? There were VW Based MG’s, and Pinto based Mercedes, and let’s not forget the original replicar, the Excalibur. They all exude an air of bad taste, while fooling no one in the process.
This “Jaguar SS” sports a Ford Pinto engine, with an Automatic, which does wonders for acceleration! At least it isn’t Air-Conditioned! The “replica” wire wheels, and the malaise era Brown paint job are just icing on the cake. It looks like a “Snap-On” top comes with it, but does it cost extra? All this for $6,600….. which is a little pricey in my mind, but what do you think? Comment Away…..
V.I.S.I.T – Would you ever consider a Replicar?
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Most of these things are awful. Add to that the fact that they are only as good as the builder, and you could end up with something that is both unreliable and awful. But there is a grey area. There are some pretty good Cobra replicas out there, and how would you classify a Caterham? Then there are the fiberglass bodies used in retro-rods, etc.
So if it''s fun to drive and well made, I'd hoon it regardless of pedigree.
What if the abomination above had a 327 and a 4 speed? would you consider it then? Might be fun! -
Yeah, there are replicars and there are replicars. Nobody should have an issue with a Cobra replica, hell, I'd like one myself. A Porsche speedster replica is pretty cool, too, because they can be faithful to the original car, which was pretty much a VW, so what the hell. I don't even have much of a problem with those Shay Model A replicas. However, replicas like the one pictured are foul. I'm not fooled for a second. At least it's not one of those VW powered MG's, those are absolutely the worst, hands down. At least this mutt has the "engine" in the right place.
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I'd take a Beck/Chamonix Spider, a VW powered Porsche 550 replica in a second.
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Some of the replicars mentioned above might be worth considering, but the pictured example is an abomination. The combination of tan and brown might have spiced up a '73 Dodge Tradesman, but here it's just awful. And the rear 3/4 view made me throw up in my mouth. How about that plywood dash? Mouthful of splinters, anyone?
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Yeah! That's what you do when you have a VW pan laying around waiting to be used. Me likey.
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I HATE all of the new classic replicars. So tacky. But I'd rock a Manx, Cobra, or Porsche replica.
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If we are going the way of the kit car, only three make the list. Cobra, Seven, Atom.
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My first initiation into car culture was riding in a neighbor's '68 A-H 3000 Mk III. As much as I can see the practicality of a modern Ford V8 powerplant, nothing can ever match a real Healy.
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No disagreement here (I had a neighbor with a 3000 when I was a wee lad, too.) The thing is, a real A-H costs considerably more than the 12-13K I could pick up one of these for.
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As most have said, depends on the car and the quality of the replica. I regularly see a MG T series VW Bug based replica running around here. The worst part is that it has a vanity plate with "BOBS MG" or some such crap. NO IT ISN"T an MG!!! I really want to just go slap the guy. The more expensive the original the more forgivable the replica. I personally would love to have a Allard J2X replica or a Lancia Stratos replica.
If the original is under say $25k-30k then PLEASE don't buy the replica! The above mentioned Sebring, Seven kits, and Beck Speedsters might be an exception to this. -
Replicas are the badge engineering of the classic car market.
I'd rather have a Ford Pinto. I mean, at least if I was rocking a Pinto people would say, "Hey is that a Ford Pinto? Wow it really is. I used to have one of those back when…"
Instead of, "Hey is that a 1937 Jag? Wait, what the? Did I forget my meds or do I just need new glasses? Why does it sounds like a dying badger? Why can't this guy just get an Escalade with wheel spinners like all the other guys with bad taste who need attention?" -
Absolutely. Mmmmm…Daytona coupe.
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Oooh, don't piss Carrol Shelby off – it's a "Type 65 Coupe!"
I keep daydreaming about building one of these and commuting in it. But I think I'm too cheap.
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ooOOoo, pretty! I think I could force myself to drive one of these, especially since it looks like a very nice replicar, at least from here. I agree that modern engine and chassis bits make a lot of sense for a car like this. Just as long as it's not based on a VW bug.
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Kit car? Yes.
Replicar? Almost certainly no.
To me, the appeal of an old car is that it's old and full of old tech…not just looks old. When you put a _____-ish body on a newer chassis, it defeats the purpose. The newer Cobra replicas all tend to have newer engine architectures and newer suspension. They're ostensibly better cars, but if you're going to build a newer roadster, why not do new sheetmetal?
The "almost certainly" leaves open the things like Se7ens and dune buggies (Manx). -
My God that's a pretty repliCobra! I would definitely a Cobra replica, properly done, and even a GT-40 that was properly done, if there is such a thing. An original would be perfect, of course, but they are forever out of my price range.
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Very nice Daytona. Let's go drive fast in the rain!
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The Superperformance and FFR Daytona coupes are tempting…but…I can't really get behind them.
Jeff and I had a long chat about this the other day. Namely, paying ~100k for a replica like that just seems like a terrible value proposition.-
Woah, I think $100k would be a seriously high end build on one of those. The base kit is only $15k, complete kit $21k. Adding in the engine, tranny, wheels, tires, paint, you'd have to be trying to hit $100k. I suppose if you were hiring out the work that would be an easier price to hit.
Kit Car Planet claims estimated cost to build of $35 to $40k. I think that sounds realistic.
The crazy thing to me is that built cars are way more expensive than that. I've seen $75k and not much less.-
~$100k is what the Superperformance one that AB had a little while ago goes for. http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/10/superformance-…
There's just something off-putting about the idea of doing kit of something because a real one is too expensive. For the time and money (at any price point) I'd rather work on a real version of something.
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It depends on the replica and how well it is made. The pseudo-MG you have pictured is not a good example. Everything I see looks horrible and poorly done. The dash alone makes my teeth itch. An Excaliber would shine next it. I also wouldn't consider anything based on a VW or an el-cheapo junkpile like a Pinto or a Vega with a one-lunged engine and a suspension in name only. What would be the point?
A good Cobra or that TLC Talbo pictured above would be worth considering. -
A good Cobra, Caterham (which is a gray-area) or that Talbo-Lago? In a heartbeat. Most other replicars? Hell no.
However, there are many good non-replica kit cars out there, too. -
There is a whole slew of limited-production sports racers from the 60s where the line is indeed fine between what was a kit and what was "production." LaDawri, Kellison, Devin … those were pretty much DIY racecars. Last I saw, you could still buy a new Kellison body.
Slightly different: sometimes I regret selling my '67 Mustang 390 GT fastback, gone for 25 years now. It was severely imperfect as a daily driver because of its 60s dynamics and I'd gotten to the place where I needed a car that started every time I turned the key, so it had to go. Though I'll admit that much of the nostalgia is from the knowledge that if I'd kept it the initial investment ($1200 in 1983) would have paid off extremely handsomely by now, the basic shape is what attracted me to it in the first place– beginning at about age 6 when it was new. Best looking Mustang ever, IMO, by a long shot, and my taste has been well-vindicated by the collector market. At Woodward last summer there was a Bullitt clone built from a *brand new* '67 bodyshell, accurate enough to use OEM parts if one was so disposed. $15K, not bad at all. A buildup with modern components would yield the car I wanted the GT to be from the beginning. So yes, that's a replica I'd rock with pride. -
I was about to answer with a vehement “never!” until I remembered that I had a Covin 911 Turbo replica powered by a 2.3 Ford (Pinto) turbo engine. At least it was rear mounted and I only had the car long enough to piss off my Porsche purist friends.
Where do continuation cars fall into this discussion? There’s a forty year old continuation Abarth Simca for sale out there that looks like an amazing bargain which I can almost afford. -
3 off the top of my head… Cobra (of course) Porsche 550 spyder, and a Manx or Roadrunner dune buggy. I've wanted all three since I was an itty-bitty Zombee….
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This is truly so cool. Thankyou for putting this online
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