Kit Cars, Rebodies and Replicas

[Wiegert]

Having had a close look at a few Ferrari replicas recently, I noticed there wasn't a general thread for them. Or kit cars for that matter. So here's a thread for all things hand-built, custom bodies on existing chassis, modern reproductions of classic models, etc.



And few of those "Ferrari's" I mentioned.

Xillion F40 (1985 Fiero with a Chevy engine).

Two early 90s 250 GTO's.

Mid-90s Deon Dino powered by a 2.0 Fiat/Lancia Twin Cam.

And have a bonus Westfield SEiGHT.

 

[Cano]

Fiberfab's Aztec GT, a 60's GT inspired body over a tuular frame setup for either a VW or Corvair flat engine, or a Chevy V8. Check out that tilt cabin for God's sake.

I became aware of these things after finding one abandoned here in Mexico City. I'd love to have one, even with a VW engine, just to get in and out of it from that tilt cabin.

 

[XS]

Can't mention kit cars without the Superperformance GT40s.

 

[Gotbeefboy564]

Kit cars in a Quebec car show.

Had no idea what this show was called, here's the flyer

 

[Wiegert]

Dacia weren't the first manufacturer to use the Sandero name. Jago were busy renaming their kit jeeps 'Sandero' in the early 90s to avoid copyright issues due to their previously named Jago Geep.

 

[JMoney]

I'd want a classic kit car that is so rare it's obviously a kit (like a Cobra, 550A or Stratos), or a car that only exists in kit form (like the Ultima). Lamborghinis should be built in Sant'agata, not in a Kentucky garage.

 

[Wiegert]

I'd want a classic kit car that is so rare it's obviously a kit (like a Cobra, 550A or Stratos), or a car that only exists in kit form (like the Ultima). Lamborghinis should be built in Sant'agata, not in a Kentucky garage.

A professionally designed kit based on a classic will always be more desirable than a malformed modern supercar replica some guy down the street hammered together. Some do a better job of trying to fit a "Ferrari" or "Lambo" body onto a smaller base car (MR2, Fiero, TR7, etc), but they'll almost always have bizarre proportions.


Also, eBay threw up this unknown oddity when I was browsing earlier. 1960 Autobee Pacemaker (1947 Morris Eight chassis). Very few photos of them floating about.

 

[Wiegert]

Not the first thing you'd expect from Ginetta, but the early 1980s saw them design a series of utilitarian estate kits based on the Hillman Hunter. And later the MkV Cortina. The Range Rover influence is even more apparent with these than on the Matra Rancho.

GRS Tora series I:

Series IIs had a single boot door instead of the series I's two-way tailgate:

Only two series IIIs were built in 1989:

 

[homeforsummer]

A handful of kit car magazines were among the first car mags I got when I was younger. A friend's uncle owned a newsagents and used to give copies of old or damaged stock to my friend, and he gave duplicates to me.

One of the first cars that caught my eye was an old kit called the 'Manx'. That's not Meyers Manx, but a little-known 2CV-based kit of which pictures are hard to come by - it basically existed and died before the internet was really a thing:

There's something rather appealing about it. I can't imagine it weighs much, and it's lower than the 2CV on which it's based - already a car known for surprising levels of roadholding.

 

[Heldenzeit]

Certainly looks better than a 2CV.

 

[CSMDuty11]

A handful of kit car magazines were among the first car mags I got when I was younger. A friend's uncle owned a newsagents and used to give copies of old or damaged stock to my friend, and he gave duplicates to me.

One of the first cars that caught my eye was an old kit called the 'Manx'. That's not Meyers Manx, but a little-known 2CV-based kit of which pictures are hard to come by - it basically existed and died before the internet was really a thing:

There's something rather appealing about it. I can't imagine it weighs much, and it's lower than the 2CV on which it's based - already a car known for surprising levels of roadholding.

Reminds me of the Honda Beat.

 

[Nessy]

Similar to you @homeforsummer i used to get the occasional kit car mag too, when i was younger. I always remember the Pather Solo II. Sure the styling is a bit ugly, but for a 1987 kit car, it's not too bad. I really like the way they did the lights. Plus it had a Cosworth engine, and 4wd.

[EDIT]

My apologies.. It turns out it wasn't a kit car at all. (poor memory on my behalf).

Still looks like a kit car though.

 

[VXR]

My dad introduced me to that at a young age through his Auto Express magazines. Under 5 I pretty much thought that was as cool as cars got, mostly because I was Sierra mad.

Would love to see it in Forza, especially as it looks like a Ridge Racer attempt at a MR and the livery possibilities.

 

[Legro]

Banham Sprint.

Looks like an Austin Healey Sprite, doesn't it. Well, it isn't one, mechanically it's a Mini. It even has a Mini-like boot.

 

[TheCracker]

Burn them all with fire. Before they burn themselves and you with them.

 

[CSMDuty11]

Raise your hand if you have ever heard of the Fiberfab Avenger GT.

Thought so.

 

[Wiegert]

So I've been trying to identify a specific Mk2 Capri I saw earlier. Ended up trawling through a Flickr gallery where - on top of finding the exact Capri in question - I stumbled upon what's credited as the first open-topped road car to use an all-composite monocoque.

Latham F2 Super Sports:

Coincidentally, they used Mk3 Capri tail lights:

http://www.lathamf2.co.uk/index.htm

 

[Cano]

Raise your hand if you have ever heard of the Fiberfab Avenger GT.
Thought so.

Not so fast. I do. I found one abandoned here in Mexico City years ago, which led me to search around to find out what the hecking heck it was. I'll try to dig out the picture of the one I found.

 

[Tyger]

Similar to you @homeforsummer i used to get the occasional kit car mag too, when i was younger. I always remember the Pather Solo II. Sure the styling is a bit ugly, but for a 1987 kit car, it's not too bad. I really like the way they did the lights. Plus it had a Cosworth engine, and 4wd.


[EDIT]

My apologies.. It turns out it wasn't a kit car at all. (poor memory on my behalf).

Still looks like a kit car though.

Hmm in fairness I don't think it looks like a kit car, it had some interesting features (4WD and the rotating headlights to name but two), there again I have a slight obsession with the three/four cars Panther manufactured that weren't retro-styled, ie. the Rio, Six and Solo/Solo 2. All so rare now, even the Solo has just one short long-distance clip on Youtube.

Anyway back on topic, the numerous GT40 replicas have always been interesting, there have been some awesome ones but also some very bizarre ones, there are a few videos on Youtube including a particular US one which honestly was very dissimilar to the original car, but interesting nonetheless!

This also impressed me, even better than the real thing, it seems

 

[AlvaroF]

This is interesting:

http://audiusamotors-com-aventador.com/lambo-aventador.php

 

[Tyger]

This is interesting:

http://audiusamotors-com-aventador.com/lambo-aventador.php

Wow not bad at all! They made a bit of a boob printing the Audi V8 specs twice instead of the V10 but I think I would go for the V12 for a little more authenticity anyway

 

[silverman_GT]

Back at the mid 1990's, Indonesia has this one kit car manufacturer (Marvia) that actually made a PORSCHE 911 with Mazda 323 (or an engine from Mercedes-Benz). To be honest, it actually looks good:

BUT, I think the Fiberglass Porsche is the only good-looking car in their roster. Because.....:

Behold. A Shelby Cobra knockoff mounted in the chassis of a Suzuki Carry.

But that's not all:

^this is one heck of a Rolls-Royce kit car

IIRC, all these "gangster-looking" cars are mounted on a Suzuki SJ410 chassis.

 

[Bo]

This is interesting:

http://audiusamotors-com-aventador.com/lambo-aventador.php

Wow not bad at all! They made a bit of a boob printing the Audi V8 specs twice instead of the V10 but I think I would go for the V12 for a little more authenticity anyway

Meet super replicas.

 

[silverman_GT]

Meet super replicas.

Wow. Just, wow.

Even doge isn't enough to describe the wowness of "Top Gear Carbon Copies".

But if they were to use that name and form "agreements" with Tanner Foust and Chip Foose, these guys sure got some guts...

 

[Bo]

Wow. Just, wow.

Even doge isn't enough to describe the wowness of "Top Gear Carbon Copies".

But if they were to use that name and form "agreements" with Tanner Foust and Chip Foose, these guys sure got some guts...

They're based in Panama since the legal system is slightly iffy to say the least; they change their name every 12 months or so or whenever they're uncovered as a scam.

 

[Tyger]

Holy Moses, thanks @hsv that's some interesting reading. The videos are entertaining too, but for all the wrong reasons

Back at the mid 1990's, Indonesia has this one kit car manufacturer (Marvia) that actually made a PORSCHE 911 with Mazda 323 (or an engine from Mercedes-Benz). To be honest, it actually looks good

Some of those aren't bad, is there more info on the 911, and that thing that looks a little like an SVX or the 80s Vantage Zagato? The "Rolls Royces" after it is hilarious though, total Homer Simpson car

 

[TexRex]

 

[homeforsummer]

"Bugatti"

Wait... is that a Beetle?

A friend has been looking at Rover Metros recently, as a car to have fun in without even slightly risking his license. The theory is that these cars are light and nimble and while they aren't fast, they're so much more interactive than most modern cars that they're now inherently fun.

Anyway, it reminded me of a few of the best Metro-based kit cars over the years. The most successful was probably the Midas, which I believe Gordon Murray had a hand in improving following its launch:

But GTM, another once-popular maker, also had a shot at it with the mid-engined K3 Rossa:

The benefits are obvious - the Metro used a subframe system, so you could basically remove the front and rear subframes and put them in any body you like (that's more or less what Rover did itself with the MGF). It also had some pretty good engines and by contemporary accounts, drove pretty well too.

 

[The87Dodge]

Ford Mustang built on a Mazda Miata chassis.

 

[Legro]

A friend has been looking at Rover Metros recently, as a car to have fun in without even slightly risking his license. The theory is that these cars are light and nimble and while they aren't fast, they're so much more interactive than most modern cars that they're now inherently fun.

You cold argue, that as a car for fun the Metro was considerably worse than the car it in some ways replaced, but was discontinued after the Metro. But the K-series engine in the Rover Metro is, while harder to work on, still probably more reliable in everyday driving. And then there's the reason why out of Rover Group production, the Metro is better choice if you don't live outside UK, and that's the how much less the Metro will actually cost to all, buy, maintain and insure.