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  #11  
Old 11-25-2016, 12:15 PM
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heinke heinke is offline
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Originally Posted by CousinVinny View Post
I'm reading this and similar threads on replicas and their merit and place in the world. I have come upon a question in which I am looking for your opinions. For my next build of a 50's sportscar replica I am debating whether to use a modern donor car chassis running gear and insure and title it as that modern car (think BMW Z3), although it will look vintage 50's. The other option is to purchase a 4 door year/make rusted car with papers that's in the era of my 50's sportscar. Problem is, as these old cars are so far rusted there wouldn't be much of the original car left when I'm finished. This brings up my dilemma: I ask myself at what point is the car no longer 'the car' on the paper title? Am I looking at this wrong? Because in the resto you've gone though and replaced so much of it (metal) to end up with a car titled as a 1958 Whatever. In my case I would eliminate the 2 rear doors to make it a coupe. My concerns come from growing up in the American Muscle Car era, in which to feed a growing market a lot of illegitimate cars were built. I've seen builders on this forum and others do amazing work cutting and converting 4 door sedans into roadsters. My intent is to drive this car for pleasure. Sorry if this is a bit of rambling on my part, I value the opinions here and look forward to hearing back from fellow members. -Vince
No responses yet, I've got an opinion on this subject. It won't be a surprise if you've seen postings on my project car: http://allmetalshaping.com/showthread.php?t=2264

For a car that will be driven, I like the use of modern suspension, drivetrain, and engines in a car bodied like one of the sports car classics. There's nothing like the performance and dependability of an modern computer controlled EFI engine to maximize the enjoyment level of your hard work. My EFI Cobra runs just as good going across the Golden Gate Bridge as going around Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe. My friends "authentic" replica Cobras are belching black smoke and running badly at elevation.

While some modern cars look OK, I still find the look of 1950s and 60s era European sports cars to be much more to my liking. So my opinion is rooted in the notion that joining up the best look with the best performance is the best way and win/win way to enjoy my automotive affliction. I get asked the question all the time, "Is it real or a replica?" and I don't have a problem answering truthfully. The people who truly appreciate a good handbuilt car don't ask that question but I find their admiration for my work to be worth a lot more to me than that of the masses who think all cars come from a factory.
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  #12  
Old 11-25-2016, 03:49 PM
Marc Bourget Marc Bourget is offline
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Joel,

Is your point on using an older car for a platform is how much of a '50's car needs be original to register the darn thing?

The street rodders build cars up from scratch but register the vehicle as a '34 Ford, for example, because they bought an ID plate from one of several vendors.

I don't think many DMV inspectors could tell the difference.

GO FOR IT !!
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Old 11-25-2016, 06:25 PM
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heinke heinke is offline
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Originally Posted by Marc Bourget View Post
Joel,

Is your point on using an older car for a platform is how much of a '50's car needs be original to register the darn thing?

The street rodders build cars up from scratch but register the vehicle as a '34 Ford, for example, because they bought an ID plate from one of several vendors.

I don't think many DMV inspectors could tell the difference.

GO FOR IT !!
No, not my point at all. My point is that you end up with a better driving experience if driving your project car is your objective. I've registered 2 cars now in California as Specialty Constructed Vehicles using SB100. No worries about smog requirements as they go by the year model the car looks like. I'm not trying to fool anyone that the car is an original anything. 90+% of the public doesn't have a clue about originality anyway. For me it's about having a car that looks fabulous but also is dependable and has top performance. I guess my real point is that enjoyment takes priority over deception.
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Old 11-25-2016, 07:24 PM
cliffrod cliffrod is offline
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Originally Posted by heinke View Post
No, not my point at all. My point is that you end up with a better driving experience if driving your project car is your objective. I've registered 2 cars now in California as Specialty Constructed Vehicles using SB100. No worries about smog requirements as they go by the year model the car looks like. I'm not trying to fool anyone that the car is an original anything. 90+% of the public doesn't have a clue about originality anyway. For me it's about having a car that looks fabulous but also is dependable and has top performance. I guess my real point is that enjoyment takes priority over deception.
My personal opinion, very personal, is that I enjoy driving an old car because I enjoy driving an old car (or truck or motorcycle or whatever). I want the experience and am not that interested in what others think. That mindmset can be applied in a very universal manner, because the individual will define the experience which they are trying to achieve. Build what you want. If it's all modern, mix and match or a gennie original, that's up to you. Our "modern" car is my wife's lifted 92 4Runner. My daily driver is a 73 Chevy truck or my 90 HD. We don't want any new vehicles.

I also get perplexed with people building an entire vehicle around one original nut, one original bolt and a VIN tag and then being hyper righteous about their car being more "original and legit" than a faithful but honest 100% reproduction vehicle. Money, vanity and materialism ruin a lot of things, especially when fakes are laundered into the real thing as actual provenance is conveniently overlooked......

Build what you want. Be honest about it with others. As an artist and a craftsman, I can appreciate a well-executed project- no matter what it is- even when it is something that does not interest me in any way. Hope that makes sense. Jmho
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