> From gpetrola@prairienet.org Thu Aug 31 06:52:44 1995
> Date: Thu, 31 Aug 1995 08:27:30 -0500 (CDT)
... [SNIP]
> To Simon and all,
>
> I'm sorry to take so long to respond to this post but I had to do
> some thinking about the subject before I wrote...
>
> What's the attitude on those replicas like the C type Jags, Ferrari
> GTO SWBs and a certain Aston Martin DB4 Zagato that are constructions
> based on actual cars and using factory components? The only difference
> between the copy and the original is it's location of manufacture. I
> don't want to get into a flame war or become the target for someone's
> ire... I honestly want to know.
There is a big difference between an old car that has been re-bodied
nicely, and a replica created from modern components. All the Cobra
replicas I know of are built from the ground up with contemporary
components to make them more reliable than the original and easier to
maintain. Virtually all of the late 50's and early 60's Alfa Sprint
Zagato race cars were actually rebodied from Giuliettas that had been
crashed. There is more than a subtle difference here. The SZ was
rebodied by a fine Italian coachbuilder in the same period as when the
chassis were produced. The Cobra replica was built last week by a
modern craftsman. While the Cobra replica may be a real blast to drive
around on the street, it has no place among cars that were actually
made 30 years ago. A nicely rebodied Jag or Ferrari that uses all
Vintage running gear is considerably more acceptable than a "cheap"
copy. As long as the owner/entrant is honest about the car's origins,
many groups would allow such a rebodied old car to run. The key is,
under the skin, it is still another old car like the rest of them.
There is a more "purist" opinion that you will hear from Steve Earle
and the like that any car rebodied to look like a better car dilutes
the purity of the event, and reduces the incentive owners of REAL
museum pieces have to bring their cars out. Unless the car was rebodied
for racing back in the old days, and all you have done is restore the
rebody job, People like Steve Earle will likely bounce you out. I have
seen him make exceptions, but rarely.
> It seems to me, as a photographer and vintage racing enthusiast, that
> seeing a carefully recreated replica of, say, that AM Zagato, is better
> than not seeing any Zagato at all... If it looks like a cat, acts like
> a cat sounds like a cat, why not let this creature play with all the
> other kitties? I think the carefully done replica may have more
> legitimacy to race than an old street sports car converted for
> purposes of vintage racing.
I think you are wrong on both counts. If all you see is a replica of
the AM Zagato, then you haven't seen any Zagato at all. As a
photographer AND a vintage race car driver I would not appreciate
finding out later, after blowing a whole roll of film on a great
looking car, that it was a fake. Do you think the Monterey Historics
would be such a great event if ALL the cars were fakes? Do you think
that so many people would turn out to see an event billed as being
composed entirely of fakes?
As a driver, and an owner of a car that is *totally* unique, I would
also not appreciate finding out that the car gridded next to me among
1958-1963 Formula Juniors was actually built last week using Datsun 510
components, and oh, by the way, it just happened to look exactly like
my one-of-a-kind car just because he liked the looks. Try to understand
the feelings of those who actually own authentic old cars. Part of what
makes these events so amazing is that people are willing to do the work
it takes to keep a 35 year old car active, and are brave enough to take
it out on the track. To belittle their (our) efforts to keep these old
cars running by letting in all these replicas could seriously
discourage the owners of authentic cars. Why should I knock myself out
if the guy with the replica can do it cheaper, go faster, and not break
as often?
The other point I disagree on is about the old sports cars. In the 50's
and 60's it was actually quite common for people to drive their sports
car to the event and take it out on the track. The Monterey Historics
even has a special award for this category, celebrating "The Way It
Was." A bone stock Triumph or Alfa from 1959 has more business being on
the track at a Vintage event than any replica. Bringing out nicely
restored examples of a vanished breed, even if they were never raced
before, is preferable to flooding the grid with fakes, possibly at the
expense of denying admission to authentic cars which may not look as
nice.
> Look out of the cockpit, folks. See all those people? They love old
> cars too. Like me, they want to see it all... Triumphs, MGs, Ferraris,
> Astons, Bugattits, Bentleys, the wild, the weird the wonderful.
> Will they continue to come out if all you provide them is a racing
> card of the mundane? I'm getting kinda tired of seeing so many
> Porsches.
Yes, and the Great Unwashed (AKA the general public) has no idea what
the real value of a true Zagato bodied Aston Martin or Ferrari is. They
probably wouldn't even recognize them by the Double Bubble unless they
were told. Placing replicas on the grid along with Million $ cars is
bodering on fraud. The paying public has a right to get their money's
worth. I would be *highly* annoyed if I found out that the event I paid
$30/person/day to see was riddled with replicas, unless the event was
billed that way. I wouldn't pay that much to go to an event that was
billed that way. BTW, if you're tired of Porsches, get an Alfa! ;=)
The point I was trying to make before was that there are track time
opportunities for replicas, and people who own such cars are more than
welcome at such events, but they should not be allowed at the premier
Vintage events, or it damages the authenticity and credibility of all
such events. Green Flag, Track Time, NASA, and even marque clubs like
AROC all have track events that are run like Time Trials and most are
quite willing to let you "run what you brung."
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