I feel, like most of the people contributing so far, that replicas must be
recognized as that, and not given the status of an original. An extreme
case is the fellow who is building new cars that look like Ferrari 166MM
Touring Barchettas, complete with Superleggera bodywork, on modified 330GT
frames and drivetrains. He's doing faithful work, down to hand-beating the
panels on an oak stump. Are they Ferraris? Almost certainly - at least, I'd
say so, since "A Ferrari is an engine" and the mill came from Maranello.
But just what sort of Ferrari they are is harder to say. (FCA would say
that they're rebodied 330GT and not eligible for concours or competition,
and that's probably right.)
But I'm about to be on the other side of the fence: I have an opportunity
to buy an uncompleted RM8 kit. What's an RM8? Well, it's a kit car that was
built in Port Elizabeth South Africa by a fellow who had been a draftsman
for Westfield (his initials were RM). When he left Westfield, he took with
him a copy of the complete drawings for making a W7, which was an accurate
but unauthorized copy of the Lotus 7 S3.
Now, I know I'm not buying a Lotus, and have no intention of passing it off
as one. I'm just going to have fun with a more affordable version. It will
be finished with a proper Kent engine and a Cortina gearbox. I won't put
Lotus badges on it. It will drive and feel and seem just like a Seven, and
that will make me happy, which is all I care about at this point. The Lotus
clubs might even let me in.
But where in the world am I going to find an RM keyfob?
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