Ferrari Mailing List: Re: My Experience with a Kit Car Owner

[LS (lashdeep]

Larry, would you also plan to upgrade the brakes, suspension, chassis
rigidity as well?

Most of the American cars that the V8s came from had too little chassis
for the power, I can't imagine an MG being much better.

A local guy was planning a turbo rotary install into a Sprite...something
like 300bhp going through a rear diff the size of navel orange and axle
tubes 3 inches in diameter. If I remember correctly, there was also no
provision for pinion angle maintenance or lateral axle location under
power.

It was an interesting project.

LS
--- LarryT <l02turner [at] comcast.net> wrote:

> As I was reading this interesting thread it dawned on me that there's 
> another catagory Dennis neglected to mention - it probably didn;t occur
> to 
> him I suspect.  Maybe this is C? or B3?
> 
> As a MGB owner I participate in the MG discussion list/forum.  There are
> a 
> large number of MGB owners who have installed V6s and V8s along with
> beefier 
> 4 speeds and even 5 and 6 speeds in them.  One reason this is common in
> MGBs 
> is because their dimensions are *very* close to the Shelby Cobra  or 289
> and 
> 427 fame.  There are several companies selling kits that make
> instalation oc 
> Camaro V6s pretty easy along with the Camaro tranny.  The power isn;t 
> dramatically greater than the orig 4 cylinder - 130 vs 95 if I recall 
> correctly but you get that HP bump without any weight penalty as the V6 
> weighs the same as the 1.8 4 cylinder.  Many MGB owners prefer a V8
> because 
> of the wonder burble that comes with a bog ol 'merican V8.
> 
> I'm not sure which other old sports cars are being modified like this -
> I 
> don;t believe Triumphs were re-engined like this - of course the TR6 and
> GT6 
> (a wonderful alternative to the XKE) with their straight 6's could do
> pretty 
> well with their existing powerplants.
> 
> Yes, I've strongly considered putting a small block V8 in my MGB - but
> I'm 
> more likely to go the Factory Five Cobra kit route - at approx $12k for
> a 
> complete kit it's price is really good and there's very little that
> commands 
> attention like a Cobra.
> 
> Larry T (67 MGB, 74 911, 78 240D, 91 300D)
> www.youroil.net for Oil Analysis and Weber Parts
> Test Results http://members.rennlist.com/oil
> PORSCHE POSTERS!  youroil.net
> Weber Carb Info http://members.rennlist.com/webercarbs
> Porsche Road Test http://members.rennlist.com/roadtest/
> .
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Dennis Liu" <BigHeadDennis [at] earthlink.net>
> To: "Larry Turner" <l02turner [at] comcast.net>
> Cc: <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
> Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 1:52 PM
> Subject: Re: [Ferrari] My Experience with a Kit Car Owner
> 
> 
> My $0.02:
> 
> Broadly speaking, there are 2.5 categories of "kit" or "homebuilt" cars.
> 
> A:  unique cars from small manufacturers, like the Ariel Atom or
> Caterham
> and other British cottage shops
> B.1:  cars designed to resemble of imitate other cars, like replica
> C-types
> or 250s or 355s or GT40s or Cobras or Beck Spyders
> B.2:  same as B.1, except with all of the badging and trademarks of the
> original
> 
> 
> I don't think any of us looks down on category A.  There are some NIFTY
> cars
> there, and I'd love to have something like an Atom in my garage.
> 
> I suspect that most of us are in the "great/ok/acceptable/I guess so"
> part
> of the spectrum when it comes to B.1.  Hey, it might be a practical way
> for
> enthusiasts to enjoy the thrills of driving a GT40 or Cobra or 550
> Spyder.
> 
> Where I draw the line is at trademark infringement.  A copy of a 250 or
> C-type is not an authentic one.  So don't be putting trademarks on it
> and
> pretending that it is.  It diminishes the value of that marque and
> dilutes
> the value of extent examples.
> 
> Now, this is clearly a very thin line.  When I see a Cobra on the road,
> I
> just assume that it's a knock-off, because they are so prevalent.  This
> is a
> situation that must surely aggravate owners of real Cobras.  This is why
> Shelby has been so particular over the years to sue and enforce his IP.
> 
> Would you wear a fake Rolex?  Give a fake Louis Vuitton bag to your
> s.o.?
> We all have a line in our internal monitor; we might wear a knock-off
> piece
> of Ferrari F1 team clothing, and rationalize it, but we may just as well
> never wear a fake GP Ferrari watch or drive a 355 kit car.
> 
> Personally, I'd probably buy that 250 Cal Spyder replica, at an
> acceptable
> price, and drive it and have lots of fun it.  But I'd definitely pry all
> of
> the Ferrari emblems off of it.
> 
> Vty,
> 
> --Dennis
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Britt2Asa [at] aol.com [mailto:Britt2Asa [at] aol.com]
> Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 12:00 PM
> To: Dennis Liu
> Cc: ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com
> Subject: Re: [Ferrari] My Experience with a Kit Car Owner
> 
> I think this is a great topic.
> When I was 15 I got a ride in a Kelmark that a boat owner had at a
> marina in
> St Augustine Florida next to my dads boat. Got me hooked on cars, on
> Dinos,
> and 2 years later I got in a real Dino.
> 
> BTW - Why doesn't anybody ever get worked up about Replica Boats? Is
> there
> such a thing....Oh I couldn't afford a REAL Hunter Yacht so I built
> one.....No, a person like that would get great respect for having the
> ability to build their own boat....whys a car so different??
> 
> I would have loved to build or own a kit car when a teenager but
> couldn't
> afford it so I got a Triumph Spitfire which was easy to work on, easy to
> take apart and was everything a kit car would be except it was a "real"
> car.
> 
> I don't want a kitcar that much anymore but here in England its a BIG
> business. I have helped a good friend build TWO DAX Cobras which were
> very i
> mpressive. Each cost the equilivant of £90k US Dollars and sold
> immediately
> for a profit....very high standard and in big demand when done right.
> The
> Ultima is a kit car and thats a pretty impressive car as well...
> 
> Havr you guys ever seen the Chesil Speedsters? http://www.chesil.co.uk/
> Sold here ready to go for £25k or thereabouts and its a great looking
> little
> car; many owners use them every day and they are always featured at the
> big
> Classic and Sports Car Show at the NEC every year in Birmingham....
> 
> There is a company in Devon that makes a fantastic copy of a Jag SS100
> with
> a fully detailed chassie pretty much identical to the real thing and
> then
> there are the GT40 copies (The GTD as well) which are probably the only
> way
> any of us will get to experience a car like that.
> 
> I don't really have a problem with kit cars/copy cars, ect. Hey if it
> floats
> your boat then why not? I wonder if it is something in us ferrari owners
> who
> see a copy of a Ferrari and think "Hey that guys cheating. He hasn't
> gone
> thru the pain and expense of ownership like I have yet everybody thinks
> he
> has the same class/money/style/(or whatever you think the car says about
> you) that I have"
> 
> Not for me but frankly we need more car buffs in the world before they
> are
> legislated away from us all into some kind of electric pile of crap. And
> I
> can't help thinking that if guys who build their own BOAT or PLANE are
> thought highly of, whats the difference with somebody who builds there
> own
> car...
> 
> Britt
> BR in the UK
> 1986 328GTS (LHD 89,940km) Died August 19, 2006 Shrewsbury UK 1980 400i
> (RHD
> 72,000 miles)
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