Clones or Replicas
 

A seperate thread inspired me to start this since one of my cars is erroneously considered one.

What is the purpose of making your car appear to be what it isn't, such as a "clone" or "replica" of a rare and desireable car?

We see this primarily with the RICE crowd. In my opinion, be proud of what you have. Don't fake your ride to be something it isn't, it's insulting to those who worked hard to pay for the real thing (please don't take offense to this for those who may have a fake). In fact, it bugs me to see faked GNX's run around, and I see quite a few. What's the point? If you want a GNX that badly then work for the money to join the exclusive group that own genuine examples. What makes the real cars so desireable is the rarity. In fact, as I type this a couple more examples of what I'm talking about are the Shelby GT-350's and 500's and Shelby Cobras. I'd get ticked if I paid dearly for the real deal and see very good replicas at car shows I attended. It takes away from the mystique of the genuine articles.

Fortunately for me, a fake of what I own is tough to make.

Ok, enough ranting.....whaddya think?

I voted "OK if it looks good". ONLY because a replica CAN be OK, as long as no one tries to pass it off as an ORIGINAL!!

If I did my 95 up like a 95 Cobra R, I would say, "This is my 95 Cobra R replica, built from a 95 GT".

Otherwise it's LAME. There is a very fine line here.

Depends....

If you put some Saleen ground effects on your car....fine I don't care

But if you put Cobra emblems and body parts on your GT and try to pass it off as a Cobra.....I think it's lame

Exactly! Passing a car off as an original is very lame.

I voted for 'as long as it looks good'

This is shaped by the proliferation of fibergalss Deuce's into the hot rodding world, and the FFR Cobras, which have their own race series.

Cars like that look good, and no one really tries to pass them off as originals.

]
Not with cars like that, but there are a few fake Saleens, and mock Cobras (Mustang) out there :rolleyes:

Yea, that's primarily what I was talking about. Someone badging their car up, putting the same ground effects and rims on say a Cobra or Mustang GT and trying to pass it off as the real thing. To me that's cheezy.... :mad:

Ok as long as it looks good.

I personally happen to like the cobra rear bumper cover and front air damn. I also like the clean side skirts. Have a put a ground effects cobra kit on my GT? No. Would I? Maybe.

However, I would not try and pass it off as a real cobra (mine's much faster than a real '93 cobra, anyhow ;)).

I do really like the Shelby Cobra replicars. I would build one if i had the money. It would have an insance engine combo coupled with light weight. Those kind of replicas are alright to me.

I do think it's rediculous to swap brands when replicating, however. Like some of those Hondas we've seen wearing Mustang fronts and side vents. That, to me, is just plain rediculous.

--nathan

I hate fake cobra's, they get raped by the LS-1's and give SVT a bad name. When I got my cobra and started beating some LS-1's they said this is the fastest 96-01 cobra I have ever seen.

Then there friend pulled up in his 98GT with cobra emblems on it. I ask him is that a real cobra he said yeah. Then I smoked him by 11 or so car lengths and exposed the poser for what he is.

Lame!!

If SVT didnt build it its not a cobra.....

like every one else said as long as you don't try to pass it off as a real one let them have it if they try pull their card

Im down with clones as long as they look good and can back up or exceed the performace of the car they are imaitating.

Heh, I think this thread was started when 20Pounds read my racing story and I was talking about my friends Mustang... for the record it doesn't have a fake number on the bumper or anything, just the ground effects and wing... hell its got cobra R's on it too... not much of a clone really :)

A customer of mine has an original 1969 Camaro SS350 that he is restoring. It is a very nice car, and has all the details and numbers just perfect. His best friend has a stunning 1967 Chevelle SS427. The Camaro is a stock resto, but the Chevelle is mildly built. It has Centerlines on it, but it looks like it came that way. It's a very well done fake. It has all the Super Sport emblems, including 1967 SS427 front and rear badges. It really has a 427 in it, too, but it's still a fake.

He doesn't ever tell anyone that it's real, but when kids drool over it at the gas station, he just lets them think whatever they want. If they were to ask, he'd tell them the truth, but he doesn't have signs on the doors saying "This car is a fake". That would defeat the purpose. he put a lot of time and money into it, and it shows.

Which one would I rather have? The Chevelle. The Camaro is worth more, but the Chevelle is a daily driver, if you want it to be, without any concerns.

As long as it looks good as a practical package, and you don't try to pass it off as an original, I see nothing wrong with it. If the Chevelle I just told you about was a four door, I would be very much against the idea.

Make sense?

:)

Take care,
~Chris

OK as long as it looks good

I say thi because we cant all afford the nice cars and if you don't try to push it off as real thats cool with me I cant afford a shelby but I could build one that looks just as good nothing wrong with that as long as i'm truthful about it

I can agree with 99% of what's said here and I gather the consensus of opinions indicates it's ok as long as someone doesn't try to pass it off as the "real deal".

That's cool.... ;)

if i decided to cover my car with all the saleen parts or cobra parts i would keep my GT badging...honestly i think its badass to see a killer GT...

chevelles rock btw...my dad had a 67 vert, true ss (matching #s)...it was rare, esp in canada...thing had a 396 in it...dont know what he had done to it...but the thing ran 10s n/a....beastly cars...

Here is a question for you,

My Car is a Candian sold is 1988 Mustang COBRA GT, it is identical to 1988 Mustang GT sold in the states except for the little fact that FORD put a COBRA decal on the rear hatch and called it a "COBRA" (I even have the brochure for the year to prove it), now would my car be considered a clone, or fake if I told you that it was a COBRA, but never deniying the fact that it is just a decal.

further more, if I put a 93 Ground FX and decaling on it , and called it a 1988 cobra with 93 Ground FX and decaling would it be a "fake" or just building it to look like I want?

just a question(s) I thought I would throw out there?

Anytime anyone tries to pass off a vehicle as something more than it really is, it's a fake.

Better?

;)

lol

I'd say you have a REAL "Canadian" '88 Mustang Cobra GT that you've customized. It was sold as a factory machine the way it is....so be it, not to mention you have dealer brochures to back it up. You're not pretending it's something it's not. That's pretty cool in my book!

Ya I have to agree. You bought the car as a Cobra from Factory. It's just not an SVT Cobra

I don't care if it's a fake or not but what bothers me is when the badging doesn't match the motor. The ground FX and wheels are fine because they look different and look better most of the time but if you are going to put cobra badges on the car it better have a motor similar or better than the cobra. Or like the v-tec stickers that the ricers like. It shouldn't say v-tec or type R unless it actually is.

The only time I think it is fine to not have matching badges to motor is when building a sleeper and the motor is actually bigger than the badges say.

I also DON'T think faking numbers on a car as in the saleen's case is cool. For things such as this, only the originals should be that way

Here's what bothers me about phonies:

My 1989 Turbo T/A is a real pace car, here's why; It was chosen by Indy from the 1550 identical cars. The only differences are Indy required safety equipent (which I installed). In actuality, my car could pace an Indy race today. I don't claim it's the actual pace car, but when people ask if it's a real pace car I say YES. The decals were optional for the owner to apply at their descretion and came with the car.

With all this in mind would you consider it real?....

just like you! hahaha!:D

im ok with clones too, as long as they are exact, original shelby cobra's are expensive and not alot of people can afford them so what do you do ? build a clone nothing wrong with that

when shopping for a muscle car, i spotted at least 6 clones that were passed off as the real thing.......a challenger with r/t badges, a skylark with gs badges (though it had all the gs goodies), a 6 cylinder mustang painted up like a mach 1, and 3 chevy's ss clones...............3 of the 6 owners flat out lied about the cars, 3 fessed up to being a clone

so i don't think it is really a "rice" thing..........

i may put a "turbo" badge from a porsche 911 turbo on my volkswagen.........it isn't a factory badge, but it isn't misleading......it'll say "turbo" and i've got a turbo

I voted: as long as it looks good

When I first saw this post, I thought it was mainly referring to cars like Vetts and Fieros and Mustangs being converted into Lamborghini's and Ferrari's.

So if you put Cobra R rims on a car, are you a fake or lame if you don't have a Cobra R? I agree with people that said if you don't pass off your car to be what it looks like, it's cool. I have a Cobra bumper because my original was damaged and I personally liked the looks of it over the GT bumper and just replaced it with a Cobra bumper. I also have Cobra emblems on the sides and front of my GT, mainly because I'm know as the snake man. Not by the car, but because I collect snakes. People always ask me if my car is a Cobra. I always tell them that it's a GT.

I voted: as long as it looks good

So IMO, as long as someone doesn't try to pass it off as the "real deal".

Well, my favorite mustang is the 1969 boss 429. I would love to have one, but would rather have a replica. I would not be able to take the real thing out of my garage:( . If it were the replica, then I would have the look, sound, *soul* of the original, and it could be driven. With that said. I would call it a boss 429 replica.

funny coincidence!
me too!

I have collected snakes most of my life, I always wanted a car with a snake on it, especially when i saw a beautiful red GT500KR while attending school in Encino, CA. it had this great snake, and screen in front of the intake. it was the first time i had ever seen anything so beautiful without tits!

I finally got my cobra (no, not a shelby :( )and it's REAL!

I saw a v6 mustang with 4.6l badges
WTF?
so what if it dyno'd 250 HP it isn't a 4.6!

What kind of snakes do you have?

I have an albino Burmese Python, and a Pine snake right now.

none at the moment...
 

i used to breed osborne high yellow kingsnakes, albino bullsnakes, 50/50 cal kings, thayer's kings, etc.

I think as long as it looks good, But I also agree with the people that say ite lame to try and pass it for "real" I personally Love the Cobra front fascia and Hood, and I plan on installing both on My 97 I currently have a saleen S281 wing on My car does that mean I am trying to fake a saleen? Nope I like the look of the wing so I put it on , Now if someone were to say install a cobra fascia, wing snake emblems and all the things that make a cobra a cobra onto a GT just because they liked the way it looks I don't see anything wrong with it as long as they don't pose and try and claim its real. a Good friend of mine has a 95 GT and has a saleen heat extractor hood, cobra fascia and headlights, Boss Shinoda rear wing and roush side exaust kit on it also sports Cobra R's for wheels The car Looks awesome and we lovingly refer to it as the "Muttstang" :D

i think its ok as long as you do the whole deal, if you put cobra badges on a gt, while still having everything else gt, or putting gt badges on a 6 cyl, while only having one tailpipe. thats stupid. but if you look in my sig you will see my 95GT which is now a 98 cobra clone, i did everything from calipers, front cover, rear cover, hood, oem cobra cluster, rims, taillights. everything. now the only thing that doesnt match up is the 347 under the hood.:confused:

Fine and dandy with me... as long as the nut behind the wheel doesn't claim it as 'authentic.'

The Shelby Cobra kit cars come to mind as an awesome rendering of the originals. :)

as long as you dont do this or this ... its a damn 6cyl! who does that? rofl, i voted "lame" or whatever option that was, because when i think of replicas all i can think of is that car and ones like it. and you know he tries to pass it off as a cobra, come on! i do agree though, as long as you arent trying to make your car out to be something it isnt, its cool. like if you wanna buy cobra R rims or saleen ground effects, go for it! but personally i think adding things like the saleen decals are way overboard if you dont own a saleen. just my opinion anyway ;)

Personally I'd rather create a car that never existed. For instance, a 73 Vega SS 350 or a 78 Pinto GT 5.0. That way you'd have a car that was unique. Then there's cars that the manufacturers should never had attempted. I'm talking about things like Plymouth's Voyager SS mini-van and Yugo's GT.

Wheels, bumper covers, wings, etc. = cool, go for it! Everyone needs to customize. Saleen bumper covers, for instance, RULE!

Cobra fender emblems, etc. = Okay, as long as you have something to back it up! Please don't put it on a 6 cyl. PLEASE.

Graphics = LAME, don't do it.

That's my .02

I agree 100%. I have a Saleen wing, but I am not trying to pass it off as a Saleen. I just like the looks.

:) i put roh snypers,no emblems,lowered and tinted,no stripes,and new this weekend with the help of mass stang black headlights and markers...........stainless pipes...thats it for the mods on the out side,simepl can be better!!!!!! no faggy graphics,or junk...........just clean and mean lil buddy! there in a sn 95 style 6 cyl running round here with alll these goofy ground effects and a big cobra in the window....goofy as s h i t!!!!!! and slower that mole asses in winter!

I think faking is DUMB! I see v-6 Stangs all over town with dual exhuast and Cobra emblems all of the time. And Every Honda is a Type-R. personaly I like the way the factory makes cars. Changing the looks is just wrong in my opinion. Why fix something that is not broken

a kid i always see at school drives a green mustang v6 either 99 or 00, and he put a 2000 cobra R wing on it. his wheels are just the stock hubcaps and i dont know the car just looks awful with the cobra R wing on it... it doesnt fit at all, and makes it seem likes hes trying to pass his car off as a fast agressive mustang/cobra, which it isnt. everytime i see it, i want to throw up.

Sounds like a wanna be ricer!

I voted as long as it looks good cause I think the front bumper cover off the 96-98 cobra is the best front end ever!!!!! I love the circles instead of rectangles and like the stuff that was said above do everything( front, rear bumer covers..etc) before putting badges on and never on a stock car so you can back it up. :D

I really dont mind fakes,as long as its done right and they dont try to pass it off as real.I ran into a guy that had a nice 72 ss chevelle he had 454 emblems on it and he tried to say it was a real ss,PLEASE!!!! the thing was a born-again malibu but i didnt blow up his dream, hell it even had a column shifter for the auto trans,and the malibu speedo,no tech or anything,not to mention the thing didnt have that big block growl, also it had a bench seat in it!!!! I honestly think he had a stock 307 with a glass-pack exhaust,it didnt even have the cowl hood!!!!!!!!! It did look nice,but he should have just left the malibu emblems on it,and not try to be something its not.:rolleyes:

As long as its not tried to be passed off as original its cool with me. There are several people ( i.e. Most of the people in the mustang world ) who cant afford a true Cobra, a true Shelby or a true Carrol Shelby cobra and they opt to build a triebute to a great car.

I have a friend on our local site that has in his signiture " This is not the greatest car in the world. only a tribute"

As long as you like it and have fun with it.. thats all that matters.

Bradley

I got a 66 clone that is fun to drive looks great and never lie about it when asked. If I had a real 66Cobra I would never enjoy driving down the road with all these fast in furious 'tards trying to cut me off to prove their mom's 87 wagon can do 80. Also a few years back I was close to buying a new Cobra, but I refuse to pay the insurance for a car that I would only drive in nice weather. Also I put a fuel cell, and the other things these originals did not have. I think if I saw a real 66 Cobra that had been cut and trashed it would sicken me.
The point being these rare few are turning into museum peices. As for many I believe they should, for like the Cobras you can make your dream car and enjoy it with out destroying an originial car.

replicas/fakes are o.k in my book as long as you can back em up. as an example though, what i can't stand are the v6's w/ the dual exhaust and gt badges...they get beat by a 4banger on the street...then i have to hear it @ work from this retard on how he beat a gt....it's fun proving them wrong though...in a way i should say thanks....

My 70 model isn't a Boss, and I make it a point to tell ppl. that........

But it still looks good:D

-Will

ok as long as it looks good
 

I agree its ok to do that as long as it looks good, but putting emblems that totally do not belong on it is not cool. Converting the body alittle, now theres nothing wrong with that, Id do it too, but do it with taste.

Is not imitation the finest form of flattery? lol!

You know, I just thought of something.

This thread reminds me of another, similar great question.

Boobs. Real or imitation (Implants)? If you can't tell the difference, does it really matter? I vote for "both"...they're all good!

I used to have Cobra snakes on the side of my stang, until I got tired of explaining that it was not one, and trying to defend myself that I wasn't trying to fake a Cobra, I just thought the snakes looked better than the 5.0. I pretty much found out that the people that owned Cobras, hated those snakes on non-Cobra cars the most. They used to get so mad. LOL


Finally I took them off and put the 5.0's back on. Here's what it looked like before:
http://www.joe4speed.com/bigsidelightsm.jpg

I couldn't understand all the fuss. :confused: :confused: