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Topic  |
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Maty_280ZX
Argentina
118 Posts |
Posted - March 26 2003 : 02:00:08 AM
I have been searching for a roadster/convertible with front engine. My ideas were these:* ******* 550 Barchetta Pinninfarina * Maserati 3200GT Spider * BMW Z3 * BMW Z8 * Mercedes Benz 500SL (the new one) * Dodge Viper SRT-10 * Corvette Sting Ray T-tops * Aston Martin DB7 Volante * Jaguar XK140 Roadster * Jaguar E-Type * Jaguar XKR It seems none of them exist (I think only the E-Type does). So, my next idea was a Mercedes Benz 300SL (the roadster version of the "Gulllwing"). Lone Star Classic is selling what they say is a replica of this car, but it doesn´t look correct. Someone is selling a finished car here: http://www.kitcars.com/Classifieds/AdDetails.asp?classified_id=442 There it says a company called Thoroughbred Motors manufactured this kits. I couldn´t find their site to see if this reproduction is correct. Anyone has any info about them? Anyone seen on of those replicas in person? Also, anyone know where I can get a CORRECT 300SL Roadster replica (I would prefer kits over turnkeys, but if turnkey is the only way...)? BTW, any other ideas for a front engine roadster/convertible? Please not Cobras or RT/10. Thanks in advance |
JAY58
82 Posts |
Posted - March 30 2003 : 12:45:21 AM
Many of the cars which you mention in your list have already been replicated. For example you can find kits of the latest Mercedes SL models in Belgium and Spain (as I mentioned to you in a previous post on this forum). You can find replicas of most Jaguars as well as one or two Aston Martins in the U.K. A C5 Corvette based split window Sting-Ray special with modern/retro styling has been out for a few years now and it really looks good. Copies of the BMW Z3 and Z4 are also availiable and are built on the Mazda MX5(Miata). A Z8 lookalike version shouldn´t be difficult to design and build on a MX5 base. As for the F550 Barchetta, I designed a C4 Corvette based F550 spyder lookalike (inspired by the Straman 550 Maranello convertible) around five years ago. (click on link to see picture of design) This one shouldn´t prove too difficult to build. Now it all depends on what car you really want to build. Is it an American muscle car, a classic British roadster, a German sports car or an Italian exotic?http://es.photos.yahoo.com/bc/jay58design/vwp?.dir=/Auto+Designs&.dnm=Cvette-F550+spyder+kit+design.jpg&.src=ph&.view=l&.done=http%3a//es.photos.yahoo.com/bc/jay58design/lst%3f%26.dir=/Auto%2bDesigns%26.src=ph%26.view=l 
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Maty_280ZX
Argentina
118 Posts |
Posted - March 30 2003 : 11:19:39 PM
Nice design, I like it!Please, if you know the sites, mails, adresses, phones.... of the companies that produce those cars, tell me. I want to browse, think and then decide. I love Astons or the XK140, but I want to see all of them before deciding. 
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VIPEReplica
Turkey
50 Posts |
Posted - March 31 2003 : 4:52:31 PM
Hi Maty, I'm a SRT-10 fan too. If nobody does it, i will. No worries. Do you have any information about vhtuning.be? They're making good looking SLs. I've mailed them several times but no replies so far. Also if you visit www.jacquemond.com/american/1.htm you will see the same pictures. One company is in Belgium and the other is in France. They r not working together. So how come they r using the same pics. Whose car is that?VIPEReplica |
Maty_280ZX
Argentina
118 Posts |
Posted - March 31 2003 : 10:40:58 PM
You will do it just for you or to sell kits of the SRT-10? Keep me informed on that please. I would love to build that. I thought a RT/10 or GTS replica could be modified to look like a SRT-10 but it seems more difficult than I thought.Another thing, you said that some companies in UK are producing Astons and Jaguars replicas. Do you have any adresses or mails? Thanks 
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VIPEReplica
Turkey
50 Posts |
Posted - April 01 2003 : 7:07:27 PM
I'm now building a 2003 RangeRover kit. After this project i will start working for SRT-10. I got sick and tired of seeing Lambo, *******, cobra kits. There are tons of other fat cars around. There is the VIPER! (yea i've been thinking of modifying the rt replica too but in these days its too hard to find a "not terrible" rt-10 replica)How about Hummer H2? Is there anybody who is thinking of building them?VIPEReplica |
meat
USA
992 Posts |
Posted - April 01 2003 : 8:55:19 PM
quote:
I'm now building a 2003 RangeRover kit. After this project i will start working for SRT-10. I got sick and tired of seeing Lambo, *******, cobra kits. There are tons of other fat cars around. There is the VIPER! (yea i've been thinking of modifying the rt replica too but in these days its too hard to find a "not terrible" rt-10 replica)How about Hummer H2? Is there anybody who is thinking of building them?
The GM H2 would not be a great kit to produce; GM is making thousands and thousands of them, they come with a great warranty, and it just wouldn't be economically feasible to produce a kit. By the time you bought the kit and a donor, you're already reaching the price point of a new H2. And the used H2s are already hitting the market at $40K. They're a neat rig, but the resale on the truck is going to make that used price come down to $30K pretty quick; 2 or 3-year leases mean that in another year, the cars are going to start saturating the market at that price. On the other hand, the Hummer (I refuse to call it an "H1") is a really expensive truck. Used ones are also really expensive. If you look, you can find '93s (first year civvie) for $38K, or '85 ex-military trucks that have been ridden hard and put away wet for $24K. There are several replicas out there of these trucks that are made out of either long-bed pickup trucks or Suburbans. If you can put one of these together, you can probably sell it for around $24-30K easy. And the kits aren't all that expensive, either. Of course, my favorite is still the Lamborghini LM002... Your pal, Meat. 
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JAY58
82 Posts |
Posted - April 02 2003 : 11:34:00 PM
If you really like the Jaguar XK120 & XK140 models, you must check out the cars made by Nostalgia in the U.K. They are extremely top quality products. www.nostalgiacars.co.uk The Aristocat XK120 has been around for many years and is also very good. www.kitsnclassics.com Another classic Jag is the Suffolk SS100. Their website is www.ss.100.co.uk If you search around you can find replicas of Jaguar C. D. & E types also. Best of all check out the following link for a very big list of who makes what and where.http://www.totalkitcar.com/tkc_article_119.shtml 
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VIPEReplica
Turkey
50 Posts |
Posted - April 03 2003 : 12:22:54 PM
Thanks a lot for the information MEAT. By the way, do you have any info about www.vhtuning.be ? Thay r making some good looking cars. But not replying my mails(dont know why) So I've talked to guys www.jacquemond.com (i dont know how come theyre using the same SL pics.)They said they don't do the 2003 SL kit anymore. Do you know anything about THE NEW SL KIT? (price, cost...) Still looking for it Thanks,VIPEReplica |
meat
USA
992 Posts |
Posted - April 03 2003 : 7:59:18 PM
quote:
Thanks a lot for the information MEAT. By the way, do you have any info about www.vhtuning.be ? Thay r making some good looking cars. But not replying my mails(dont know why) So I've talked to guys www.jacquemond.com (i dont know how come theyre using the same SL pics.)They said they don't do the 2003 SL kit anymore. Do you know anything about THE NEW SL KIT? (price, cost...) Still looking for it Thanks,VIPEReplica
As far as vhtuning.be goes...Maybe it's just me, but I want you to go to the website and look very, very closely at the pictures. Maybe I'm jaded, maybe I'm not, or maybe I'm just jealous of someone who can do photoshop better than me. Now, I'm not sayin' that they're not making the cars (although I have never heard of them before), but look at the cars really closely. Look at the backgrounds, and look at the shadows and the reflections. I don't think those cars or pictures are the 'real' deal. Maybe I'm wrong. But - for instance - here's what I see: VH Class Line: The shadows under the two cars are different. The car on the left has a shadow leaning to the right, the car on the right has a shadow leaning to the left. The reflections on the hoods of the cars appear to be 'wrong.' VH Coupe Line: The shadow on the right car is longer than the shadow on the left car. The cars aren't reflected in the glass of the building, and the building isn't reflected on the cars properly. VH Elite Line: Cars aren't reflected in building. VH E-Type Facelift: Shadows coming off mirrors are are two different angles, like the pictures of each car were taken at different times of the day. VH Select Line: The reflections of the building behind the cars is wrong, the lamppost doesn't appear on the roof of the car on the right, the car on the left's nose is in sunlight, although there's a shadow on the ground that the nose of the car should be in. Also, the cars are too close together, and at different inclinations (the same amount of 'roof area' should be visible on both cars, but the car on the left looks like it was taken from a slighly 'higher' perspective, so there's more roof visible). VMB W208 CLK Cabrio: I can find nothing wrong with this picture, other than I can't figure out what they did to the car, other than give it a not-very-attactive hard top. VH Sports Line: Cars are (once again) not reflected in the windows of the building. Although this picture and the "VH Coupe Line" pictures were photographed in front of the same building, the signs on the buildings are different (in the "coupe" picture, the words are floating about the glass, in this picture, the words are 'on' the glass). Also, when comparing this picture with the "VH Elite Line" there's a red light missing on the left edge of the picture where the warning sign is. Also, if you compare the Sports, Elite and Coupe pictures, the reflections in the windows are all different - true, they were all taken from different angles, but the actual 'stuff' that's reflected is all moved around funny-line. But, once again, that's my opinion. Check the pictures yourself, see if I'm being wacky. Your pal, Meat. 
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VIPEReplica
Turkey
50 Posts |
Posted - April 04 2003 : 11:57:28 AM
Well...what can i say MEAT? If you have never heard of them before, I think they don't exist :) And thats my opinion too. Correct me if i'm wrong, but when you look at the sports line pictures, you can say it was an old sl. Firstly, the doors are the same old SL doors. When you look at the back of the car, the trunk, the lines are different from the original 2003SL. And also the side air holes are not correct. I think that car is real. But the front mercedes emblem is gone with photoshop. It did have it at first(4-5 weeks ago) They've removed it. I'll keep going. I'll send them mails til they reply one of them. (I think the car does exist but they dont wanna sell it. Or maybe they dont speak any English in Belgium) Thanks for your timeVIPEReplica |
JAY58
82 Posts |
Posted - April 05 2003 : 12:25:03 AM
Well friends, the cars made by VH Tuning do really exist. Only about six weeks ago Auto Motor Sport TV program showed a report about the VH SL model. They showed the factory, how it was built and also the car in action, and it looks really good, apart from the interior which was unchanged. I also know that VH Tuning has a couple of agents in Spain building cars with their kits. One of them called Decauto has been doing this for many years now. They do the whole range of Mecedes models including C,E and S class. As for the pictures on the VH Tuning website, I have not checked them all out so I can`t say if they are genuine or not, but what I have seen are poor quality photos. There is also a German company using those very same pictures. I modified one of their pictures to create Mercedes SLR concept style replica, which I thought could be done on a 1990+ SL. (Click on link to see my design) Tell me what you think and if it could be done. JAY58 http://es.photos.yahoo.com/bc/jay58design/vwp?.dir=/Auto+Designs&.src=ph&.dnm=MB+SLR+style+replica+1.jpg&.view=t&.done=http%3a//es.photos.yahoo.com/bc/jay58design/lst%3f%26.dir=/Auto%2bDesigns%26.src=ph%26.view=t 
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meat
USA
992 Posts |
Posted - April 05 2003 : 07:17:38 AM
I'm not saying they do or they do not exist, but I AM saying that if those pictures really are retouched, reworked pictures ... well, that's a problem.Your pal, Meat. 
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n/a
126 Posts |
Posted - April 05 2003 : 8:57:11 PM
I guess most of us will never know since these companies are located outside US. Unless someone gets and builts it. They sure make it sound its easy to put together.  
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VIPEReplica
Turkey
50 Posts |
Posted - April 06 2003 : 08:41:40 AM
QUOTE: There is also a German company using those very same pictures. JAY58 I couldn't find their site. Do you have it? Thanks
VIPEReplica |
Maty_280ZX
Argentina
118 Posts |
Posted - April 07 2003 : 10:33:53 AM
I agree with meat about the pics of that site. Anyway, the 2003 SL isn´t correct, do you know where can I find a correct one?
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JAY58
82 Posts |
Posted - April 08 2003 : 12:52:17 AM
The German company is called A.C.Automobile. I dont know if they have a website, I saw the pictures in a tuning magazine and they say they can transform an old MB SL into a 2003 model in three weeks. I think that they get the parts from VH Tuning, just like the Spanish companies decauto.es and desguaceslabrujula.com who sell turnkeys or transform customers own cars. I believe there is (or was) a company in the U.S. that had MB update kits like VH Tuning, and they advertised them in the Dupont Registry magazine a few years ago. If you search the web you might find something.JAY58 
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