Well, there's lots of guys 'armchair designing' the Murci replica. I saw the car, sat in the car, checked out the car, and I liked it exactly as it sat.

You're talking about two different cars.

For instance, the reason there's a Firbird and a Camaro are because there's two different kinds of guys who buy the cars. The aftermarket is FULL of billet grilles, facias, knick knacks and doo dads for the Camaro, because the Camaro guys like to tweak their rides. Conversely, the Firebird owners don't have that kind of support for their cars. The Firebird was designed for the guy who wants a factory finished cool car. The Camaro wasn't.

Another example of this would be the Fiero-based F40. It's a rebody. It can be made to look pretty okay. But...if you want a car that looks like an F40, performs like an F40, your choices are a bit more limited, and quite a bit more expensive. A reasonably close Fiero F40 kit is around $4K. A just drop-dead gorgeous F40 replica with a custom chassis, carbon-fiber this, perfect that, trick transaxle and hot body is going to set you back around $140K.

This car:
www.fiero.org/pix/f40-1.gif" border=0>

Will never be this car:
www.f40.co.nz/f40/images/F40%20Side.jpg" border=0>

...but it can be close.

The guy who is looking at a Fiero-based Murci replica is akin to the guy who buys the Camaro over the Firebird, or the Fiero/F40 over the F40 Silhouette.

Is the Murci spot-on? Nope. Should it be? In my opinion, for the price, it's as close as I'd expect. It's a great car, and it will fool just about everyone out there, and provide you with miles and miles and miles of fun. What more could you ask for in an entry-level Murci replica?

If you want to step up out of the armchair and roll up your sleeves and build a kit, then by all means do so. Make a better body. Mount it in a custom chassis. Get a real engine and transaxle setup. Then put it out there and let the world see it.

Until someone does that, this Murci is the best one out there. I like it, I'd buy one if I was more interested in the car...and if I wasn't starting that '40 replica company (I could have been an armchair bench racer about the GT40 replicas, but hey, I'm just not that kind of guy).

Your pal,
Meat.