RE: Shelby GT500 Replicas Appal And Amaze
Tuesday 18th January 2011
Yes, it's a Supra underneath...There can't be many cars in the world that are more regularly copied than an AC Cobra - or possibly a Ferrari, courtesy of the countless MR2s that have been turned into 'Ferraroyotas' - but the Shelby Mustang GT500 from Gone In 60 Seconds has got to be right up there.
...and no, it really doesn't look rightFirst up is this, the 'Moto Supra' (right). It's been designed by a group of students at Saitama university in Japan and is currently - er, how can we put this politely? - astonishing the crowds at the tuning-centric Tokyo Auto Salon. As the name rather implies, beneath the bizarre attempt at recreating the GT500 'Eleanor' lies a Mk4 Toyota Supra - complete with a two-too-few-cylinders Toyota motor. Oh. Dear.
More like it (even with Sierra undercrackers)Astonishingly, this particular kit starts off using a Ford Sierra Sapphire or hatch as a donor vehicle, but it also beats the 'Moto Supra' by offering the possibility of dropping a V8 into the engine bay.
Shelby GT500 Replicas Appal And Amaze
Is imitation really the sincerest form of flattery?
Yes, it's a Supra underneath...
Ever since Nicolas Cage went jumping traffic jams a decade ago there have been plenty of people keen to recreate the iconic 'Eleanor', some using actual Ford Mustangs, but many using all manner of bizarre donor vehicles. And it's two of these automotive mutants that have caught the PH eye recently.
...and no, it really doesn't look right
Closer to home, a certain well-known internet auction site is displaying this rather more convincing-looking GT500 rep. We reckon this one could even fool a few people, but we wouldn't recommend taking it to a Mustang owners club meet.
More like it (even with Sierra undercrackers)
It's still got Sierra bits underneath, however. If you're going to 'do an Eleanor', we reckon the best way is to start with a '67 fastback Mustang in the first place - as with this impressively faithful recreation. But then that'll set you back £69k...
 |
 |
 |
 |
Discussion
I reckon that Sierra version's not bad, but that Supra is truly horrid! A car that can offend both American muscle, and JDM fans.
A couple questions remain in my head. First off, why are the cars metallic grey? Also, Eleanor wasn't a GT500 or even a Shelby, she was a '71 Mach 1. And who the hell is Nicolas Cage?
A couple questions remain in my head. First off, why are the cars metallic grey? Also, Eleanor wasn't a GT500 or even a Shelby, she was a '71 Mach 1. And who the hell is Nicolas Cage?
tommyjj said:
£67k is rather a lot for a Sierra-based kit car
The one for £67k replica uses a genuine '67 fastback, hence the price. The Sierra conversion starts at £9,500 for a prepared bodyshell ready for the paintshop. The customer can then finish the rest themselves or pay more for them to finish it.steptoe362 said:
like it or not, i personally would rather drive the supra based one than a poxy old outdated rep mobile!
at least the jap one will be reliable and faster and a hell of a lot more stable than the old barge suspensioned ford
Surely anyone who feels that way would be better off with a Supra, rather than a Supra which has been converted to look like a sat least the jap one will be reliable and faster and a hell of a lot more stable than the old barge suspensioned ford
t version of a Mustang?My preference would be to have the Supra for every day along with a Mustang for weekends.
Well as one of the 2 man team who builds these Sierra based Eleanor replicas I have decided to join this forum seeing as our creation has made it to the front page. Just to make a few points, the cars handling is quite exceptional because it has been tightned up with poly bushes and coil over suspension all round, and a full FIA certified roll cage manufactured by Harry Hockley Motor Sport, remember guys the Cosworths were no slouch through the twists on the track or the rally stages, our car has a nice tight new car feel but with an involved classic feel too and much much improved over an original 67 Mustang's handling. Engines have mostly been 350-400BHP Ford Windsor 5 litre V8s on Cosworth/TVR T5 gearboxes and Scorpio Cosworth rear ends with viscous LSD. I'll not go giving too much away suffice to say that after the initial £9600 first stage construction that we do (basically a rolling car with new steel mustang doors and boot and bonnet all hung for you) ready for taking to the paint shop. The car will cost the home builder about £28 to £35k to finish about half the cost of restoring and "Eleanorising" (is that a new word?) a real 67-68 mustang which will still be LHD and will still soak up water like a sponge everytime you take it out. The Fibreglass car offers RHD everyday motoring practicality for a fraction of the cost. It won't appeal to the dyed in the wool mustang enthusiast and it was never aimed at those guys either. There are those who desire the look without resorting to importing a 40odd year old teabag from the states and spending 5 years restoring it. Our car can be on the road between 5 and 16 weeks depending on how much we get asked to do,or how much the customer decided he can do himself. Any questions comments good or bad put them here, I won't necessarily answer any of them lol. And I don't care about spelling either. Trevor and Andy is t'other fella.
DreamMakerGT500 said:
Well as one of the 2 man team who builds these Sierra based Eleanor replicas I have decided to join this forum seeing as our creation has made it to the front page. Just to make a few points, the cars handling is quite exceptional because it has been tightned up with poly bushes and coil over suspension all round, and a full FIA certified roll cage manufactured by Harry Hockley Motor Sport, remember guys the Cosworths were no slouch through the twists on the track or the rally stages, our car has a nice tight new car feel but with an involved classic feel too and much much improved over an original 67 Mustang's handling. Engines have mostly been 350-400BHP Ford Windsor 5 litre V8s on Cosworth/TVR T5 gearboxes and Scorpio Cosworth rear ends with viscous LSD. I'll not go giving too much away suffice to say that after the initial £9600 first stage construction that we do (basically a rolling car with new steel mustang doors and boot and bonnet all hung for you) ready for taking to the paint shop. The car will cost the home builder about £28 to £35k to finish about half the cost of restoring and "Eleanorising" (is that a new word?) a real 67-68 mustang which will still be LHD and will still soak up water like a sponge everytime you take it out. The Fibreglass car offers RHD everyday motoring practicality for a fraction of the cost. It won't appeal to the dyed in the wool mustang enthusiast and it was never aimed at those guys either. There are those who desire the look without resorting to importing a 40odd year old teabag from the states and spending 5 years restoring it. Our car can be on the road between 5 and 16 weeks depending on how much we get asked to do,or how much the customer decided he can do himself. Any questions comments good or bad put them here, I won't necessarily answer any of them lol. And I don't care about spelling either. Trevor and Andy is t'other fella.
Excellent work, and why not. If it rides like the Cosworth I imagine it is better than a 60's Mustang!Do you offer other replica kits, or is this your main product? Show us some pictures and a build thread!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff