Kit Car Credibility Suicide
Discussion
PH'ers, please help!
A mate at work is thinking about buying a Mk1 MX5. Good Call, you say. Problem is, the MX5 is not enough... He's considering turning it into this:
This is so wrong on so many levels. Things deteriorated further at work when one of the other lads also decided it was 'cool' (neither of them are 13 years-old BTW...).
Am I being a 'car snob'? I don't think the kit is designed as a 'comedy Aston Parody', or is it?
A Mk1 MX5 on its own is fine. It's enough. Doing this to it is the equivalent of taking a Casio G-Shock watch and spending twice the purchase cost adding the letters 'IWC' to the face.
Taste? Where?
A mate at work is thinking about buying a Mk1 MX5. Good Call, you say. Problem is, the MX5 is not enough... He's considering turning it into this:
This is so wrong on so many levels. Things deteriorated further at work when one of the other lads also decided it was 'cool' (neither of them are 13 years-old BTW...).
Am I being a 'car snob'? I don't think the kit is designed as a 'comedy Aston Parody', or is it?
A Mk1 MX5 on its own is fine. It's enough. Doing this to it is the equivalent of taking a Casio G-Shock watch and spending twice the purchase cost adding the letters 'IWC' to the face.
Taste? Where?
Southpaw
He's considering that one as well, Retroforza I reckon the manufacturer is called. Makes the front look vaguely reminiscent of a 250 GT California. Actually looks quite good as long as the builder treats it as a 'restyle' and doesn't go the whole hog by adding Cromodora wheels and prancing horse badges.
I'll let him read these replies tomorrow and hopefully his decision will be suitably 'influenced'. He's a decent guy; I couldn't bear to see him rock-up at work in Mini-Me's Vanquish pedal car with the lusty 1.6l 4-pot throb under the bonnet while glancing at his fake 007 Omega Seamaster.
He's considering that one as well, Retroforza I reckon the manufacturer is called. Makes the front look vaguely reminiscent of a 250 GT California. Actually looks quite good as long as the builder treats it as a 'restyle' and doesn't go the whole hog by adding Cromodora wheels and prancing horse badges.
I'll let him read these replies tomorrow and hopefully his decision will be suitably 'influenced'. He's a decent guy; I couldn't bear to see him rock-up at work in Mini-Me's Vanquish pedal car with the lusty 1.6l 4-pot throb under the bonnet while glancing at his fake 007 Omega Seamaster.
Southpaw
Made the same comment to matey at work today. The kits he is looking at are something like £2k+, fitting is £1.5k with the cost of painting on top. Factor in at least £2k+ for a half-reasonable MX5 and he's looking at £7-8k+.
Loads of 'real' cars I'd rather have with that amount. I suggested a bike-engined Westie or similar but I think he needs to fit shopping in somewhere, plus I don't think his girlfriend is too conducive to wearing a full-face helmet when driving to an evening out.
Made the same comment to matey at work today. The kits he is looking at are something like £2k+, fitting is £1.5k with the cost of painting on top. Factor in at least £2k+ for a half-reasonable MX5 and he's looking at £7-8k+.
Loads of 'real' cars I'd rather have with that amount. I suggested a bike-engined Westie or similar but I think he needs to fit shopping in somewhere, plus I don't think his girlfriend is too conducive to wearing a full-face helmet when driving to an evening out.
Thanks for the comments, folks. Together we can help my work colleague conquer his skewed and LSD-distorted taste in cars.
On the other hand, the dribbling, shoulder-biting-special-needs-case that built the following is obviously beyond help:
This 'thing' was for sale on Autotrader recently. Yes, someone actually wanted money for it. I laughed until I choked...
On the other hand, the dribbling, shoulder-biting-special-needs-case that built the following is obviously beyond help:
This 'thing' was for sale on Autotrader recently. Yes, someone actually wanted money for it. I laughed until I choked...
The 'Countach' above was listed as 'VW-based'. Imagine the ensuing mirth as W Mitty Esq trundles past in his 'Lambo' with an air-cooled flat-four farting away at the back.
FWIW I 'approve' of cars such as GTD40s and Hawk Stratos' that have pukka engines. Correct noise and performance go a long way towards the credibility of 'replicas'. I utterly fail to see the point of a 'Cobra' with a 2.0l four-pot, or those bloody MR2-based F355s.
Knew a chap in Scotland who had a well-finished GTD40 with proper Detroit-Iron Ford Motorsport V8. It was the bollox, sounded fabulous, went like stink, and was deeply scary to drive, particularly in the wet.
Gad-Westy,
Mate of mine had a Suzuki GX, sans F40 bits, when we were younger. Managed to get 6 of us in it one day. Well, until the Feds spotted us... I seem to remember it having the most incredibly tiny engine.
FWIW I 'approve' of cars such as GTD40s and Hawk Stratos' that have pukka engines. Correct noise and performance go a long way towards the credibility of 'replicas'. I utterly fail to see the point of a 'Cobra' with a 2.0l four-pot, or those bloody MR2-based F355s.
Knew a chap in Scotland who had a well-finished GTD40 with proper Detroit-Iron Ford Motorsport V8. It was the bollox, sounded fabulous, went like stink, and was deeply scary to drive, particularly in the wet.
Gad-Westy,
Mate of mine had a Suzuki GX, sans F40 bits, when we were younger. Managed to get 6 of us in it one day. Well, until the Feds spotted us... I seem to remember it having the most incredibly tiny engine.
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