PH Footnote: Continuation for the nation

With even Ferrari contemplating a 250 continuation, how long before more mainstream brands follow suit?

There's been plenty to talk about in the aftermath of last week's Geneva motor show. From Toyota's Supra Racing concept, to McLaren's almost production-ready Senna GTR, via a host of tuner specials, plenty of brands found a way make a mark.

Of course, Geneva isn't just about what manufacturers are doing now, but what they plan to do in future, and few attract as much attention with their plans as Ferrari. Covering a wide range of topics, from the threat of quitting F1 to the room for improvement in its GT cars, the firm's press conference threw up an interesting moment when CEO Sergio Marchionne was asked about the potential for continuation models.

Now, evocation and replica models have been popular amongst certain buyers for years, particularly for cars like the Shelby Cobra and Ford GT40, offering owners a taste of their dream classics without the prohibitive expense of the real thing.

The current trend for 'continuation' is a different hand-beaten kettle of fish altogether though. Cars like Jaguar's D-Type and XKSS, Aston's DB4 GT and Lister's Knobbly may still offer a saving versus the real thing, but they're certainly not cheap. Pricing in the high hundreds of thousands rather than tens of millions still places them amongst the most expensive cars on the planet; these aren't third-party ways for the common man to enjoy a legendary classic, but manufacturer endorsed schemes for the one per cent to help a brand cash in on its heritage.

That's all well and good for Aston Martin, Jaguar and the like - especially when the cars being manufactured are replacing lost build slots - but Ferrari has always placed itself above such antics. It sells its heritage through its current lineup, whatever that may be, with a line of purebred prancing horses stretching back to Enzo himself.

It came as a surprise, then, when Marchionne was pushed on the prospect of entering that game, and replied "The answer is yes, but I struggle with the term 'continuation car'... What Jaguar has done with the lightweight cars is clever, but reinventing the 250 is a tough gig, and living off the spoils of the past is a bad habit to get into. But there's definitely a platform there, and hopefully we can show you something in the next few years."

It's likely that he won't be the only one to struggle with the idea of a continuation Ferrari, especially one as hallowed as the 250 GTO - but, as with the inevitable 'FUV', it seems that even Ferrari isn't immune to the lure of an additional revenue stream. This raises many questions: should Ferrari be doing it in the first place? How many 'new' examples should they produce? How will existing owners react? And with so many legendary cars to choose from, which Ferrari would you most (or least) like to see revived?

The broader question, though, is how long before continuation becomes commonplace? Could the trend filter down through the industry to, perhaps, a continuation Mk1 Golf GTI or an E30 M3? If David Brown can charge £100,000 for a 're-mastered Mini' and Land Rover can turn out a restored V8-engined Defender for £150,000, then the market is arguably already there. Should Toyota give us a few continuation examples of the old Supra alongside the new one? Can Mazda churn out a couple of dozen more Mk1 MX-5s? If the price tag - or, more specifically, the margins - are right, you could argue that the possibilities are almost endless...

Given the choice, what would you like to see plucked from a back catalogue and returned to a showroom? The Lancia Delta Integrale Evo II? The Audi RS2? The Mk1 Escort Mexico? Or is this stuff best left in the past (or else the classifieds)? As always, share your thoughts below...

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Corkys

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