15-07-2019, 06:13 PM
(This post was last modified: 15-07-2019, 06:13 PM by Tony Griffiths.)
From a recent article:
"Imitations, replicas and recreations have polluted the classic car world for decades, and while 3D printing, paint matching and fabric development become increasingly advanced, so too do these knock-off historic racers.
Replica Ferrari GTOs, which are often cobbled together from new parts and second-hand components sourced from donor cars such as the cheaper GTE, can be so convincing that even the most knowledgeable experts have trouble differentiating them from the ‘real deal’. A recent court case in Italy purports to put a stop to this practice, but I'm not so sure. Despite the self-satisfied purring from Maranello, this new ruling changes nothing.
The replicas already exist in their dozens (as far as we know) and will continue to do so for as long as there is a demand for objects that look like more valuable objects. The court case shuts the scuderia door, well after the prancing horse has bolted. It’s an open secret in the classic car world that replicas get passed off as the real thing. Grids at top historic races will often feature unnervingly accurate copies rather than the genuine articles, allowing their ultra-wealthy owners to bask in the glory of racing their expensive cars without any risk to the priceless bodywork. GTO owners (for example) are reluctant to risk a million pounds of panel damage from a minor bump. But if it looks like a GTO, drives like a GTO, and sounds like a GTO, does it matter? Well, yes. The assembled crowds at Goodwood, for example, deserve to see – and indeed have paid to see – the real articles. If the Louvre replaced the Mona Lisa with a convincing copy, or the Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze knocked out a papier-mache David, visitors would be incensed, even if they themselves were unable to tell the difference. These works are worth more than the sum of their parts.
Thousands of people pay small fortunes to pass through this tunnel every year, but how many know that some of the headline cars are replicas? There are of course those who gleefully refuse to acknowledge this value, and no doubt are preparing to comment below to that effect. These are the same people who laugh at a £10m painting or £1m bottle of whisky. They chuckle at tourists queuing to see a sculpture you can see on Google Images, or paying for a concert you could watch on YouTube. But conflating cost with value is one of the most poisonous mindsets of our time, and contributes to a pernicious superficiality taking hold of the classic car world. More trusting car lovers may doubt allegations that have been brought against beloved classic car events such as the Goodwood Revival, preferring instead to believe that their ticket prices buy them the right to see the genuine cars as advertised in the programme. Unfortunately for these enthusiasts and spectators, experts regularly report replicas or ‘recreation’ cars, including GTOs, on track at Revival. One such machine is said to have only been completed in the past decade. This in itself is no crime as the cars are entered at the discretion of the organisers and the event runs to FIA Appendix K regulations, which permits accurate recreations to take part in historic motoring events. It does seem rather unfair on those who have forked out vast sums of money to come and see the cars, though. One would hope that a ruling such as this one will herald a new era of scrutiny, in which more stringent examinations of cars are carried out before they are carried off as genuine articles at events and races. It would not be particularly onerous to carry out the requisite checks in the Goodwood car park next weekend, but there’s obviously not a great deal of appetite for doing so. It’s in nobody’s interest, beside the paying public, to ensure that the genuine articles are present; Ferrari wants to protect its customers, event organisers want to sell tickets, and multi-millionaires want, well, whatever it is multi-millionaires want."
"Imitations, replicas and recreations have polluted the classic car world for decades, and while 3D printing, paint matching and fabric development become increasingly advanced, so too do these knock-off historic racers.
Replica Ferrari GTOs, which are often cobbled together from new parts and second-hand components sourced from donor cars such as the cheaper GTE, can be so convincing that even the most knowledgeable experts have trouble differentiating them from the ‘real deal’. A recent court case in Italy purports to put a stop to this practice, but I'm not so sure. Despite the self-satisfied purring from Maranello, this new ruling changes nothing.
The replicas already exist in their dozens (as far as we know) and will continue to do so for as long as there is a demand for objects that look like more valuable objects. The court case shuts the scuderia door, well after the prancing horse has bolted. It’s an open secret in the classic car world that replicas get passed off as the real thing. Grids at top historic races will often feature unnervingly accurate copies rather than the genuine articles, allowing their ultra-wealthy owners to bask in the glory of racing their expensive cars without any risk to the priceless bodywork. GTO owners (for example) are reluctant to risk a million pounds of panel damage from a minor bump. But if it looks like a GTO, drives like a GTO, and sounds like a GTO, does it matter? Well, yes. The assembled crowds at Goodwood, for example, deserve to see – and indeed have paid to see – the real articles. If the Louvre replaced the Mona Lisa with a convincing copy, or the Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze knocked out a papier-mache David, visitors would be incensed, even if they themselves were unable to tell the difference. These works are worth more than the sum of their parts.
Thousands of people pay small fortunes to pass through this tunnel every year, but how many know that some of the headline cars are replicas? There are of course those who gleefully refuse to acknowledge this value, and no doubt are preparing to comment below to that effect. These are the same people who laugh at a £10m painting or £1m bottle of whisky. They chuckle at tourists queuing to see a sculpture you can see on Google Images, or paying for a concert you could watch on YouTube. But conflating cost with value is one of the most poisonous mindsets of our time, and contributes to a pernicious superficiality taking hold of the classic car world. More trusting car lovers may doubt allegations that have been brought against beloved classic car events such as the Goodwood Revival, preferring instead to believe that their ticket prices buy them the right to see the genuine cars as advertised in the programme. Unfortunately for these enthusiasts and spectators, experts regularly report replicas or ‘recreation’ cars, including GTOs, on track at Revival. One such machine is said to have only been completed in the past decade. This in itself is no crime as the cars are entered at the discretion of the organisers and the event runs to FIA Appendix K regulations, which permits accurate recreations to take part in historic motoring events. It does seem rather unfair on those who have forked out vast sums of money to come and see the cars, though. One would hope that a ruling such as this one will herald a new era of scrutiny, in which more stringent examinations of cars are carried out before they are carried off as genuine articles at events and races. It would not be particularly onerous to carry out the requisite checks in the Goodwood car park next weekend, but there’s obviously not a great deal of appetite for doing so. It’s in nobody’s interest, beside the paying public, to ensure that the genuine articles are present; Ferrari wants to protect its customers, event organisers want to sell tickets, and multi-millionaires want, well, whatever it is multi-millionaires want."