Though it’s difficult to draw the line between a replica and a kit car, both are wisps of imagination that breed far away from polished factory floors, preferably in seedy garages with vintage racecar posters on its walls, built by men in greasy overalls with something to prove. We’re talking about the passionately and tastefully built replica/kit cars here, not something that your friend saw in Fast & Furious and then had it built from plywood by Mr. Singh of Kailash Colony, who also gold wraps Hyunadais for tasteless attention mongers.
India, 1.3 billion people notwithstanding, isn’t particularly fond of cars. Sure, our consumer goods driven lifestyle means that quite a few neutered automobiles sell, but we know cars are more than that. Here’s a list of five replica/kit cars in the country, bought or built by people who gave a damn about consumerism.
Number One – Ford GT40 Replica by Racetech India
If you’re not familiar with the Ford GT40, run back to school. For a race car that won 24 Hours of Le Mans four consecutive times from 1966 to 1969, including a 1-2-3 finish in ’66, it shouldn’t have looked so stunning. Barely standing 40 inches tall, hence the suffix, the lissome Ford is a legend. They even made a modern, road going version in 2005, which managed to look almost as spectacular as the original, but now even Jeremy Clarkson could get in one.
Racetech of India, premier supercar servicers, has actually “built” a GT40 replica for a discerning customer in Delhi. And we must say, it looks just phenomenal, right down to the twin bulges on the roof which served up extra headroom on the original to the driver since the vehicle was vertically challenged.
Well, things are not clear about Racetech’s true involvement in the build, as reports suggest that the whole kit has been imported, with the assembly and fine tuning happening in Delhi. The interiors benefit from a tasteful splattering of OMP parts and other race-inspired bits that must make the owner feel like Bruce McLaren see through a bug splattered windscreen as he took top honors in the ’66 Le Mans race. What’s more delightful is the blue and orange Gulf livery that this particular replica dons. It has a V8 engine which spits flames, so it must have the go to match the show, although further details are scarce.
Images: Racetech Automotive
Number Two – Shelby AC 427 Cobra from Gujarat
This is the latest build to grace this list and hails from Rajkot, Gujarat. Put together by British kit car manufacturer RVDynamics with inputs from MJP Motors, a Rajkot based automotive customization house for a customer, this replica recreates Caroll Shelby’s much loved brainchild, the iconic Cobra.
Carroll’s dream involved imported weedy AC sports cars from the UK, and shoehorning them with massive Ford V8 engines to challenge the Corvettes. Flared fenders, fat rubber, liberal usage of chrome and the customary racing stripes called for a distinctive hot rod like appearance, which still grace the bedroom walls of adolescents across the world, apart from spawning countless replicas.
Back to this particular replica, it does look pretty spectacular, sitting on dark colored; chrome lipped period wheels, while the reimagined shape stays fairly true to the original, which has left enough streaks in automotive history. The gloss black paintjob looks appropriately sinister, since the brutally powerful original cars ate their drivers raw lest they erred behind the wheel. Red racing stripes match up well.
In spite of sporting a 427 badge, which refers to Ford’s 428 cubic inches (7.01 L) V8 engine in the original, this replica has a 4.4-litre V8 engine, which means it’ll be as handful as things were in 1965.
Images: Supercars in Gujarat
Number Three – Lamborghini Countach Replica from Mumbai
We’ve already run a story on this replicated automotive luminary, which prowls the streets of Mumbai. (Link to the original story) Said to be fully imported kit car from the ‘90s, and restored at the Toyato Tech Garage in Bandra, this beast is a fairly accurate replica of the Lamborghini Countach (1974), widely considered to be the quintessential supercar, and the successor to the Miura, widely considered to be the one of the most beautiful cars ever made.
This particular example apes the Countach LP400S, which came out in 1978, featuring much wider Pirelli tires, and fiberglass wheel arch extensions over the original Marcello Gandini designed bodywork for a more aggressive appearance. Back in the day the sight of one used to make young lads writhe with pleasure. An optional V-shaped spoiler was available over the rear deck, which this replica chose to opt/ape.
Images: Saurabh Jadhav Photography
Number Four – Chinkara Roadster S
The Lotus 7, or the Catherham 7 inspired a slew of open wheeled sports cars that employ the basics to serve some unbridled automotive fun. A peppy engine, coupled with a lightweight excuse for a body, along with simple mechanical elements form the recipe for a quick and nimble car, which can be had for less than a third of the price of a Porsche.
The 1.8 S Roadster from Mumbai based Chinkara Motors claims to be India’s first genuine sport car with the S standing for ‘schnell’ or ‘fast’ in German. Somewhat worthy of its name in German, the Chinkara’s 1817 cc Isuzu engine allowed it to sprint from 0 to 100 kmph in under 8 seconds and reach a top speed of 190 kmph – back in the day, credentials like those could land you in jail.
Chinkara says that every part of the 1.8 S Roadster was freely available in the Indian market and chosen both for performance and the reliability of its manufacturer. Furthermore, it could easily be repaired by any mechanic ensuring that availability of spares and maintenance was never a problem. Pity they ran out of business.
You could also customize your Chinkara, with variety of colours for the body and fenders which were crafted out of lightweight FRP. The interiors could be had with matching upholstery, while the headlamps and tail lamps could be either round or square and even an air conditioner came as an option. Wonder where you’d use that.
Number Five – Jaguar D-Type Replica from Kolkata
Although not much is known about this kit car, it celebrates another multiple Le Mans winner, the Jaguar D-Type. Though not as blindingly pretty as the E-Type, the D-Type (1954-57) was strictly built for competition racing, with only a handful of customer cars said to be existence, 53 to be precise. Way back then, it has a monocoque construction, and a teardrop shape that befitted from aerodynamics learnt from aviation technology.
This replica isn’t entirely accurate though, and omits the massive tail fin from the original which is integrated with the buttress. Also, the rear spoiler looks a little out of place. A matte green paintjob with riveted body panels makes it distinctive, as if rolling in a D-Type replica in Kolkata with period eyewear on isn’t distinctive enough. Again, powertrain details are scarce, and though the original cars ran 3.4-litre straight six engines which were later updated to 3.8-litres, this one seems to pack a V8. The gentleman who owns this kit car also happens to have a Shelby Cobra replica, a Jaguar XJ6 and a heavily customized Porsche 964 in his garage.
Images: Team-BHP
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