The 'E' Type Forum

Just came across an ad for a series 1 replica by Challenger (the company which once made perfect kits of the S1 E-Type) and I almost fell off my chair at how much they're wanting for it...wait for it, ?49,995
That's what you would pay for a real one. Most Challenger's I've seen for sale don't exceed more than ?25,000. Wayyy over the top for a replica/kit E-Type in my opinion. It may as well be a real E-Type from what they're asking and the description of the work carried out on it.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... er/2850930

To be fair the dealer states...

when you look at the price you think " that's a lot of money for a replica " but when you consider if this car was the real deal in this spec and condition it could quite easily cost you Triple or quadruple the price.

....cant argue with that

Still looks about twice the going rate judging by previous sales this year:

http://www.mattscarsandbikes.co.uk/COC/page3.html

Ian

You certainly can't argue with that I suppose. If the detail and work is of an excellent standard then I can understand, but it's a little steep in my view. Yes, if this was a genunine, and being a roadster too, the price would be somwhere in the 80-150 grand region. Challenger's seem to get all the praise by wannabe owners and enthusiats, yet snub at kits like the Wildcat, which isn't a bad recreation. And anyone thinking the latter cars can't sell for much money think again. One club member recently sold his V8 Wildcat for ?16,000, and another owner had his extensively restored and meticulously detailed Wildcat valued by his insurer at ?24,000, again small change when compared to the real thing. The way prices are going for real (particularly early models) e-types, all that will be left that most of us can afford will be the likes of the Challenger and the Wildcat, and both are very limited in numbers: around 250 Challenger and 140 Wildcats were produced.

well, why can't you argue with it or against it? I'd suggest it's too high a price when compared with comparable alternatives. Arguably a decent Marcos wouldn't cost that and has a lot more pedigree than a duplicate e type.Ditto a good TVR perhaps seems to me the value of these Wildcats has gone up on the back of e type values rather than values of their own model per-say. Personally I'd rather have gone for something original which is more likely to keep its price and have some true cache and merit. Nice as this call will be you'll always going to be looked down on as it's not a "real" E type. Owners clubs can be fickle -,personally I wouldn't have gone there......

At the right price it is a good alternative. Same looks (from a distance), if you are a poseur the public wont know the difference, not a lot of maintenance, no rust etc etc. But only at about 15k

The later Triple C Challenger is streets ahead of the JPR Wildcat whichever way you look at it, though both only need a glance at the interior to give the game away - much more so the Wildcat.

Replicas are valid if the real McCoy is simply not affordable at all, or even close. I'm building a D-type that will use lots of D parts and be identical from inside apart from a slight difference in handbrake. Even that part will still better than any replica I've seen and I've researched them all, but it will still only be a replica even though by the time I'm done it will have cost as much as an E-type.

If people look down their noses that's their problem. I have to remember not to do it myself when looking at Lynxes and Deetypes etc., let alone the two fibreglass Realms I had. The first one was a fine car in its own right whereas the second one shown in my avatar could have been if I'd gone right through it rather than flip the car to pay towards the alloy car I'm building now.

I wouldn't be ashamed to turn up in the best kind of Challenger but I would be squeamish about a Wildcat...

An accurate replica it may be, but I still don't see the point in E-type replicas. There's still a comparably amount about, granted not a lot but they're not exotics in terms of numbers. Assuming all the mechanical are the same as the real thing then running costs are going to be similarly, wear and tear etc, for that sort of money you could find a nice tidy S2 or S3 and over time make it tidier, or just enjoy it. The at least you have a genuine car. Whichever way you try, you can't word it with a challenger and the words "kit car" are always in the back of your mind.

This car misses the point due to the price. You can have a solid, rust free S1 OTS for MGB money with modern components. For a lot of people that ticks all the boxes. An interesting project I was considering was a Challenger Speedster replica.....

SEJohnson95 wrote:An accurate replica it may be, but I still don't see the point in E-type replicas. There's still a comparably amount about, granted not a lot but they're not exotics in terms of numbers. Assuming all the mechanical are the same as the real thing then running costs are going to be similarly, wear and tear etc, for that sort of money you could find a nice tidy S2 or S3 and over time make it tidier, or just enjoy it. The at least you have a genuine car. Whichever way you try, you can't word it with a challenger and the words "kit car" are always in the back of your mind.

Even the Challenger looks seriously wrong under the bonnet and the trans tunnel is huge, but the average punter will just see a triple SU engine and polished rocker covers (if it's a well-specced replica) and E-type interior apart from tunnel if it's a good Challenger (Wildcat dash is very different).

As Angus says, the wrong thing with this example is the price that does overlap into real E-type territory, though no longer S1 OTS numbers. The best option would probably be to buy a skanky Triple C, way cheaper than any real E and slowly replace all the brightwork with genuine or repro bits from Stoneleigh etc. and be as creative as you can. Diff'rent strokes etc.

Kit car wouldn't be in the back of my mind it would be in the front, but for the right money who cares? My Realm D-types were kit cars but it didn't bother me and before long the same answer I gave then will apply to anyone driving a Challenger:

Stranger: "Is it a real one?"
Me: "No, I'm not a millionaire."

Except I doubt many punters would even suspect a Challenger wasn't real since they are pretty much identical from outside.

This is got to be better still, surely?

http://www.carscoops.com/2007/08/jaguar ... based.html

Yeah, that'll fool everyone - not ! :-)

Looks like a Challenger shell grafted onto an RX7 pan or just RX7 mechanicals used to build up a Challenger kit (which would be better as then you could throw everything away and use Jaguar running gear).

Love the tacky fake spoke wheels and I can imagine the 'Zoom! Zoom!' of those throaty twin rotors going down a storm in McDonalds car park on a Friday night, amongst the Clios and Corsas.

Price is about right though.

I hear it's a disease that catches people unawares. First they fit a stack of modern gizmos to make their antiquated Jag smoother and more comfortable to operate. Then they fit Mazda seats and before you know it....? :-) :-)

Yup - many of us are already driving hybrids. You install MX5 seats and before you know it ................................

But even Challenger did not get it this wrong. I can't get my head around how they managed to have the front and rear bumpers on different planes:

The worst thing is I now cannot "unsee" those pictures. I will put you all to shame with my OTS one day ;) Certainly a candidate for the "no accounting for tastes" thread.

Already in there - has been for for a few years.

Yes, I agree replicas are only valid if the real McCoys are simply too out of reach for the majority, ie the C and D-Types. However, people are forgetting that E-Types are pretty much in the same boat (not exactly millions, but hey, who has 80 grand? noone I know). I think most people I know would be grateful if they had just 20 grand spare let alone 80. If you're not interested in how historic the car is, or bothered about how accurate it is, then a replica is a good choice. It's no wonder alot of Challengers and Wildcat interiors don't exactly look genunine, because prices for interior trims, etc are ridculous, as well as interior/exterior parts. The other issue is rust and running costs, and noone wants to see their pride and joy rust away. I admit the Challenger is better than the Wildcat, but the Challenger isn't perfect: the steering wheel/column doesn't look right (looks too "upright", which looks odd), the door handles aren't genunine, and alot of the interior trim doesn't look original or very appealing, and the centre tunnel looks too wide. But as a replica, at least there's always room for improvement to customise to your liking without the purists shrugging their shoulders because it doesn't look original. Yes there are awful replicas of the E out there, but that's only because the owners haven't been bothered to put that extra bit of effort or money into getting it up to spec to look as it should. Alot of them seem to lack wire wheels (or rather the correct type that doesn't look cheap and tacky), not to mention plastic un-chromed bumpers which look terrible, all of which will make the car look undesirable and more kit car.

Hey Pete, don't you have a go at us Clio enthusiasts!! We RenaultSport chaps tend to prefer Pizza Express as well :D

Mine did the Nurburgring two years ago in 8min 7 seconds on the second go, a little better than Clarkson managed in his 'S' Type Jag! With a 3 litre quad cam V6 howling 9 inches behind your head, it is a lot of fun, but does make one slightly deaf after a few hours.

Most 911s can't keep up with it...or should I say, most 911 drivers can't, and the little Clio really really winds them up!!!!



The only issue is that it's 4 inches wider than the XK.



There is a chap in the club for whom 260bhp in a bubble car is not enough, and he's persuading a twin turbo 5 litre V8 Audi engine in the back. Some folks are just never satisfied

Mark

Lovely car Mark.

Great little car :D Always liked them - right back to the original Renault 5 Maxi Turbo.

PeterCrespin wrote: Love the tacky fake spoke wheels and I can imagine the 'Zoom! Zoom!' of those throaty twin rotors going down a storm in McDonalds car park on a Friday night, amongst the Clios and Corsas.

Watch what you say about Corsas on here Mr Crespin ;) I have one as a daily driver (well, she's in the garage currently as I'm at uni). Spoilt rotten, clean as a new pin, more layers of polish and paintwork sealant on than I'd care to mention, and certainly never found congregating in fast food outlet car parks on Friday nights. 7 years old, 50k miles, even had some replating done to bring her up to a suitable standard. If you saw it in person you'd see why I bug Richard about how clean the 4.2 is when I get a run out. That's what I'm like at home anyway!

Rant over and apologies for hijacking the thread