Who makes the better kit???

[CliffBeer]

OK, I suspect this has been debated before but I couldn't find the posts - basically, who makes the best GT40 kit? CAV? GTD? RCR? KVA?

Further, of the rest, what is the perceived pecking order as to quality?

Newbie here, so, please excuse the basic question. Thanks in advance.

[Ian Anderson]

Cliff
Been discussed numerous times

At the present time from your list only CAV & RCR exist unless you find a part built or fully built car. If ease of spares supplies is crucial that will decrease your list.

Ian

[Graham Inchley]

This can be debated at length. However, in my opinion, for road use the Southern GT by Mick Sollis crosses the line first.

I am in no way associated with Southern GT in any business manner other than being a very happy customer.

[CliffBeer]

Thanks for the information fellas, very helpful. I'm hoping I can get others to weigh in here as well as I want to buy a gt40 replica in the next few weeks and I don't want to buy a turkey. So, really looking for a few significant pro/cons of each - perhaps a brief comparative on brakes, suspension quality/adjustability, overall chassis durability v. weight, etc. I know it's a lot of information and probably has been debated in the past, I just can't find all the relevant threads using the search function. Thanks in advance!

[Ian Anderson]

Cliff

Give us a clue what you expect from the car
Only Road
Only display
Track days
Full blooded racing

Dependant on use will probably send you down one line or another

Also what size are you - certain brands fit the bigger frame easier than others

Ian

[Wheels331]

It depends on the $ you want to spend in my opinion,If I were you I'd stay in the states witch means these 2 kits.RCR is very quick in getting and much less expensive,ERA is a dead nuts copy of the real thing,but pricy and probably a 3 yr. wait.When I can recoup from the screwing I recieved from RF I'll be ordering a RCR.

[Ian Anderson]

Or you could look at MDA, Tornado, Superperformance, DRB(GT40 Australia)

All have lots of GREAT points and some people will tell you against other "shortcomings" on the kits.

Eventually as Ron put it once it's like asking which is the best beer and the answer is the one in your hand at the time.

Ian

[Chris Martino]

Might be worth your time to click on the banner ads above to the appropriate GT40 manufacturers and do some comparisons. If you're looking for opinions, you'll get 100 of them but the info on the websites should give you most of the manufacturers specs, at least you'll need to get a better idea of what is out there. So here's one www.mdagt40.com to get you started.

Chris

[Andy Sheldon]

Heres another

www.tornadosportscars.com

Thanks

Andy

[Mark Worthington]

You asked a vague question to which any response would be highly subjective. There's a wealth of information on this site but YOU need to invest some time to find it, read it, and digest it.

Do you want a turnkey car? Look at Superformance or CAV.

Do you want a monocoque? Look at RCR or at Goram's offering (he's in Sweden and can produce amazingly accurate monocoque chassis). Look at Superformance or CAV.

Do you want a space-frame kit? Look at the UK offerings - Tornado, Southern GT, MDA or again at Goram's monocoque. Look at the Aussie offerings - DRB and Roaring Forties, who appear to be bringing an excellent product back under new ownership.

Do you want something low budget? Well, truthfully, you shouldn't be looking at a GT40 if you have a low budget. Scour the classifieds for someone who needs to get out of a partially built kit. Look again at Goram's space-frame offering, which I believe to offer tremendous value.

Bear in mind that all these manufacturers are small businesses and that any one of them could make like Roaring Forties go out of business between the time they accept your deposit and the time they are supposed to deliver your car. Only one of these manufacturers, RCR, is based in the US. Do you feel comfortable sending a deposit to an overseas manufacturer? Ask how many examples of each manufacturer's car have been completed and on the road (only half of the manufacturers I've mentioned actually have a track record of customer-completed cars), and evaluate their market staying power and their after-the-sale support, or lack thereof.

Don't ask us to tell you what to buy, do your homework, ask informed questions, and decide for yourself.

[CliffBeer]

Thank you guys! Very helpful information.

In response to some of the comments:

1. No need to overcomplicate this. Some basic background facts: like most GT40 owners, the car will be used for occasional sport driving on the street with perhaps a day or two at the track per year - very typical and exactly what you'd expect from the usual/normal GT40 owner.
2. Certainly there are pros and cons to each, however, I would expect there is some rough consensus on what's a good mfg and what's not. For example, rough chassis which is crude and overweight with rough welding is obviously not a top notch product. A monocoque chassis made from aluminum of appropriate guage with professional welding is obviously preferable. It's not a matter of opinion, rather, fact - same as a Yugo wasn't built like a Mercedes of the same vintage. Same goes for brakes grabbed off a ford cortina v. wilwoods with hats and vented/slotted discs.
3. Price is not the issue. As the question implied, I'm really only asking about quality here.
4. Availability in the US is an issue - I'm torn over whether a car outside the US is really practical from an importation standpoint (RHD, etc.).

Again, thank you! Sorry for the clearly debatable question, however, just because there are a range of opinions doesn't mean there aren't some general conclusions that can be drawn.

[Fran Hall RCR]

Try this one for an Aluminum monocoque..... www.racecarreplicas.com

See here too Naked Cars

[Howard Jones]

If you do really have a large budget then I recommend you travel around the USA and have a look at the various builders. RCR, ERA, both will welcome you to a tour I would guess. I would include superformance also. I had a good look at their car in Reno a couple of weeks ago. CAV's can be bought here in the states also. The newest version is a great car. There is a CAV dealer in San Diego.

As far as other makes go MDA is right across the border in Canada as well. There are many other completed cars of all types running here in the US and if approached nicely I would think many owners would welcome a visit.

Other than that it's all about what you want in a GT40. This is really all the help I can give you. You're going to have to do some real homework on this one.

[Fran Hall RCR]

The budget needed for an RCR need not be large.....Pantera1889 is proof,he has done a great job on a very modest budget ...by GT40 standards....that does not include his monster drivetrain though.....

You can have a fast fun reliable car with a 302 and an Audi box...and a moderate budget....

[Chris Martino]

Safety? I know you cannot compare a 66 race car to a modern day Mercedes but the UK based manufacturers like MDA do have to meet/pass UK Single Vehicle Approval testing to be road registered there (some of the most extensive around). Sound construction, effective roll-over protection, fuel tank safety foam (Explosafe), D.O.T /E glass, collapsible steering column, etc - all standard safety items in the MDA product.

No harm meant to the USA builders but to ignore all of the other GT manufacturers outside the USA would be missing out on a wealth of GT information, there's just too many expeienced companies out there making high quality cars to pass on - as a matter of fact, I have yet to see a poorly made GT from any. Anyone seriously looking into purchasing/building a GT should make the time to research as many as possible before taking the plunge-

No regrets right!

Chris

[Mike Dozier]

Cliff

For some reason I can't ring up your profile or send you a PM.
Do you have an E-mail address ?
You can PM me if you prefer to keep private.
thanks

MikeD

[Ron Earp]

Originally Posted by MikeDD

Cliff

For some reason I can't ring up your profile or send you a PM.
Do you have an E-mail address ?
You can PM me if you prefer to keep private.
thanks

MikeD

Perfect Mike! Thanks for asking.

You can't get his profile because he has no Avatar to click on, and, he has not set a Display Name, as shown here:

http://www.gt40s.com/forum/showthrea...921#post161921

Perfect example of what I was trying to explain in the thread in action - no Display Name and no Avatar makes it hard for anyone to contact you.

Ron

[Mike Dozier]

Thanks Ron

I'm the straight man at home as well...the kids tell me how square I am...

MikeD

[Ron Earp]

Ummmm, yours is the same except you have an Avatar......You could set a Display Name and it'll replace your small type font MikeDD......