Which to choose from......

[MikeD]

Looking to purchase a GT40 Gulf-Wyer style turnkey. Wondering which is best with authenticity in appearence and detail being primary considerations. I'm anticipating a cost of 120-150k.I've been looking at ERA and SPF. Am I missing any? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Fran Hall RCR]

SPF.....
.... but.... the rear arches do not appear to be fullsize Gulf flares....the issue arises when trying to find DOT tyres for a true Gulf flare car.
None the less SPF over ERA....IMHO.

[Lynn]

Originally Posted by MikeD

GT40 Gulf-Wyer style turnkey...with authenticity in appearence and detail being primary considerations

I might have agreed with Fran until I reread your post Mike. I am not certain that SPF even offers a Gulf style paint job. Now if you were looking for complete authenticity then SPF would be #1 based on their monocoque chassis alone (at least within your specified budget), which is the only newly built car with a chassis that is a very near replica of the original.

However, since you said the appearance of the Gulf-Wyer car, that is something that is negotiable and deliverable by most, if not all, of the replica manufacturers: they are all capable of delivering a car that looks nearly identical to 1075. So then the question becomes what will that Gulf look cost and what else would you want (and what could you get) while staying within your $120K-$150K budget range.

Lynn

[Keith Hardy]

Here's two....MKI and MKII

[Gregg]

Mike, your question leaves room for interpretation. For me, the outward authentic appearance is most important, not the underlying chassis. Every car I have ever owned was driven, not a trailer queen. MY preference is a car with an authentic body but modern suspension etc. I also believe the car MUST be comfortable to drive. If its not, you will not enjoy it no matter how authentic it is. I have to agree with the others. If you want 100% accuracy down to the chassis, Superformance is probably the closest. If you are flexible, search the site and you will find other manufacturers who can supply you what you are looking for.

[Keith Hardy]

Sorry, in case it wasn't clear, the 2 Gulf painted examples in the pic above are SPF, MKI and MKII body styles...

[Steve Briscoe]

SPF because I know it. However, I've heard really good thinks about ERA.

SPF used 90% of the original design and couples it with modern technology for assembly. International automotive standards utilized by big\successful car manufacturers are utilized by the factory for materials, fit and finish. SPF has had owners of original GT 40s order cars for interchange of parts when needed.

Good luck,
Steve

[jmvelez]

Enclose are the pictures of my ERA GT in Gulf Trim. This is a turnkey by ERA. This is my second ERA car both of them with Gulf rear fenders. This is a right hand Drive (you can see Teddy holding the wheel). With that size Teddy fits on it without problems. The wheels are BRM style but 17" to make space for bigger 13" Disk with Power Assisted. It has a stroked 351 sbf with a single 4V with a turkey pan.

If you make a visit to ERA at New Britain the car is there. You can call Peter at ERA for more information on a new car.

[Big-Foot]

You may want to consider having us custom build an RCR GT40 to your specifications...

Check out the website and give a call;
Carriage-House-Customs

http://race-car-replicas.com/rcr40_Gulf.html

[Mike Drew]

Just a thought,

ERA sells the Gulf-style flares as a stand-alone option, I believe. That is, you could just buy the flares from them, and then adapt them to your SPF car. This is presuming that the wait time for an ERA is still 2+ years as it was last time I looked.

Of course, you are still stuck on the wheels/tires front, since SPF wheels will no longer fit correctly in the rear. Perhaps ERA can source you appropriate wheels as well?

[Lynn]

Keith,

No doubt there are SPFs with Gulf paint schemes. The question I had/have is, "do they come from the factory that way?" Understand, I am not saying that they do or that they don't; what I am saying is that I am unaware that they do.


Thanks,
Lynn

[Hi-Tech Auto]

FRan, Thankyou for your referral. We do offer the wider, "Gulf" style clam, but agree with you about the difficulty in finding suitable Dot tyres in 15 inch. We also have the narrow early clam that no one has ordered yet!
Regards Jim Price

[jmvelez]

Originally Posted by Mike Drew

Just a thought,

ERA sells the Gulf-style flares as a stand-alone option, I believe. That is, you could just buy the flares from them, and then adapt them to your SPF car. This is presuming that the wait time for an ERA is still 2+ years as it was last time I looked.

Of course, you are still stuck on the wheels/tires front, since SPF wheels will no longer fit correctly in the rear. Perhaps ERA can source you appropriate wheels as well?

The basic ERA kit does not take 2 years to deliver. You could find a builder on your own that could finish the car. The turnkey takes time. The tub on ERA are Stainless Steel and the quality of ERA cars are second to none. ERA has built 3 turnkey for me (2 GT and 427 Cobra) and I am always pushing for something extra. The cars are built in New Britain CT which is easy to get support and parts. They have been in business longer than anybody else. Something right they should be doing.

[Scott Calabro]

jmvelez,

A Gulf car at Lime Rock Park ! absolutely stunning.......
What could be better?

Regards,
S

[MikeD]

I had been leaning towards the ERA initially and had heard quite a few good things about them. Then I saw the SPF. The chassis and suspension certainly appear more closely like the original. The SPF is available with a Gulf Wyer paint scheme but the ERA's rear flares are larger and more like the original. I don't like the fact that ERA seems to source out Corvette parts like brakes and CV joints. I'd expect something more from a car costing this much and seems to cheapen it. Just my observations so far.....

[Chris_K]

Mike-

Heed the warning about tire sizes. That's what stopped me from doing Gulf flares. I couldn't find anyone making appropriately sized, roadworthy rubber in 15" sizes. You'd want about 335/50 (or /45 or 40 even) and the largest readily available I found was 295/50-15.

If you're willing to run race rubber on the street, you'll be able to find it wide enough and you can fill true Gulf flares (see BillD's thread for 15" WIDE tires - he got Avons). Otherwise, to me it just doesn't look "right".

I purchased an RCR and there is an intermediate-sized flare as well which gives the aura of the Gulf look while letting you get away with narrower rubber. This is actually the solution I have gone for. My chassis now sits on 2" longer control arms (4" total) and will shortly have flares added on. I get to run street rubber and have the flares for the look I wanted. I'm pretty happy so far and can't wait to see the flares on the car. Dean Lampe's and Rob's threads show them in progress. I will post when I have something to see as well.

On a side note, if you search the SPF forum, you will find that (I believe from memory) their UK demostrator was in full Gulf regalia, with pictures to back it up. I'm not certain if it's the full width Gulf flare but it did look GOOD!

[Keith Hardy]

Originally Posted by jmvelez

They have been in business longer than anybody else.

In the USA, you meant. Right?

[Jonathan]

The SPF car with the Gulf paint scheme is not a gulf flared car. The ERA in the pics posted above is. As far as I know, there are 3 rear ends for the Mk1. There is a narrow, intermediate and gulf flared car. There have been other posts by SPF that states they will make the gulf flared car available from the factory. Given that, you can get gulf flared GT40s from ERA, RCR, CAV, and soon SPF.

As for tires, I'd go with jmvelez's idea and run 17" BRM and sacrifice some authenticity for the tire availability. That's what I plan to do when I ever get around to getting one.

[Bill D]

I believe MDA and Bailey Edwards also offer the Gulf flare option.