1962 Ferrari GTO Replica

Re: 250 GTO replica

When I see something of this quality and having recently seen first hand Mac McClendon's stunning re-creation's of the LOLA T 70'S I often ponder springing the idea to Bill Warner of Amelia Island fame to establish a group aptly named...."THE GREAT IMPOSTORS" for his event.

I know Bill frown's on replica's of any class being invited to his show but when I see the quality of cars like those in this video along with Gelscoe, Norwood P4's and those producing stunning Porsche clones and many others at a fraction of the price of an original I think the public would like to see them. I know I would. The craftsmanship involved in producing a car like these is breathtaking and should be honored.

I feel the public would really find an interest too as well as cost differentials.

Thanks for posting the video. I'm floored....again.
 

Randy V

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Re: 250 GTO replica

What a beautiful job!!!! Thanks for sharing!
 
Re: 250 GTO replica

These guys do absolutely incredible work. I was fortunate enough to be able to drive a shortnose 1955 Jaguar D-type that they made for a friend of mine, and it was simply spectacular. The build quality was peerless, and I swear you couldn't tell one apart from the genuine article if you parked them side-by-side. The differences between them are absolutely trivial. I am filled with respect for them.

Unfortunately, they slightly goofed on their GTO. Quite simply, the body is too low in the back. The whole rear of the car is a good 2-3 inches too low. Too, the roof is a bit too tall and rounded, so it gives a slightly funhouse mirror effect. Here's the Temporo car:

Ferrari+250+GTO+replica.jpg


Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to hate on these guys. I'm filled with respect for their dedication and craftsmanship abilities. Being at the absolute end of the world, working out of a shed, they presumably didn't have the luxury of having a genuine car at their disposal to copy the body from. As a result, it's just ever-so-slightly off in just enough ways that I can look at it and immediately identify it as a copy rather than an original. The same can't be said for their other works, all of which seem to be dead-nuts accurate. I don't know how this happened here...but I promise you I sure wouldn't kick that car out of MY garage if I was fortunate enough to own it!
 

Randy V

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Re: 250 GTO replica

Mike, great post...

Do you reckon the differences in the body were intentional? Possibly to avoid legal action from Ferrari or maybe even to suite the tastes of the person having commissioned the car's construction?
 
Re: 250 GTO replica

Mike, great post...

Do you reckon the differences in the body were intentional? Possibly to avoid legal action from Ferrari or maybe even to suite the tastes of the person having commissioned the car's construction?

I have no way of knowing and wouldn't even hazard a guess....
 

Brian Stewart
Supporter
Rod's workshop is a little over an hours drive north of of me. John (the owner of the car) lives in Dunedin, my home town. Had a look at the car at a show here late last year. It is a beautiful piece of work.
 

Keith

Moderator
Moved here from the Paddock. Such a beauty should be viewed by everyone!

The Paddock is not regular viewing for many members so best to find a more suitable forum for good car stuff. :)
 

Julian

Lifetime Supporter
Re: 250 GTO replica

When I see something of this quality and having recently seen first hand Mac McClendon's stunning re-creation's of the LOLA T 70'S I often ponder springing the idea to Bill Warner of Amelia Island fame to establish a group aptly named...."THE GREAT IMPOSTORS" for his event.

The question I have is what defines a replica, recreation or continuation?

Mac is renowned as probably the best T70 restorer and was building chassis' for Lola sold as 'continuation' cars. Authentic in every regard except for year of manufacture. The T70's fascinate me and I almost purchased one on two occasions (I regret that now I see where values are). The challenge is in running history and authenticity to ground in a market where a chassis plate might be the only original part remaining on the car.

Julian
 
Stunning GTO replica. Amazing craftsmanship.

Funny thing about replicas is that there's a lot of really bad ones out there for every really good one. So, they all seem to get lumped into a less-than-desirable category.

Ferrari, and the "250 GTO Club" won't take to kindly to a spot on replica. It's probably safe from seizure in NZ, but if the car ever went to Europe there's a significant risk of forfeiture.
 
I have had the pleasure of going to Rods workshop over 20yrs ago when they built some D type jag replicas and the craftsmanship is just outstanding. I have a real appreciation for this work as I served my time as a panelbeater when every shop had to have an English wheel to be able to take on and train apprentices. When I came out off my time I worked in a Custom Rod shop and did a lot of this stuff on steel bodied Hot Rods. It is so great to see this art like work in an era where Fibre glass has taken the place of the true craftman.
I'm always bemused by the way people talk about companys sueing people who build replicas or seizing cars etc, But look at the GT40, has anyone ever had there RCR or ERA taken. I know Carol Shelby was trying to get some court to make him "God" of the GT40, but don't think it got too far??
Anyway, thanks for posting the video, inspiring stuff.

Cheers Leon.
 
Leon, to answer your question, I don't believe anyone has been sued yet over the use of the GT40 trademark, or body shape. The good folks at Superformance have licensed the right to use the term "GT40" from the folks who own the trademark. You'll notice other manufacturers of replica GT40s don't use the term "GT40" to describe their product. For good reason. They would get sued.

The owners of the GT40 trademark recently attempted to not only claim the written mark "GT40" as owned by them, but also the shape of the GT40 car. Yes, the shape. The reason for this was to then be able to extract a license fee from anyone making a GT40 replica (Tornado, CAV, RCR, etc.). That's not just idle talk. That's fact.

As usual, follow the money in these kind of matters and you'll find the answer.

Regarding ferrari replicas, that's not idle chat or speculation either. There has been a number of forced seizures of ferrari replicas in Europe, typically when the car is in transit and more easily seized by ferrari....or more precisely, customs authorities acting under court order at the behest of ferrari's team of intellectual property lawyers. Ferrari has successfully established that it not only owns the ferrari name, but also the very shape of all ferrari cars. Thus, anyone making ferrari replicas is quite exposed to having their work seized and sued.

Again, that's not idle chit chat, that's fact and reality.
 

Keith

Moderator
Sorry for being pedantic Cliff but both Tornado and RCR refer to their "GT40 replicas" on their front pages. Their models are not named thus though. I presume that's an acceptable use of the 'trademark?'
 

Rick Muck- Mark IV

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Sorry for being pedantic Cliff but both Tornado and RCR refer to their "GT40 replicas" on their front pages. Their models are not named thus though. I presume that's an acceptable use of the 'trademark?'

A trademark may be used as a "descriptive" term so long as it is not applied to the end product. i.e. you may say that a wheel fits a Ferrari 250 GTO so long as you do not claim it to be a "Ferrari 250 GTO wheel"....a fine line but that is what the law is all about!
 
I did have this talk with Jan McLaren a few yrs ago when Russell Keach was having an issue with his "M8B look a like" and the "McLaren Trust" as he had painted it and signed it all up as a McLaren with Hulmes name and Number on it. They told me that as long as I didn't write McLaren on it or paint it Papaya orange they had no issue. But they couldn't speak for Ron Dennis. So as long as you don't claim it to be a particular make or model then it's safe persay. It becomes a real issue, especially with old racing cars when people claim there made up car which may have some genuine parts is the real deal. This happened to a friend of mine recently with a historic TZ750 bike when he saw an add in an Aussie magazine that claimed they had the genuine article when all they had was a wrecked frame which they had then repaired and put a bike together with misc parts. He informed them of there "mistake" and they withdrew there claim under the threat of legal action. This I completely understand but with the replica market being so wide spread it would be almost impossible to enforce.

Just my opinion, Cheers Leon.
 
Everybody knows this story I assume...

Unlawful replica of a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL destroyed | Daimler Global Media Site > Classic > Mercedes-Benz Cars > Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars > SL-Class

I don't know Ferrari's policy.

I have the dream to build a porsche 906. I was silly enough to tell so to their head of "Archive" departement... Their feedback was a firm "we do not want to deal with replica guys" a gentle "f*ck *ff you poor guy"....

I, as a poor guy, see replicas, especially the good ones, made as much as possible tru to originals in some way a tribute to a brand, to their history, and to their technical achievements.

If I was the rich guy with the original car, I'd feel much more concerned. I can only speek for the 906's, as this is the topic I know best, but if one has the chance to take a look @ THE 906 book written by Trispel and Barth, then you'll see that there are more than one occasions of a chassis number stuck to at least 3 differents frames! A trained eye should be able to diffenrentiate a fake than a real one. But, with enough energy/determination and $$$, it is possible to make an almost indistinguishable car.

THis is THE problem, it's too tempting to spend maybe 300k in a car, and then sell it for 3 to 4 times the price. Mankind and money....

Olivier.
 
Guys, there's a subtle, but very significant point here which may not be clear or fully understood: the manufacturers trademark extends well past just the written name mark (ie. "Ferrari" or "Mercedes Benz"), it extends to the whole product including, most visibly, the shape of the car. In other words, it doesn't matter if you don't call it a ferrari or mercedes-benz, if it looks like a ferrari or mercedes benz then it violates their trade mark. This is the case with Ferrari and Mercedes Benz because they have the financial resources (teams of legal folks) to both extend the protection that far with the relevant trademark govt. offices and then push enforcement through the courts and other relevant regulating authorities (customs).

The folks who own the "GT40" trademark have attempted to do likewise but have not been successful, presumably due to a lesser level of resources to bring to bear upon the task.
 
And by the way, Ferrari's policy is quite clear: if it looks like a Ferrari but isn't then it doesn't belong on this planet no mater how accurate or finely crafted. Again, why is this? This is all about maintaining a premium brand ($$$$) absent any counterfeits which may dilute the brand. Personally, I wouldn't agree with that myopic branding and legal viewpoint, but that's just my opinion.

Interestingly, I believe there's an English Lord who owns an original 250GTO who also owns a spot on replica. Guess which one he drives at vintage car races next to a bunch of Hillman Imps and Alfas?

Sorry if this is a whole bunch of thread drift. Now back to the regularly scheduled programming.
 
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