Re: Little Venting
I would like to offer a comment as someone who is old enough to have owned and driven 1960s cars in the 1960s. I can assure you, the quality of the product we are receiving from the various builders and assemblers today far exceeds what was produced in the period.
When I read of expectations of interior finish and panel gaps, I can't help coming to the conclusion that the whole point of owning these cars is missed. SPF and others have never represented that they would build an accurate replica of the period to today's design and manufacturing standards. They offered the market a replica of a raw, stripped-out, hand-built, race car...not a production sports car built on a robotic assembly line. Frankly, the closer and more accurate to the period these car are built, the worse they would be in comparison to today's output. In the 1960s, most of the racing cars at that time couldn't finish a single race without experiencing significant breakdowns and failures.
The realization has been lost that others gleefully pay millions for original versions of these cars with leaks, rattles, refabricated parts, poor paint and the like. Over the last week, pages have now been written on this forum because of a perceived lack of perfection.
The volume and vitriol over items like a leaking brake cap, a missing lock nut and paint chips has gone way too high. I would expect that the brake caps and lines leaked in 1966, too...the parts are the same, mounted in the same locations. It is time to come down to the reality: You bought a 1960s race car, built much in the same way they were in the period...on a human assembly line. Frankly, some of the crap we used to buy and drive in the 1960s can't hold a candle to the product we now can purchase from SPF and others.
You bought a replica of a very limited production, 46 year old design, that, originally, was both hand-built and under continual development. The GT 40 was a great car...but, it was never perfect. To expect it to be so now is no more realistic than expecting it then.
I didn't expect SPF to improve the GT40...just to build one to as close as possible to the way they did in the 60s and provide me the unique experience of driving a 46 year-old racing legend. They exceeded my expectations. I'll deal with leaks or rattles just like I did in 1966...get under the hood at night or on a weekend and take pride in fixing it myself. Then, I'll wash up and go for a drive.