newbie,nitwit, chassis question

Great forum this is !!!somehow i got hooked by the 40 a few years ago , and last week I stumbled across gt 40 kits(as an original one is out of my range yet..)
I really would like to build one ,however i have to wait a few years,but my problem now is (i even dream about it!!)
A)there are so much differences of the original cars that it is difficult to determine what an exact replica should look like,probably a mark I or II
B)these where never meant for street use(or am i completely wrong on this??)so probably no left hand drive ,only right hand drive with the gear lever at the right of the car...if there were left hand drives where would the gear lever be ??
C)the most important question?What is today the most authentic kit you can find?(so no safir ready built ones or the holbrook)
the chassis should be monocoque not a spaceframe(or am i completely wrong again..???)
What it all comes down to is this what kit to choose if you want a authentic replica down to the chassis and of course the body .

sorry for my english but i am trying , so if i offend someone whith grammatical rude questions...sorry i don't mean to.

greetinx
dennis

[ July 19, 2002: Message edited by: dENNis ]

[ July 19, 2002: Message edited by: dENNis ]

 

Probably the most authentic replica is the ERA. I hope this doesn't start another war. For this authenticity you will pay extra over the cost of a lesser authentic car. The passenger compartment is slightly wider than the original and the footwell is bigger which make driving more comfortable. Some compromises to accomodate the larger tires and that's about it. An ERA will cost the most to build and there is a waiting line. Plus you have to consider shipment to Europe.

You need to make the choice. Most authentic or something that feels just as good. I happened to come upon a ERA GT kit with all the bells and whistles that was untouched by it's first owner for $35K. Same kit runs around $75K today. Good luck and I hope you find what you want.

 

[Ian K]

Many manufacturers make LHD drive cars with
the shifter in the center.

All replicas can be made close to the
original, or vary as you see fit for your
purposes, but Cape Advanced Vehicles has
a full monocoque, ERA has a semi monocoque,
Roaring Forties is planning a monocoque, GTD
is also planning one (I think they will buy
chassis from CAV), and more are in development.

If you want as close as possible with out
spending $400K US, then any of the above
will work out fine. ERA and RF make mkIIs
as well, and all can have mkII touches.

Ian

 

[Guest]

Dennis, unless you go with a Holman or maybe a Safir, you will have a replica any way you look at it. So, my question is why are you concerned with authenticity? If it is just something you need to be happy with the car, then OK, I can understand that, but it is a question that you need to ask yourself.

If you must have authenticity, then you should consider a car with an actual monocoque chassis. Granted, I have not looked closely at ERA's offerings very recently and maybe the are offering a true monocoque now. (That is all I will say on that subject Mark.) There are several other companies that are offering monocoques now. Bearing in mind that you will have a replica, you will need to decide what your "must have", "like to have" and "nice to haves" are and decide which offering fills those requirements the best for you. Then figure out which one that fits best you can afford. Where the body is concerned is a little more difficult because the originals varied tremendously; not only between Mks but also within them. There are other threads in which many people have discussed considerations of the various vendors and their business styles and support offerings that you should definitely read as well. A few years ago, it would have been a lot easier because there were fewer choices. Today it is a little harder to decide, but that is really a good thing. Good Luck with your decision making, but what ever you decide you will, if you see it through, have a blast with a GT40.

 

Hope this is not going to get too far off subject.... Lynn, what do you mean by semi- monocoque? There's a tubular structure tacked on to the monocoque front asd back to support the bodywork but that's how the original cars were. Can you explain the difference between the ERA semi and the CAV full monocoque.

 

[Frank Catt]

Dennis, why don't you go and see other guys with or building replicas of the 40 and talk to them. I do not know of any in Holland, but there some very good ones in Belgium, which is not really far away, or of course in the UK, which is the home of the 40 anyway. Frank

 

[Guest]

Mark check out this lenghty thread that discusses this topic: New CAV Monocoque vs Older ERA, page 1

My comments are on page 2. A true monocoque chassis is made entirely of panels: flat, bent and formed. ERA cars use a space frame skeleton on which they attach panels. Granted, the panels add to rigidity, but this is not a true monocoque.

Also, check out the GT Supercars website or the pictures of their true monocoque that I have made available on the web (see the thread: GT Supercars Monocoque)

[ July 19, 2002: Message edited by: Lynn Larsen ]

 

[Guest]

dENNis,

MY car is left-hand drive with the shifter on the left door sill console (opposite of the originals).

 

My car is LHD with the shifter in the middle.
By the way it's an RF. They will make yours anyway you'd like LHD/RHD MKI-MKII.
John

 

Dennis,

The need for originality is very subjective, with a replica you can get very close to an real GT40 but it will never be an original, so who are you trying to fool?

From the outside replicas can look very much like original cars (though probably too good to be true!), certainly to pass all but an expert eye. As you say probably the one biggest difference on most replicas is when you lift the front or rear deck and the chassis immediately gives away a spaceframe! So if originality is important you need a true monocoque which don't come cheap.

Basically its the 80/20 rule, that is, by spending 20% of your budget you can get 80% original looking car, it costs at least another 80% to achieve the rest of the detail. Only you can decide if its worth it. Personally I am happy (or compelled) to settle for a relatively good looking replica on a spaceframe.

Good luck in your hunting - at least you are close to the unrestricted autobahns of Germany!!!

David Champ

 

thank you very much for the responses,i think Lynn and DC are making a very good point about
-how far you want to go with authenticity,is it worth it ??
-you're never gonna get an original gt

The reason i would like to have an authentic looking one is cause i want the real one!!

but thats never gonna happen(unless.......well....) but you guys are right how am i fooling?99.9% of all people cant tell the difference ...so how cares??

thanks for the down to earth reminder....

dENNis
(but i still want a real monocoque

)

 

[Guest]

Dennis, with regards to the look, virtually all of these cars have an original mold of one sort or another in their history. There is no one authentic look as there was a fair amount of variation in the real cars. From the outside, as David says, it would take a real expert to pick out a real from replica and it would probably be other things than the body which would give it away.

 

[Bob Putnam]

These are the only tubes in our chassis (except for roll bar):

The basic chassis is constructed from 20g and 18g S.S., with suspension mounts heavier sheet.

[ July 22, 2002: Message edited by: Bob Putnam -ERA- ]