Hello, new member here.
This seems like a very good Forum with very passionate members.
Been wanting to know which GT40 kit car is better and which ones are worst. I have seen the Southern versions with Steele Tube chassis which seem to be one of the most authentic versions from what i can tell, and of course there are the Superformance version but start at $250K. i would like to lean more towards the most authentic construction that is possible. I have seen the RCR aluminum chassis and the seem like a good choice but it doesn't looks period correct for my taste.
My other concerned is, how exact are the body's? I don't want a GT40 that "Kinda" looks like the original.
What options do I have?
Thank you in advance!!!
The ‘best’ depends more on you than the source. Before deciding you have to take into account your skill set, how much you are willing to spend, time available, etc. They range from a pile of tubes to rollers to nearly completed builds. It also depends on how ‘authentic’.
Keep in mind that these cars evolved a lot over a very short period and then were modified considerably as they were raced, often changing from race to race. They were also assembled by multiple groups such as Shelby, H&M, FAV, just to name a few. Some focused on power, others focused on weight.
Which engine will make a difference as well. It’s possible to fit a modern V8, but the original cars were designed around a 289. It’s not a linear increase in techno-wizardly, more like orders of magnitude.
Then there is what you plan to do with the car when finished. Will it be a daily driver, show, track day, or maybe a vintage racer? Will it be a tribute car or your own creation. How period correct do you want it? The more ‘correct’, the more time and money required. That’s exponential as well. The cost of a correct transaxle can be two to three times the cost of one from a Porsche.
The original cars were built like steel framed WWII aircraft, tubes were only used in the front and rear.
As to your specific questions, I can only reference my own experience with RCR. The aluminum tub is a work of art. The CNCed suspension is fully adjustable while the original cars required different upper control arms to adjust the caster. The body is molded off an original car, so it at least matches that one car, but since the originals were not perfect, the RCR bodies reflect that. The RCR is probably the best foundation for a home builder, but as you noted, it will never be as authentic as a tub built from stamped steel parts.
Finally there is cost. For an authentic car be prepared to spend much more than the initial cost of a Superformance. I am hoping to complete (they are never complete) my RCR for around $140K and it will only look authentic from 10 feet away with the clips and doors closed.
These two build logs will give you a good idea of what it takes to build an RCR.
HALLO
Beeing a big fan of classic race cars i initially planned to built a FFR DAYTONA COUPE. By searching the FFR FORUM for months i one day stumbled over a thread with the title "my new GT 40 Kit". Curious about i clicked on the link provided and landed on BILL D´s
Bill's GT40 Build Site .
Waht i saw there impressed me very much, so it doesn´t took long and the Daytona Coupe was past.
Beeing a fan of the GT 40 since my youth i checked for available kits a few years ago, but at this time the only one i liked (RF 40) was out of reach. Time has changed and new players came up ( an...
https://www.gt40s.com/threads/chuck-and-ryans-rcr-build.22083/
