Vintage Kit Cars

[6spd68]

Hey Guys,
   Lately I've seen a bunch of 1960's era kit cars come up on Kijiji.  Based off old VW chassis; they're ratcher cheap considering.  I was just wondering what everyone's opinion on cars like that.  What can be done with them?  I.E. SBC 350 conversion?  And just how much you guys think it would cost to have them back on the road, looking cool?

1968 Elite Enterprises Kit Car
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/city-of-toronto/1968-elite-enterprises-kit-car-on-1974-vw-beetle-bug-chassis/1033848245?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

GT40 Kit car
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/mississauga-peel-region/1960s-kit-car/1033456024?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true


Another GT-40 (My personal favorite of the 3)
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/city-of-toronto/gt-40-replica-avenger-kitcar/1032895658?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

As I said, just curious because I know how much kit cars can cost to build.  What does the collective think cars like this would cost to build up from this point?  Am I living the kit car dream?  Thinking one could finish a car like this, and have it on the road for under 5k?

Not saying I plan on buying one (my current project will be all I ever need ).  I've just always been interested by kit cars, especially ones that aren't the norm.

[Troy]

Just do your research. Some of those are cheap because they were garbage when new and sitting in the sun or a hot building for 20-30 years hasn't helped the fiberglass.Beetles were a popular donor in the 80s before most of the "exotic" kits went to the Fiero chassis. Any of the "good" GT40 replicas is going to come with a dedicated frame. The rest don't look anything like a real one.

Troy

[Alaskan_TA]

Some Chrysler Kit Car info at http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/vintageRacing/kitCars/kitCars-1.shtml

[6spd68]

That's pretty cool ^^

[Mike DC]

 



I agree with Troy.

Kit cars seem like a great idea.  But in practice they always seem to end up costing way more than they "should" and the quality can make our Chargers look like high-precision items in comparison. 

IMO it's not worth it unless you are cloning something where an original is truly out of reach, like a Ferrari or a GT40.  (And if you do this, then get a custom-done frame to hang the components on so it actually looks like what it's supposed to be.) 

If you just want something fun to play with then you might be happier dumping $15-30k into a project based on a mass-produced car. 


Just my opinion.

[Aero426]

Growing up, I thought the Laser 917 was kind of cool.   Now, not so much.   I did see one driving around near the Indy speedway last year, but was too slow to get a pic.

The other thing.   Look at all three of those cars.   They aren't finished after how many years?     There's a reason.

There is one kit car I'd consider, and that's a vintage dune buggy.   They are pretty cool and it is its own car.   Not a cheap parody of something else.

[70 sublime]

Funny you should bring this topic up

I have an old CAN AM race car body hanging on the wall of our storage shed
After a little research I have found out it was a Canadian built Chinook MK2 1966 body

We have had it here for the past 20 years and it is about time something became of it but not really sure what to do

I had thought it might make a neat VW dune buggy type of a body but think it would sound so much better with a V8  

Red parts are what we have and the other is what it should look like

[Baldwinvette77]

Funny you should bring this topic up

I have an old CAN AM race car body hanging on the wall of our storage shed
After a little research I have found out it was a Canadian built Chinook MK2 1966 body

We have had it here for the past 20 years and it is about time something became of it but not really sure what to do

I had thought it might make a neat VW dune buggy type of a body but think it would sound so much better with a V8  

Red parts are what we have and the other is what it should look like

That reminds me of the speedracer car 

[6spd68]

Kit cars seem like a great idea.  But in practice they always seem to end up costing way more than they "should" and the quality can make our Chargers look like high-precision items in comparison. 

Agreed, hence my "KIT CAR DREAM" statement.  I dunno, it's just unfortunate.  I just feel the "should", should actually be what they end up costing in the end.

[John_Kunkel]

Be careful with kit cars, some states won't register them.

[wingcar]

I actually owned a Fiberfab Jamaican back in the day that I received in a trade.   It had a nice looking body and it was powered by a Corvair engine.  But, back in the day the kit you ordered just never seemed to look as nice as the ones in the catalogs.  Back then I collected many catalogs and fortunately I only "dreamed" about owning any other kit, case in point...my Piranha Kit car dream.  It was developed by Dean Jeffries while he worked with AMX at a shop in Phoenix.  They built a drag car and what would become The Man From U.N.C.L.E. car.  Unfortunately, the kit really didn't do the original Piranha justice.  (I still have the catalog for the car along with many others.)  Then I started to dream about some of the cars that were patterned after Can-Am cars but found them to be very pricey...But they did look the best of the lot.   Got over my Kit Car fix and returned to reality....thankfully!

My two cents:  IF you really want a used Kit Car make sure that you buy a "Complete" kit or car as many of these companies are no longer in business.  If you buy an uncompleted kit, inspect it carefully and then understand that you will in most cases have to disassemble it and redo all the previous work.  And, most importantly....know your limitations....do you have the skills necessary to complete the project? 

[Mike DC]

  
It does seem like there should be more of a market for decent kit cars.  

It brings to mind the Ariel Atom principle.  It's an awesome idea but the price is absurd for what it is.




The prop cars in the recent "Need for Speed" movie were interesting.  They whipped up a bunch of fiberglass copies of the super-dollar exotics in that movie.  Real mid-engine frames custom done to fit each bodystyle, GM LS motors, etc.

That's the kind of buildup that is expensive by our standards but very cheap compared to using the real thing.  Not to mention being way better suited to the job of movie shooting. 

[aussiemuscle]

What does the collective think cars like this would cost to build up from this point? 

since i live on the other end of the world, prices may not mean anything, but i looked into a GT-40 kit produced in Brisbane. total cost would end up at $95,000 if you bought the kit and your own engine, suspension, etc to go with it

[b5blue]

http://www.forgottenfiberglass.com    Your not alone!