Rise of the Replicants

Could the passing of a new law breed an entirely new segment of “classics”?

The terms “Kit Car” and “Replica” are perhaps two of the most controversial—and misunderstood—concepts in the collector car community. For many, many years, these were considered derogatory terms, an affront to any right-minded enthusiast, as how could anyone abide a cheap knock-off of say an FIA 289 Cobra or D-Type Jaguar, when the Real McCoy was available. Then a funny thing happened, the Real McCoy became so outrageously expensive that those cars all but disappeared from the automotive landscape. Recently, I was driving down the road with a friend when a Cobra drove by the opposite way. The friend asked me, “Was that the real thing or a replica?” And, without hesitation, I immediately shot back, “Replica.” My friend was impressed with my ability to detect a replica so quickly, but the truth is that it is now so rare to see a genuine Cobra on the road, that “replica” is almost always the correct answer by default.