Would You Rather: Real or Imitation Edition

[Frisky Dingo]

I shamelessly got this idea from a piece over at Jalopnik, but I thought it'd be a lot of fun. The article is about some legit Countach owners who go to shows and troll kit car owners- Countach Owners Troll Replica Owners

 

Not really sure if that's funny, or pathetic and only something a douche would do. Anywho, at first, it may seem easy to choose the real deal, right? But what if it weren't some amateur hour backyard special some guy hacked together with a Fiero chassis and 3800 Series V6? What if you took.....

A nice, custom built lightweight alloy tube frame

 

With a nicely worked over, but still streetable LSX crate motor (let's say ~450hp) to push it

 

 

Some Brembo brakes to slow it down

 

And some high-end Ohlins suspension to take care of cornering duties

 

 

Wrapped up in a well-finished aluminum, correct-specs body with high quality paint?

 

 

 

 

OR. Would you rather have a legit, proper Countach of your choosing (whatever spec/era you'd like)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2016 by Frisky Dingo

[G. David Felt]

Interesting thought, being that I love projects and not a fan of spending crazy money on the real thing, I would go for what you suggested above. 

Even bet that a Supercharged V8 from GM could kick the real things butt.

[Frisky Dingo]

I myself would go for the replica for sure. For a few reasons. 

 

First off, the value of a real Countach would make it hard to justify driving it often. Any damage done would be tens of thousands of dollars, and near impossible to find someone who have fix it properly. Not to mention the scarcity of original parts and how hard to'd be to keep it original in the first place.

 

Then there's the drivablility factor. From what I can tell, the Countach is one of those 'don't meet your heroes' cars that falls short of expectations. Sure, you still have that stunning body and otherwordly exhaust, but I'm not sure those make up for wallowy handling, poor build quality, and an awkward driving position. Give me a replica painted in a light grey with HRE 935's in black-

 

[ccap41]

Bump so I actually see it... I don't know how/why these get shuffled so far down so quickly on my screen.

[A Horse With No Name]

Neither.  Give me a dead stock final year fiero GT in good condition and call it done.  For a Lamborghini, give me a vintage Miura or a modern car.  Countach IMHO should be home up as a movie prop, preferably destroying as many original cars as possible.

[Robert Hall]

Seems like a lot of work to create a fake...why not design a uniquely styled body for you homebrew car and not rip off Lamborghini...

If I could afford a Lamborghini, I'd take a Miura or Miura SV...love the styling...the modern ones leave me cold..they just seem so cartoonish looking. 

[oldshurst442]

Cool thread idea!

Id do a combo of both.

What????!!! What do you mean by that???!!!

Well...Id go to Year One and order one of these three body shells from Dynaorn...brand spanking new engineered to spec to the originals but even better built than the originals:

Obviously Id do Oldsmobile 442 or Hurst/Olds above all else but a 1969 Trans Am or 1970 Dodge Challenger would do.

 

Floor pans, fenders even modern LED tail lights and headlights could be ordered from Year One. The only downside to an Oldsmobile clone may be that I still may need a Cutlass donor car to complete the rest of the skin as the skeleton body shell really is meant for a Chevelle and the fenders and such from Dynacorn and Year One are for Chevelles.

Modern brakes and suspensions and crate engines could be ordered from just about anywhere...complete with the proper ECUs, sensors, computers and wiring harnesses.

Modern reinforced frames from Art Morrison or Schwartz Performance to house modern multi-link suspensions would be the route Id take.

 

 

 

 

So I could create  a clone 1969 Trans Am with a modern LT1 engine, or a clone 442 with a LS7 or a clone 1970 Challenger with the 6.2 supercharged modern Hemi creating a 1970 Hellcat...