Ferrari Kit Cars
Ferrari has long been a popular subject for kit cars and replicars. Their sleek lines and racing pedigree makes them desirable, and their steep price makes them a ripe subject to copy.
Early Ferrari kit cars were cruder copies of the original. The classic Kelmark kit car tries to model itself after the Ferrari Dino, for example.
The real famous Ferrari replica has to be the 365 GTS/4 Daytona convertible. Featured in several movies and TV series, these kits were usually based on Corvette chassis with fiberglass replacement panels. This made them easy to service and fairly inexpensive to manufacturer.
Several versions of the beautiful 1958 Ferrari 250 California Spyder were produced, including one example that was used in the movie Ferris Bueler. This kit was made by a company called Cal Spyder that survived for quite some time before it was shut down. The kit was based off of a custom space frame and used typically a GM or Ford engine.
Other famous Ferrari kit cars include the P4 and 250 GTO, both really race instead of street cars. The P4 kit has changed hands several times, but surprisingly is still in production by a number of firms, including NF Auto Development in England and more recently by Race Car Replicas in Michigan. The GTO kit car is still in production as well from a variety of kit car dealers, all based on the early Nisan 240Z chassis.
There are several versions of Ferrari Testarossa kit cars floating about, mostly splashed (a fiberglass mold made) from an original TR in the mid-80s. They use a Fiero or Camaro chassis as a base, and tend to be devilishly tricky kits to complete. The Fiero versions tend to look more accurate than the Camaro copies, but you'll have an easier time most likely living with the bigger (and less modified) Camaro clone.
The F40 exists as a Fiero kit, as well as an F50 based on the Camaro chassis. You'll find more copies of the F40 in existence, while the F50 is no longer made in quantity (you may see some splashed copies floating around, their fit is questionable) because of Ferrari's clamp-down.
Ferrari 308 Kit cars are also in existence, based on a Fiero chassis. It's actually fairly fairly accurate, but the slope of the windscreen typically gives it away. Aldino has made a kit similar to a Ferrari Boxer for years. It's different enough to have escaped Ferrari's wrath.
Ferrari as a company has been much more aggressive at stopping these replicas than other manufacturers. No small kit car company can stand the focused attention of Ferrari for long. Cease and Desist notices quickly are dispatched, and said company is out of business.
I'm sure I've left out some examples; please feel free to contact me at admin@chronosafe.com and I'll correct anything that's an error in this overview.
