Replica Rolex vs Replica Speedster?

Frank has it about right, and Mickey has pretty much nailed it. If someone took all the stuff we have on our cars (VW running gear, electrics, etc, w/ all the various So. American and/or Chinese parts thrown in, or even a few imporatant ones from old Porsches, and put a nice wonderfully painted FG shell over, and did up the inside w/ leather or whatever and all the right gauges so it looks pristine, but the shell was shaped like say, an MG or Austin Healy, or Triumph from the era, what would we have then? Just another different bunch of guys knocking each other around about how cool their cars were on some otherwise named Forum. The point being, as Mickey says and as I tried, we have 'em because they look like a '57 Porsche Speedster, and there was/is no car cooler -- and they are such fun to drive and are affordable. It works for me. I suppose if I fell in love w/ Rolex watches and just had to have one, but could not afford a real one, I'd go looking for a decent fake. The implication of that statement, to follow it to its logical conclusion is: if I could afford a real Speedster, I'd have one -- and that is true. And I would try ever so hard not to be an arrogant, stuck up bastard about it.

YAY KellY!!! I think that is very well put. I've even considered a replica Ferrari 250 but the one with the proper dash/interior are almost impossible to find otherwise who knows? It would have to be pretty damn close to the original. And damn straight I'd put the prancing horse on it!!!! The license plate would be "FAKE 2". ;)

I look at it kind of like my house... My wife loves the look of a Queen Ann Victorian like in San Fran. We had a 850 sq ft WWII era home in Seal Beach, Ca. I tore it most of the way down leaving about 3 walls and added approx 1200 sq ft with a second floor. I built it in the Victorian style but with all the modern features. It looks like it might have been built in the 1800's but it is mostly all new. The basic "bones" are of a WWII era home but we get the look and feel of a different era. I put a 6 ft Kohler claw foot bath tub in the master that was mnufactured in 1976 (red of course)...looks like an old tub but better. I have manufactured fireplaces with custom mantels. Crown moldings through out. I get alot of complements on it but it is not a true Queen Ann Victorian! Most of them are full of termites and rot...sound familiar? I enjoy living in a house I designed and built myself. It also has a 3 car garage..try finding that in San Fran.

Mark,
Put a Speedster emblem on the side of that claw foot tub and then you'll have something! ;P

Believe me I've thought about it Mickey

So here I am reading all this with interest and ponder,
"A penile implant, does that make it a replica..."

No Alan, it makes it Fake. (bah dum..........ching) ;)

Ah, artificially enhanced?

it means you're been transported to "The Land That Women Forgot"!

Put a Speedster emblem on the side of that claw foot tub and then you'll have something!

or you could do something else...

Mark,

Add the decal and maybe a Speedster side logo and then you really would have a bathtub Porsche. You could plumb the water supply to look like a sidewinder exhaust, maybe. How far do you want to go w/ this? Maybe it needs a four cylinder, horizontally opposed Jacuzzi aerator and pump? I'm just sayin' . . .

Alan - tell me more about "penile implants" . . . .

Don't ya just love thread drift. From Speedster/Rolex to penile implants!!! I guess when it gets to this level, you know the topic has been exhausted.

One Last Post.
After becoming "enlightened" about the quality of watch replicas from a fellow speedster owner, I purchased one and the quality is truely amazing!!! Here are some pictures.
http://kvanasx.hopto.org/speedster/SubnSpeedster.JPG
http://kvanasx.hopto.org/speedster/SubnSpeedster2.JPG
http://kvanasx.hopto.org/speedster/SubnSpeedster3.JPG

Troy

You need to check www.repgeek.com and www.rwgforum.com
Both are awesome sites for replica watches.

Now THAT'S funny!!!! :)

Beautiful!

I'm thinking we all roll with a Rolex and a Replica that is our IN?

matt adams gave me a ride around laguna seca in his vse cobra. the car had a stiffer "backbone" chassis, a fiberglass body, non - working guages, and a 351.
not a real cobra, but it was much faster than the other guys/gals, and matt was not afraid to drive it or park it.

a jeweler in venice told us that the reliability of a watch is often inversely proportional to the cost of it. i bought a movado chronograph at full price, and i have never seen another like it. it keeps accurate time, but it stops working in the off season. we get christmas cards and invitations from italy each year.

i am unable to pay full price for a the cars of my dreams (or any automobile)

my idea is to have special edition and jake raby hand build a hot rod for me in exchange for money, before i turn 50.
my excellent wife has already approved the project and has agreed to fund driving courses for me.

the reality begins when the money is exchanged.

mark

Mark - full speed ahead!!

Lambros.
I'm on both of those sites, but the one I like the best is RWI: http://www.replica-watch.info/vb/

Since I found them just a few weeks ago, I have bought 4 watches and I'm getting ready to order a 5th. The quality is simply amazing! I never knew!!!

Good job!! I do have a real Rolex but the replica hobby sounds fun too. I will check your site also. Why don't you post pictures of your watches? I would love to see them.

So far, I've only received the one in the picture I've posted, but I am waiting on delivery of 3 more and getting ready to buy 2 more. I'll post some pictures when I get them.
I also have a genuine Rolex that I have worn everyday for nearly 20 years and it's a great watch, but these replicas appear to be virtually as nice and cost A LOT LESS!!!

My genuine Rolex is a stainless steel Submariner and, in addition to the two tone blue Submariner replica in the picture, I will have a Cartier Roadster (both the mens and the womens) a Breitling Super Ocean Evolution Chronomat, a TAG Carrera and a Vacheron Constantin Malte Perpetual Calendar.

I'm spending hours on the replica watch sites and my wife thinks I am crazy (thats why I'm getting the womans Roadster), but I'm having a blast!
Here are some links to pictures of them. None of the watches in these pictures are genuine, they are all fully functional replicas.
http://kvanasx.hopto.org/speedster/VACHERONfront.jpg
http://kvanasx.hopto.org/speedster/VACHERONback.jpg
http://kvanasx.hopto.org/speedster/BCE.jpg
http://kvanasx.hopto.org/speedster/Roadster.jpg
http://kvanasx.hopto.org/speedster/TAGcarrera.jpg
Troy


Troy

Great watches!!! My SS Sub is from the early 90's, "N" series.
Have you seen those high end replicas from WM9? I really like their TT Sub that is coming out soon. I am waiting for reviews first before I do something about it.


Sorry for hijacking this thread.

Hey...I created it, so no problem!!!
No, I haven't seen the new TT can you send me a link?

Troy

PM sent.

Interesting thread.

The term "fake" is quite condemning. I have a Special Editions, Inc. "Beck" Speedster. I would never have an original 1957 Porsche Speedster. And I can easily afford a dozen of each.

There were 1171 of the original 1957 Speedsters made. If I had one, I would have to spend a fortune restoring it. And then I would have to hide it in a climate controlled hangar. I don't even know why I would have it, but it certainly wouldn't be to drive. They are a piece of history.

Of course, I LOVE the lines of the car. There just isn't a more head turning car. I would say 99% of the people I talk to about it, and everyone that sees it wants to talk about it, don't know it's a Porsche when it says Porsche right across the front of it and down the side. They all ask what is it?

It has a fiberglass body produced in Brazil. I like fiberglass bodies produced in Brazil because they are about a round ton lighter than the original steel body.

I'm not a big VW chassis fan. This one has a 3 inch tubular steel chassis that seems to be quite strong.

So I personally think the replicas or reproductions or "fakes" are better cars than Porsche ever built (stunned silence - yeah I know). And I think that makes perfect sense as they just didn't have these materials available in 1957. But as everyone knows, every REAL porsche has rust problems. I don't. I can't. It has gap problems. I don't. I can't.

For my own purposes of course, I converted mine to electric drive. It runs on a DC series motor with Lithium Ion Iron Phosphate batteries. It's totally silent and makes no distinctive "Porsche noise" which I miss not in the slightest.

And while not a purist, I just never would do any of that to a "real" Porsche. The true survivors, in my opinion, should be kept/restored as original as possible. But I want mine to LOOK like a real one. Because I like the way they look. It has nothing to do with fooling anybody. And if I get a few stone chips driving it around, or get bashed at the grocery story by a kid in a 20 year old Saturn, it's no tragedy. In other words, I can use it as a car. And in all respects I think it is a BETTER car than the original.

When people do ask, I do make it clear its a replica. But it is clear that they care less than I do. The few people I know with real ones don't even seem offended by it. They just want to know what kind of range I'm getting.

Jack Rickard
http://evtv.me

Great post and videos Jack, I think it's great what you are doing, but I'm wondering about a couple of things.

Are you finding that the justification for going all electric has to be all about being green? It seems like it would have to be.

I drive my car about 5,000 miles per year and at a conservative calculation of 20mpg @ $3.00/gal. that is $750/year. The charger you are using costs $3000 alone and I'm not sure how much the entire conversion costs. And even then I couldn't drive my car from Fresno to the coast without making a several hour recharging stop along the way.

So, it really seems like any potential prospects would need really deep pockets and an overwhelming desire to be green to make the conversion at this point in time.

Please don't get me wrong, I think what you are doing is great and I hope it will be the answer that we are all looking for at some point.
Thank you.
Troy

FYI. I watched all 10 of your videos.

Based on what I have read over the past twenty plus years regarding electric vehicles, the technology just isn't there to make switching to batteries a cost effective factor.

GM had it almost right with the EV...both GM and Toyota ( electric Rav 4 EV) had acquired the NiMH battery technology from the inventor Stan Ovshinsky that was spot on. So what happened to it ? Chevron bought the rights ( also involved Texaco) to it and poof ...it's for the most part, gone.
"Similar path that the futuristic Tucker was forced to take " ~Alan

http://www.ev1.org/chevron.htm

" It Ain't Easy being Green"

Somewhere along this thread, someone mentioned that Jaguar now has replicas being built!
Since Marc has gone to the "Dark Side" (OK, I kinda have, too!) since we got the E-types, I thought I'd share what we found! The folks that rebuilt the engine of Marc's '63 Coupe (out in ID) have a great web site! They are doing replicas of the C-type. If anyone else has seen the VictoryByDesign by Alain DeCadenet, you will understand the love of the Jag, too! Our E-types (yes, we now have a his/hers: mine, of course, is the convertable!) are "real", but I would LOVE to have a C-type and replica (FAKE???) is just fine by me! I don't try to pass my Speedy off as anything other than what she is: a WONDERFUL car that is a blast to drive and a magnet for all types of folks!!!
But check out the Jag site. The replica market is growing!!

http://vintagejag.com/

BTW: Bought some "fake" Breitling watches in Beijing (the "fake" Capital of the World!) on the ONE trip I got to work several years ago~ they quit working before I even got back to my hotel!

As for me: Watches, NO! Cars, Hell Yeah!!

As I recall, most replica C-types are still very big bucks. Many of them are very authentic, and use Jaguar mechanicals. If you want something a little less $$$, Shell Valley has one based on their Cobra chassis. The windshield isn't quite right, but is more practical.

Beautiful E-Types! The first time I saw a XK-E roadster was at a filling station on Palm Beach. It was a perfect day, the car was white with red leather interior, an excruciatingly beautiful blond was in the passenger seat,and in my 8 year old mind it was a surreal experience. I don't think that modern cars create that level of emotional impact. I bet Sue-Z and her red car create the same reaction when they go for a cruise. Please post a few pics of you with your car!

Susan.
The key words in your comment about replica watches are "several years ago." Yes, there is still junk out there, but if you do some research you will find that there are also very high quality replicas, which have come along in the last few years. They are not cheap like the junk I saw in Thailand for under $100, you will pay in the $250 to $600 range, but the quality is exceptional. The key to finding the good stuff is the same as it is on here...you have to get on their forums.
Here's a link to a picture of a replica Breitling Chronomat Evolution that I just got 2 days from China for $310.

http://kvanasx.hopto.org/speedster/BCEwristieweb.jpg

Troy