Only Morons Buy Car Replicas

Hands up who’s seen a Ferrari 360 replica on eBay? It’ll be based on a mid-90s Toyota MR2 and WILL be described as ‘absolutely stunning’, ‘one-of-a-kind’ and ‘the ultimate budget sex-mobile’ if we’re dealing with a particularly cocky dealer.

In reality, however, the standard interior tells a very different story as will the four-pot engine note, poor build quality, poverty-spec alloys and the baseball cap-wearing n00b who’s behind the wheel. Then there’s the fact that us ‘car people’ will brand you a moron at ten paces.

So why build them?

'Tuning' companies have been making retro-fit body kits for years and that's not going to change any time soon. Take this Aston DB9 Volante replica as an example. Based on a Toyota Celica 2.0 GT, it certainly looks the part, but these guys are asking top dollar for it; £15k to be exact...Okay, so it does feature genuine Aston lights, but this is still a car that you can pick up for £1200. It's also an automatic, meaning the only thing you'll destroy at the lights is your ego when you get owned by a metrosexual bloke in a Renault Twizy.

In this day and age, however, making the right impression - however shallow - is the holy grail to 'success'. Take those idiots from 'Made In Chelsea' or 'The Only Way Is Essex'; they're dull human beings, but they look good so we like them. Equally, this applies to replica cars. Sad times...

Who buys replica cars?

Status-driven idiots on a budget, no? Let's face it, if you're into cars and you've got £15k to play with there are many, many better options. BMW M3? Or how about a 2008 Alfa Romeo Brera with a juicy 3.2-litre V6 unit? And lest we forget we're also in Porsche Cayman territory, too!

Either way, £15k bags you an awesome and original ride, not a tarted up shitbox from the 90s. And as for resale opportunities between a replica Aston and original Cayman, don't even get me started...

Now that I've had my say, what do you think about replicas? An easy way for a shallow win or to be avoided at all costs?