Which replica company?

[Jim Holden]

Funfer:

ERAGT2038 was my first ERAGT; dark metallic green with a yellow stripe. I built the car I 1990-91 and sold it approx. 9 years later. I am in the process of building up ERAGT2077 which is a dark metallic blue with an orange stripe.

Besides having the newer stainless chassis, the new GT has right hand drive, a roll cage and the body has been modified to look like the Gulf GTs as ultimately raced in 1969.

The ERAGT is admittedly a more complex car to build than their ERA427SC or FIA, but they hold your hand all along the way and so long as you don't deviate materially from their scheme, the cars go together in a very straight forward way. To me that has been the most compelling reason for dealing with ERA over the past 25 years; their enthusiastic support and the well thought out engineering of their cars.

Jim

PS: I will post some pictures of the new car.

[FUNFER2]

Jim, it's a beautiful car. The ERA is one of the best. You being a great replica builder, what do you think of the company "RCR" and their GT-40. It looks like a great, well thought car, full of quality components. The price of 42k for a monocoque chassis, all billet construction, seems like a very nice full kit. What do you think between ERA and RCR ? Body shape, chassis, suspension, interior ect...and price ?

[Jim Holden]

Kevin:

I obviously have no experience in putting together an RCR, nor any experience with dealing with the company, much less the level of support that they give to a purchaser of one of their kits.

I can only tell you that my priorities in dealing with a company have been more than satisfied in my now twenty plus year experience with the folks up at ERA. I have always felt that they have given me solid value for my money (in no small measure because I have always been able to sell my ERAs for more than I have in them). Too, besides the great customer support and being able to recoup my investment, I have always felt that ERA has engineered a solid car (and keeps on making improvements), that looked right and for which I never had to make any apologies for any material change from the original cars. As to the cost of doing these cars, I believe that, ultimately, if a car is done to the same standard the investment into it will be essentially the same and, as I previously indicated, in my experience any differential has been returned to me on the sale of my ERA.

My suggestion is always to narrow your "top draft choices" down to a couple of companies and take the time to go and visit their shops, see how the cars are fabricated and, most of all, talk to every owner you meet about their experience with their car. Due diligence being the watchword.

J