What's your stance on cloning?

It's becoming more and more popular. Von Franco has done a couple of Norm's Ts, Dave Shuten's clone of Mysterion, and many others lately.

Don't remember a thread like this yet so -

in 50 years what cars from the HAMB do you think will have been influential enough that people will be cloning them...

What's your vote, pic, and / or reason.

 

id think the original builders would be flatterd.

 

I vote for this.

 

I thought you were talking about SHEEP.

I got all excited!!

 

I'm all for it. There's a particular car that I want to clone someday, I can't believe no one has done it yet.

There are some cars that SHOULD be "out there" for us to enjoy, to study, to learn from, but for various documented reasons, can't be- the Matranga Merc and the Moonglow come to mind.
There are other cars that still exist, but are inaccessible- The Hilborn streamliner for example, and at the time Jack Walker cloned it, the Hirohata Merc.
or, like the Kookie T, so far removed from original intent, that a copy could stand next to the original as a "timeline"

there are a bunch of reasons, and a bunch of cars, I say "go for it"

will somebody hurry up and do Buster Litton's shoebox already!!!!!!

 

Personally i think most of the cars on here are clones. Clones of a 40's 50's 60's hot rods/customs of some sort. Dontcha think? Maybe not some famous car that we reckognize, but some sort of generic hot rod from an old photo, magazine, or memory. But we're all cloning a "look" of some sort from days gone past, aren't we? That's my take. Oh yeah, i'm for it. If your neighbor wants $25K for whatever it is he's got, and you can clone it for half, and you can't tell em apart when parked besides eachother? Fuck yeah, do it

 

I don't know which one like I better: Shine's or this "clone"

 

True, but I was think more along the lines of picking up an R&C 50 years from now and seeing "John Doe clones the Lunar Lander" or "Joe Schmo builds the Green Grenade" on the cover...

 

I think it's wrong. Jack is acting a lot different since he came back to camp. Why is he so tight with Juliet now? I think the "Others" sent back a clone to spy on the survivors of flight 815.

Ooops, wrong message board. . . . . .

 

I'm an identical twin, so I guess I'm about as close to being a "real" clone as you can get.

Maybe those who can't come up with an original idea, copy something...

 

They're usually done with a lot of respect to the original builders, I think it's great.

Rich

 

just build a car that reflects your own style and influences. it will end up meaning more to you and being a better car that way. clones of inspirational cars are okay, but cool new hot rods are even better. just my two cents.

 

TRUE THAT! And it's NOT that interesting of a car had it not been in the movie

 

we get questions about building amer graf 55's on a regular basis, just look at the amg website lots of those cars have been built and i still love em, look at doc's its way nice........

 

I'm surprised the Niekamp car hasn't been cloned, Bob Petersen paid $250,000 for it, Model A body, Essex frame, would be simple enough to do.

 

Everyone has to have the same understanding of what a clone is, a lookalike or twin to an actual vehicle that did or does still exist. Troubles start when a clone gets passed off as the real deal and becomes a FAKE. I can't think of any car I'd want to clone right down to the last detail, borrow styling features sure but not every detail.

 

one day when i am about 50 i will clone THIS HAMB CAR!

the original builder was a genius!..or a mad man....way ahead of his time!

 

For what it's worth, I cloned Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins 68 Camaro, Grumpy's Toy IV about 10 yrs ago out of respect for the baddest Chevy drag racer in the land when i was a kid, and he's still kicking ass. I raced it every Saturday @ T.I. for a couple years. It had an all iron motor, 2-bolt block, working hideaway lights, registered, and ran 10.60's through muffs on street tires (M&H) at a helluva 130MPH! Oh, it weighed 3350lbs without me in it. This shot's at Pomona 1995 i think

 

hell it's all ready being done. my mod isnt a dead on clone of these two but it sure as hell shares some stem cells

 

I think its all good if you dont try to pass it as the real deal, but that should go without saying!
One take on the subject is that many of the old kustoms and hotrods changed back in the day, even if it still exists it can only exist in one version, it can be nice to see the other versions, and the ones that are not known to exist, its obvios that a clone is better then just old pics, if its well done!

I dont think the traditional cars of today will be as legendary as the ones from 40ies-60ies, just becouse they´re so influenced from the old days so the original ones are allways gonna be more copied!

 

I was just thinkin about cloning this thing today...deck louvers stickin up like a dog on the defensive...<drool>

 

Well I'd like to clone myself, that way I could send his ass to work every day.....while I get some work done on my projects out in the shop!! The extra income would also be nice.....where can I get this done? LOL.....

 

I agree with these comments 100%

If it's being built for your own enjoyment....and you've got your heart set on a certain car, why not? As long as you never try to sell it with claims that it is an original. I suppose two or three owners down the road though...the story behind the clone could get a little fuzzy.

Oh....and if you are going to do a "clone", at least try to get most of the parts to do a reasonable copy.

 

Thank Odin someone said it!

My vote on clones is No. Sure take elements and make your own. but drive an exact copy? sounds boring to me, even if the original ride is awesome... course only 3% of the general public would know it was a clone...

 

clone is such a harsh word,,,,,,i prefer tribute..............

 

I spent heaps of time and energy doing a copy of the Kookie car in the old shop I worked in a few years ago. This version was visually right on and almost scaled perfectly. Had a t400, 4 wheel discs and a Quickchange tho. Norm still said it was the best one ever done--made a shift knob and some other bits for it. The killer was the Model car Display The owner had made for Shows - Giant tube of Glue and Exacto knife and all....

 

as long as its done correctly (same components) I like it. otherwise its a tribute which could be less expensive. why not just take the parts you like and tie them together and make it your own.

 

got any essex rails?
i have a body and a pile of aluminum!

 

Isn't a glass car a clone? Or I'm I taking this too far?

I own a 50 year old car and now somebody is making enough panels to build a "new" one.

 

I can give you a bit on both ends of a clone, so to speak.
I've always built different or unusual cars, at least for myself. When the whole world got back into customs, back in the early 80's, chopping shoeboxes, and Mercs, I had the balls to chop and radically change a 55 Olds. When I brought it out, everyone was astounded. It was that different from "real" customs back then.
I personally don't like copying someone else's work. If a customer on mine wants a cusotm paint job "just like that one", I always talk him out of it, and steer him into doing something different, even if it has some similar things about it. It is different enough to be his, not the other guys.
That said, my good friend,VIc,who I've done work for in the past, wanted to build the Kopper Kart. He and his brother already bought one, and kinda fucked around with it, not knowing exactly how to do it. He brought it to me, and half-assedly got me helping him with it. Now it's almost done with the heavy metalwork, and I am even more proud of this work, than of any other thing I've ever built. You cannot imagine the pains you go through to try and duplicate a radical custom. Every detail and line have to be scrutinized, measured, and then transfered to another vehicle. WAY, WAY harder than building a car out of you head! In fact, the moct difficult project I've ever been involved in. In 30 years of doing this, working for myself, and in other shops.
So, on the other hand....I have a couple extra truck cabs, fenders, chassis, etc. I have half assedly (again!) thought about building a "modern" version of the Kart. I would do the chop and section the same, probably use the Studie pans, maybe configure differently, stretch the rear fenders, but then go off on my own from there. Different grille, taillights, side trim. Modern suspension, but just as low as the original. In respect of the original driveline, how about a modern straight six, like out of an Olds Bravado. All aluminum, 300 HP or so. 5 Speed stick, as the original was a 3 speed stick. Keep it in the flavor of the original, but make IT original! Maybe paint it Candy Cobalt blue, use chrome (or perhaps brushed stainless or nickel...more modern) and call it the Kobalt Kart!
It ould be more satisfying,artistically,to run with a new concept, but the clone is more satisfying technically.