On Ferrari 308/328's... look at the side & quarter windows. Real Ferraris have small forward vent windows, and you can see into the cabin through the rear quarter windows.
Ferrari 328:
Fiero-Based Mera:
On many kitcars, the roof & windshield are another easy spot. On more advanced kits (like nice diablos) try to look under the rear... keep an eye out for telltail Fiero cradle signs.
I find that usually a quick look at the overall fit and finish is enough to tell. GM put a lot of engineering effort into getting the right finish on Fieros, but the kit car builders don't have the fancy plastics and primers - so while the end product may be shiny, it looks like fiberglass. Real exotics have sheet metal bodies...
The other giveaway (even if the ripply panels don't tell you) is looking at a door / hood gap. You can see the edge of the panel there; sheet metal panels are maybe 1/8" thick here, fiberglass panels are much thicker.
And the glove compartment between the seats is always a dead giveaway.
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02:58 PM
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
Just about everything can be changed from Fiero on a kit so it can sometimes be hard to tell. The first thing I look for is interior, but that can all be changed. Next is windshield, but that can be changed. Engine, suspension, etc can all be changed. Probably the last thing that people would change would be the cradle. That is where you can usually separate a Fiero kit from an original. Of course, with so many replica chassis makers around anymore, even that is not 100%. Sometimes you just have to know the original car and what to look for. You'd be hard pressed on Spddy's Lambo to tell it from an original. You have to notice the cradle under the rear, or look past the V12 engine cover to see the little V6 hiding underneath (and it is not obvious at first glance! I saw an entire shop of certified BMW techs scrutinizing the car and never noticed that it was not original.).
[This message has been edited by Songman (edited 11-21-2005).]
That is a DAMN good looking Lambo kit. The attention to detail some of these guys have is amazing. I'd love to do a Ferrari 360 kit but I've never understood building a kit car that costs 75% of the orignal cars price. On the flip side, I don't understand building a kit car that isn't a perfect replica of the original and still costing 25-50% of the original price.
But I'm glad some people can justify it because they build some great looking cars.
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03:41 PM
Songman Member
Posts: 12496 From: Nashville, TN Registered: Aug 2000
The reason for building a high dollar kit car that cost XX% if the original is because you can then arround to drive, insure, and maintain the kit car. These things cannot be done with the real car. You won't see a Ferrari or Lamborghini with 150k miles on them. They would fall apart! These cars are not made to be daily drivers. Maintenance and insurance need no explanation I am sure. To go further, these high dollar kits usually offer more HP than the original. A real 355 has 380HP. The kit I have been building with a built turbocharged 3.4TDC is over 450HP. The trannies are very close with a 3.56 in the Ferrari and a 3.57 in the kit. Looks like at least close (or perhaps even better) performance for a lot less money, with dependability and economy thrown in as a bonus.
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04:02 PM
rogergarrison Member
Posts: 49601 From: A Western Caribbean Island/ Columbus, Ohio Registered: Apr 99
I agree with songman. I did my 308 replica simply because it had the same size and lines and I could drive it everyday. Rebuilding a 308 engine (every 100K max) is $25,000 for a long block, plus what the install costs.Full brake job runs over $5,000, clutch replacement $3,500, $4,500 tune up (30Krecommended). I put over 100K on mine without barely a single problem. Ya, i spent as much as I could have gotten a real used one for, but I couldnt see the maintanence. Mine was also tubocharged with a race 3.1 V6. I outrun quite a few vettes and at least a couple real 308 Ferraris. I was never scared to take anyone on. I raced a guy on the freeway a while back....twice....and got beat good though. It was a C5 Z06. Guess for 3 times my money he was entitled . Anyone who knew Fieros, could instantly tell mine was a kit, but I did have local Ferrari dealer salesmen come out to check out my ' trade in '.
I'm gonna say that the car is real. As we mentioned above, the interior is a good place to start looking. There are lots of great replica interiors that can fool the casual eye. Spddy's car has a great interior that looks totally stock Lambo at first glance. The giveaway is the center console. The shape is right and everything from the shifter forward looks good. The trick is in the switches and the center glove box behind the shifter. No kit interiors have all of that.
Here is Spddy's interior for comparison and you will see what I mean.
And to answer your original question, the Lambo e-brake is on the floor beside the driver's door just like a Fiero.
[This message has been edited by Songman (edited 11-22-2005).]
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03:24 AM
YELLOWFIERO88 Member
Posts: 1329 From: Cincinnati, Ohio Registered: Nov 2004
Great looking car. But to me the engine cover dont look quite right, exhaust tips are def wrong, and all the Lambos Ive seen have a very dark red (almost black) surround around the tail lights, not body color. In the 'minor' instruction sheet with my Warlock they even tell you the paint code used. Unusual detail is the european tail light lenses though and manufacturer stickers on the bottom of the side doors
The real F308 also has round headlights inside the units that pop up, the fiero are rectangular. An instant giveaway unless the lights have been converted on the kit which most of the ones I have seen haven't.
------------------ Fiero 2M6 SE (1986) auto, red/orange notchback with aero body & rear wing, full black leather interior with RHD conversion.
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10:31 AM
Scurvy Member
Posts: 865 From: Richmond, Va Registered: Nov 2005
Just about everything can be changed from Fiero on a kit so it can sometimes be hard to tell. The first thing I look for is interior, but that can all be changed. Next is windshield, but that can be changed. Engine, suspension, etc can all be changed. Probably the last thing that people would change would be the cradle. That is where you can usually separate a Fiero kit from an original. Of course, with so many replica chassis makers around anymore, even that is not 100%. Sometimes you just have to know the original car and what to look for. You'd be hard pressed on Spddy's Lambo to tell it from an original. You have to notice the cradle under the rear, or look past the V12 engine cover to see the little V6 hiding underneath (and it is not obvious at first glance! I saw an entire shop of certified BMW techs scrutinizing the car and never noticed that it was not original.).
who makes the blue one? i saw it on a thread awhile back.... anyone have a link?
Great looking car. But to me the engine cover dont look quite right, exhaust tips are def wrong, and all the Lambos Ive seen have a very dark red (almost black) surround around the tail lights, not body color. In the 'minor' instruction sheet with my Warlock they even tell you the paint code used. Unusual detail is the european tail light lenses though and manufacturer stickers on the bottom of the side doors
Roger, the VT, which is what this car is, is different than what you are talking about... This is a real Diablo VT. IT does have body color around the taillights, and the center dual exhaust. Beyond that, the console is the dead give away that this one is not a kit.
Here is an example of a VT on a Lambo dispaly at an auto show:
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05:53 PM
Dec 5th, 2005
buddycraigg Member
Posts: 13620 From: kansas city, mo Registered: Jul 2002
who makes the blue one? i saw it on a thread awhile back.... anyone have a link?
The actual kit is made by NAERC (North American Exotic Replica Cars) from Canada. They sell replica bodies and parts, and now even a replica chassis! Spddy is starting a business of custom building these cars to the customer's specs. This particular car is an NAERC body with all of the goodies, but it is on a stretched Fiero chassis. He also has another one on a stretched Fiero with a 3800SC on it, and one on a replica chassis with an LS1 in it. The other two are not fully completed yet.
. Anyone who knew Fieros, could instantly tell mine was a kit, but I did have local Ferrari dealer salesmen come out to check out my ' trade in '.
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