Any love for the MEV replicar ?
 

..

I like it personally ...always liked the expensive version replica when it came out ..can't think who made it.


Iva can't be too much of an issue if others have got through

Jeff H - I am another fan of the MEV Replicar. :cool:

And this version has the same colour scheme I am planning for my own build.

http://www.mevltd.co.uk/assets/image...replicar25.jpg

I love the Aston styling and its a whole lot cheaper and available than the Evanta offering ...

http://www.evanta.co.uk/archive-cars.html#

The MX5 is a fantastic donor too ...I love MX5's ... I'd like to see one that someone has dressed post IVA though because they have huge potential to look fantastic but pre -IVA , especially the red one with those hideous seats , they just scream KIT , KIT , KIT ...

Really liked the idea of the Replicar when it first came out but when I saw it with 'fake' doors it really put me off. Now it has doors (albeit those ugly hinges would have to go), it is more of a proposition.

I'm wondering why they are selling off that part of the business...

25K SEEMS REASONABLE TO ME ...I have more than that sunk into my project so far ...

I have to question the 25 a year sales though ...its been on offer for a few years now ..thought we might have seen a few more than we have if they were selling that many units ?

Mev
 

They had such a great idea and like many Kit manufacturers they do all the hard work with nearly getting the shape right then miss all the finer details. If they wanted to sell these they should have got a passed IVA model (clients) on the stand ripped out the hideous interior, door hinges pin hole roundels. I have an 860 Monza Ferrari replica which i attend Le mans, Laon, Jersey, Goodwood , Silverstone etc whilst no where near as bad as these it too needed sorting. Correct Interior, exhaust, (right size roundels small ones look so poor) If you are going to love a 1950's looking car then make it look like one it drives me mad. If he had concentrated on doing the above i am sure the market for these would be really good as people are looking to buy the classic looking sports cars which are getting harder and harder to find but exactly that! they are looking for that classic look not the interior and comfort of an MX5. Great having reliability yes under the skin but not the other mod cons.:rant:

Also on their web site I did not see a single example carrying a UK number plate.

Sort of makes you think one never got on the road ?

regards Paul

I always liked the look of these but also thought they were not quite right - with a bit of tweaking the design could have looked so good.

Not for me!

I think they are workable ...for me , if you choose a car to replicate , then you are setting yourself up for criticism if its not accurate or you have been flexible in design to accommadate modern regs etc... but this is an ongoing issue that won't go away with new testing processes....I think he has done well to get a retro styled kit through the IVA , as I think its aimed at stopping retro styled cars , Hot Rods etc. primarily ... ...I echo everything said above , ditch the horrible IVA'able bits after the test in the same way the Cobra guys etc do ...- the right accessories and they stand a chance ...the biggest issue I have with them is the small wheel arches combined with smallish wheels as opposed to the original cars 16'' wires and huge arches...They are very wide when compared with an original too ...but so are all the Aston offerings in this catagory as they use Jag axles mostly ...when you stand next to an original they are quite skinny ...

There is potential to make them great little cars ...but they just need that bit of help ...hopefully whoever takes them on ...and I would love to be let loose on them ..will take them down the right path ...

I think MEV had the moulds up for sale earlier this year. I think the IVA was putting customers off, not sure if they were sold.
It is prettier in the pictures than in real life, the driver sits much too high in the car and just doesn't look right.


Sorry, didn't read the earlier posts.

If the body was available on its own it could have made a good re body project like the Formosa. Regards the seating position, that might be down to the use of standard car seats ?

I think its partly seat choice and partly restrictions of Space frame and running gear etc...
The green one looks better than the red one , but they just don't quite work for me ...they look a bit plastic ? I know that's a daft thing to say about a fibreglass car ..but you can dress a plastic car to make them look the part ...I just don't think they tried hard enough ...

For me ..its a nearly but no cigar ...car .

I would love to get one and dress it up ...alter a few bits ..

More than double advertised in the USA, plus shipping & crating.
Space frame limitations effect the seating. Not worth it to rebody an old Miata.

The green car with the steel wheels looks right. Sparkly chrome wires don't look good on a 50's style period car, neither do high back seats and weird grills on the sides. Take the body on its own and I think it could look the part with period features and toned down colour options.

Agree with LL, it could have possibilities and I do like the body.
Just not on a spaceframe Miata.

They could have come with a more aspirational name, MEV Replicar …...

Yep!

Too wide and 'flat' for my taste, the styling just misses the mark.

The seats, dash etc. could be replaced with more period items but you'd still be stuck with the Noddy driving position -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...pseu6c8odj.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...pso88lpimi.jpg

It would take a lot of work to narrow it for an older chassis but could look pretty good if executed well. After all, I do know someone who once upon a time took one of these -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...pszf1pzz8v.jpg

And after casting a magic spell in a dingy (man) cave somewhere in deepest, darkest Poole, made it look like this -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...vidpics061.jpg

Definite ugly duckling into beautiful swan fable there.

The bloke in the green car is only 5'2"

Looks like he's sitting on a box, there's loads of room behind his back to the bulk head. I'd think its just those crappy seats they used.

They are in production and available from ANC Sportscars in Plymouth.

The main styling issue with the body are the tiny wheels and tyres, compared with the real thing here ..

Bigger wheels would look better, but it'd need the arches raising and widening to match, and those bolt-on chrome basket wheels have no place on a classic replica anyway, but...

The styling just misses the mark in far too many areas for me, from the Noddy driving position to the 'wrong' angle that the bonnet line takes down to the (too small?) front grille aperture.

Take a look at this one (don't know if it's real or replica, btw) -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...pspshmcj8e.jpg

The bonnet line doesn't drop away dramatically at the front and there's very little overhang from the headlights to the grille, in fact it's very similar to the D Type front.

The driving position on this one is also much better - the driver's eye-line is just above the screen while his shoulder is level with the lowest point of the rear arch. You're not going to be able to fix that with different seats in the Replicar, I'm afraid, as the donor car's structure is just in the way.

Best thing to do with this body I would suggest, would be to copy Lucky at Lemans' idea of rebodying a Lotus 7 style existing car that's already road registered.

That would kill two birds with one stone - 1/ the driving position would be suitably low, and 2/ it wouldn't need IVA, just a much simpler and cheaper (still free?) rebody application through DVLA.

The re register / rebody process is still free, just done my 250 TR .

I think the body would work over a Lotus 7 style chassis, depends if they would let you have a body on its own, I would hope so.

If you go on the MEV forum there is a Replicar video showing one remodelled to look more Testarossa, still got crappy chrome wires and big seats though.

:eusa_clap::rofl:

Here is the Testarossa styled Replicar. To be honest I still prefer the Formosa design !

http://mevowners.proboards.com/threa...plicar-ferrari

Click on the video link on the page.

Will people ever learn? F-badges all over the place.
Nice, but I think it's overdone, esp. with those fake wire wheels.

Great video, I absolutely loved it.

The car also looks very nice in all the shots, like others have already said, though, the seats and wheels let it down somewhat, while the dash also rather gives the game away.

The use of 'F' badges, Cavallino Rampante shields and 60's GTO vents on a 50's styled car is really down to personal taste (international copyright laws notwithstanding).

I'd perhaps have been a bit more sparing about the badging, either using a few, subtle badges to hint at the car's identity, which I'm doing with my Speedster, or mirroring the markings used on an original car, which I did with my Spyder, but each to their own.

No offence intended, but to me, this one does rather shout its status from the rooftops through a loudhailer while wearing a tangerine mardi gras costume. The Cavallino Rampante atop the steering column in particular is really just too much.

Other than the above, it looks to be a well built and very pretty car and I'd love to see it 'in the metal'.

I emailed the company about the possibility of selling just a body and they would. They couldn't really grasp why I would want to fit the body over the "wrong" chassis and that it wouldn't fit over a 7 style chassis anyway. I think there is scope to build a more convincing car using much larger 16" wheels and the correct profile tyres. The wheel base and track of their car is similar to the original. You would have to radius the arches both front and rear and sit the body lower down over the chassis. You could also correct the seating position and build an authentic interior to match. Lots of work but I think it could be done.

I totally agree. A bit of work would result a much nicer "replica".

One for sale here, under £20k and well built by the looks of it.

Tiny wheels are the biggest disappointment but could be changed. Nice interior though and not too modern looking.

eBay item number:
283570226748

And another one here, £5k cheaper and similar spec.

eBay item number:
163792126221

Green one:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aston-Mar...cAAOSw~2ldRv8H


Silver one:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aston-Mar...MAAOSwDdldPYVz

Apart from the red rear cockpit wall, the silver one looks very nice indeed. :cool:

Both look very pretty ...The tiny wheel arches and wheels frustrate me a bit on these cars ..but they aren't the worst ...
I think the silver one belongs to a guy called Alex, he had the TVR based 250 GTO that Tribute built ...