The business of replicars

Rebels may be without causes, as James Dean supposedly was. But he sure knew his cars. Dean drove a Porsche 550A Spyder, a diminutive mid-engined sports car that slaughtered Goliaths in the racetrack.

Unfortunately, the 550 also went down in history as the car Dean was driving when he died, overshadowing the car’s success in motorsports.

Dean’s tragic death notwithstanding, the little Porsche became a legend, one highly desirable piece of automotive history. Which means these days, it is highly unlikely that mere car-loving mortals can afford the $200,000 (P10 million) going rate of these beauties, let alone find one that’s for sale. Especially here in our Third World neck of the woods.

Then again, there were three of them sitting in a garage cum workshop just off C5 in Pasig City. Ok, the cars were still waiting assembly and in need of some other mundane yet necessary stuff. But they were Porsche 550s, dammit.

Well, at least they look like Porsche 550s. That’s because the cars are actually replicas; full-sized models with specifications identical to the original. And they are built by Gonzalo "Nene" Sy-Quia, a man whose passion for fine automobiles is like a diabetic’s love for chocolate: so much it hurts.

Sy-Quia has been building replicas for decades now. Starting in 1971 when he built himself an MG TC replica, Sy-Quia has been churning out various MG TC, TF, Lotus Seven and Shelby Cobra replicas since. With molds fashioned from the original models, he creates his replicas with an exacting eye for detail, a back-of-the-hand knowledge of the models, and a lofty standard of workmanship. No shoddy orange peel paint jobs here, no falling-to-pieces suspension parts there, no imprecise body panel fit anywhere. Everything’s top-notch, high-quality work worthy of comparison with the best low-volume car manufacturers in the world.

The Porsche 550 is but a recent example. Last year, an acquaintance of Sy-Quia bought a 550 Spyder replica kit car abroad and commissioned Michel Motors-Sy-Quia’s manufacturing plant-to assemble the car for him. With access to a mold, specs and an up close look of a car that is identical to an original 550, Sy-Quia then fashioned his own molds and took down notes with the intention to build one of his own 550s in the future. That is if, and only if, others would buy the cars. Sort of like a Field of Dreams in reverse.

And order they did. Presently, three customers had put in their orders for the 550, with several more signifying interests. The intention for most, if not all, of the customers is to campaign the 550 in a one-make type race in the vintage car race series, usually held at the Subic International Raceway. Not surprising, since the 550 was a true race car only converted for use in the streets by foolhardy souls.

So last year, work began on the first batch of the 550 Spyders. Michel Motors created their own body panels made of fiberglass and fabricated its own chassis from stout steel tubes. Replica lights, trim, gauges, switches and the like are brought in from abroad. Whatever parts that can be sourced locally is bought here, but only those that are made by companies that supply to major car manufacturers. No shoddy backyard industry jobs please.

A freshened 1600cc Volkswagen engine and transaxle is fitted, now facing the opposite direction from its original Beetle position since the 550 is a proper mid-engine sports car. A trick shift linkage had to be fabricated to accommodate the new layout. The car, riding on a VW Beetle suspension, is now called the Michel Spyder.

Calling it the Michel Spyder is something Sy-Quia has every right to do so. After all, there are certain number of parts in a car which if one company builds itself enough of, earns itself the right to call the car its own. Steve Saleen builds specialty Ford Mustangs he no longer call Ford but Saleen, and Alois Ruf modifies Porsche 911s enough to call it Ruf.

For P650,000 (that’s last year’s price, but still considerably less than what new econoboxes costs), Sy-Quia will construct for a customer what is referred to in the kit car and "replicar" industry as a turn-key model. Simply get in the car and drive off. Even registration papers have already been taken care of. But Michel requires at least a year to turn one Spyder for you, more for the Michel Cobra, Michel Seven and the MGs. Not bad, considering the five-year waiting period for a Morgan.

No need to worry about copyright infringements, too. "So long as the car model is not in production anymore, it’s safe to make replicas," Sy-Quia assured us. "Besides, we do not put any badges or logoes on the cars."

Another thing customers-or any other replicar owner-need not worry about, is the degree of modifications one can perform on the cars. Because replicars are not bound to the same level of exactitude as the ownership or restoration of vintage cars are. Sy-Quia noted that a replica builder or owner can improve on certain areas of the car that needs a bit more work, something that is not possible on an original vintage car, lest you want to ruin its authenticity-and therefore, value.

This view is shared by Rolf Kleindienst, a fellow car nut of Sy-Quia and doting owner of one of the Michel Spyders. "It’s hard to look at vintage car owners wrecking their cars," he said. "That’s because when an original [vintage] car is destroyed, a piece of art is lost forever. It’s like losing the Mona Lisa."

Needless to say, a highly desirable vintage car’s multi-million peso price tag doesn’t help things one bit. Sy-Quia’s replicars-even when compared to replicars made abroad-is still cheap. So in the unfortunate event one is the damaged, losses aren’t as much.

Besides these reasons, though, there is a deeper, more personal argument taken into consideration by all replicar enthusiasts, Kleindienst included. Kleindienst said that he had always wanted a 550 ever since he first laid eyes on it way back in 1957. "There is one car that leaves an imprint in you forever," he thoughtfully mused. "Now I have one."

Well, it may not actually be a real 550 Spyder. But if it looks like a duck and quacks even better than a duck, then it must be a...replicar.