As much as I like Stratos replicas, once they've got to the stage of being valued £10k above Ferrari 308s, I'm always going to choose a 308.Originally Posted by Strat Fan
There is a limit.
As much as I like Stratos replicas, once they've got to the stage of being valued £10k above Ferrari 308s, I'm always going to choose a 308.
There is a limit.
As Craig said - it's a matter of personal choice. The fact that LB has a long waiting list speaks volumes. Now that I'm starting to "test" my car I'm beginning to get a feel for what makes these cars so special - apart from the heritage and aesthetics (as if that wasn't enough !)
Looking at eBay the listing for the Hawk has currently ended and the item is no longer available.
"You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead"
Stan Laurel
A problem when comparing the purchase price of these other exotica with a Stratos rep is it ignores the inbuilt costs associated with owning them. Buying them is the cheap bit. I follow the McLaren Forums quite closely but have yet to find too many folk running one without the £3500 annual warranty and that's before servicing and insurance costs. Some of the better ones available at the moment still cost over £100k but have depreciated by the cost of a turnkey LB STR over the past couple of years and haven't reached the bottom. It makes the idea of owning a nice, appreciating, desirable, cheap to run kit car quite pleasant.
My personal experience of over 20 years of Ferrari ownership is the need to budget for an average of £2500 for servicing per year. My best mate bought a lovely, mint condition, 328 GTS about 3 years ago for less than a turnkey STR. For the past 8 months it has been with a specialist having unexpected engine work done at a cost that would buy you a new Honda Civic Type R.
I owned a 308 and did all the servicing myself.
I stripped down all four webers and rebuilt them. I also fitted new cam belts and tensioner bearings.
You can't run one on a budget, but it needn't cost a fortune.
Regarding current Stratos replica values:
They are now way out of my league, and for a long time, that didn't use to be the case.
If I hadn't been able to create possible ownership by stealth, I'd have gone from here some time ago.
I agree Chris, it is a shame values 'matter'... because really they don't.
I’m new to the stratos replica scene, but not the exotic race/rally scene.
I’ve also come on here looking for a stratos replica. It did also take me by surprise by the cost of the stratos replicas especially because I’ve done my research on other kit cars for sale, the standard classic Ferrari’s, Porsche, early esprits and anything with any historic rallying or race pedigree.
So, in my mind I already had a price and was somewhat anchored to it. I too was taken aback by the cost of the stratos replica cars in comparison to the above mentioned cars! And correct me if I’m wrong, they’re not eligible to actually enter a timed rally event?
Definitely a supply and demand of such cars with kit-cars not being frowned upon as they once were, restomods with any engine in any classic car being a new pastime, the new model stratos, the youtubers bringing the stratos to a new generation. All has given the stratos a bit of a revival! And the one’s who have one, won’t sell them, but funnily, if one comes up for sale they buy another!!!
So, my take on it is quite simple. You get your free quote and if you like it, then dig deep and splash the cash! If not, admire and take part as a club member and enjoy or put some finance plan together! At the end of the day, we would all like to own an original! And I’ll put my neck out and say 90% of people on this forum would want one. But a replica would just have to do?
Do I still want one?…Hell yea!
Which manufacturer? who cares! I’ve seen them both now and love them both, but I must admit, I now have a soft spot for a steel body replica, I’ve seen one getting built in a bunch of wooden sheds down somewhere in sunny England! More options to choose from, but how deep are my pockets??? Lol.
Last edited by Stimbow; 13-06-2021 at 07:44.
I expect you've all been waiting for me to weigh in on this latest side-discussion regarding Strat rep prices! In fact I was actually going to leave it, having said it all previously - but on reflection, it may be worth reiterating a few things.
1) There still seems to be a mode of thought amongst some people that these Strat reps are "only kit cars" and should therefore be (fairly) cheap. Well, those days are long gone. The genuine Stratoses found their true place in the world of classics as desirable exotics some years ago, and good high-quality replicas have also climbed in price as they too have become appreciated for what they actually are. They have to be "good", though, to fetch the big numbers.
2) A new turnkey car from Hawk or LB can't be cheap. Consider the work involved in constructing one, and the cost of the components, the trimming, the painting, the labour. Remember that the car is entirely hand-built without robots and without an assembly line, plus the fact it's bespoke. The whole journey from initial contact with the manufacturer, to speccing the car and examining it at various points during its build, to collection of the finished vehicle, is already better than what the high-end exotic marques are attempting to do. If you order a Ferrari or Lambo, you'll do it at a dealer. You'll never get to meet the guy who designed it or the people who're building it, and establish a proper relationship with them. That's priceless!
3) Comparing a new turnkey Strat rep to a Cayman/Boxster GTS or Ferrari 308...well, sure, it's horses for courses, but in a lot of ways, for me the LB is a superior car. Consider just the door hinge, which uses laser-cut parts and spherical joints. Not only is it functional, it's lovely to look at. And that goes for just about every component on it - it's almost Pagani or Bugatti-like in that respect. Don't misunderstand, the Porsche is a fantastic car and great value for money (I've had my 987 Boxster Spyder 10 years now and can't see me ever selling it), but it's still mass-produced and when you start getting under the skin you can see where the corners have been cut. Your new Strat rep might not be as practical or be as "developed" in many ways, but it's automotive jewellery!
4) It's unlikely your Strat rep will depreciate for some time yet, given the waiting lists etc. Can't say that about a Cayman GTS!
5) £90-odd thousand for a new car such as this is peanuts in comparison with other manufacturers. In fact I don't understand how they can do it that cheaply! And remember that a turnkey car is no longer a kit car, so why shouldn't it be a pricey thing?
The car for sale here (the 12-valve Alfa-engined Hawk....remember that??) is, I'm told by a previous owner, quite a good car, but it's 20-odd years old now, has a 12v motor and no way can it be compared to a new one with the latest improvements, etc. The vendor asking what a new LB costs, and then upping his price to beyond that, is laughable and shows he doesn't understand the first thing about our cars. You'd think he'd have asked the actual manufacturer of the car he's trying to sell, wouldn't ya?? I'm sure there'll be even more to be said about all this yet...
There was a time...
I think that is exactly the point,
It is at the buyers discretion as to what amount of money they wish to spend on the car of their choosing.
Everyone will have a limit as to what they would want to spend to own such a car and that is their choice.
If a buyer does not think a car is worth what it is advertised/for sale at then quite simply they don't buy it.
Last edited by Strat Fan; 12-06-2021 at 12:08.
"You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead"
Stan Laurel
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