Words in the July 2011 issue of Motor Sport

[lord sward]

Anyone remember the Caterham 21?

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

Most certainly, and had the pleasure of watching them race. Then, like the Cobra, a lot of people got the same idea and started making reproductions of the car and offering it as a kit or a turn-key. Lots of fun, and they come on line from time to time with articles in the car magazines. Great ideas never seem to go out of style or lose their popularity. Does this mean that some of us should make Bristol 409 bodies out of fibreglass and offer several donor chasiss options. Intriguing, what? Now, all we need is someone to offer up their car to take moulds.

[Markus Berzborn]

Originally Posted by Ronald G. Stephenson

Does this mean that some of us should make Bristol 409 bodies out of fibreglass and offer several donor chasiss options. Intriguing, what?

No, not really intriguing.
Because it's to a large extent the separate chassis and the aluminium bodywork that defines a Bristol.

Regards,
Markus

[TBC]

the Caterham 21 was the unsuccessful attempt by the company to produce a 'modern' 7. It proved no match for Lotus's Elise

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

The Caterham and other replicas have been driven hard, tested by many of the enthusiast magazines, and they have gotten rave reviews. Technology marches on, and small specialist cars come and go as all of us know. It is a tribute to the original ideas that made these cars possible,and in no way is a replica any sort of 'knock-off' of the real thing. Few people can be deceived by them,and it makes for a lot of hands-on fun to construct a car.
My idea for the reproduction 409 stands, and if I only produced one car, that would be satisfaction enough. Besides, beauty may only be skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone. You have to love the 409 in order to stand the nasty comments people make when seeing the car. Matter of taste? Who knows?

[Markus Berzborn]

What's the use of a 409 replica as long as you can get a 409 upgraded by the company itself?

Regards,
Markus

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

Well, for starters, I would have to ship the car to GB. Second, I daresay that the cost of refurbishment would outstrip the cost of a car in decent condition. I can purchase good examples here for 35,000 USD.