Some Assembly Required: Are Kit Cars Underrated?

I’m willing to bet that a lot of car enthusiasts grew up playing with Legos, building the spaceship or car that the kit was about being half the fun. Now that they’ve grown up, it seems as if a lot of them have grown out of building things from the ground up. There are a lot more gearheads that put new rims on a GT86 than build an entire car from scratch. A lot of times there are car enthusiasts that do things in between the two, rebuilding engines and restoring cars being some good examples. If you live and breath by the mantra “built not bought” than a kit car may be right for you.

Kit cars are often modeled after desirable and rare vehicles like the Ford GT40, Shelby Cobra and Ferrari P4; you can have yourself an affordable car that’s just about identical to a 1960’s racecar, you’ll just have to assemble it yourself. If you feel so inclined, you can add some modern parts and technology to your kit car. The combination of the style of a ‘33 Ford coupe and the reliability and fuel economy of a Ford Coyote V8 appeals to many car buyers, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering the shear amount of restomodded classic cars in the media right now. Owners of real Cobras and GT40’s may frown on these kit cars because it may devalue their cars. It seems as if replicas of Shelby Cobras are more common than the real deal. If you ever buy a replica Cobra, expect to have this exchange a bajillion times…

“Cool car, is it a replica?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”

The Caterham 7 is another popular kit car on the market and offers one of the most unfiltered driving experiences out there; Top Gear even built one in their office building. As an American car enthusiast, I’ve been rather tempted to add it to the list of my favorite cars. What the Caterham 7 lacks in top speed it makes up for in driving fun and track capability.

Do you like kit cars or would you rather own cars that already come fully assembled?