Open Diff: What classic car would you replicate under the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act?

Photo by Patrick Ernzen, courtesy RM Sotheby’s.

With the recent passage of H.R. 22, also known as the FAST Act, replica car makers now have a clear path forward for building turnkey cars, which means we’ll likely see plenty of new Cobras, DeLoreans, Deuces, Lotus Sevens, and other usual suspects hit the market.

But that doesn’t mean replica car makers will be limited to just those makes and models. According to Stu Gosswein, SEMA’s director of federal government affairs, any vehicles 25 years or older is fair game as long as it’s fitted with a current model-year EPA-certified engine. So, conceivably, somebody could set up shop building EcoBoost-powered replica Pintos or Hemi-powered De Sotos. The law doesn’t stipulate whether the original vehicle had to be a production vehicle either, Gosswein said, so that means anybody itching to build and sell noteworthy one-offs – like a bunch of Motorama dream cars – can more than likely have at it.

A couple of our readers already get the gist. For example, Joe Essid envisions a return of one lamented GM brand:

Looking forward to the 2027 “Pontiacs,” recreating wide-track looks faithfully at prices a normal human can afford. By then the law could be tweaked to get volume up. I agree that lots of 325 will mean more toys for the rich boys (and girls). Imagine a ’67 Firebird or GTO replica for $40,000….options would, now as then, cost more.

And KBMWRS would like to see everybody’s favorite punching bag come back for more:

Great! Do I see a new Yugo in your future?

I, for one, think the most logical car to replicate would be the Toyota 2000GT. Like the Cobra and the various models from Stuttgart that have proved popular with replica car builders, the 2000GT has become lustworthy in recent years and auction prices for them have shot through the roof, so even with a price tag in the low six figures, it would find a market. Plop the Lexus RC-F’s 2UR-GSE double overhead-camshaft 471hp V-8 under the hood (provided it fits), and you’ve got a nice screamer that you wouldn’t be afraid to drive on the street. If anybody follows through with this idea, I don’t expect too much in royalties.

What about you? What 1990 or older vehicle would you like to see sold new as a turnkey car? Let us know in the comments and make sure to include the modern engine you’d like to see powering it.