00:00
Hey, and welcome back to the next episode of the Right Hand Drive Guys podcast, the podcast
00:06
for guys who like right-hand drives.
00:12
And welcome back to another episode of the podcast.
00:16
Today is episode 154.
00:21
We wanted to do a non-guess episode.
00:25
We wanted to go ahead and just cover a topic we hadn't really covered.
00:30
That is like, it's really quite a thing in our culture and has been for a while.
00:36
But definitely as certain cars start coming over here, you start seeing more and more
00:44
And really it becomes like these two groups of people with different opinions like
00:50
battling each other.
00:53
And so the topic is are like clones versus originals, right?
01:03
Like a tribute car versus the original car and how our culture has taken that and turned
01:09
it into whether it's a good thing or a bad thing or whatever it may be, right?
01:14
So okay, here's the deal, right?
01:18
Here's the scenario that kind of explains what we're talking about, right?
01:23
Yeah, what's a clone?
01:24
Well, so, okay, so hear me out before that, before what's a clone, okay?
01:30
If you, let's just say you were an R33 guy, you love $400, right?
01:35
And so, however, like how much is a $400 right now?
01:39
Like a million plus.
01:42
One million dollars.
01:43
One million dollars plus, right?
01:45
Okay, so for us and most people listening to this, besides maybe a few guys, that is
01:54
A real $400 are 44 units produced, right?
01:56
Yeah, there's only 44 people at most that can own them, right?
02:00
Yes, literally at most.
02:01
That's not that many people in the world.
02:04
And there's quite less because who knows what happens to some of them.
02:06
Yeah, like is there 44?
02:08
And I mean, I think, you know, off topic.
02:10
I think I've seen four of the 40, 44 in real life.
02:16
Which like, that's not that many, but like, that's decent.
02:21
So, okay, so let's say you're a big $400 guy that like ever since you saw it back
02:25
in the day in the magazine, that's been like the car that you always looked up to.
02:30
You know, now you're approaching 40, you got some disposable income.
02:34
You already got a 33.
02:37
You've now made it a, what's called a clone or a tribute car by finding every single $400
02:44
part on Bayi Yahoo auction, whatever all these things, legit parts, Nismo parts that including,
02:52
let's just even say a hood, which is impossible to get.
02:56
I think most of these parts from Nissan, speaking on the $400 specifically, if you don't have
03:00
the VIN number, you can't even order these parts.
03:05
You've put all this money into it.
03:07
It's not a million dollars, but it's got the full plethora of $400 parts.
03:13
Steering wheel, badge, everything.
03:16
Nothing else though.
03:18
No unique spin on it, just yourself.
03:20
So you pull into this meet, right?
03:22
Let's just say, let's just go hard.
03:24
It's ours meeting, right?
03:25
You pull into ours meeting and up next to you pulls in number 37, the actual $400
03:33
right next to you, right?
03:36
Who do you think, like which car do you think they're taking more pictures of?
03:41
This is the general public.
03:42
This is not a guy who is well versed, like can pick out the spot welds where, you know
03:48
Like the general public.
03:50
I mean, they're probably taking pictures of both of them, right?
03:53
Or whichever ones are more favorite color because they don't have, most people don't
04:01
Well executed, like a lot of people would not be able to recognize the difference between
04:10
So I think they would take pictures of both of them or just whichever one was their favorite.
04:14
Most appealing, right?
04:15
Most appealing to them, right?
04:17
But they would both walk away from there saying, dude, there were $200, $400 at the meet.
04:24
However, when you get out of your tribute or clone, whatever you want to call it, $400,
04:34
and somebody says, damn dude, a $400, that's so frickin' sick.
04:39
I can't believe you have one of the $44.
04:43
This is the whole thing that makes a difference.
04:48
What do you personally say?
04:50
Me personally, I would say, thank you.
04:54
It's not a real $400.
04:56
It's just a tribute because that's one of my favorites, right?
05:00
But however, that's only because they would know what a $400 is and know that there's
05:07
only 40 of them and all that, right?
05:10
All the time I get out of my car and people are like, oh dude, sick GTR.
05:14
But you know, it's hard to say, yeah, it's not a GTR, it's a GTST guy.
05:21
But in that specific situation, I would say, no, I appreciate it, but no, it's a replica
05:28
or a tribute or whatever.
05:29
Yeah, whatever you want to call it.
05:30
I would tell them right there, it's not a real $400.
05:34
And that's the right thing to do.
05:36
And so, okay, the $400 or the Z-Tune or some of the obviously where Skyline dudes,
05:42
these are going to come up more often, there are plenty of examples that we could
05:47
use, you know, a guy with an NSX doing an NSXR tribute, right?
05:54
A guy with a regular RX7 touring doing a whatever, Bathhurst or whatever, you know, tribute.
06:01
These things happen and sometimes the lines are blurred and we kind of talked about this
06:06
a little bit is a guy who does a TT or, you know, a GTE swap on a Supra and puts
06:14
the turbo badge on the back.
06:17
Is that a TT tribute or is that a, that's just an engine swap, you know, so it's
06:24
because the chassis, there is no, like, differences, right?
06:28
So like the twin turbo had a wide body or anything like that, right?
06:35
No, I believe it was for sure the same body.
06:36
So these things, you know, they can kind of be, it's kind of up to how you decide
06:43
what it is in that sense.
06:46
What do these things even exist?
06:48
Like why would people do that thing?
06:51
We kind of touched on it, right?
06:54
400R is one of 44, you know, and it's a million dollar car.
06:59
We touched on that part.
07:00
But why else do you think, you know, people kind of create these clones or these, you
07:07
know, just, yeah, these cars?
07:10
I mean, I think a few reasons.
07:12
I mean, I think one reason is because they want to have their own spin on something, right?
07:18
Like, there's always that guy, it's like, oh, I'll never have a GTR.
07:21
I don't have that money.
07:22
But, you know, it'd be sick to do a GTS4 or, you know, an all-wheel drive GTT and
07:30
make it one, right?
07:32
Because, you know, let's face it, those cars are way more expensive than a GTE
07:38
and an engine swap.
07:40
Even though it's more than that.
07:42
I guess that's one way is, you know, you kind of want to get out cheaper.
07:49
It's more affordable.
07:50
And then with what you said, as far as like the unique spin, right, like that, I feel
07:55
like that's almost a third category, right?
07:57
Because, for example, you know, we had him on when we were at IA, Ohana GTR.
08:04
So he has a lot of 400R parts.
08:07
But he didn't use, like he put his own spin on it.
08:11
I wouldn't even call that a 400R clone.
08:14
I wouldn't attribute potentially maybe, but it's like his own version, which I think
08:20
is like just as cool and it kind of takes you out of that, like tribute clone area
08:26
where people do think, you know, you're kind of trying to copy or imitate that
08:34
It's like one of those things.
08:35
Well, when you first see his car, you're like, holy crap.
08:37
But then you start looking at it.
08:38
You're like, wait a minute.
08:39
That says Nismo on the side.
08:41
And you know, it doesn't have this.
08:42
It doesn't have that.
08:43
But it has other cool things to it.
08:45
So, yeah, I mean, I think that's like a well executed like tribute, I guess you
08:53
Like it's more like a, let's just say 400R inspired than a 400R clone, right?
08:59
I guess a clone would be trying to get as close as possible to the real thing
09:06
That's what I think.
09:08
Is like as close to the real thing.
09:12
Tribute maybe a little less because the word clone is like exact replica, right?
09:17
Tribute would be kind of having your own.
09:19
Your own touches to it.
09:22
So I think, you know, there's some pros and cons here, you know, we could start
09:27
I would say the pros of a clone tribute, whatever.
09:32
One of them would be it does keep the style alive, like the style of those cars
09:42
in which we're so limited, right?
09:44
Like, so for example, guys like me who maybe, you know, can't afford a Z-tune
09:52
I'm using those Z-tune fenders.
09:54
I'm using like whatever the Z-tune or S-tune from Bumper.
09:58
And so it does keep these styles alive.
10:02
As opposed to, no, you can't possibly get inspiration from this car.
10:07
And now, well, you're never seeing it and you're never seeing those body lines.
10:11
You're never seeing those styling cues because only those 44 dudes can do it.
10:16
And that part, I think the pro, one of the pros is that, what do you think?
10:18
What do you think a pro is?
10:21
I mean, I think it's tough.
10:28
I think another pro would be maybe, it's hard to put into words, not wasting a good example,
10:40
If you want to maybe track your car, you know, you're not having to spend X amount on this
10:46
special model, even though you might like the styling of it and whatnot, you can have
10:55
You can have it drive that way, but not be that thing, you know what I'm saying?
11:00
So it's not like...
11:03
You can have that style without the risk of destroying a car that's way more expensive.
11:12
And so another pro, sorry, I think is like it allows certain guys, the guys that put
11:21
110% into it, right?
11:23
It allows them to do as close to what Nissan did in the factory themselves.
11:31
We're talking about these dudes with extreme skill and taste that like, you know, there
11:36
are those certain dudes, when they do it, it's like, damn, that's like pretty damn close
11:42
to like what you would, what a 400R, let's just say really is.
11:46
So I like though, I like it for that, that like these guys can do like a clone and
11:52
get so damn close that like, it takes a lot of, it takes a good eye to really notice,
11:59
you know, which I saw in Japan, I thought for sure it was a 400R, like so did Jesse.
12:06
We both thought it was a 400R.
12:09
It was at that night meet, right?
12:11
Like, I mean, I remember that being posted up and it was like, kind of a little viral
12:15
moment because it was like, oh, 400, a real 400R at the night meet, it's like what?
12:20
And then, you know, a day or two later it came out that it was, it was like, it was a replica.
12:25
It was not a guy from Thailand or something.
12:28
So like, but that car even had the, the wiperless rear windshield.
12:33
Like down to that stuff, you know, so I think that's good.
12:37
As far as cons, the big one that everybody, not everybody, which is weird, most people
12:45
agree on is the risk of misrepresentation.
12:52
Like the whole thing, right?
12:54
Like that's, that's the problem that we run into and why they say like a purist will say
12:59
if it's not from the manufacturer, it's fake.
13:01
And why like a guy who's like the clone builder will say like, yo, like we love these
13:08
Let us kind of do this thing is the fact that people misrepresented their shithead
13:15
asshole dinks out there.
13:17
I'm going to say it.
13:19
That shithead asshole dinks, dude, they're, they're sad.
13:22
They go out there and they say, this is a 400R that I'm selling number friggin 48.
13:32
That's exactly a number 420.
13:35
I mean, like that's the problem is these dudes that like have no shame.
13:41
That's where it becomes a problem is when you're, that's when it becomes fake
13:45
is when you're claiming it's something that it's obviously not, you know, and
13:49
that's where, I don't know, that's where you lose a lot of respect.
13:53
That's where you'll get flamed on the, you know, well deserved, especially if you're
13:57
trying to, like if it's a for sale, a car for sale, if you're trying to sell it
14:02
for the same price as the real thing, like it's, yeah, it's not a good look.
14:12
You know, and they'll shit on the pierce for saying it's like faking it.
14:16
But like, that's what's hard.
14:18
The purest is either that pure, much of a purest that he truly believes that, or he
14:26
You know, that's generally what it is.
14:28
Like, like it's a big thing in the like GTR realm, right?
14:31
Like you, a GTT guy, you know, well, I mean, and sometimes do the whole thing.
14:37
RB26, like wide body, dude, everything, right?
14:42
And that, they, they hate that, right?
14:45
That's like faking it.
14:46
It's up badging it in that.
14:48
That is when, yeah, you get the guys who spent the money, saved up the money, whatever made
14:55
That gets salty because they bought the real thing and you're faking that and then putting
15:01
a badge on it that represents something more than just the parts that you threw on that
15:09
That's how they see it.
15:11
I, I don't like that myself.
15:12
I don't like it when people claim something that it's not like there's nothing wrong
15:17
with building, you know, like there was an R30, an Autech R33 like clone that was up
15:23
for sale not too long ago.
15:25
And dude, there's nothing wrong with having an R33 sedan, putting an RB26 in it.
15:31
That's all we'll drive and doing all these things.
15:34
There's nothing wrong with that.
15:36
But like, don't claim that it's something that it's not.
15:39
Do not say it's an Autech R33 GTR.
15:43
No, you say it's an Autech R33 inspired.
15:47
That's the big thing.
15:48
Not that inspired or clone, you know, these words.
15:53
And there's nothing, there's nothing wrong with like building these cars.
15:55
Like I said, I mean, I think that's super cool that someone would do that.
15:59
And like, yeah, someone is putting the work of having this RB26 in a car that, you know,
16:05
it didn't come in and going through all the steps to do it, you know, didn't
16:11
claim that because that's like way more work.
16:15
Be proud of it for being that.
16:16
Yeah, you did put in the work and it looks good and people can't really tell.
16:22
Dude, yeah, pat yourself on the back, but don't.
16:24
Don't put GTR badges on it and don't say that it's something that it's
16:31
You know, and so, yeah, I mean, the last con I could say is that, I mean, it
16:38
kind of can devalue the original.
16:42
Some people see it as devaluing the uniqueness of the original.
16:45
That's the purest saying that.
16:47
That is a purest thing.
16:49
I mean, I wouldn't say it devalue.
16:51
You're not devaluing a fucking Z tune, my friend.
16:55
Like, I don't care how many people put on those kits.
16:58
Like they are not devaluing it.
17:00
If anything, they're bringing more awareness to it and yeah.
17:02
And the value is going up because those parts are being used by more and
17:07
So it's like the value is, I don't know, that's the way I see it at
17:12
Like, you know, when it comes to like the market and like what we're talking
17:19
I mean, it does create some confusion when people aren't clear about it because
17:22
some people do get scammed because they're, they're new to it.
17:27
However, they just got their money, right?
17:28
You just won the lottery.
17:29
You want this R32, R34 GTR and a guy is selling a, you know, he built out
17:36
a GTT shell and he's calling it a V-spec.
17:38
He doesn't even say R34 GTR.
17:42
He says R34 V-spec.
17:44
Yeah, that seems like he is, he is cloning a V-spec and then trying to
17:50
And that's where it's, like you said, it's really messed up.
17:53
Like the ethics of it, which is like a word you're like, whoa, ethics.
17:57
You know, like, but that's true.
17:59
Selling a car as a clone versus passing it off as real is an ethical thing.
18:04
Like if you have, if you're not an ethical person, you would
18:07
sure just try to get all the money, right?
18:09
If you're ethical, you're going to be like, you're going to,
18:12
you know, you're losing money on that.
18:13
But like you're being real about it, you know?
18:16
And I think nowadays, like if you do enough research, you can, you can
18:21
figure out enough to not get scammed.
18:23
Like there's enough registries and like VIN lookups and stuff like that
18:27
out that, you know, if you are purchasing a car and if you think
18:30
it's been, you know, diddled with and has something going on in the
18:35
Injubate that wasn't factory, you know?
18:37
Like, yeah, look it up and make sure that, you know, you're not
18:40
paying a premium for, you know, this certain model when it was actually
18:44
started life as something else.
18:47
Which, you know, goes into some due diligence.
18:49
We did VIN swapping back in the day, right?
18:52
Like, no, we didn't.
18:54
I mean, someone did.
18:55
But that's like kind of the same thing in a sense, right?
18:58
Like that's what these dudes will do.
19:00
They'll put that you can buy a fake play, dude.
19:03
You put the fake plate on.
19:05
These dudes have figured out how to stamp the firewall and like it's
19:08
still like, you've got to know what you're looking for.
19:11
But like, dude, you can get one passed over on you.
19:14
And, you know, obviously, tributes don't hold the same value like in original.
19:20
Obviously, you know, however, like there are people out there that buy
19:26
these tributes and clones 100% if they are accurate and if they have
19:30
those parts that we're speaking of.
19:32
Pete collectors collect those because it is as close and those parts
19:37
on that car you cannot get out on the street, right?
19:41
And so they sell that, you know, and so if you do it right, that car can at
19:47
least somewhat hold the value of what you've put into it because of those parts.
19:53
I mean, and it's funny because I see this online and I know you do too.
19:58
It's it creates a culture clash, so to speak, right?
20:02
The purist versus the, let's just say the builder, the replica, the clone builder,
20:09
the period, the purist is like, if it's not from the manufacturer, if it's not
20:14
factory, it's it's a fake.
20:16
Whereas the builder or, you know, the tribute guy is like, you know, it's
20:20
my car, I'll make it how I want.
20:22
I've seen this exact argument so many times on in Facebook groups and,
20:28
you know, whatever it is all day, dude, these two exact people,
20:32
the purist and the builder, right?
20:33
Red versus blue, it's the same thing.
20:36
And it's like, it's tough, dude, because you see these dudes arguing and
20:41
you're like, well, fuck, it is his car.
20:43
He will make it how he wants.
20:45
And then you're like, well, damn, I mean, it is fake.
20:48
You know, you're like, you know, it is this thing.
20:51
And and so, you know, you do see, let's just say the GTT guys starting
20:55
to have GT, bigger T badges, right?
20:58
That look like a GTR badge.
21:00
Yeah, those have been around for a while.
21:01
And like, that is the way to do it.
21:04
You know, like, if you want that badge, absolutely, that's the way to do it.
21:12
It looks like a GTR badge, but it still says what it is.
21:15
Like, if you have to have a badge, yes, I personally would just not.
21:20
But like, if you have to, like you are representing what the car is,
21:24
like you are representing the truth, which is that's respectable.
21:28
Like, I like to see that all day.
21:30
I think that GTT badge looks lame, but like it still represents them
21:36
putting the love into the car to make it, right?
21:39
Look or feel like a GTR without claiming that.
21:43
And I respect it, even if it looks weird.
21:46
You know, and so like, dude, dude, car culture forever has been doing this.
21:52
Look at, dude, look at the Yanco Camaros or, you know, these
21:56
also cars all the time back in the day, they, they had interchangeable body parts
22:00
and frames and everything, dude, where they, yeah, you could easily make a clone
22:05
or, or dude, the Shelby Cobra.
22:07
Oh yeah, all you got, oh, for sure.
22:10
Like they've been doing all that type of stuff, right?
22:13
I mean, ever since car culture has been a thing and there's been rare
22:16
models, there's probably been this, you know, it's almost like, yeah.
22:21
I mean, it just painting a certain stripe on it, you know, is the same
22:25
thing on some of these cars.
22:26
So literally, that's the difference.
22:28
Or I mean, dude, hell, take a Fiero and turn it into a Ferrari, dude.
22:31
Like people have been doing whatever to make the, to, to get to that point
22:38
without like being able to spend that money, right?
22:41
Like, dude, yeah, kick cars, especially ridiculous.
22:45
Where do, where do kick cars fall in on this?
22:49
That's a tribute, right?
22:50
Like a clone, but that's not a clone.
22:54
It's a tribute, right?
22:55
Like in it, like some of those F40 kick cars, like, dude, it's so ridiculous.
23:01
Like, come on, dude.
23:03
The eventator kick cars, just all of them are so ridiculous.
23:06
Like I saw this one guy, I forgot where it was online.
23:09
He had, it was, I guess it wasn't a kick car, but it was like a Toyota
23:13
Celica on the inside, like the early 2000s or early 2000s.
23:18
But on the outside, it was like a Ferrari, California or something like that.
23:23
Like still a lame Ferrari, but like it was actually a Toyota.
23:26
And he would take it around to these like high end cars and coffees and like
23:32
And people started to figure out that it was fake, that it's not.
23:35
It is actually a Toyota dude.
23:36
They like send it back and it was pretty funny.
23:39
But I mean, yeah, and that's, that's hard.
23:42
But that's, that's what like, if that guy was serious
23:45
and he was really saying that that was Ferrari and whatnot, like don't.
23:48
That's when, yeah, that's when you cross the line.
23:51
Um, so, you know, you guys, right, the audience, would you rather have
23:58
a perfect clone of a 400R or a bone stock, 33 GTR audience?
24:04
Like hit us up in the DMs, let us know.
24:07
So are you, uh, do you respect the clones or are you a purist?
24:13
Like, do you, like which side of this boat are you on?
24:18
Oh, I mean, yeah, I absolutely respect the clones.
24:22
As long as you're not claiming it's something that it's not at the end of the day.
24:27
I absolutely respect them because no matter what the reason is behind your
24:31
build, if you couldn't afford the real one and you wanted to make a tribute.
24:35
Uh, if you wanted to create something that didn't exist, like a four
24:40
door R34 GTR, like the Okubo factory stuff we were looking at.
24:44
Like if you want to do something like that, that's super cool.
24:48
Uh, I mean, what, for whatever reason, if you do it, cool, but don't claim
24:54
that it's something that it's not.
24:56
That's a big thing.
24:57
Just like you said, those Okubo factory ones, they put on a little thing on
25:01
the side that like, let you know, like this is their version of the GTR, you
25:06
know, which is like, you know, kind of how it should be.
25:08
Let's, let's take a little more pride in this.
25:10
And instead of just out badging, like, let's be creative, right?
25:14
Like, yeah, be more creative than the GTT GTR.
25:18
Logo thing, like be more, you know, like that's the type of stuff that we do need.
25:22
Um, yeah, I'm like, you know, I got respect for the clones in the sense
25:29
of like, I can't afford a 400 R.
25:32
And if I love it and have access to the parts, I get it.
25:36
Same thing as you, like, don't fake the funk.
25:39
Like, let's just not even play that.
25:41
Like, let's just skip all of the, the bullshit and like just be real
25:46
about that. You built a sick car that resembles another sick car, right?
25:51
Like it is not that sick car, but it's another sick car that resembles it.
25:56
Like that's, that's a great way to look at it.
25:58
You know what I mean?
25:59
Um, you know, and it's like, yeah, I see where the dudes who spent $500,000
26:08
on a R34 M spec ner, maybe they get a little perturbed, you know, when
26:13
you see everything painted millennium, Jade.
26:15
And when everything has a, has a R-tune hood and when everything has, yes,
26:20
the Z-tune front, you know, yeah, I get how they get perturbed.
26:23
Like they paid $500 for this special thing.
26:26
But like that or $500,000 for this special thing, but that's the world,
26:31
dude. Like there will always be people that aspire to have that,
26:34
that cannot obtain it and we'll, we'll call it.
26:37
I mean, it's, dude, it's crazy.
26:40
You could go on forever.
26:41
The fake supreme stuff, the fake, this stuff, right?
26:44
Like it's always been like that.
26:46
There's this high level of something that people cannot obtain.
26:50
So they emulate it.
26:53
I mean, dude, down to the way that people act, they aren't, they can't be a
26:57
rapper, but they emulate the way that these rappers act.
27:01
And you, what, no matter what you look at, right?
27:03
Like it's kind of like, there's a piece of this.
27:07
This is just kind of normal.
27:09
Um, so, all right, guys, like whatever you do, just own it.
27:14
Yo, this is the sickest GTR clone in the world, but it's not a GTR.
27:19
And it never will be.
27:20
It's the sickest Skyline GTT.
27:22
Yes, that, that there is.
27:24
Um, all right, guys.
27:25
So listen, if you are a tribute or, or you're a clone guy, send us in,
27:32
like hit us in the DM, send us some pictures of these things.
27:35
We'll focus it on the air.
27:36
We'll feature it on the next YouTube episode.
27:39
Um, I mean, we'd love to see it.
27:41
And if dude, if you're an original with a, with a 400R or a
27:44
Bathurst, R7, or whatever it may be, like send those pictures in too,
27:49
because we definitely want to see that stuff.
27:51
Um, and I mean, we'll, we'll feature some, like I said, and we'll
27:55
just kind of, um, you know, we'll, we'll brag for you.
27:59
Um, but yeah, guys, again, you know, look in the show notes.
28:03
We got our Facebook, um, group definitely join it.
28:07
We would love to talk.
28:08
We're going to start taking a few more kind of listener call in.
28:12
So we would love to engage with you on that.
28:15
Um, you know, you can find us on Instagram and YouTube, of course,
28:18
but for episode 154, I'm Bobby.
28:27
Don't fucking up, badge.