yeah - i don't get the whole "copycat" thing. it cheapens the real deal, and i find it insulting to the real mccoy.
in the case of the cobra, i've had the opportunity to drive the real deal, both big and small block. i actually prefer driving some of the kits, but fiberglass is not the same as aluminum, doesn't drive the same, and doesn't feel the same (there is one aluminum body kit out there though). the engines, suspensions, brakes and driveline are usually different too. most of the kits do not in any way resemble the real cobra, beyond body lines, and even those are wrong on a lot of them. i've seen bigger hips, longer wheelbases, and all sorts of changes to try to incorporate a top. that's fine if you want to build a cool car, but don't put the cobra emblem on it.
the 550 spyder replicas are right up there on that list too. there is one model of the beck that is passed by porsche, but they don't sell a lot of those. what they do sell are the higher output models with a few goodies. i don't think they put a 550 emblem on those cars though, and instead it gets a beck emblem.
as a collector of cars over the years, when i come across a car that bears the emblems or a rarer model, but is not that model, i find it only hurts the people who have the real deal. it cheapens the brand, and creates a general feeling that the real thing is not that different than the "copy", so why bother buying the real thing? in reality it is very different to those who have the real thing.
that being said, i have less of a problem if you do EVERYTHING exactly as the factory did, right down to the last nut and bolt. no halfway stuff. that's why i don't have a problem with calling a car an M030 car
IF it had everything in the package, and was installed like from the factory. if you're going to copy something it has to be a real copy. but, that means that you can't deviate and improve on it, unlike what you could do with the real thing. with the real thing, it still has the cornerstone of legacy, but a copy loses that the moment it diverts from the package, and just becomes another modified standard car.
when i go to car shows, it makes be nuts to spot a car from across the lot, thinking it's something special, just to find out somebody stuck an emblem on it. i would have appreciated the car for what it was, but seeing that it's a fake, my attitude shifts and i think much less of it, and start looking for flaws. i know an awful lot of car show geeks that feel the same way. oddly, they are all older though, so maybe this is just something that comes with age?
by the way, i feel this way about pretty much anything. cover bands are the same for me. if you want to play the songs, that's fine, but play a different arrangement.
also by the way, i have removed all porsche related emblems from the outside of the car, with the exception of the font on the rear, and only because i have not figured out a way to do that without it looking goofy.
but, everybody is free to do what they want to their own car. i've certainly done some things that others would find quite objectionable. i don't for a minute presume to understand everybody's motivations. this one just escapes me.