「說到車廠做復刻版真正之背後原因，其實都是做marketing。能推出這些復刻版的車廠，都擁有豐富歷史。推出復刻版，能賺錢之餘，亦能吸引傳媒幫助報道。別人看見這些復刻版時，立刻聯想起舊日的美好，於是車廠就能順利成章達到真正目的 — 推銷新產品。」
Published in Dec 2018 Classic & Sports Car Magazine
KENNETH WONG 黃恩揚- Classic insider 創辦人，經營高級經典及跑車買賣。對處理高檔車種擁有豐富經驗。曾是香港首間經典車拍賣行的營運總監。經常參與高端古董及跑車的相關活動，貼近市場脈搏
近年不少車廠開始生產復刻版經典車，就是把一款經典型號重新製作，以限量方式發售。這些復刻經典車售價不便宜，到底收藏這些「新款經典車」保不保值呢？車廠又為何要推出這些「新款經典車」？今趟就跟各位讀者探討一下。
這些經典車款，車廠在很久以前已將它們停產。復刻作品，其實就是車廠將過往的藍圖（blueprint）和圖則取出來，利用當時或現在的科技和技術再次生產。雖然某些復刻作品配有少許現代配備，但大都跟當年出廠的一樣。但那些年的 homologation 標準跟今時今日不同，當年合法在街上行走的汽車，來到今天可能是非法的，例如不合乎撞擊測試標準等。既然沒有實際用途，那為何車廠還要花費人力物力製造呢？
幾個月前，Aston Martin宣布再次推出19部 DB4 GT Zagato，向這款1960年推出的車型致敬。新車更會回到 Newport Pagnell 生產。車廠用數碼科技將藍圖弄進電腦，結合現時的繪圖技術去重製這部車。所有東西都是最復刻的，引擎也是一台3.8公升直六型號，馬力380匹，配四前速手波。不過，這部DB4 GT Zagato並不符合現今的道路安全標準，車廠到底怎樣推銷這部車？
事實上，它價值近800萬美元（折合約62,653,600港元）！原來車主買這部復刻DB4 GT Zagato，就會跟多一部新款DBS GT Zagato。而兩者是不能分開買的，買家必需要兩部一起買。這滿足了車主的願望：一部用來駕駛，一部用來觀看。Aston Mar tin表示兩部車至少要一年半後才能交貨，當然也全數賣出了。他們在今年八月又表示推出25部復刻版DB5，還要是占士邦（James Bond）在電影《Goldfinger》裏面那一款，有齊導彈和各樣法寶！這部DB5價值3 6 0萬美元（折合約28,194,120港元），2020年才開始生產。
不只是Aston Martin，積架（Jaguar）早前也宣布重造九部復刻版X K SS，加上六部 light weight 版 E-Type。最近又宣布再推出非常限量的復刻 D-Type，跟1955至1957年用來鬥勒芒（Le Mans）那部一樣，採用鋁質車身，配有尾鰭，駕駛艙的木質和儀錶板亦跟原裝一樣，價值15 0萬美元（折合約28,194,120港元）。為何元祖那部 D-Type在經典車市場大受歡迎？因為它是罕有、產量少，加上有濃厚的賽車歷史，贏過不少著名比賽。而且 D-Type的空氣動力學設計，在當年的造車科技來說是非常前衛和難做的。
我聽過不少人說這幾年車廠忙着推出復刻版，會將原本經典車之價值拉低，俗點說就是「做爛市」。作為一個業內人，我會怎看這趨勢？這些復刻車，很大程度吸引不少「業餘」車迷去買。他們可能是較年輕的一群，喜歡經典車的味道，卻不喜歡用心養着一部經典車。因此大家明白為何車廠每次宣布製造復刻版本，對外公布的同時，配額很快會售罄。以商業角度來看，這些復刻車是大有市場，令車廠賺錢的。有錢賺的事車廠當然會做。
這「復刻熱潮」約在五年前開始，多年來儲落一班新型「收藏家」，這班年輕人不在意錢，只追求汽車的外形和性格。他們很多都是車迷，除復刻版，還會買回原本經典一部。他們有些是貪得意，想買到別人買不到的東西。如他們可能已有一部原裝經典的DB5，但還會再買部占士邦的DB5。這些客人其實是車廠自行選擇的，因此理解為何車廠經常在公開發布復刻作品時，所有車已全數賣出。
那麼，復刻車能否保值，而實際價值又如何？我做了一個小研究。1998年，有一部1991年DB4 GT Zagato復刻版，在拍賣會上以50萬美元（折合約3,915,850港元）賣出；同年有一部原裝DB4 GT，以100萬美元（折合約7,831,700港元）賣出。時至今日，價值走勢相近：廠方公布復刻版價格，剛就是經典那台價格之一半。因此我不認為這些復刻車會對經典車價值造成影響，復刻車售價不會特別便宜和貴，多年來停留在原裝的一半水平。
說到車廠做復刻版背後的真正原因，其實都是做marketing。能推出這些復刻版的車廠都有豐富歷史，推出復刻版能賺錢之餘，亦能吸引傳媒幫助報道。別人看見這些復刻版時，立刻聯想起舊日的美好，於是車廠就能順利成章達到真正目的——推銷新產品。不明白？大家都知道保時捷（Porsche）早前造回只有一部的風冷993。這部配黃色的復刻911，最後以340萬美元（折合約26,627,780港元）賣出。這部車出現的真正意義，除是叫人懷念波子舊日風冷時代的好，還順勢在旁放了一部新款991.2 Turbo S Exclusive，推廣車廠最近新增一個Exclusive系列。這種延續heritage復刻熱潮，又能否繼續吸引新買家？相信在未來仍是可以的。
Loosely defined, a continuation car is a vehicle no longer in production that the original automaker begins producing again, usually in limited amounts from 1 to 20-30. These are not restorations or replicas. The cars are built new in accordance with the original standards and engineering plan, although some contain modern components. The OEM might continue the VIN numbering right where it left off—or start at zero. Then there’s that thing about driving them: You can’t on city streets in Europe or the U.S., nor in historic races and rallies. Most of the cars aren’t homologated to comply with modern safety and emissions standards on public roads. For those who believe beautiful, powerful, iconic cars are meant to be driven, it’s an outrage.
A few months ago, Aston Martin announced it would make 19 new continuations of its classic DB4 Zagato GT from the 1960s. They’ll be built at Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell, England, the company's in-house classic-car department, and will have the same all-aluminum bodywork of an original DB4 GT Zagato, digitally scanned from the original and then hand-finished for maximum authenticity. They’ll have exactly the same 380-horsepower, 3.8-liter, straight-six engine and a four-speed manual transmission as the original, too—which means it won’t be road legal for modern standards. Thankfully, it will come paired with a road-legal DBS GT Zagato; it’s all part of a DBZ Centenary Collection celebrating the Italian design house’s 100th anniversary. Pricing starts at $7.9 million for the pair. It will take at least 18 months.
In August, Aston Martin announced it would make a limited run of 25 continuation Goldfinger DB5s, complete with the lethal spy gadgets seen in the film and the same Silver Birch paint. The first cars will be built in 2020 and will cost £2.75 million ($3.6 million). but it will not be road legal.
Jaguar Land Rover has produced 9 brand-new classic Jaguar XKSS, 6 Lightweight E-Type, and will make continuation D-Type in limited amounts. . It will look exactly like the original D-type, which won the Le Mans 24 Hours race three times from 1955 to 1957, with the same monocoque cockpit fashioned from sheets of aluminum alloy and a fuel tank in its tail. The interior will have the same round speedometer dial; thin wooden, metal-perforated steering wheel (right-hand drive, of course); and four-speed manual shifter. The price tag will likely exceed $1.4 million. The original D-Type is special because of its rarity, racing wins, and body styling. Its shape was heavily influenced by the most advanced aeronautical technology of the time, with a monocoque cockpit fashioned from sheets of aluminum alloy.
Some say they mark the downfall of car society, encouraging relatively instant gratification and ease of driving, whether or not a particular car is original and authentic to its period. You can say they’re attracting people who don’t want the experience of an old classic car. It’s nothing more than a cash grab for the companies, It cheapens the brand.
Their sales success is uncontested. Virtually each continuation series offered from the likes of Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Zagato has sold out before the official announcement of the vehicle—and for plenty of cash. Most range in pricing from $350,000 to more than $1 million.
It’s a market that has created itself in the last five years. There is a new breed of collector out there who is younger, has come into money through an IPO—or whatever it might be—and this new car collector is collecting modern classics. It’s a reaction to general market interest in rare cars. The buyers of the continuations are serious collectors. They understand the model; they understand what it is about. For those who can afford this high six- and seven-figure price point, it’s about having fun more than winning an investment proposition. These are collectors at a level where they just want to have unique, fun cars. For them, it’s a new type of collectible car, so if you’re into James Bond and you’ve got a big car collection—and you’ve got everything—there’s some whimsy in collecting.
Twenty years ago, a continuation car was worth half that of an original. In May 1998, a 1991 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato continuation sold for just over $500,000 at an auction. The very next month, an original Zagato-bodied Aston Martin DB4 GT took $1.1 million at a similar auction. Their values continue to hold, with prices of continuation cars still running at half or just under half the current value of the originals. And it doesn’t seem to be hurting the value of the actual classics.
So far continuation cars neither hurt nor enhance the value of the original cars. It’s a very calculated program the brands do; the last thing they want is to dilute their brand or hurt the market.
Jaguar has as good a reputation as any for making careful, exact continuations in extremely low batches. It’s not a wildly profitable though it does make money. The real value of the continuation cars is the awareness and interest that they cultivate for Jaguar as a company. They’re hype machines. Suddenly, people were talking about these cars. It promoted the car in its own right. It allows us in a different way to communicate about the past and show what we have as heritage.”
The Porsche 993 was brought back—some would say “continued”—and made as a single special car to help launch a new series of Porsche 911 Turbos. The original 993 line was discontinued in 1998. The gold-yellow metallic Porsche sold for $3.415 million last month at a Sotheby’s sale in Atlanta. Since the one-of-one 993, which officially ended production in 1998, is a single, unique car built for charity, it’s not technically a continuation series. But it’s darned close.
More important, it gets internet and social media attention for Porsche Classic, the division that made it, and for another car also featured at the Atlanta sale, which Porsche AG will soon be selling in volume: the 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series.
