These are proposed tuning packages, though the quad exhaust is already available in Japan. The new trim will also include your choice of 18-inch wheels and, of course, a lowering kit. While being closer to the ground might actually reduce drag, we're not sure if the "aero" kits will actually be more aerodynamic than the stock setup.

[Tommy Kaira via Carscoop]

Yesterday, the wishful thinker-owned Essex elicited a 91% vote for curtain two. For the unfathomably motivated 9% that voted Nice Price, we'd like you to get in touch with us; we have special high-performance air for your tires that we would like to sell you, it adds 50mph to your top speed!

Speaking of speed, nothing looks faster than a McLaren M6GT. And, as there were only a handful of those ever built, your best bet to satisfy your M6 stiffy is by grabbing a Patty Duke Show-styled Manta Montage kit car, like the one we are contemplating today.

The builder of a kit car is looked upon much the same way Noah was by his neighbors when he started putting together that big boat in his back yard. The pointing and the snickering; the way mothers quickly herd their children past the house; the late night realization that, 50 cans of Krylon later, maybe you can't sand it smooth. It's not something people typically call out on their resumé.

But that's not a problem with this Thank god it's friday faux famous flyer of fiberglass, because it's already been slapped on a donor Vee-Dub chassis, and is ready for you to plunk your sweaty ass down in the dime store-vinyl seat of it's non-ventilated cabin, fondle the exposed fasteners, and make like Bruce McLaren.

Now, this Montage is claimed registered as a 1969, which is the likely birth year of the sport-tuned beetle-base upon which it rests. The seller made a point to add the information that it was used in the movie Leman w Steve Mc Queen as a back drop car, which is questionable as LeMans was filmed over the course of the 1970 race, and Manta Cars, the instigator of the Montage homage, wasn't even incorporated until 1973. When they did, brothers, Brad and Tim LoVette created a car that was a faithful replica of the M6GT. Many kit cars used expensive-to-make parts from other cars; Pinto tail lights, Karmann Ghia windshields and Mustang backlights, but the Montage used a purpose-built windshield and lexan rear window. Neither of these pieces are still in production - Manta Cars having folded in 1982 - so you better hope, on the way home, you don't get one of those irreparable stone chips, or an errant motorcyclist through the windscreen. Doing so could set you back even more than the cost of the car.

That matters little in determining the appropriateness of a $12,500 asking price for this flat-four 1935cc-powered monster. Its all-fiberglass body is actually pretty good for a kit, having inner-fender wells and a claimed 16 cubic feet of trunk space. Registered as a '69, it is less encumbered by power-robbing emissions controls, and the 1640lb curb weight also works to that small engine's advantage.

So does that price seem like a deal considering all the work has already been done? Or does that price for a VW-based kit, send you into a fit?

You decide!

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We've always wished we could afford an exotic car, but never really had the talent to build one from scratch like Ken, the Basement Lamborghini guy. Our options have always been limited to crappy fiberglass knock-offs that look more Toxic Avenger-ish than the car they’re trying to replicate. Fauxrraris and Lam-Bro-Ghinis are fine for some people, but for us, it’s just not our cup of tea.

Entering stage right for a big round of applause is Race Car Replicas (RCR) of Clinton Township, Michigan. They’ve managed to create a truly desirable and mid-engine exotic kit car built entirely in-house. RCR calls it the Superlite Coupe (SL-C) and it consists of an aluminum tig-welded chassis with a 6-point rollcage, billet aluminum custom suspension utilizing QA1 adjustable shocks and springs, front/rear 6-piston calipers with 330mm and 300mm front and rear rotors, aluminum radiator, 15-gallon Le Mans-spec fuel tank behind the seat, front 18x9.5 and rear 18x11 aluminum wheels and a Digital Dash 2 Pro+ with data logging, 2-axis G-sensors, infra-red lap timer receiver and optional GPS. The only real thing you need to provide is a set of tires and a whopper of an engine to round out this impressive package.

Total dry weight is 1000kgs (or roughly 2200 lbs. for the uninitiated) but is dependent on what engine you provide. Currently the car is perfectly setup to receive any number of GM’s LS-series engines; we think a LS9 crate would be the perfect fit. RCR also recommends the use of a twin-turbo Lexus V8, but we’ll stick to ‘Merican engines, thank-you-very-much.

You can pick up the rolling kit from RCR for a bargain basement price of $43,995 or a few thousand more than the cost of a fully-loaded and optioned Toyota Camry V6. Hmm… Camry or mid-engine exotic? We think we know which one to choose.

Superlite Coupe Specs

Rolling Kit Package: $43,995 (suspension hung, steering fitted, brake calipers & rotors fitted, brake lines in situ, body pinned & aligned, wheels & tires fitted)

Chassis: Aluminium Tig welded 6-point roll cage utilising DOM CNC bent seamless steel tubing Left-Hand or Right-Hand Drive Engine bay will accept any longitudinal engine trans package Seat Belt mounts included

Suspension: CNC billet aluminum unequal length upper and lower arms front & rear CNC billet aluminum uprights front & rear Pushrod rear suspension QA1 Aluminum Double Adjustable Shocks - truly independent double adjustable with 24 compression & 24 rebound adjustments with evenly spaced valving changes. QA1 Springs

Steering: Full Electric Tilt & Adjustable in/out Steering Column Collapsible steering column Quick release steering wheel

Brakes: 6 piston calipers front & rear, 330mm 2 piece vented & slotted rotors on front, 300mm 2 piece vented & slotted rotors on the rear Triple pedals in stainless steel with master cylinders and brake bias adjuster CV joint stub axles Stainless steel brake lines with Braided flexible lines

Cooling & Fuel: Aluminium radiator Twin electric fans Stainless steel cooling tubes 15 gallon(60lt) fuel tank mid mounted behind seat per Le Mans spec

Wheels: Front: 18x9.5 multi-spoke aluminum Rear: 18x11 multi-spoke aluminum Note: Tires supplied by customer

Electrical: Digital Dash 2 Pro+ with data logging, 2-axis G-sensors, infra-red lap timer receiver & optional GPS for track Headlights, tail lights, indicators Mirrors with LED high mount turn signals 20 circuit colour coded wiring harness Wiper Package

Interior: Production car style dash moulding Cable gear shifter Custom fiberglass seats Functional roof scoop feed cabin with aircraft style vents AC system with heater Windows can be supplied so that they will hinge down or completely fixed Accomodates up to 6' 4" driver

Body: High quality gelcoat body panels with gloss finish Stainless steel alignment pins All body parts are fitted and aligned Vertical opening doors DOT windscreen Hinged rear glass for engine access Lexan for side windows & headlight covers (cut to size with edges polished) All required handles and latches 4 - 4.5 inches ground clearance with removable side skirts and front spoiler for track package Supplied with front spitter, side skirts, rear diffuser & chassis mounted adjustable rear wing Choice of gelcoat colours for body: Light blue, Dark Blue, Red, Yellow, Black, White

Dimensions: Width: 74 inches (1880mm) Height: 43 inches (1092mm) Length: 168 inches (4267mm) - excluding rear wing Weight: less than 1000kg's depending on options & engine choice

All of the above is included in the standard package

Optional Extras: Handbrake Assembly Full trimmed production quality interior FIA bladder style fuel tanks Sway bars front & rear Wheels –18x10(F), 18x13(R) rotory forged aluminum. Available in painted or satin finish.

Note: Specifications subject to change without notice. Kit is supplied as a roller for shipping purposes only i.e. nothing is torqued etc.

[Via Race Car Replicas]

For that kind of money, you could get a nice, honest MR2 Spyder...that hasn't been in an accident. Or if you really just want a cheap mid-engined Porsche, you could buy a decent first-generation Boxster. However, if you're dressing up as Anthony Hamilton for Halloween, well then this might just be the ticket after all. [ebay]

Steve McHugh is a man with a passion for Nova kit cars, and the white beast we all witnessed is his creation. Obviously it didn't start out that way: Steve has gone through three different major iterations of the car over the course of ten years. Each time he reworks the car, it gets a little bit wilder. The original version was essentially just a lightly modified version of the kit, with some lower body modifications and grafted-on Cougar headlights. We see it preserved for posterity below.

The second version of the car started to get a bit wackier, with manga-inspired wings sprouting all over the car, aggressive ducting to the rear and slots chopped out of the hood. The interior also got a major upgrade with all kinds of interestingly detailed billet knobs and buttons. It also got a snazzy teal paint job

The third and current iteration went off the deep end, obviously, with all the fiberglass and bondo work going into completely restyled sides, the obvious elimination of the rear body work in favor of a crazy looking under-engine aero tray, and a much-upgraded engine. Considering this work was essentially done in a driveway in Tamworth, UK, it's damned impressive, even if you can't get behind the styling.

And now you know... the rest of the story.

[Thanks to PriceOfHisToys and Cycoholic]