It time to add what I know about one 89 replica. First of all a bit of back ground information.

I work for an F1 team in the uk (the gentleman that owns the team lives in a wheel chair need I say more). When I started work for the team the chap that gave me my job and trained me to use composites had worked for a few other companies one of which is called McLaren cars.

McLaren cars is part of the McLaren Mercedes group, they were responsible for the McLaren F1 road car that won Le Mans, and they currently make the Mercedes SLR sports car.

The owners of McLaren have close links with the Sultan of Brunei, so much so that the Sultan bought 7 McLaren F1 road cars (one for his 11 year old son to drive round the Sultans estate!) and keeps two McLaren mechanics employed to look after the Sultans car collection.

My boss was part of a small team asked to manufacture an 89 replica for the Sultan, this would have been between 1990 and 1992. The cars glass work was contracted out to another company due to the amount of work being carried out on the F1 road car project.

When the body was finished it was bought back in house. As there was not enough time or labour to manufacture a chassis the team sourced a brand new car from Mercedes (not sure which model). This was then stripped and the body dropped on to the remains of the Merc.

The main problem was the boot (trunk for all the American readers) which stuck out the back of the body. So the team broke out the angle grinders and cut the back end off the car. This was then glassed over and made good.

The car was then sprayed and handed over to the Sultan. 

This is all I know about this particular replica at the moment, one can only presume that the Sultan still has it, but there are pictures of a car in saudi Arabia in other posting on this site, so maybe a deal was done, and the car changed hands?

I am not currently in contact with my former boss as he has moved on, but If I do get further information I will post here.

Arnie

I will definatly be back

If you have ever worked for a defence company, national secrets and all that then you can understand the kind of security that motor sport companies have. My present employer doesn't allow phones with cameras or any photography on site because of security concerns.

Then take into account the fact that in 1989 to 1992 (when this build happened) there were all the problems with WB copyright infringements, and moulds being cut up to stop court action etc, would you come forward and admit you had just made a car?

One other point I would just like to add, this site is here because of the internet. Back in 1989 we all went to the movies to see this new film called Batman and fell in love with the car he drove. The replica industry and the fact we can share all this information is fairly new, back in the early 90's when my  former boss was putting this car together he was just thinking that some rich bloke somewhere had more money than sense!

Arnie 

I will definatly be back