The Instagram-Fueled Boom in Copycat Vintage Car-Body Shells

Instagram is awash with Asian firms showing how they can remake old Broncos, Defenders, and other whole classic cars—better and much cheaper than in the US.

It’s hardly surprising that, in an electric world where Jell-O-mold cars are designed for creating the least drag, so many motorheads are yearning for the auto aesthetics of yesteryear. After all, classic cars from the 1970s and earlier undeniably had style—trouble is, auto companies don’t make them anymore.

That’s a sales boon for restoration workshops, but, barn finds notwithstanding, the supply of period vehicles is inevitably limited. But this scarcity has resulted in an opportunity for an Indonesian firm, which, in a legal gray area, handcrafts drop-dead gorgeous copies of the 1950s Mercedes 300SL Gullwing and other legendary sports cars.

And it not just Indonesia. Chinese factories are stamping out 3D-scanned body shells for icons such as Ford Broncos ...