Tribute versus Clone

OK, I'll bite.

WTF is a "tribute" car, and how the hell is, for example, a Road Runner "Tribute Car" built on a Satellite any different than a clone?

By definition: TrIbute:
a : a payment by one ruler or nation to another in acknowledgment of submission or as the price of protection; also : the tax levied for such a payment No, the theoretical car in question is not this.
b (1) : an excessive tax, rental, or tariff imposed by a government, sovereign, lord, or landlord (2) : an exorbitant charge levied by a person or group having the power of coercion Not this either
c : the liability to pay tributeNope
2
a : something given or contributed voluntarily as due or deserved; especially : a gift or service showing respect, gratitude, or affection <a floral tribute> Maybe
b : something (as material evidence or a formal attestation) that indicates the worth, virtue, or effectiveness of the one in question <the design is a tribute to his ingenuity> Maybe

So, by the second definition, a "Road Runner" built from a Satellite is....Not a clone? It's not 2a, a gift. Is it 2b, an indication of the value of a real Road Runner, somehow?



Does it have to have murals of Road Runners in various iterations painted all over it? I don't get it. Those guys on that chopper show were always building "Tribute Bikes" to NY firefighters and whatnot, and they were at least legitimate tributes because the motorcycle paid visual homage to the things we associate with firefighters, but it was still a motorcycle.

Does a Dart covered in Road Runner emblems count as a Road Runner "tribute car"? How about a Satellite that looks one hell of a lot like a Road Runner?

Can someone answer this?
Thanks
John