What Does It Take To Surpass A SME V?

@pindac Never written that Linn didn’t have an Ariston design, Linn started with Ariston turntables design; do you have a reliable source (magazine or other) to prove that the RB 300 was already produced in 1983?

Actually the RB300 was released in 1983, the first SME V prototype was shown at audio shows in 1984.

Given that both arm tubes are cast, requiring moulds to be developed, SME must have had the arm in development before the RB300 was released.

SME with the Companies inherent engineering prowess from the day, could identify and produce a mimic in days once a few designs with dimensions were on paper.

As Pattern Makers, Milling a Wand from any material to create a Part to be shown on a Prototype will have been a job for a apprentice.

@best-groove No need for me to supply anything, the Dates are the History and these are recorded very well.

A Search should even reveal that the RB 300 has a Gross of a estimated 400 000 sales, of which a substantial amount of sales were accumulated in 1983,84,85 (Shedloads)

As for Magazines, when SME were finally getting reviews of the launched V Tonearm in the Mid-Nineties, there is seemingly the usual influence from a Manufacturer, where the only reference to a Competitor Arm (RB300) is where the strengths are made known as improved on the competitor and how these are claimed to be better. No A/B Arm Comparisons allowed in any form of a Description.

The Idler Drive Community did that, and pretty much made it known the RB 300 was as a good a match as a SME V or IV when used with this Motor Drive.

Again interesting how Linn, with their TOTR Tonearm of this era, was a close mimic of a Swiss Brauer Arm.

Was the SME IV and later 309 produced as a cheaper V, to give a more affordable entry, or as a Model to tempt more customers away from Rega's continuing success in creating sales to SME? 

RB 300 was as a good a match as a SME V 

That's fantasy land - I sold both in the mid 80's, RB300 was not a patch on the SME V regardless of drive type.

Again interesting how Linn, with their TOTR Tonearm of this era, was a close mimic of a Swiss Brauer Arm.

Ittok was nothing like the Breuer, and not even close on performance - again I sold and/or set up both.

Given that both arm tubes are cast, requiring moulds to be developed, SME must have had the arm in development before the RB300 was released.

Exactly

The magnesium arms were made raw on behalf of SME to a specialized company in Chicago, magnesium is a dangerous material that ignites easily and companies specialized in treating this metal are needed and then returned to SME which worked, finished and varnished them.
I very much doubt that after seeing the Rega 300 in the space of a few months SME designed an entire tonearm from scratch, looked for components from external companies that they could not produce inside the factory, and finally put the V on the market, so in my opinion it was just a coincidence that Rega was the first to bring a one-piece tonearm to market.
The project certainly started a few years earlier, an arm like the V cannot be improvised in just one year, not even for a bet.
This is to say that it was not copied from the RB300 at all (unless there was industrial espionage)