Ask anyone that knocks the RIA 1911 if they shoot REAL SAA's or clones, and if those clones are 100% out-of-box copies of the original.
We'd probably all shoot the Colt's if money was no object, although we'd beat 'em up in the process. Hell, I'd shoot Turnbull guns or engraved guns if I could afford them. Ed Brown offers a beauty!
At our midweek IPSC practice, I was asked why I choose to shoot my Remington R1 and not my tricked out Series '70 Gold Cup. The answer - I prefer the looks of the R1 and I don't really need a flared mag well, ambi-safety, large mag release button, etc. And the R1 is far from being a pre-1911A1 with hi-viz sights, bevelled mag well, long tang, stainless barrel bushing, throated barrel, lowered and dimpled ejection port.
I can understand the appeal of the original 1911 platform, if you can put up with hammer bite, stovepipe malfunctions and miniscule sights. If everyone used them, it would level the playing field, but that ain't gonna happen.