| Author | Message | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1913 Registered: 11-2001 |
UPDATE Newport Convertible Engineering responded to my initial query and simply told me to look at their web site. Of course, that's how I found them. I repeated my query "have you ever done one of these" and they did not respond. Euro Coachworks Inc. has not responded to my queries at all. Back where we started. Doody. | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1831 Registered: 11-2001 |
done, whart. doody. | ||
| wm hart (Whart)
Intermediate Member Username: Whart Post Number: 1667 Registered: 12-2001 |
doody: please resend to [email protected] | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1830 Registered: 11-2001 |
yeah whart - i replied to the first one yesterday afternoon and to the second one this morning. are you not getting your emails? doody. | ||
| wm hart (Whart)
Intermediate Member Username: Whart Post Number: 1664 Registered: 12-2001 |
Dood: did you ever get my replies to your PMs? Lucas et al, i've seen that ad for a couple years running, but have yet to see a real car they did. Have you? I would be very reluctant to be the guinea pig, if you get what i mean? | ||
| Lucas Taratus (Karmavore)
Member Username: Karmavore Post Number: 391 Registered: 12-2002 |
Thank you, thank you... Luke, the man: 9 years and counting. | ||
| Dan (Bobafett)
Intermediate Member Username: Bobafett Post Number: 1437 Registered: 9-2002 |
Luke, You are the man! http://www.eurocoachworks.com/a_a_newprojects/550spider/550spyder_conv.html Doody: please email me (or if you have no problem, post them here) the results of your inquiries with NCE, or especially this Eurocoach Works. --Dan | ||
| Eric Vartanian (Evartanian)
Member Username: Evartanian Post Number: 267 Registered: 3-2002 |
Erik, and others, if you go to fchat sponsor cavallinomodels website, under the red car category in the ferrari-line they have a custom model of a 575 targa--give you an idea of what it might look like. | ||
| Erik (Teenferrarifan)
Member Username: Teenferrarifan Post Number: 335 Registered: 2-2003 |
What about a targa 550? I don't think it would look that bad. Someone that is good with photoshop might be able to make a picture. What do you think Doody? I have seen targa TR's that don't look that bad. Erik | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1823 Registered: 11-2001 |
NCE are the guys i contacted previously. emailed and vmailed. no response. i have emailed them again. euroecoachworks is new to me! thanks lucas. i have buzzed them. thanks guys! doody. | ||
| wayne skiles (Bad_tt)
Junior Member Username: Bad_tt Post Number: 80 Registered: 8-2002 |
Sweet looking ride! | ||
| Lucas Taratus (Karmavore)
Member Username: Karmavore Post Number: 390 Registered: 12-2002 |
what's wrong with: http://www.eurocoachworks.com ?? Luke. | ||
| Adam (Fasttalk)
Member Username: Fasttalk Post Number: 288 Registered: 8-2002 |
Doody, I am sure these guys will do it, I hear it will cost $40-50K. Adam http://secure1advancedemedia.com/newportconvertible_com/store.tpl?rnd=9611&cart=1063822363394867 | ||
| wm hart (Whart)
Intermediate Member Username: Whart Post Number: 1661 Registered: 12-2001 |
Dood: the real market for the Barchetta is softer than that. However, you have to be prepared not to drive into rain, since the factory "top" is a joke. I think an electric top would be a huge waste of money, and the space taken up by the mechanism would cause much greater complications in doing a convertible top, whether its one on an existing barchetta, or on a cut maranello. Shehaan had a cut Maranello a year or so ago, it was no more expensive than a 550 coupe at that time. Email me if you are serious about this. I might be able to help. (My car is gone, however, so i ain't trying to sell ya mine). | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1821 Registered: 11-2001 |
looks like 300 +/- more than two 550s! doody. | ||
| Jeff (Jeff_m)
Junior Member Username: Jeff_m Post Number: 244 Registered: 9-2002 |
What can a Barchetta be had for these days anyway? Haven't looked in a while. | ||
| Jeff (Jeff_m)
Junior Member Username: Jeff_m Post Number: 243 Registered: 9-2002 |
I just figured that since he was keeping one 550 coupe,the top on the Barchetta would be no big deal. No need to drive that in bad weather if you have both. | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1820 Registered: 11-2001 |
pavesi did answer my emails after a couple weeks (to tell me "barchettas only, sorry"). i am now following up with them via email, but assume they'll only point me to shops in italy, which means $5K to $6K in transport costs (never mind tax issues) to fly it back and forth. their barchetta conversion costs fifty large, jeff; and barchetta prices are hardly as depressed as maranello prices! i'm hoping to id a stateside solution. doody. | ||
| Dan (Bobafett)
Intermediate Member Username: Bobafett Post Number: 1436 Registered: 9-2002 |
Jeff, The issue with the barchetta is that it doesn't have a working top. Parvesi does a motorized conversion for it, but you have to have a barchetta to start with. Doody is looking for someone to cut a 550 and create a convertible from it, a la cut Daytona coupes, only motorized. --Dan | ||
| Jeff (Jeff_m)
Junior Member Username: Jeff_m Post Number: 242 Registered: 9-2002 |
If thats the case and you were going to keep your 550 anyway you might be better off selling the 355 and finding a depressed Barchetta. Such tough decisions! | ||
| Andrew Menasce (Amenasce)
Intermediate Member Username: Amenasce Post Number: 1416 Registered: 10-2001 |
a 550 NART Spider  | ||
| Dan (Bobafett)
Intermediate Member Username: Bobafett Post Number: 1433 Registered: 9-2002 |
Doody, Actually, I like the idea very much. Honestly, it'd be worth consideration. One of my biggest dilemmas with the 550 was that vs. convertible (the Z8 lost out). Having a work top would be quite the solution. Have you talked to Pavesi? At the least, perhaps they could tell you who does work along what you are looking for? --Dan | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1819 Registered: 11-2001 |
jeff, i would probably sell my 355 spider, buy a second 550 (1998 or 1999; 15K to 20K miles; major not yet done; etc.) and have that one cut. the damn 550 market is so irrationally depressed IMO. but do me a favor, don't mention any of this to my wife ;-) it's all just "chit chat" if and until i can find someone who actually cuts 550s. thus far, such an individual or company appears to not exist. who knows. for sure it's unlikely to help resale. for sure. doody. | ||
| Jeff (Jeff_m)
Junior Member Username: Jeff_m Post Number: 241 Registered: 9-2002 |
Doody, Would you actually consider doing this? Wouldn't that be the kiss of death for resale not to mention the actual conversion costs? | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1818 Registered: 11-2001 |
my understanding is that straman is no longer doing car stuff. he bought a sail boat and just sails now or something like that. i've tried to dig up contact information previously twice - zero luck. not so sure the top builders are a useful source. the trick isn't the top, the trick is to cut the car correctly, which is an entirely different problem than what these guys are used to, right? anybody know of other shops that have cut 456s (other than FSpA for the sultan). doody. | ||
| Martin - Cavallino Motors (Miami348ts)
Senior Member Username: Miami348ts Post Number: 6268 Registered: 5-2001 |
Straman would be a good bet. They do 456 from Coupe to targa. | ||
| Dan (Bobafett)
Intermediate Member Username: Bobafett Post Number: 1429 Registered: 9-2002 |
Doody, Perhaps it is worth calling Straman if they are still around? They have done 456s, no? In addition, although it might be a really lengthy approach, one might try contacting the company that does the 360 Spider roof? From what I recall, they do Porsche tops (or was it MB?) as well. Someone must know who they are. --Dan | ||
| Paul Bianco (Paulie_b)
Member Username: Paulie_b Post Number: 873 Registered: 1-2003 |
I guess you also know that the roof comes off manually on the original. It is not motorized. | ||
| Paul Bianco (Paulie_b)
Member Username: Paulie_b Post Number: 872 Registered: 1-2003 |
If anyone does make it, I hope the roof lines are nicer than the original. It is a beautiful car with the top down; but when it us up, its ugly. | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1809 Registered: 11-2001 |
okay, there hasn't been any definitive data on this yet, so i'm trying again. yes, i've searched the archives! does anybody know if anybody has done, is doing, or will do a conversion of a 550 Maranello coupe to an automatic or semi-automatic drop-top? something along the lines of the Pavesi work in Milan; whose work can ONLY be applied to the 550 Barchetta.  in addition to Pavesi i found an obscure reference to a shop in FL or CA that never responded to my queries (that mostly was a Caddy shop). has anybody even heard or read of such a thing having been done? and if so, where? doody. |