I remember seeing a picture of him with the car, kind of dark brown. Can't remember if it was the two tone, black on the bottom half. I wonder if this is a celebrated car on the concours or auction circuit now or it's not generally known about? Or who owns it now, or maybe he still owns it, it's not like he needed the money that he would need to sell it. I have been to his restaurant, the Mission Inn Ranch, a few times but the only exotic car I saw parked there was a red Iso Grifo, in front of a one car garage on the property but maybe if you are a big wheel and check into the Inn you get your own garage parking. I read, years earlier than the Boxer, that Sergio Leone gave him a 275GTB , back when you could pick those up in Italy for $3000. I once heard he got a speeding ticket in Montana in the Boxer and was going to chip in a dollar to pay the ticket. He was out there fighting for us go-fast guys
See here for info on the Targa: http://www.conceptcarz.com/z20832/Ferrari-365-GT4-BB.aspx According to a 365 Boxer Registry Clint owned s/n 17257 and s/n 18553 which was the one in the top pic converted to a Targa. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
There are a couple of those targa conversions for sale: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=391862&highlight=targa Hint: look in the Boxer section. I don't think they are particularly well regarded anywhere, let alone on the concours circuit. A guy in the Boxer section was talking about buying one and putting it back to stock configuration, but the seller wanted too much money.
OK i realize that there was a time when shops were cutting tops off willy-nilly (where does that fphrase come from?) Like Straman. I harbor a belief that maybe this is a cheap way to buy a GTC/4, Boxer or even 275 (Ihave seen all three cut into targas) because no real Ferrari purist would touch them. But I wonder if the cost of making a new roof section and welding it back on and painting it would exceed what you save by getting the car at a bargain price? I think the full convertible conversions like a 400GT would be cost prohibitive because then you have to do side windows , back window the whole kit and caboodle. Anyopinions
Converting a car back to its original coupe form would be even harder on a car that had the correct chassis strengthening proocedures carried out necessary to maintain the rigidity of a roofless car which would need undoing.
The chassis strengthening would need undoing, requiring more work than a car that hadn't had any chassis strengthening, if the aim was to bring the car back to original coupe specification, would it not?
This thread should be in the Boxer section. Information I received on the 18553 Boxer, converted to targa, from a fellow F-chatter in August 2011 (thanks Don): 1. Sold at the Gooding Monterey Auction August 20, 2011, for $211,750 ($192,500 hammer price). 2. Owned by Clint Eastwood in the 1970s. 3. Eastwood had Mike Sheehan (European Auto Restoration) convert the car to a targa top. 4. 9-1/2" rear wheels. 5. No books or tools. 6. No U.S. EPA or DOT paperwork regarding import or Federalization. 7. No service history to speak of. The car has been given a basic tune-up in the last few months, but nothing substantial. It was sitting for some time in a collection in Japan prior to arriving in the U.S. And some pics. Onno Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
LOL! I got it..... There ARE other threads here, about these Boxers.... That's interesting about the lacking DOT/EPA releases, are we at a point in age, where the Boxers are free to come and go into the United States??? The earlier 365 might have the current value justifying restoration to a hardtop, but the 512 is not there yet (per discussion of the 512 targa also on the market..."Cheap way in" is not the term I would use!
Clint used his BB's for cross country road trips. He was stopped for speeding on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the state trooper who wrote the ticket commented that his passenger was a stunning blonde(Sondra Locke perhaps). The local magistrate's office in Everett, PA never processed his check, I recall an article showing it framed and hanging on the office wall. His 275 GTB was s/n 8359, a green torque tube, steel three carb. I believe that he received it as part of his compensation from the production company. It sold at one of the Bonhams Gstaad auctions years ago still with a period CB radio installed. Went to a collector in Italy. Shortly after acquiring the 275 Clint starred in Kelley's Heroes(filmed in 1968 or so). Donald Sutherland had a memorable supporting role as Oddball. In an interview in Supercar Classics he mentioned buying a dark blue 275 GTB/4 in Modena before shooting started.
No disrespect intended but I find it hard to believe that anyone would describe Sondra Locke as "stunning" (apart form Clint when he was head over heels, doolally in love with her! - never understood what he saw in her!). As for the car itself: As well as the targa conversion (the 308 style louvred windows of which, simply do not work as a design feature!), It appears to have lost its "Bubba" front spoiler/valance and looks all the better for it!
I'm not sure if this was posted already, I had the chance to watch Every Which Way But Lose for the first time in many years. The scene when Clint gets into the pick up at the road side fruit stand, you can clearly see a Ferrari 365 in the background. I'm assuming it's his. However, it was to far from the camera to make out the car's color.
I gave this a lot of thought with the targa car I was considering and I was going to undo it if I bought it. The car I was considering which is on ebay right now has reinforcements in the floor. It was confirmed that the car did shake over bumps due to the lack of a roof but the doors shut perfectly and the gaps were as they should be. I would put the car on a frame rack and verify its straight then add the roof from a donor car. I would then take the floor braces out that were added for the conversion. It would be like it was never cut but the cut door window frames that are welded in, filled in quarter glass openings, no headliner, lack of quarter glasses and frames, drip rails cut and too high of a price for the car meant it just didnt make sense. $115K was the magic number they would let it go for now its $159K!
I was wondering how he would fit in the car. These photographs answer my question. Not to everyone's taste, but I can understand why one would go down this route. My brother had a 328 GTS and at 6'4 he was never able to drive it with the roof in place. As for with a helmet, forget about it.
that's what I heard, and that they changed the clutch for the later Boxers. Back to Clint Eastwood's car, how much of the last known price accounts for the celebrity angle? i heard that the GT40 that went for over $11 million at Monterey last year was hyped up in price with the connection with Steve McQueen (even though he didn't drive it, it was the camera car with the roof cut off). Does the buyer of this Boxer get a copy of the title with Clint Eastwood? To those who like celebrity connections it seems like that would be important. I don't know if the DMV in whatever State it was registered by him would make an extra copy to someone now buying the car (and if it was never brought into conformance with US laws, I'd be scared to wake up the sleeping giant at the DMV)
The single plate clutch in the 365BB has trouble dealing with all the power, but if you are a driver with a feel for classic cars then you can go for a long time on a clutch. I certainly have not had any problems with excessive clutch wear in 7,000 miles or so. However, if you do 3 standing starts I'm pretty sure the clutch would be toast. Just like an Enzo, really. Onno
Clint Eastwood is reputedly only 1 inch taller than myself, he would fit without problems. My friend is 6'4 and he has no trouble driving my Boxer. In any case it is certainly roomier than a 308 or 328. But my friend owned a 308GTB himself, so not sure I agree with your friend's assessment. It does depend on what kind of build you have. Helmets are out, that is certainly true. Onno
How tall is Clint? I'm 6'4" and I fit in the Boxer okay. If I sit up straight, my head is against the ceiling, but I don't do that. I have driven it with a helmet, and that was torture. I have no plans to do that again. Plus, the brakes are not conducive to much track use anyway.
