Kind words Scott. Rest assured, the leather photo album was the only cheap part of the restoration. I think it is amazing to see cars that one might consider too far gone to be restored receiving the kind of TLC required to return them to their former glory. I am not referring to Jon's (omgjon) car which seems to have been quite solid to begin with (no disrespect to Jon) but rather the following Dino and Daytona examples: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155047 http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=104082 When your car is literally cut in half and you still have the faith and perserverance to see the project through, your attachment to the car runs pretty deep. Save the Dinos!
Actually, at the time these photos were taken, the engine was still in the car. I found another pic or 2. I'll post them on Monday.
Open Roads, I share you feeling. Here is a pic of 00988 I bought in May and have started restoration. For me, the enjoyment is in the hunt and restoration. Steve Image Unavailable, Please Login
i looked at buying omgjon's car before it was bought by him. the car was a solid original car. at first, i was mad at jon for "destroying" such a nice, original car. now that i have seen his work, i am better. even "beater" cars aren't cheap. i have two dino's that need body work. neither of which i would sell for less than $100k. Fantsay Junction has a dino coupe they posted photos of last week with a price of $132k. it now shows "sale pending". i think based on the car and the short advertising time, the car was underpriced. the yellow ron tonkin dino has not been relisted on ebay. i know the bottom line price was $144k. has it sold? regardless of condition, any driver dino could be made great for $50k, not $100k. even a great driver could be made better and sold for well over $100k.
I guess it all depends upon one's definition of great. If you can do your own body work and engine work, you probably can make a driver Dino pretty nice for $50K. That being said, an engine rebuild, bare metal respray, complete interior and plating will set you back much more than $50K. Turnkey Pebble Beach Ferrari restorations are setting customers back approximately $400K - (obviously doesn't include the purchase price of the car). Even though a Dino is not a one-off Pebble Beach eligible car (206S excluded), the costs for a complete restoration aren't that dissimilar. If you did a lot of assembly/disassembly yourself on a beater Dino and subbed out the big work to top quality shops, a soup to nuts PLATINUM Dino restoration would easily cost $200K+. So, if you buy a "driver" and want to make it great, you better be a skilled restorer or have a long term ownership horizon because you'll be into the car for somewhere between $150K and $350K, depending upon what your definition of great is. I think that a great 246GT will be valued at $350K in about 20 years. Save the Dinos!
Living on the other side of the world has its advantages we have restorers here in NewZealand who restore pebble beach winners all the time for a lot less than you appear to be paying in the US. Just put your car in a container and unload it again when it comes back .Also you get to visit a great country for a holiday.( Ask gregg blue from Maui he loved it here )
Yes, I've heard there are some good shops down there. Which PB winning cars have been done there in recent years - just curious, not skeptical.
If any body wants to check out restorers here you could start with these guys http://autorestorations.co.nz/ i have been through their workshops and the cars they have there are incredible .Delhaye, Maserati, Ferrari ,Bugatti the list is impressive they also restored a 1947 166 serial no 0007 which is the oldest known road going Ferrari in the world which belongs to a Kiwi.Oh and one of their guys drives a 246gt so you just know your dealing with the right people.If you check the web page under the awards section you can see the list of PB winners and many others.
I assume you are talking about the blue one on Ebay... I saw this car in person a few years ago. It was in Santa Monica on either Wilshire or S.M. Blvd. and it was parked at a parking meter with the top off. I walked oer and check it out. This is the same car for sure... I always wondered what the story was behind the car as these cars have acheived such value that you usually don't see rough drivers like that as most of them have been restored... As you can see, all of the chrome has been spraypainted black.... It looks pretty rough in person... It needs some serious TLC
This $132k Dino at Fantasy Junction was purchased immediately by this Ferrari restorer here in Yokohama, Japan whom I know personally and where I bought my 365BB from. He said he paid the deposit right away, went to see the car in person, and it's on its way to Yokohama, Japan. He'll be "restoring" this Dino and sell it for north of 200k. There is a buyer already. Jimmy
If anyone is interested, the asking price on that rusty blue GT is $30K. What a challenging thing to undertake.
Sorry guys. Post 11. Yeah Art, I talked to a girl that answered the phone there and answered a few questions. She seemed to be a little suprised at first and asked "You mean the old car outside?" She said they have the mechanicals.
Here is another OLD (group of 4) file photo of the car. Engine is in. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I was thinking it would be a lightweight. Kinda like in the old days when cars were acid dipped to lighten the whole car.
If you acid dipped that car, the metal that would be left would be about as thick as tissue paper with holes everywhere....
