Bring out the dead....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310048814825&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:middle:us

 

wow, that will be a great project for somebody....with deep pockets !!

Makes you wonder how many cars like this are buried in barns and garages. My Dad did the same with his Healey, 38 years behind closed doors....

 

But the poor english in the description makes me fear that it's a scam.

The scammers overseas have a way of consistently using a particular phrase incorrectly.

 

i'm betting that it isnt a scam.

it is an unaccounted for car (at least in terms of being out of the public eye for many years).
the serial numbers are shown.
the photo's support the story and the photo's are not ones that have been seen before.

 

What would be a ballpark cost to get this thing back in shape? Cost for full restoration? Cost to simply get it decent? I know...that's a pretty vague term!

I am just wondering, from two different perspectives. As an investment, I know cars like this in good condition fetch a pretty healthy sum...but is it worth it purely as an investment, given the high cost to fix them? The second perspective...a project car to end up with a solid driver. Other than the investment angle, I'm not that concerned about show quality, period correctness, etc. If cheaper alternatives to parts of the restoration can be had which don't detract from the spirit of the original, I'm all for it if the result is a solid driver at the end. Again though...I have no idea what the REAL costs involved in either type of restoration would be. I've looked at some of the restoration threads in this forum and there can be a simply amazing amount of work involved, I do know that much!

jds

 

Reserve has been met, its going to sell!

 

Hoy crap that was fast.

 

who would beat a car to death like that

 

Everyone 20 years ago.

 

Lets not forget. When it was bought and through the '80's, it was just a used car just as the 355's are now.

It looks like it's got the matrix of a good car. Cost effectiveness may be another issue.

 

I think it's legit. Except for the coolant expansion tank in the trunk (!), it looks quite original. Buy it for $75K, put $100K into it, and you'd have a $175K car!

 

Looks at

- All the oil around the engine area, something must have given way (sellers description makes him quite free from any responsibilty on condition)
- Overspray everywhere (how does that happen in storage)

Someone may have hacked on this car and it is in worse condition than it appears ...

They've already sold off the stereo...perhaps the valuable part?

 

They just hit the reserve. Interesting car. Chances are that problems are all cosmetic. If the buyer is a car guy and a decent mechanic and knows paint shops and upholstery shops and parts houses, a year of part time and $20,000 should do wonders. And a lot of that time the car should be driveable. Car is just old and dried out. That is cureable. Should be a $150K car now and over $175K in a year. But who knows?
John

p.s. Scott,
Look at the second to last picture with the sheet still over the car and junk piled on top. The engine cover has probably been open for the last 20 years. The engine is filthy. Makes sense to me. jc

 

where are you Jon? this seems to have your name on it for a 2009 project, they say practice makes perfect

 

It's great to see a car like this surface - barn finds really still exist. To answer your question, whether you want a driver or a show car, it's almost always cheaper to buy a car which is ready to go at your desired level rather than take on a restoration. Rarely do you hear about a car that was put away properly for a long time and simply needs new fluids and a battery to get back on the road. With 6 days to go and bids already at $75K, I don't think this car will be cheap in the end unless it turns out to be a runner in disguise. It looks really rough from the pictures but has some nice original "bits" on it.

...Keith

 

Where you put that car living again with 20k? Humm

 

It was only $7000 when I first posted!

 

An interesting project, I always prefer to buy car's in bad shape that the one that seem nice but when you strip them out...

 

Mine Dino Gt was in much, much, MUCH worse that this one and I brought it all the way back. It took two years. Mine had no interior (but it did have the seat frames and gauges).

But, it was 1981 so parts were still easy to get (and not too expensive), the mileage was about 9 thousand miles (the gearbox and motor were excellent), it was from Arizona so it had very minor rust in one wheel well, it was pretty much complete aside from wasting away for years in a backyard under the sun, and I only paid $8000 for it (it wasn't running at the time of course).

When I was done, I only spent 18 thousand on it to get it back. Again--- 1981 dollars here! I think I spent something like 3 grand to have a new leather interior made from scratch. Luckily the mechanical and electrical systems were still in excellent shape. A friend of mine rebuilt the webers for free. Someone donated an original ashtray because he couldn't see anyone else wanting it. Those were the days!

Mine was also a euro spec. It's one luxury were electric windows. I never put a radio in it (I just covered up the hole in the dash when I redid it).

I sold my Dino about 10 years ago for $50K. It was time for it's second resto and I just couldn't see doing it over again. The person who bought it really wanted it and said they would. I got tired of arguing with the California smog police to get it registered every year too. I wonder how many other fine cars met that fate.

I still miss it. Dino's are wonderful cars.

 

Looks pretty complete to me....a sleeping beauty....I agree with John C.........sure you never now if the engines bad but you have a witness it ran when stored.....

 

In my mind it is a 80k job to do.

 

From the description, it sounds as though the engine hasn't turned over in 20 years. That could be bad...

 

Looks like a fairly solid car and "all there" for the most part. I think that with some extreme care on startup, it could be a real diamond in the rough. Hopefully the seals haven't dried/rotted out too much. I'd love to see how this car looks after a day of cleaning, polishing, etc. I think that if it checks out mechanically, it could be a good, solid "driver." Not sure if I'd actually do a full-on resto at this point, though.

Should be interesting to see how high it gets pricewise. $100k would probably be all the money I'd be willing to throw at it seeing as how there are less questionable drivers avaliable in the $130k-150k range.

 

i haven't come across a driver gts in the $130k point in quite some time

 

I'm currently the high bidder.