David Piper restores the Talacrest P4

Accuracy yes but to refer to David Piper as cheap? I know he has his detracters but I have never heard him described as being cheap. Why don't you give us a rendition of your experience with him in"about 1994" I stand by my post "1922. His priority has always been about the competition qualities of the cars in his care not necessarily their positions at the judging stand.This is perfectly obvious when so many of his Ferraris were painted green. His cars and others he has had his hands on have given more excitement to more people over some fifty years at speed, and not just posing, which is what these cars were built for. And remember his efforts go far beyond his association with Ferrari. Let's hope who ever gets 0858 will display the car "at speed with some anger" and with Piper's fingerprints all over it.tongascrew

 

...and lets hope they aren't expecting an accurate car for their $25m.

 

This thread should get voted best of the year.

 

Lets start another thread to discuss this thread.

 

That'd be great if people were looking to buy a Piper. My guess is that once the asking price tips into the million dollar range the people that are willing to spend that are looking for an authentic Ferrari. unfortunately this car is no longer authentic nor is it correct. Alot of what piper has done to make it as close to a p4 as is possible has been done wrong even when the correct method has been well documented.

 

I thought this was that thread

 

Just by chancing browsing through some old magazines there are some poignant old photos of 0844 and 0858 sitting together in Walt Medlin's shed. (Cavallino #60, December 1990.)

 

Nice of you to say this. For everyone who has contributed, including yours truly, we thank you. tongascrew

 

Take a look at post #1927."ginge82" seems to think it will take $25M to get 0858. For that the buyer should get the correct windshield. Who ever gets 0858 at what ever price can still put out what ever it takes to get what ever windshield he or she wants. This will be pretty easy when the buyer appreciates the bargain price paid which by my estimate will be a lot less than $25M. tingascrew

 

I hope 'Tongascrew' also revisits the numerous other posts that pre-date my own that also refer to this Piper P4 wanting $25m.

I will even offer posts 762, 668, 680, 565 to get him started.

 

Twenty five million*



*Needs work.

 

This thread delivers many posts that could be thread enders.

Makes it hard for me to see Piper as the world's foremost P4 expert if ya have to replace the windshield after he's restored it.

I'd have to say he is more of an expert at slapping them together then building a Ferrari.

 

Blasphemer!
You're asking for someone to come along and school you on how uninformed you are about the world's expert! There are 90-some odd pages of 'He's the best!' repeated with precious little to substantiate the claim.
You'll be branded a heretic and told to read up(!)
LOL.

 

Just because something is repeated over several times doesn't mean it's true. tongascrew

 

Google "david piper english racing driver". I quit counting at 173 the number of posts about him and there is much more if you go into threads that have him with Ferrari, the GTO Ferrari, the P series Ferraris,Lotus racing cars.Porsche racing,Steve McQueen. Jaguar etc etc. So don't tell me there is "little to substantiate" David Piper. To you and others go and "read up". Then you can indicate you actually know about David Piper. tongascrew

 

In Google you trust?

If this thread has illustrated anything its that a lot on the interweb is suspect.

 

Considering what they are doing and how they are doing it I hope for their own sake they aren't expecting $25m.

If they are, as suggested throughout this thread, I hope Talacrest likes the finished car because he's going to be stuck looking at it for quite some time.

If you know of another/revised figure for 0858 feel free to enlighten us.

 

25 million is overpriced for any car. I don't care what it is. Jim built P4/5 for what 4 million? And that car was basically scratch built..yes I know it was based on an Enzo chassis.

These p-series cars are nothing more then rudimentary cars by today's standards or any standard. You could build one from scratch, including casting a complete engine and gearbox with internals for far less money and know that it was all made with modern metals and machining.

That said...NOBODY wanted the car!! It went unsold. Obviously it's not desirable in a can am form. It's butt ass ugly if you ask me. Piper knows how "looks" orientated Ferrari folks are. He new it would never sell for the money they were asking. So why not make it into somthing pretty so the Ferrari fan boys have somthing nice to show for their 25 million.

Could any of you honestly say if you had the money, you would spring for the can am as it was? I certainly wouldn't. That car would make any collection look bad.

Do you really think the 250 GTO would command the mega bucks if it looked like the can am cars? I think not. The 250Gto is perhaps the most perfectly designed car of all time. It's just simply gorgeous to look at. That is the main reason it commands the money it does. Not because of its race history..although some would press you into thinking it does. It's all about who's got the bigger wallet. That's it.

The car started life as a P4. That is what it was when it was born. Converted by Ferrari..so what. it was a P4 to start with. Piper restoring it back to it original coupe form, is him picking at wealthy wallets..nothing more. More power to him. Ferrari does it everyday.

 

He's not restoring back to the coupe form but as a Spider from the photos I've seen.

I'd also say that she will look similar to a P4 Spyder not 100% correct as Jim and others have already pointed out the variations (windscreen wrong, etc.).

Anyway, I'm not interested.
Pete

 

FAR more cost-effective.....

1967 Ferrari 330 P4 Replica by Norwood

 

And probably not much less original, and owned by a famous Ferrari guy.

 

You have to wonder.
I suspect there's a bit of an FU to the purist crowd in choosing the Piper car.

 

There is always a backlash against the "purist crowd."

I am not so knowledgeable about Ferrari, but I am
more knowledgeable about certain motorcycles.

Some folks value utility,
some folks value "correct."

I have seen many posts that extol the 250GTO
for it's looks (in today's world, the performance is VERY so-so).

And yet, many of those folks come down VERY hard on a
Datsun with a GTO conversion that is not too bad, totally
affordable, and probably more reliable.

In contrast to some posts on this thread, this 250GTO,
done in the way many espouse for the car being discussed
as a P4.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/recreations-non-period-rebodies/417337-ferrari-250-gte-all-250-gto-mods.html

The "unused" GTE parts will live on, fitted to cars
that need "original, not reproduction" parts.

Sure, one of only - what, 250 surviving - GTE's gave it's
"life" for the recreation, but the METHODS seem beyond reproach.



The right people doing the right things in the right way.

Resulting in a 250GTO replica that in "as close" as you can get,
and still be a replica. A car that can be seen by many, DRIVEN
by many, and a "beauty to behold."

 

Or an abomination.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but ownership of such an object brings a responsibility to history.
Or at least it should.

 

With all due respect,
doesn't the "abomination: begin when
EF ordered the "destruction" of 0858 ?