I posted this in the general section, but no responses. Perhaps it will fare better in the tech section. Has anybody ever run across any of the above that may have come from trashed out hulks from years gone by? Would an original frame from any of these be of any great value if the rest of the car is completely gone? I mean, how many people would actually NEED a complete frame to pay any large price for one. Most of the complete cars would still have their frame and/or the restorer would surely attempt to repair the original frame if it was in bad shape. Call me crazy, but if I took a non-Ferrari body (like Drogo did), and installed it on a Ferrari frame with a Ferrari engine, wouldn't that make an interesting hot rod? Nobody would be fooled into thinking it was an original but since Enzo himself considered the engine to be the heart of the beast, it would still be a Ferrari wouldn't it? And the title itself would say "Ferrari" and the serial number on the Ferrari title would match the serial number on the frame. And in most states it would remain titled as a Ferrari. What say?
I think the only value in taking a frame would be like you said, for a hot rod. Why else would you need one? Unless of course you were going to make a butchered GTO replica. What might be interesting is to take an old frame and use a modern 550 V12 or even a 400i engine with a custom Hot Rod body. Not a 50's American Hot Rod but something with Pinifarina lines, something very european but still Hot Rodish. I remember a Hot Rod that used a 550 engine. Don't remember what it was or where I saw it, but it was in a magazine. Of course Ferrari UK has so many body parts in stock you could build the car from scratch if you only had the frame.
Well, here's my crackpot idea. My Caribee kit car was built in 1966. Very few survive today. This particular car's body was designed for an MGA ladder type frame with a wheel base of around 92 inches (plus or minus and inch or two.) The entire front end pivots up in clamshell fashion. The 275GTB/GTS and Lusso series have about the same wheelbase length. So the idea of putting this radical, and now 38 year old rare body on something more worthy than an MGA comes to mind. Even if I started with nothing more than the bare frame, the future of the project becomes much more interesting with the possibility of V12 power! And it's not like I would see another such beast driving down the road.
How about an all aluminum frame with footboxes that weights 175 lbs? Made with any wheel base you want, from 90 in. on up. Gary
Arlie, As long as you are interested in a 400 drivetrain, why not find a wrecked 400 and use the frame and drivetrain? There are pictures somewhere on F-chat of a really cool rebody/reconfigure of a 400. I think they shortened the frame. Bear in mind, a ferrari frame may be too wide for your application. Also, the early cars 250, 275, etc. have 4 mount engine blocks while the later cars have a two mount block. Good luck on your project! Regards, Art S.
Art, I believe that some time ago, I was checking on the wheelbase of a 400. My kit car wheelbase is 92 inches, give or take an inch or two. I think that the 400 is much longer. I don't think that I would like to take a hack saw or cutting torch to an original Ferrari frame. ANY Ferrari frame might be worth something in the future and I don't like the idea of being a butcher. But if somebody ELSE actually killed the cow,.....well then,.....that's a different story.
Arlie, It's your choice, but I'll bet that if you look you will find a wreck or something that you will not feel too bad about 'butchering'. If someone else put it into the wall, they have already initiated the modification process. Regards, Art S. PS. Considering how many 2+2's have been parted out, and the frames just junked, I think putting a frame to use in a modified form is more humane than letting it die in a junkyard.
Excelcior, This frame is the real deal! Cast aluminum front and rear clips, with fabricated alum. between. They build them primarily for cobra/daytona coupes but will build to suit. Herb Adams former GM engineer pioneered the design. the frame is backbone frame design and is ten times stiffer than rectangular frames. You've got to see! Contact Matt Adams, vsecobra.com Regards Gary
