Replica 250 GTO: need info

I looked around for a while for info on who makes replica 250 GTO's, but to no avail. Do any of you know about who does this? Most of what I saw was based on an old Datsun chasis, however they didn't look too smooth. I fell in love with the black GTO replica on Vanilla Sky, maybe I could find that exact car (?).

Any info is greatly appreciated.

 

There have been discussions before, try the old F-chat archives...AND try using the "google" search engine....but, now that I think of it...most of the discussions were on the 250 California spider

 

i have been a SILENT fan of quality , well done replicas of theses cars. ferrari put all the makers out of business as far as i know. autorader has a replicas section, there is a guy in new jersey that seems to locate and flip these cars all the time. he has had several nice tube chasis cars with chevy or ford V8 engines. low country classics in north carolina just sold a really nice 1962 250 gto that was super nice for $3500.00, car ran and drove but needed some finish work. i will most likely never get to own a countach or a 250 series anything, hence my facination with the QUALITY tube chasis replicas. happy hunting.

 

There are very few kit style cars that I would own, if any...
Well maybe a very nicely done GT40, But...
I have seen a couple of Ferrari re-bodies that I would have no problem owning.
Like the 330 re-bodied with a 250gto... They are just awesome.

 

You might want to send an email/pm to FChat user Chelle. She and her friend have two of these GTOs and are technically very savy. I bet they could give you some pointers.

In the magazine 'kitcar', there is always an ad for a GTO spider replica. Looks amazing.

 

I went to a guy's house in Santee..15 minutes from San Diego...he was doing 240Z conversions...hardtop and conv...I found his name from the Kit Car magazine web site...so i visited him just to see his work...but i dont have the info anymore...he was doing the 250GTO...and there is(was) a company up in Escondido(about 30 min away..making the Cal Syder(Ferris Bueller)...the Kit Car magazine web site shoud have info on these...
Bill in San Diego

 

Got my first on air job as a DJ back in the stone age, not far from there at KCBQ

 

I don't know what kind of money you're looking to spend, but if you're looking for quality and exactness, there's a place in Wisconsin that will build you an exact recreation of one.

They built a 250 GTO Spyder for Frank Beard from ZZ TOP, which I was offered.

You name the car, and they will build it as exact as you want it.

If you're interested, and you have the means, post me privately and I will give you further info.

Only contact me if you're absolutely serious, as one of their cars will cost you 6 figures.

 

It's nice to see you abstain from the: "Have you ever heard of The World's Worst Paedophile Ring?" postings.

 

Personally, I don't really "get" the whole replicar thing. If it doesn't drive like the original, than it isn't "as good". You can put CF badges on a Ford pickup, but it doesn't make it drive like a Ferrari. Those who know the cars will know better, and those that don't probably won't recognize the "pretend" body, anyway.

There's nothing wrong with building a new tube-frame DIY car, if you want to go to the expense and effort. But why then disguise it as something else? If you have a unique machine, put a unique (and aerodynamically functional) body on it. (IMO)

A "recreation" can be a different matter, if built faithfully to the original blueprints. But that requires the kind of factory support that Ferrari typlically does not provide.

The only "kit" body that might temp me would be a 330P3. But I'd want a street chassis under it, so the body would be an "inspired by", rather than a "pretends to be".

But I wonder if Fieros with the original body are going to become "rare".

 

It must be awesome cruzing Greenwich Village in your F60...
But seeing that you are a USD$multi-millionaire, I would think that you would own something nice, like an F70

I had a really cool car back when I was a double ott secrete agent.
Most people thought it was a Ferrari 166MM but it was really a 212, (complicated).

 

yes, yes, yes.........

A 270 GTO ...?????? and a F60 owner, that's interesting, isn't it Wayne.....


WE WANT PICTURES................. SOON ? or fast, anyway, we want now

 

Carlos, arent you the same person who needed help getting money out of a bank account in Nigeria?.

 

Well then, Thanx for the reference Andreas : )
There is just so much here I should respond to .. some good advice was sent as well as .. well, some peoples mommies should take away the keyboards.
You might want to get a drink because it looks like this is going to be a long one. I want to address each point but the most important one is the original poster.
jonesn asked for any info on the available GTO replica's out there.. he didn't ask for any character assasination for wanting something not factory original. The car from Vanilla Sky was a 250GTO replica that is allegedly in New Jersey these days. I'm kind of surprised that even in my circles (I know many of the replica builders personally) no one I know knows who actually put that car together. I'm almost thinking it is privately owned, by either the director or Tom Cruise or something like that. Perhaps they had a shop build it, but I find it odd that no one is talking about tit. David Letterman had a hard time getting Tom to admit it was a replica, but eventually he relented.. Letterman said something about researching it and Tom said well, it's really hard to borrow a real one for use on the set. Still no one is talking in the replica industry about who put that particular car together.
It is definitely a datsun 240/260/280z based car, and the body came from either Tom McBurnie's shop or the guy in Missouri who bought up the old Alpha1 tooling, but like I said - no one seems to want to talk about it..it does have some nice additions not typically seen on these cars like more correct looking sliding side curtains.
A kit will run in the area of $5000 + donor car, and whatever options you might want.. A ferrari based rebody, depending on quality or the work and such figure $90-$175k... built to order double that.
If you're serious about getting one I'll send you any info you need on the 5 or so options currently available to those shopping.. or I might be convinced to sell one (not both) of mine. Both of mine are partially apart for winter paint and other odds and ends. Kim’s is getting the floor replaced and she won't sell it anyway. The 280z based car is red/black interior, currently has the interior mostly out as I'm trying to convert it to right hand drive (just to be different). It needs paint has new knock off's, and a 1992 BMW 850csi engine and 6 speed go with it. It runs fine and sounds good with the nissan 6, but I wanted a V12.. just a relatively reliable one.. Also comes with a new haltec system to get the BMW 12 running.
See pics here look in that directory for some misc. pics of the red nissan based car (there are a lot of nice cars in that directory including our lambo, and many Chicago listers cars..
http://members.core.com/~blonnde/sunday/me_and_gto.jpg
http://members.core.com/~blonnde/sunday/
The other GTO (not the white one, another red one, is based on a lusso chassis (my understanding is it was a very trashed body with no engine that was used) with a later 365 engine and 5 speed.. it's stripped to bare aluminum and getting painted this winter but I would consider at this point letting it go.. has fresh transmission and decent engine
mechanically, new brakes.. a bunch of other details I'd rather go over only if someone is seriously interested.
Anyway, let me know if you need any particular info and I'll give it or point you in the right direction.

to thecarreaper :
Close. Ferrari will kill any ebay auction they find out about for a replica, however they aren't shutting down the makers of the 250 GTO replica's.. as long as they are not advertised making any reference to Ferrari whatsoever. There are 5 companies currently offering 250GTO inspired designs. the best known is probably Tom McBurnie, he's the one who made the daytona Spyder from Miami Vice .. he was shut down for the daytona but continues to offer the GTO.. The listing online for the one at low country classics has been there as sold for probably 6 months - I don't think they knew what the market was for the car - I tried to buy it and it had been gone for some time. Marauder was the only one in the US I knew of making tube framed cars and they only did a couple a few years ago.
Thatsmytoy You probably talked to Mr Puckett. he makes the most accurate body for the nissan based cars. .. he doesn't really push that part of his business but he does still offer the car..
John Washington in Arizona sells the more common "Vela Rossa" the roadster based on the same molds that my nissan based car was built on.
DaRolls- Hiya Skip : ) you know my thoughts on all this.. Mark is needing the work of late I hear - he might be convinced to make another car to order for oh, $250k lol

carloskavros
Wow.. where do I begin? sorry but, well this is not intended to be a flame but you are simply wrong, on just SOOoo many levels. I mean wow.. I suspect someone's mother needs to take away the keyboard, However I'm going to stick to debating your points that are relevant to the original post. "270GTO" um, no. I know these cars, I know them well enough that when a pic of even partial view of any 250GTO, replica or not turns up I usually can pin down exactly which car it is within a few hours. Like when the one turned up on an episode of Law and Order.. I challenge anyone to trip me on this one topic.
This is not an issue of money. You are wrong here. It's not about pretending to have what I can't afford, it's about being an individual, and owning what I LIKE. : )
It's similar to the mindset building a 32 ford streetrod with a ZO6 vette engine, suspension, custom leather interior and air-conditioning. On the outside it looks like a custom deuce, but it is wickedly fast, comfortable, and when something breaks a quick trip to pep boys will get you the parts, no waiting, for less than the price of dinner. Our nissan based 250 GTO replica is faster than the lusso chassied car, handles better, stops better, has A/C when it's unbearably hot out, and it's fun. The Ferrari based car breaks more often than not and I'm scared to use it or park it anyplace. Don't get me wrong, I love it - and I vow this winter to get it going again and paint it, but I can't just jump in it and use it. I don't walk around waving a sign that says "this isn't a real Ferrari" when I'm in the nissan based car, I just enjoy it. When I'm out others enjoy it too. I get kids waving, people ask to take pictures and they never need to know it wasn't what they thought it was. If we give a friend's kid a ride in it the next day they are telling all their friends they rode in a Ferrari. They are happy, I'm happy, the only person annoyed is a Ferrari lawyer or accountant. Why should I complicate it? The kid loved the car, maybe he now aspires to someday get one himself. Like I said- it's fun, without worrying about what is going to break next.
on this point "ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM FERRARI MOTORCAR REPLICAS-no person of sound mind at Ferrari Motors has ever permitted Ferrari motorcar (or any other Ferrari product) replicas."
I don't have a knock off bag, or Rolex, or logo tops. I just love cars. Wait, let me rephrase, I love cars that are different from all the econoboxes and minivan's cluttering the roads. The typical higher end replica owner/builder I have met are enthusiasts first and foremost. They love Ferrari's or Lambo's or all the exotics or just cars. I would assert that a person who buys a fake Rolex is worse than a typical replica builder/owner. A person who buys a real Rolex just to hold it out there for all to see or needs a logo to help prop up their ego is even worse. The just signed band or athlete who knows zero about cars but throws a ton of money around to make a “look at me and how impressive my bankroll is”. Missy Elliot buying a new Diablo, Rappers with a ton of gold and 22" wheels on every car buying a new 360 spyder that never leaves the garage because people drive them everywhere, Those are the posers. I tended bar in college and would see people with new money coming in with gold everywhere making sure their sleeve was pulled back
just enough to flash a diamond encrusted Rolex, real or not, they were hiding behind a logo. The Patek Phillip and Breguet owners flashed nothing, diamonds were subtle and the quality came out in getting to know them. Personally I worry more about the bad image Ferrari's get in the eyes of law enforcement and everyone else when some drunk pro athlete plows into a family in a minivan doing over 100mph. The guy or girl who spends all their spare time building a replica , who watches F1 races wishing they could be out there too, who parks their replica away
from the show but goes to all the shows and loves the cars is the same one who won't hesitate to grab their tools to help fix someone else's car. They'll pull over and help and love spending an occasional afternoon on a drive with others who love cars.
The car's aren't my identity, but none of them, even the nissan GTO replica is in the same class as an old VW powered bradley GT. These are real cars and referring to anything someone has 1000 hours work in a "POS kitcar" is not giving credit where it's due.
The nissan based car looks like a Ferrari, even to quite a lot of Ferrari people. I know what isn't accurate, but honestly none of the originals were identical. There were tons of variations. Putting Ferrari emblems in the right places makes it look more authentic. I'm not in the income level to have one of the originals, but I love the cars. Ferrari emblems make it look more authentic AND they make it easier to live with. How so? We get asked about the car wherever we go. With emblems people ask "What year is it?" and we just say 1962 and go about our day...We get to not be late cause we had to answer 20 questions on the buildup.
We get to not deal with some idiot sneering and saying, "oh, it's just a kitcar", and they get to go on their way and say to the kids or coworkers "I saw a Ferrari on the way in today" Without emblems it would be "What is it?" which requires a lengthy explanation If someone says - is that original I say "no, it's made to look like the competition car, a 62 Ferrari 250 GTO" I am honest with people... but I don't volunteer to tell them the whole story. I also don't say it's a "kit" It's not, this car is similar to a lot of gto replicas, and it's similar to a 250 GTO... but it's not a kit they can go order, it's not a kit like their "buddy's VW powered dune buggy" It's a real car, which I'm proud of the work it took to do. I agree the low end replica's hurt other's impression of Ferrari when they come in blowing smoke and rattling .. but I don't feel the nicer replica's out there hurt anything. Especially when we consider the fact that most good replica's get driven, get seen, and get enjoyed... How is a kid ever going to know what a Ferrari represents if he never sees one because it's in some rockstars underground garage with a dead battery and mice eating the seats?
If that kid sees me passing his bus stop every morning on the way to work, not looking like a thousand minivans, maybe he'll aspire to buy a
real one someday of his own. Even if he gets or builds a replica, at least it's not another damn minivan.
DGS.. remember Walter Medlin? I seem to recall he had a rusted out pickup truck with a SF badge on the tailgate.. was he a poser? he also had a warehouse with about 30 vintage ferrari's mostly racers including an original P3 and P4. My point is you can't judge someone's dedication to the Marque based on one car. If you clock my nissan based car as a replica unless you keep an open mind you might miss an opportunity to meet a real ferrari nut.. I know quite a few Lambo owners who use a fiero as a daily driver..
With increasingly complex subsystems and little factory support for the older cars.. there may come a day that the only time we will see a ferrari on the road will be a replica.. think about that.. some will be in collections or museums, but 30 years from now when you need a new controller for your F1 transmission do you really expect much support from Ferrari? Right now the best source for emblems is a company that makes reproductions.. that might be that case for most parts someday soon. When the injection molded plastic pieces break down - a replica maker might be the only supplier of replacements. That's part of what puzzles me with Ferrari of NA's lawyers.. they even threaten makers of things they have no interest in providing the enthusiast..
One more point many people miss with regard to some of the better done fiero based replica's There's a VERY good reason to have a replica with a Fiero VIN. I know two states, Virginia and I think New Hampshire, require you to pay tax every year on your cars. The Tax is a percentage of the book value of the car. You could spend $40,000 - $60,000 building an F50 replica that as long as the car wasn't on a lift or had the engine cover off, no one could tell the difference, sure you could spend $20,000 on one most would not know was a replica, however it is possible to have a replica that externally is 100%. With the right suspension and engine it would likely be capable of more than most drivers could hope to explore. And when you went to renew your registration you would pay the fee for a 1988 Fiero, worth say $4000,
instead of the book value of the real thing.
http://members.core.com/~sysadmin/personal/Urraco/lamboallthree.jpg
anayway - sorry so long, anyone has questions about any replica and I'll be happy to reply and help however i can
Chelle

 

here's something I wrote to someone a while back that applies as well.

I don't use the word kitcar myself when talking about my cars just because it invokes images of the old Bradly GT and a few other POS. I do say "it's a handmade reproduction" or "component car." It's a fine line but for myself I need to state it that way. If I say Kit car the people who think they know what that means cannot help but assume my
$115,000 handmade reproduction is just a VW bug with a fiberglass body..
I personally see replica's of newer model cars as being unethical, however with the 20 year old cars or ones of such limited production as to be unattainable then I think it should be allowed (once the original is a few years old and/or out of production). The only excuse I see for a replica of a current model is if it's a model that is unobtainable in this country. If Ferrari makes a model that they decide not to import to the US and I want one bad enough to pay someone to make me a realistic copy to drive here, then I say Ferrari shouldn't be allowed to sue me or the builder for making something available here that they decided not to sell. GM allowing people to order on a huge scale fake 328's (the Mera) I think they should have been raked over the coals for that one. The 328 was in production and they were taking a current car and copying it. This is just my opinion of course but I don't think anyone should
be burning my 2 250GT0's... either of them. Yes they are both replicas, to differing degrees. They are fun and a tribute to a car that is virtually
unobtainable. AND they're a safe way to drive one on public roads without risking an original being lost in an accident. While I don't support anyone going out and making knock off's of the new stuff, there are some interesting arguments as well, like how Lamborghini doesn't care about replica Diablos, and yet their sales aren't hurt. The average person who buys a real one isn't going to consider a replica, but the average replica buyer sometimes is sometimes encouraged to save up to buy a real one someday after seeing how fun the cars can be. I am one of those people. I would suggest that Lamborghini maybe try to kill off some of the garbage replica's out there though. Don't want someone
seeing a VW bug powered "Countach" and thinking that's the build quality of a new Lambo.. Another argument I saw was interesting, This from a Virginia resident. "Property Tax. I have the honor of living in a state (Virginia) that has somehow deemed it fair to charge you tax on a vehicle. Not just when you buy it, but every year you own it. 4.5% of blue book. 86 Fiero = ~$1000. 96 Ferrari = ~$130,000. Yearly savings = $5805......... With a rebuilt motor, a few performance mods, and a little work, you could have a 'nice' Ferrari knock-off daily driver."
Like the Porsche 959, I read someplace they sold those below cost just to sell the requisite number to be a production car. Before Gary Bartlett worked out how to get a XJ220 here I would have said someone make me a replica 220 with a clear conscience. Same with a TVR Cerbera.
The one thing I should have said earlier about my opinion on that is that I don't think the reproductions should be able to be represented as original. The F50 and 550 Barchetta. To me shouldn't be replicated for a "few years to. I don't know how someone's supposed to write laws based on a feeling, but I'm fortunately not a lawmaker. - IMHO making replicas of such new cars has too high an "ick" factor. lol.. sorry that's easiest way for me to describe my feeling on that. I think for someone to replicate an car that's available here but production just ended, some dealers still trying to sell new ones well, it needs to be practically beyond rare.. like a dozen made or something like that.
But I do feel the enthusiast who wants a Diablo
or F50 (and has the means to buy one) wouldn't consider the replica unless there simply were none available. The average idiot doesn't know what it is, like the people who ask the guy in the Lotus "what kind of Ferrari is that?" I remember a few years ago someone wrote in the Robb Report how annoying it was to drive his McLaren because no one knew what it was or thought it was a kit. I'm just crying buckets for him. He has a wonderful car and he said he only uses it around the estate or some such nonsense. He said it's more rewarding to drive the Mercedes
to impress people because none of his associates know what a Mclaren is. When the "self indulgent weenies with too much bloody money" buy up all the available cars to stuff them in a garage or to get good parking at the country club or Starbucks it means there's one less available to someone who would actually love the car. (sorry - i just love that movie... *smile*) I like to think if I was a modern Enzo - I'd be annoyed at the thought of having most of my cars get sold to people who want an automatic and never truly enjoy their cars or take them on a track The people who appreciate the cars and know something about them, they know the difference between a fake and the real thing.

anyway that's my thoughts on the matter.
Chelle

 

Well thank you : )
I knew Tom had a few interesting cars and found it interesting that he didn't even want to admit the history of the car till Letterman hinted that he did know.. like I said though - rumor mill currently says the car is in Atlantic City, NJ
It's the only nissan based one I've seen with sliding side curtains.. there is a guy in Washington State selling ones with a trunklid now rather than the stock hatchback so that's two Nissan based builders with a trunk (the vanilla Sky car had hatchback) .. it's still a fun toy though
an Sorry I got so wordy : ) well, maybe I'm not that sorry
Chelle

 

It's not a question of a "poser" ... except maybe in the other direction. If you build up a one-off car, why make it look like something less exclusive?

Heck, there are over 80 of those 250GTOs around. How exclusive is that? (compared to just one).

If you had a custom gown made -- even if it weren't a top Paris designer -- would you sew a "J.C.Pennys" label in it?

Just using parts from other cars doesn't mean you have to look like something else. The Pantera had Italian inspired styling and a Ford engine, but wasn't called a Ford, or a Ferrari. It was a DeTomaso -- something in its own right.

Why not take your Nissan mechanicals, your upgraded frame, and some tweaked aero body panels, and call it a "Chellemobile", rather than naming it after some old Italian guy?

And that may answer the question. Someone with a real passion for another marque may prefer to pay hommage to that marque, rather than minting a new one of their own, I guess.

Actually, the weirdest kit car I ever saw was back around 1980, just after the fuel shortages, when a company offered to take a new Ferrari 308 and make it look like a Bricklin.

But that does raise a question: How does your insurance carry your "Nissan based" machine? As a Ferrari? A Nissan? A Chellemobile?

 

Here's a site that has the 250 GTO kits/parts for sale:
http://www.zcarkits.com/

 

CHELLE, thanks for the education, i loved your posts. i can tell you have a deep passion and understanding for the marque. i know the folks at Low Country classics. i had a chance to get that car for 3k cash( so they told me on the phone anyway) i called on a thursday and the car sold that weekend ( specific date escapes me, though i think i have every autotrader form every week going back like 3 years). i really like the McBurnie built daytonas, i had no idea he did GTO s, or that he ws still around. i may definately consider one bieng as i have looked at several 3x8 cars and was not impressed ( because of how much they were versus condition) . good luck to you , i would love to see and read more about the cars. i went to your site but i could not " see" most of the pics. my firewall is picky so it may have been my fault, not yours. i certainly agree that newer cars should not be " copied" where as the un obtainable classics are ripe for it, as long as its well done and performs well. i wish i had gone and at least seen that one GTO in person......cheers. michael

 

That guy has a site - but doesn't do it for a living. He seldom ever replies to e-mails or voicemails in a timely manner. If you just want links then start with a useful one that discusses and links to all the options
This page is run by the guy who makes the Vella Rosa.. and he's a genuine car nut. http://www.reactionresearch.com/gtorr/
McBurnie is here:
http://www.thunderranch.com/
He and the John (from reaction research) are probably the best for communication with customers.
There is also a new guy on the scene I personally think many of his prices are out of line but he does offer some components that are really hard to get otherwise:
http://www.scorpionzcars.com/
I do own know what I'm talking about on this one topic..
If you want the most accurate body (of the zcar based options) I can put you in touch with Puckett.. but it will take months to get your parts and he doesn't have a web presence.. but hey - that makes the experience all the more authentic.. like buying from GTCP.. : ) nice guys but forget about computerized inventory or anything..
good luck,
Chelle
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

BTW - this one has been in the DuPont for a few months now.

 

DGS, sorry i missed you post after the book i sent.. lol
Insurance is easy.. ish.. The nissan based car is insured as a nissan, but for a high high stated value (They needed an appraisal and lots of pictures to go for it though. ) an thanx for the reply : ) A Chellemobile though? nah - I am smart enough to know I can't compete with a real designer.. an i really like the look of the 250 GTO - someday I'd love to take a flood damaged or theft recovered 550 or 575 and build it into a modern version of a 1962 250GTO : ) classic look with more modern suspension : )
Chelle

 

Thanx Joe! I was unaware of that car being available.. grrr, too much to think about lol
Chelle