355 FIERO...BONDO AND ALL!!!

O.K. You guys gotta hear about this! I JUST saw a Fiero,with approx. a 55 Gallon drum worth of Bondo on it,to try to make it look like a 355. I was able to get home to grab the only camera that was here,(unfortunately,not digital.) But,a disposable one.And make it back,before the guy left. I took about 12 pictures of it from every angle. It had "Hand Painted" SF shields,and a homemade Cavalino badge on the nose. You can clearly see the brush strokes of the Yellow and of the Black Horse. It looks like he used Enamel Paint. Round taillights from who knows where. The rear deck lid is all Bondo,made to try to look like the vents on a 355. It is SO FUNNY! Even my wife,who is not a car nut,was laughing her ass off! I can't wait to show you the pictures. I got some close-ups of the,not quite yet sanded Bondo. The car is mostly Reddish-brown,like Red Oxide primer. Not painted yet. This guy is trying to stick Bondo to plastic. He is in for a big surprise! And,the first or second time that he hits a pothole or drives over some railroad tracks. That stuff is going to crack and fall right off. I do got to hand it to him for his inventiveness,diligence,and even use of the Bondo. There is a restaraunt right where the car is. Maybe he works there,and it will be there again. Right behind Pompei Italian Restaraunt,about a 1/2 mile from my house. Theres a Home Depot over there,too.

 

Guys,It was SOOOO FUNNY! I cant wait to show you the pix. If the car is there again,then I'll know that he must work around there,and get some digital shots. But,I must admit. He is truly a sculptor with the Bondo. Amazingly straight. Unbelievably straight. But,he painted the SF shields OVER the primer. So,unless he is planning on taping them off when he paints the car,(which could cause big chips to come off with the masking tape. As,the enamel painted shields were SO THICK!)They may need to be redone. But,judging by the shields and the rest of the car. I think that it is destined to be painted with a brush or roller! And,if this guy EVER wins ANYTHING at a car show. I'm selling my Ferrari and getting into a '63 Studebaker Lark! (just kidding! )

 

Oh,I definitely agree with you there. I have always liked GOOD "Replicars" . And,since real Ferrari Daytona Spiders are in the high $300K to $400K range,definitely out of my price range! But,a nice Daytona replica body on a 'Vette would be cool. Still have good performance,but,can easily wrench it yourself,using parts from the local Auto Parts store. At last years Oakbrook event. There was a real Daytona Spider,and a MacBurnie Replica,both parked outside of the show in the parking lot. Both were Black/Tan. From a distance,you can't tell them apart. Especially,a "non-Ferrari" person couldn't. As I got closer,I could notice a few things which tipped me off to which one was real,and which one was not.Then,once I saw the familiar Corvette interior on the one car,the masqeurade was over!(heehee) I saw a guy who tried to make a Testarossa out of a TransAm once. As you said,the proportions wer ridiculously off. To the point of,"Why Bother!" But,as I said in my other posts. I do give the guy some credit for at least trying. But,with a Fiero. The Plastic body panels very easily come off. I'm sure that there must be some type of body kit available to just bolt on. He's going to be really disappointed when,on some really cold day,he hits a pothole or RR tracks,and all of his hard work shatters off! I just don't want to be behind him when it happens! I will check back,tomorrow and see if the car is there. If it is ,then he must work around there. Maybe,I should leave him a note to join us for a drive!

 

There is usually an ad for a place in New York,called,"Bimmers and Benz",in the DuPont Registry Auto magazine.. And,I have seen,in their ads through the years,selling 355 Replicas. Hard to really tell from the little picture. But,they appear to look pretty good. And,yes,I have seen the Daytona Replica's with both an "authentic" Daytona interior. And,with only seats with the inserts,but,still a Corvette dash and console. But,with the Fiero's. If you did a proper 355 body kit. There is a guy out in Barrington. They call him "V8 Archie". He does V8 engine swaps in Fiero's,and sells kits to do them yourself. He's been on the Motorsports Unlimited show several times. And has been doing it,very successfully,for several years. The Cameraman for Motorsports Unlimited-Chuck Itzenthaler-has a V8 Fiero that has some pretty good numbers on the strip. So,a Fiero/355 replica,with the "V8 Archie" V8 conversion,WOULD be very cool!

 

Thts what gave me the idea to buy a 308 with a blown up motor. Then,but a high performance Chevy V8,maybe even a 502 crate engine,or,a ZR1/LT4 engine in it. There looks to be even more room in the engine bay of the 308,than a Fiero. Especially,since the 308 already comes with a V8. He could fabricate a connector plate for the transaxle,if neccessary. Could even use an Automatic transaxle,IF thats what someone would want.(Not Me!) But,even the stock Fiero transaxles were holding up nicely with the new,High Performance V8 in them. They were trying all that they could to try to find their "Breaking Point",and couldn't! And,the nice thing about doing something like that,would be that you could always take out the engine,and put a Ferrari engine back in.

 

Hey,I like that,"FrankenFerrari". Right up my alley!

 

If you get The DuPont Registry of Fine Automobiles. In their December "Holiday Issue" there are some pretty neat cars all throghout the mag. But,as far as replica's (or,Replicars) go,there is a pretty decent looking 355 Spyder on page #226. It doesn't say what it's built on,but,say's 6 cylinder F.I.,so I'm guessing a Fiero. Looks a hell of alot better than the bondo car that I saw. Also,a REALLY nice '63 250GTO repro. with a 305 H.P. 12 Cylinder Ferrari engine in it. But...$229K ! Also,an assortment of older F1 and Indy car chassis. Still have a White "Testarossa" Limo. Quite a few Jaguar XJ220's.

 

No,Skip. It didn't say. It only goes on to say "Hand pounded alloy body,on a 330 donor chassis. Borrani Wheels.Very Correct". It's Red,and looks really cool. I remember a few years back,at the,apparently,now defunct St.Charles Motorsports. They had a light blue (Azzurro blue-?) 308 For Sale,advertised as "previously owned by one of the members of Z.Z.Top". I don't remember which one. We saw one of them in Scottsdale,AZ., this past Summer,driving a Boyd Coddington Hot Rod. Those guys really love cars!

 

I mean. I really like a nice,well made "Replicar". But...$229,THOUSAND DOLLARS !!! For a "Copy" is a little steep. The GTO's that the Ladies had on our Geneva drive were VERY COOL,if you ask me. And,probably reasonable not only to buy,but to maintain. THATS very appealing to me. Albeit,an original,probably almost unobtainable at any cost,is probably WELL over a million or Two,-eh? Or,a really nice MacBurnie Daytona...with the whole nine yards...Dash,Seats,Interior. BUT,with the very easy to build,inexpensive to repair and work on,trusty old GM 350 engine. You can get gobs and gobs of Horsepower out of them,inexpensively. AND...If they break,Oh Well! time to get a new one! I've done That a couple times with Corvettes! Or,put in one of those new 502Cu.In. "Crate" motors. A ZR1/LT5 motor. Or,a Cadillac Nothstar V8.Any would be pretty cool!

 

Actually,Mr.330GTC. ( O.K. I should have just ignored your incessant whining,but...) Next time you want to go flapping off your mouth,try taking a moment or two to read a thread from the start. We here in this thread,on this site,are all owners of ACTUAL,REAL,GENUINE Ferrari Automobiles. Yes,my friend,the real McCoy! Just as Enzo had intended! However. If you'd have taken the time to go to the BEGINNING of this thread. It all started out as making "fun" of a guy who used approx.a 55 gallon drum of Bondo,on a Fiero,to TRY to make a "Copy" of a 355. Good intentions,bad idea? But,there are a few of us who would rather see a Ferrari wannabe in,at least a NICE "Reproduction" of a Ferrari,if they cannot yet afford a real one. I'd have no problem getting one if I was young and couldn't get the real thing. Why Not? The "Replicar" business has been THRIVING since the 1960's. Whether YOU like it or not. And,whine all you want,but,I'll bet you that it won't be going away anytime soon. And,the cars that WE were talking about,would make a nice "Alternative" at ownership of the real thing. Better than nothing,or, as opposed to some Asian thing,or other "Sportscar". NOT a TON of Bondo on a Fiero. And,IN MY OPINION. As well as the opinion of others on this thread,apparently. A NICE Reproduction of a Daytona,for instance,without trying to "Impress others",and purporting it as such (as the real thing), WOULD be a nice alternative. Personally,I could care less if someone "thinks" that it would be Real,or not. Who cares! I'd rather see a young guy in a Ferrari Replica than a Honda,Mazda,Etc... At least,their heart is in the right place. What were you driving before you got your 330? A Volvo or Honda or Toyota maybe? I was weaned on American Muscle cars. High Performance Automobiles. I've Owned SEVERAL,in the last 30 years. The first car that I ever owned was a '66 GTO.(Pontiac-boy oh boy did THEY take the heat in 1964 when they came up with that one!) Also,included 2 "Hot Rod" Camaro's,Chevelle,Roadrunner,'Cuda,to name a few. Then,in my early 20's,went to Corvettes.Then,"Hot Rod" 'Vettes. Never really knew that there were Ferrari Replicars,or,I'd have bought one! And,Hot Rodded it! And,blew the doors right off your 330! Thats what it's all about. F.U.N!! Why do YOU EVEN have a Ferrari in the first place? Do YOU really care if anyone is "impressed" when you tell them that you own a Ferrari? I don't. Could care less! I bought it for ME. Because,I love Ferrari's and High Performance Automobiles. Thats all. But,do agree with the Ferrari engine as being the Heart of the beast. Maybe,some clown will put a Ferrari engine into a Fiero someday! Also,if you'd have read the whole thread. You'd have seen that Norwood Engineering, A Highly Qualified,Highly Competent Ferrari "Performance Enhancer", had put "Non Ferrari" engine variations into Ferrari bodies,and took them to the Salt Flats for SPEED testing. Give them a call,and whine to them about your "opinion" regarding engine swaps. Probably,after they're done laughing,they'll give you a "Bronx Cheer" over the phone,and hang up. ) ) By the way. My Corvette will BLOW THE DOORS OFF your 330GTC! I wouldn't attempt it in my 308,though. It's WAY TOO SLOW!!! Needs some performance enhancement from Norwood,me thinks! I can afford to get any Ferrari (within reason) that I want. But, I wanted a 308 for awhile,so thats what I got. I'll probably add another model this coming year,and probably end up owning a few. But,before buying that car. I had SEVERAL High Performance Corvettes,and still own one now. I love them almost as much as I love Ferrari's. And,to have one that encompasses both,is a great thing,TO ME. Could give a rats ass as to what you think! So,go away now. We were having fun before you became the "Turd in the Punchbowl" in our conversation! Have a nice day!

 

AND...By The Way!! WHAT the Hell are YOU talking about? You live in INDIANA!!!!! HA!!!!! (Just kidding!!! I miss driving over to visit some old relatives in LaPorte,and Choking on the Red and Brown smoke billowing out of everywhere when we crossed over into Indiana.) Is your 330 painted Orange,with a Confederate Flag painted on the roof,and some big ol' numbers on the doors? Have a nice day,and enjoy your 330. We'll enjoy our Ferrari's,and it sure won't bother the crap out of me if someone else is enjoying their Ferrari Replicar. Just for that,I'm going to actually get a Daytona Replica. But,put in a Chevy engine,with a big Chrome blower sticking out of the,now all cut up,original Ferrari Daytona hood. (Uh Oh,you're starting to sweat,now!) Put on some chrome "zoomies" (pipes sticking out of the sides) Jack-up the rear end,make it REALLY LOUD! (YIKES!!! TEETH CHATTERING!!) Put on some extra wide tires-Back only! (AHHHHRRRGGGHHHH!!!!) And tell everyone that cares enough to ask,that YOU told me to do it!! All that "Culture" in Indiana and all! "Could you PLEASE pass the Grey 'Poop on'!" Get a life,pal,and quit whining about other peoples likes and dislikes if they don't concern you! Or,in other words. Mind your own freakin' business! We don't CARE what YOU think! Start your own thread about how the thought of a replicar gives you hives! We'll all be sure to reply. (yeah,right!)

 

Whew!!! All "tuckered out now". (As they say over in Indiana). I was GOING to go out and wax my GENUINE, I-Talian made Ferrari. But,too tired now. Got to go nitey-nite! Great! Now I'm going to have Nightmares about...Gulp!...REPLICARS!!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!

 

No.THIS Corvette is VERY special!!! Not relinquishing any more performance info. AND...It's a REAL,GENUINE CHEVROLET CORVETTE. NOT a replica of one! Bye-Bye!! Had fun with you,though!