"Barn find" Daytona Spyder

Exactly what I was thinking!

 

This car has been for sale for a while. Then it was off the market as the laywers and family went around and around. The car was "auctioned" to the usual suspects. The car is an original spyder, got murdered in a accident, for some reason got rebuilt with the plexiglass front. I thought the car was worth $650K in its present condition and offered that. I believe the high bid was $800K. The car needs the full blow and a new front end. Figure 18 months and $400K at a competent shop and you won't disappointed. Maybe a bit high, but until you take it apart, you won't know just how much work is required to fix the front end.

I can't believe someone would pay $950K for a Spyder in this condition. But, I guess if you figure the market is $1.5M for a good one, and you don't mind waiting 18 months, I guess it's ok. Unless the market corrects.....

Steve

 

The car was owned by the same guy since the mid/late 70's. He had a shop in So Cal for years, bought it crashed up front. That's when the incorrect plexi nose was installed....he alledegly commissioned Scag. to do the work. He retired and moved to the Desert. It was supposedly sitting on flat tires for years, the guy died, his daughters got it, hence the Estate sale. It supposedly had around 24K mi on it, and I was told it was originally red. Came with most of the orig docs and a pretty close toolkit. Like Steve said, it should have been sold for $650K ....certainly $950 is rolling the dice on a market I can't predict. Vince

 

I'm gonna get murdered here, but I think the owner should drive this thing as-is. I would leave it be until there is a reason to tear it all apart a re-do the whole thing just for the heck of it.

I love the nose and I really like the color, but then again I have a green TR...

 

I also like the groovy 70's color (not the usual red/black/yellow) but driving it as-is may not be an option if the crash damage was severe and it wasn't put back together properly (which may have been the reason that it sat for all those years).

 

In about 1988-89, Andy Cohen from Beverly Hills Classic Cars (then Beverly Hills Motoring Accessories) and then owner of 12851, called me about "fixing" the paint on his newly painted Daytona Spyder. It was painted black and had a Tony Nancy black interior. The paint was "bubbling" everywhere and despite numerous attempts by concours detailer Bill Larzelere to color sand and rub them out they kept coming back. Andy sent me the car for inspection, and it appeared the bubbling was deep under the paint, and I told him it was very doubtful I could do anything with it. The front nose section was particularly bad, with some fairly good size blisters around the front parklights. I opened up one of the blisters and found a very thick layer of "bondo" covering up of all things a sheetmetal screw in the front nose. I called Andy and told him this will all have to be stripped to bare metal, and then I'll know what we've got. After stripping the entire car, I found that the front end did'nt look right and it had some rather crudely made pop up lights that did'nt look right either, not to mention patches of metal just screwed into place to fill in gaps around the park lights. It appeared to me the front pop up lights had been added later and the front end had been hit and repaired, possibly at the same time? I called Andy and told him to check the serial number because it was so early I did'nt recognize it. To Andy's good fortune and total surprise, it turned out to be the prototype show car with plexi front nose, which originally was painted yellow with a black stipe down the side inset. I fabricated a complete new front nose and inner structure, all the fixed headlight mountings, as well as the fiberglass surrounds that encase the lights to the nose, and Andy found an nos plexiglass panel to finish the front off. I then redid all the factory lead work around the the rear deck and rear quarters. I repainted it back to yellow with the black inset panels, detailed it for show for the FCA Nationals where it won and then Andy sold it at the show. It was in Germany for some time where it fell into poor condition, and then was sold again. Steve Hill pursued it for some time and he can fill everyone in on where it's at and what condition it's in now. Regards, Mike Regalia

 

Assuming it's safe to drive, and depending on how it really looks (versus pictures), I'd agree with you.

I think there's too much "I'm going to restore it because it's not shiny enough" in the Ferrari world!

 

It looks like a bargain to me ... with a history, which sounds like was sorted properly (heck it was probably the factory that made it like that in a massive rush for the show).

Car should be mechanically checked and driven ... nice and hard! AND most definitely must keep the plexi nose (so much better looking).
Pete

 

I think you're confusing the green car with the Andy Cohen car, which was supposedly the original and only factory built plexi front Spyder. They are two different cars afaik.
The green car is, according to this thread, an original factory spyder that had front end damage and was repaired with a replacement plexi front.
No-one has posted the serial number of the green car yet, as that would determine unequivocally if it was an original factory spyder.

 

14901 is the number.
AC was original
Pop up H/L original.....it is a US spec model
Stuffed nose and front box structure is replacement per Scag. The crash happened somewhere on the East Coast not long after being new. Bought by deceased (the previous owner) Ferrari shop owner(south of LA area), and fixed with Scag suppiled parts. Driven fairly regularly after repair. Sat for years on flat tires in the So Cal desert.....covered
I was told red was original......but that came second hand.
It needs a complete restoration

 

Okay ... not sure then why that other post was made ... confused me .

Merry Christmas
Pete

 

And Mike did a great job on 12851. Lots of differences between 12851 and the production Daytona Spyders. Yup, I tried long and hard to get 12851. The car is no where near the condition it was after Mike restored it. The basic problem is it is in ownership limbo. I'll leave it at that.

Steve

 

What a shame! I can't imagine taking poor care of such an exotic and special car!

 

Interesting story on this car on "Chasing Classic Cars" this week on HD Theater.

 

14901:
Original exterior color: Nocciola.
Original interior color: Nero.
Original owner Lawrence Boomer of Norfolk/MA, USA. Got it thru Chinetti.
Later with Herb Chambers of Old Lyme/CT and thereafter R. R. Britton of Redondo Beach/CA. He had it fitted with plexi.

Marcel Massini

 

Any now with Mr. Chambers again!

 

I just watched the show, chasing classic cars and this guy Herb Chambers who was the second owner and sold it after the crash has an incredible collection. They showed his Daytona Coupe and McLaren F1 as well.

 

He owns alot of dealerships here in MA. He can often be seen bombing through the "Blue Hills" scenic roads between dealerships.

 

Great show. Pretty interesting story on the car.

 

I bet it came with the silver painted nose just like an original Daytona build about 10 cars later. Thanks for the info Marcel!
CH