GTO Conversion on Ebay-No bidders

I think I know that car.

 

umm....fiberglass is a composite.....there is no way to tell is thet are fiberglass, kevlar, carbon fiber, or a with without asking the owner, who by the description may not know either.

It pretty, but the description is a little off. It says the people who built it have been the experts since '81?? Aluminum brakes? It says it's "the most accurate reproduction" , but it sure looks like a standard 308 wheel base, the engines not turned, the turbos are not on. So it's probably not worth $50k, $30 is probably closer. A propper one with turbos sold at $60k+ last year I think.

 

The hood does not open the right way either. That is the best tell-tell that it is a look-alike.

 

Something looks wrong with the rear fender well too....like the car needs to be lowered. I could park my Razor in that gap.

 

Another 1977 308GTB bites the dust!!!!

You could put that body on a Fiero and rebody the GTB, then you'd have something......

 

I would have been more surprised if it had bids.

 

Agreed, but that's actually the way the kits ends up looking without stretching the body.

What this car has going for it though is the very accurate interior. I have never seen such details in a reproduction. All the gauges, switches, center console, everything.

There are shortcomings on the outside (the hood, the door locks etc), but overall a very good job. I'm actually surprised at the no bidders. The car is worth the 50k in parts and with all the labor it was probably more like a 65k car.

 

uh, KIT CAR

 

Not really. Reproduction is the right term. Kit car is for a Fiero that tries to look like a Ferrari. This is a Ferrari that tries to look like another Ferrari. Kinda like the 250 GTOs on 250 GTE base or the Daytona Spiders which started their lifes as Daytona Berlinettas.

 

Worth isprobably not the right word. The car may have cost $65K the build, but the rule of thumb for custom is that the car will be worth about 1/2 of what you spend building it and almost always less than the price of an original example (308 not 288) because used parts are worht 1/2 the price of new parts. So that puts the value around $32k at the most, probably less. The price of a custom can exceed the price of stock if the performance is way up, but the is not the case with this car, adding turbos like it is prep'd for would make it a $40k car I'd guess. If you are thinking about a custom, it is always much cheaper to find a car that is already done or as close as possible to what you want and just do the finishing touches.

 

Thanks Mark. I didn't know the rule of thumb for the pricing, very enlighting. Unfortunately it seems that the owners of these cars haven't heard the word yet...

As fas as trying to find one, I agree, that lesson my mechanic already once told me, when I was contemplating building my own 308 up.

 

Isn't that funny?
I've never heard anyone refering to the Daytona Spiders that once started life as Berlinettas as kitcars...

// Peter

 

I'd go for the reproduction part if the chassis had been stretched, the bonnet opened correctly and the correct engine and turbos and trans had been installed, until then it is a kit on a ferrari chassis

 

Re: Berlinetta Daytonas into Spyders

Maybe not a kit car, but they are referred to as "Chop jobs" and over time would have been more vauluable in original form. No matter how well done the conversion. They are also not accepted at many shows..past the neighborhood show and shine level...

They sell for the same as a stock coupe, whereas a real syder is three to ten times as much....HTH

 

By the way, I know this car as well. It was serviced at the shop that did all the work on my 308 up in Santa Fe (Executive Automotive). They pulled the engine, Norwoods redid it, they put it back in. Left the tranny alone. Inside as 328-style gauges as I recall. Lots of money into that car.

I have a very good relationship with the shop that did the work; if anyone wants me to "chat" with them about this issue or that, let me know (PM).


--Mike

 

The owner/seller has emailed me if I knew a source for a GTO wheel center cap that he lost. Indeed it looks like he is using the genuine GTO wheels, which are set a little to much to the inside I think, offset value to high for the 308-suspension.
Lots of money into that car indeed, still I spot the Jim Carpenter GTO kit immediatly, wrong shape front spoiler, and the transfer from the doorpost to the wide rear fender doesn't look good, thats what you get with short wheelbase full width GTO look.

 

What's wrong with the front spoiler?

Did you notice the inside of the doors? They even got that right.

 

Yeah, everbody thinks what they have is gold....until it doen't sell. Then they either keep it or drop the price. I bought a speedster kit car years ago for about 1/3 of what the original asking price was...I told him what it was worth to me and left my number, about 6 months later I got a call.

I'm pretty sure that last year or maybe 2 years ago a 600 hp norwood TT, engine turned, frame streched version sold for about $60, the guy said he had $120 or so in it and I think he used the phase "pee your pants fast"...he would have spent 25 or 30 on the engine alone. That was twice the car that this one is IMO. If you like it, call the guy and offer him 30, and let it sit on the table. If he says yes, you can sell yours and almost have exactly the car you want, you just need the turbo/intercooler/EFI. If he says no, you haven't really lost anything because you can almost build you're own for what he's asking.

 

I recently emailed a seller about a similar car and tried to explain to him that it was overpriced and what my offer was etc. I was very friendly and he basically told me to buzz off. He said he doesn't want to sell it to me. I took it as if he meant he is looking for somebody who has less of a clue.

 

So you had the same thought already...That is the flaw, you run the risk of insulting them if they truely believe it is worth what they are asking and don't really care if they sell it or not. I usually try not to tell them their car is over priced. I tell them "I love it, but $X is about the best I can do in a sight unseen offer. I now it is less than you're thinking, but it is a good faith offer and I'm not in any hurry, so if you don't get a better offer, please contract me." It has work for me twice now that I think about I made a 1/2 price offer on an MG that they rejected imediately, but called me back 2 months later (I'd already bought something else though). I guess the other option is that you don't care that you probably can't resell it for what you paid, you just want it and it's worth taking a hit at resale to get it....I know I'm in a sinking boat and still sailing away from shore.....

 

Mark, you're a craftsman with words as much as with blowers.

I'm just too rude I guess.

 

I was too cheap/lazy to register here, and my quotum for picture upload was used before I knew there would be a quotum, but if you open next 2 links in different browser windows you can compare and see what I mean. The replica spoiler looks more like a 328 bumper with a new deeper undertray. The dividing line is to sharp and the lower part should be bigger compared to the upper part.

308: http://i3.ebayimg.com/02/i/01/f9/0a/88_3.JPG
GTO: http://www.heritageclassics.com/ferrari/85red288gto/2.jpg

By the way, lots of good GTO pictures at this www.heritageclassics.com/ferrari site!

Yes they did the interior very well making it look like a GTO. But why, who are you trying to fool? Those who know what a GTO interior looks like, like us, recognise the work that got into this replica, but also we immediatly see this IS a replica and not the real thing. Other people just see a good looking Ferrari, probably they think it is a GTO and if the interior looks halfway decent like a Ferrari interior, it will be ok. As long it is not tan/cream of course