has anybody restomoded a Daytona?

Well, I guess that’s one way to look at it.

I believe I just tend to have respect for vintage cars and what they are or represent, not to mention quite often more respect than for their owners.

OTOH, if someone wants to do whatever they wish to their personal property, who am I to object.
I may not like or respect them for it, but its their choice.
People do strange things every day.

 

the only way to restomod a Daytona would be to do an exact copy of a Comp Daytona.

 

You mean making it into yet another fakey-do/homage/tribute/whatever ?

 

Or just buy one of the many existing fakes and not destroy a perfectly good car.

If you are going to be fake just get one built on a Corvette chassis and be done with it.

 

Having been involved with a number of modified Daytonas back in the day, I agree. Lets let the survivors be. A Daytona will never deliver modern day performance. Lets let them be Daytonas.

 

never advocated for the restomod but i can understand a comp replica. after all they made 1300 Daytonas and supply is greater than demand, you can always find an original.
so where does the “Harahs Hotrod” fall? historically significant or a butchered Daytona?

 

I agree and don’t believe it supposed to either.
If one wants a “modern day performance”, countless brand dealership lots, showrooms, etc are filled with them and their sales representatives ready to take your money.

Besides, in my 45+ years of involvement with & observations of them , 99+% of severely customized, hot/rat rodded, modified or restomodded, etc vintage cars built for “modern” type (i.e. “better performance”, “comfortable”, “practical”, “safe”, blah, blah, blah) driving do not actually get driven much, if at all after they’re finished (if ever).
Almost all such builds are mere ego trips, just like majority of acquisitions/ownerships of most exotic or vintage cars in general.
There’s an old saying of something like “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should”.

 

It is a "period piece" so historically significant. I personally like the fender flares and big mag wheels.

 

I don’t see any historical significance in “Harrah’s Hot Rod”.
It was built (“butchered” ?) when Daytonas were just used cars.

How about putting up the money to prove that building/butchering a Daytona for a “exact copy”(?) Comp replica is a worth the effort or better yet, the “investment”, especially since there’s an abundant supply of original/un-butchered examples ?
You could start with one you have ?

 

is it really historically significant? Harrah took(prob a used) Daytona and added big wheels and flares like the comp Daytona. so is it really just a butchered fakey do half ass comp Daytona replica?
it would be historically significant if the factory took up the idea and did a factory flares Daytona but they didnt see the value.

 

As poorly done as some of Harrahs stuff was it is historic. Harrah was the West Coast distributor and a high profile in period user of the cars.

 

Modifying any car is never a good investment. I dont care if its a brand new Corvette or a 1956 air box car.
Many very valuable Ferraris started life as something else and were in period made into something else when they were just used cars.

 

totally disagree. but thats just my opinion and you know what they say about opinions. nobody seriously considers it significant. a chop job done on a car when they couldnt give them away on a less than desireable color. YMMV

 

What is your opinion?

 

not significant. also for the record, i dont care for modding original ferraris either.
now, what about modding a ferrari for safety reasons such as brakes or better engine cooling with a better radiator?

 

The late Herb Summerfield of Pittsburgh had his 365 GTB/4 modified by Carobu Engineering perhaps 15 years ago(or more). It had 16" wheels, Brembo brakes with coil overs and the engine was hot rodded. Herb passed away suddenly and the shop(Carobu) asked his widow what to do with the original parts? She had no interest and told them to keep them, get rid of them or whatever. I do recall that the car went to auction in Arizona(could have been BJ or Russo & Steele) and sold cheaply.

 

Herb's Daytona:

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I should have asked you first Jim, how accurate was my description?

 

I really didn't know the details about the car, just noticed the wheels and the sound. A couple more pictures:

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And an earlier shot of the car prior to the mods (I believe that's Herb behind the car):

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Thank you Jim. Merry Christmas to you, Greg and family.

 

Thanks and best to you as well.

 

If fitting ugly wheels is mod. I think 'let sleeping dogs lie'. Maybe do a few performance changes, which I would not do.

But if you are so inclined, an engine rebuild using modern materials (lighter weight) and improved reliability, might be an option.
Hotter cams? Sure and have a better torque range, or rev to 8K at every shift? What for.

My Dino motors will have modern, lighter weight pistons, as that is all that is available, no drawback in that, what will be the gain? Marginal I assume, as it is just fine as a Dino engine can be.

Otherwise, do nothing.

Happy Holidays!
Regards, Alberto

 

I would just buy a 550, and keep the Daytona just fine. Run open stacks? Keep all the fauna and flora out of the air and into the engine.
A valve job every 3 months. What for? Daytona is as Hot Rod as one can get.

Regards, Alberto

 

A nice Mod. I have seen, is a set of Japanese Bilstein Coil-overs that are height adjustable, much improved driving. Plus, coil availability to suit your taste / driving style.
Potentially, not Concours proper, but as expendables, they just as well may.

I have posted them in the past in the Daytona section.

Regards, and HNY!

Alberto