Help for 275GTB LongNose #08191

The nose does not look correct to me. Too flat on the bottom. The grille should measure 765mm x 145mm (in the middle). Many of these cars have been hit in the front and not properly repaired.

 

I wonder if the car posted above is the same as the one on this website. If it is, someone gave it a fresh nose, but just didn't get the shape quite right. You can see the "pushed out chin" in the finished photo at the bottom of the website page.

http://www.karosserie.com/casestudyferrari.htm

john

 

It may be just the aforementioned "flatness" of the bottom of the grille opening, but the placement of the bumper blades in relation to the grille opening also looks a bit off to me. The blades appear to be too low. At first glance, the front end reminded me more of a shortnose 275 GTB, with a flat grille bottom and bumper blades positioned lower in relation to the grille. The Japanese car does seem to be the same one shown in the restoration photos. Fred

 

Jimmy,

Just a note: advertised for sale in the Nov. 1985 Road & Track. Sorry I don't have the exact text on hand.

Cheers

 

Jimmy, a chap I know owned that car for 20 years. Email me at [email protected] and I will put you in touch with him.

Kind regards

Mark Shannon

www.markshannon.net

 

Anything can be fixed. Just time and money. Remember this? http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143704&page=2

I kinda miss doing that project..

 

This car has traveled quite a bit. Sold new to Switzerland, was in the US by 1972 where it was shown at the FCA Annual Meet, then later that year sold to Germany, then Switzerland again before coming back to the US, Kansas to be exact, in the mid 1980s. It was being offered for sale by Pennsylvania Motor Sport in 1994, and then apparently wound up in Japan. I believe the car was painted a shade of green when new, then silver, red and now yellow.

-Jarrett

 

Is it alloy or steel?

 

Alloy, 3 carb

-Jarrett

 

Thanks, thats what I thought. The telltale signs aren't clear in these photos. Somewhere ( I forget) it was recorded as being a steel car... perhaps.

 

Yes I believe there is is a build sheet or some Factory documentation somewhere that says this car was originally intended to have a steel body, however, I am fairly confident that this order was switched to alloy during the actual building of the car (not uncommon to have last minute changes not reflected on the build sheets), as this car was clearly offered for sale in 1972 as having an alloy body. It is possible that there may have been a major accident very early in the car's life which would have caused it to be rebodied in alloy, but I have not heard of any documentation that would prove this.

-Jarrett

 

Jimmy-

I hope the car checks out and you get this Gallo beauty. It's one of my favorite cars in the beat color. It would look great in your stable of fine autos.

Gene.

PS How are the prices in Japan for the vintage Ferraris? Any bargains?

 

Jimmy,
After doing some research last night here at Karosserie, it looks as if this 275 is not the car we repaired about 15 years ago. The one we repaired was an alloy C6 for a Mr. O'Brien that was orginally red which he wanted changed to yellow. The one we repaired had a new nose section put on which a steel nose section was purchased and an exact alloy reproduction was made, with measurements taken from our other clients 275's.

As I'm sure you know, most early cars were driven hard and had some mishaps along the way. My suggestion to you is to negoiate a fully refundable deposit after a through review of the car by a Ferrari historian. Perhaps you could contact Marcel Massini and see if he would be able to help you make your final decision on this 275. A couple thousand dollar inspection might shed some light on things a normal person would never pick up when looking at these vehicles. You can try to contact him via email which I just PM'd you as he is always traveling

Best wishes in your future purchase.

Regards,

Michael Palilons
Karosserie, Ltd.

 

Mechanical condition is very important. Visually I think the nose repair is wrong. In todays market I think 600K is a fair price for this torque tube,3 carb, steel 275GTB if the mechanical condition is fine. I also think the market has a ways to go on the downside but other's don't. IMO 800K is too much to pay for this car.

 

It looks stunning in that colour.

 

Thanks. Here's the nose of my old one. (alloy)
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I declined an offer of 800K for my car this week. A long nose torque tube steel body. Call me crazy but I believe in these cars and am in for the long term. I might just let my daughter deal with it when I die.

 

Jimmy,

May I say that you appear to be unduly tormenting yourself about something that should instead be a great pleasure ? If the car pleases you, I would not belabor such small details. In this range of values virtually anything can be repaired, and I assume that you will not be relying upon the car for everyday transport or as a dominant repository of your wealth.

The more important issue is to feel comfortable about the price, and whether it correctly reflects market conditions and the particular assets and disadvantages of that car. With cars of this rarity, even major repairs do not necessarily diminish value if they are done properly.

I defer to others as to whether $800k is a fair price for this car as it has been described. But in your position I would do my own analysis based upon auction websites, dealer offers, Ferrari Market Letter, forums like this and conversations with knowledgeable individuals. And then there is the great unknown of where prices will go in the future, and in today's extraordinary conditions I'm afraid you will be on your own with that assessment.

Before making an agreement or placing a deposit, I would urge you to get all representations as to the car's condition, history and originality in print. Depending upon the seller's character, a simple e-mail is usually adequate. Once the outline terms of the sale have been agreed, you have justification to invest in verifying whether representations upon which you have agreed a price are correct. In most cases they are not exactly correct, which of course leads to further negotiation.

You posting has been remarkably successful in gathering expert views. I would not hesitate to take advantage of the generous offer from Mark Shannon, who undoubtedly could also offer considerable wisdom as to the current state of the market.

As Napolis wisely advises, it is essential to know precisely the car's mechanical condition. I do not purchase older cars without a thorough inspection which I witness myself, including a compression/leakdown test, close examination of the car's underside using a lift and a road test to confirm in particular the driveline's condition. Obviously it would be preferable to be assisted by a mechanic experienced with the particular type of car being considered. You are unlikely to find perfection, but it is important to gauge probable future repair costs against your purchase price and the seller's representations.

Good luck, and please try to enjoy yourself.

Don

 

I'm not saying you're crazy. I'm saying that in this market, IMO the correct price for this car is 600K and before the long term comes I also think that prices will come down from here.

I also think that the reason to own these cars is because you enjoy driving them not for what they may or may not be worth.

I bought the one I posted for 6.5K drove it 65K miles and sold it for 14K. That was the last collector car I ever sold. I wish I still had her.

 

The rather similar #08225 is now listed for RM Maranello in May with pre-sale estimate of € 800k - 1,000k (US$ 1,026k - 1,283k).

http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=FF09&CarID=r108&fc=0