That's TT's car. He really drives it the way it was supposed to be driven and it shows. I just love the patina on that car! sowest - I swear I've seen a blue Dino here as well.
I met TT and he is very friendly and definitely drives it the way it was meant to be! I love the patina on original cars more than a restored car. It has character!
Hi All The yellow coupe is my old car. It does have some "warts" but it is a cool car. TT and I are on the same page about using the cars. Pete: you and I are the same page on the colour!! Yellow is a GREAT colour on a Dino. WPOZZZ: You are right!! There is also a very nice blue GTS here. It slipped my mind when I took a count for the earlier post. So right now there are at least four Dinos on Oahu, five when the brown car returns. Aloha Larry
Any word on the finish date of the brown Dino? I'd love to see that on the road again. sowest - I love that old yellow Dino. A few years ago, TT brought it to a Cars and Coffee and there was also a 360. A buddy of mine loved the 360, but I told him I would take the Dino over that, any day of the week.
WPOZZZ No one is giving any timetable on the completion of the brown car. The shop is busy with other projects and it is my opinion that they were slowed by the realization of how difficult it is to work on these older cars.The owner played a major role and spent a lot of time in getting parts reproduced on the mainland. He is treading the fine line between moving the job along and irritating the shop. The good thing is that the work is well done and they don't show any inclination to rush the work just to get rid of the car. I think that things will go faster now that the really hard stuff is done and the rest is mostly normal paint and body work. The owner said to me with a sigh, "I hope next year". Pete Ooops. I think I misinterpreted your comment about the colour. I thought you were saying that you hoped the yellow car would remain yellow. Now I see it makes more sense that you were referring to the brown car. Rest easy. The brown is the original colour and it will remain that way. In pictures, and especially in person, the brown is very nice on that car. Aloha Larry
That kind of resto/repair work is incredible. How did you ever find that shop, especially on the big island? I bet the insurance co. is just waiting to close out the bill on this accident! I'm just waiting to see that car on the road again. It was such a beautiful sight to see in Kakaako.
Isn't one of the better Mercedes 300sl restoration shops on Big Island? I never really got very far in the exotic car scene when I lived there, but I do recall meeting quite a few people with the talent and patience to take on such a project.
Work is progressing. The focus is now on the final smoothing of the rear panel and rear quarters. Some minor rust has been repaired. The timetable is still "flexible". Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
C'mon Hawaii Autobody! It's time for the big push to get it out the door and back on the street! Larry will you be the guy to freshen up the mechanicals prior to be driven again?
Hi Kevin I thought that the job would progress faster once the very hard job of the major body panel repair was done. It is a big, busy shop and they have many demands on their time. I would guess that, whatever the artistic satisfaction, the job is not as profitable as putting new fenders on year old Hondas. The owner is pleased with the quality of the work and is keeping a good attitude. Yes, when the time comes, I will go over to the Big Island and get the car started and ready for road use again. Aloha Larry
It has been a long time, but the Dino has finally been painted. It looks like it may have been worth the wait. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Pete and WPOZZZ The car looks good and the owner is very happy with the result, if not the time table. They were able to straighten out everything except the rear panel. It was replaced. There is very, very little filler under that paint. We will be very cautious about starting the engine. The insurance company (State Farm) has been stellar. It may have helped that both parties in the accident were insured with them. I have to admit to being very nervous about getting anywhere near a fresh paint job like that. It makes me think of years ago when a customer stopped by the shop to show me the beautiful new black paint job on his Dino. When he was ready to leave he pulled out a big bunch of keys and proceeded to drop them onto the air scoop cutout in the driver's door. It chipped off a sizeable chunk of paint. The yelling and swearing could be heard for blocks....;>) Aloha Larry
Oh so beautiful. It is surreal to think that I remember reading this thread more than 4 years ago. Little did I know my Ferrari would be driving around Honolulu before this Dino was again. So great to see it getting properly fixed but holy island time. This took forever. If this happened on the main land lawsuits would have been filed 3 years ago. The other thing I thought about is the value of the Dino from the time it got hit until now. Has it doubled or tripled? Would be interesting to hear the owners thoughts about using it like a daily driver now compared to prior to being hit.
Hi Steve The insurance company provided the owner with a rental car for well over a year, perhaps as long as two years. They offered him a cash settlement to end the rental obligation. He took the money and used it towards buying a new car. He has other wheels now. We have talked about driving the Dino. He is undecided. He is aware of the risks and the value of the car, but wonders, "What is the value, if I can't drive it?". I think he is still not convinced of the reality of having his car back....;>) Aloha Larry
Work progresses. The glass is in and the interior is partially installed. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Larry, thanks a lot for the update. I didn't know the yellow one was yours previously. I got a nice picture of it at the last Octoberfest at The Pali GC. Couple years ago now. i just spent 10 minutes looking on computer, no luck. I WILL find it!
The whole point of insurance is to put you back as though the accident didn't happen ... and that would be this car driving down the road and being enjoyed. If the owner can't continue his love affair with this car, then having insurance has failed. What a pity. Hopefully once he is behind the wheel and it has got dirt on it he will get back into the swing of it Pete
Hi Kevin: I owned the yellow Dino for, maybe, ten years. I hardly ever used it. I got it from a friend and customer that really wanted my 246 GTS. We did a trade. I sold it to a good home here when I lost some storage space and needed some money after several years of caring for an elderly parent. It was a tough decision, but I decided other cars were more attractive to me. Bryan: The shop is Hawaii Autobody. They are on the Kona side of the Big Island. Mike: The work has been slow, but they have done an amazing job. From the first picture in this thread to the last picture in this thread is quite a contrast! Pete: I do think the owner will continue to use the car regularly, although it will not now be his only car. He keeps saying that there isn't another car that he enjoys as much. After this, I wonder if the insurance company will institute a new rule: NO FERRARI.....;>) Aloha to all Larry
