Ok recall the 365 ragtop w/ the 400i motor from ebay about 2 weeks ago?

Good day All,

Just adding the link to the new auction...

Ferrari Other Convertible | eBay

Cheers,

Sam

 

I really like this car. However, I must retract my statement in the previous thread: "But I do conclude that there was in fact only one person who was actually willing to part with $33,000+ for an eBay 365GT4 2+2 custom cab with an engine swap." http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/365-gt4-2-2-400-412/424756-1974-365gt4-2-2-convertible-conversion-chassis-17675-ebay-2.html . It turns out there is less than one. Unless there is another $18,000 one-day runup this time, I predict the bidding will top out at about $25,000. The engine swap is a value-killer. If it's a 365GT4 it's gotta have Webers. (Listen to me, the great 365/400 guru.)

 

Figure out what the car is worth to you and then don't go above that number.

 

I'm not an eBay "hand" either. But I've never seen anything like that in any other auction. Also, if the bidders who caused that one day bump of $18,000 were legit, why would the seller not have been able to email them and offer them the car at their high bid amount, and they'd buy it? Or maybe at a couple thousand less than their high bid. These things don't feel right to me. I don't have a theory why guys with thousands of eBay "likes" would play games with this car. But the one-day bump and the apparent disappearance of the participants in that day of bidding are mysterious.

Anyway, it is highly unlikely that this car will go to the high 20's the second time around. If the seller did not contact the other bidders and offer to sell for a high 20's amount to one of them, that was a mistake.

 

Good day,

Indeed the previous auction appears suspicious... I say this, as "180" mentioned the seller could have contacted the next highest bidders and accepted their bids... One can see that there are several who "appear" interested (see pic).

As for the explanation that the auction winner had some unforeseen incident and thus could not complete the transaction... well, this could be true, but looking at his current and past bids on other auctions I somehow doubt it (see pic). I find it hard to believe that someone who has money issues would have bid on so many other auctions... unless the person had no intention of actually purchasing the cars.

I have seen countless Ebay auctions someone connected to the Seller bids up the item... and if they happen to win it, then the Seller simply loses his listing fee and then relists the item stating that the winning bid was a mistake, erroneous, etc.

Anyway, if anyone is keen on this car simply contact the seller and see what he will take for the car... however, have it properly checked just to confirm the car's condition.

Cheers,

Sam
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I believe that is most likely the action the seller wants most as it appears possible to make the case that ebay here is being used for advertising purposes.

That said, it is a good looking car with an interesting enough history that it not trade at the same level as a more original car.

 

If you want a driver type car original might not always be the best. Just saying.

 

I'm new to FC but not to Ferraris or car market. You not need to anylize so much of EBay auctions and people and things that happen when you watch these different auctions. The most important,is everyone has to do their own homework and research as what it's worth and how much to pay.Its personal and different for everybody. I personally like this car being a 5 speed and an awesome conversion with an great looking top up and down. Also the custom tonneau cover and fitment of the top over rear quarter windows and angle of slant on the rear. And since its conversion,why talk about originality ? Simply a beautiful car with a resto-mod and nice injection system( if you had a carbureted car,you would know why) and very sorted driving Ferrari. Most likely the conversion was done in Europe,since I seen R.Stramman conversion and my friend has one now, and its done in the proper way,not just chopped. And I think there are a lot of guys out there that would like to have that car and would really enjoy it as it is now. So if someone is looking for an original 365,this is not and won't be one ,but there are few of those out there.

 

This auction ended on Nov 7, with a winning bid of $32,000. That's a very healthy number for any 365GT4 2+2 in an ebay sale. It's all the more impressive when a one-of-a-kind custom car is the subject. The bidding was spirited, with 35 bids made. Oddly, only one participant in the first auction also bid on the second auction. I really don't understand ebay.

 

I noticed that…"e**n" took their high bid to $33,700 the 1st time around & only went to $7,977 the 2nd go-round It made it into the $30's again though.
& it's not eBay, it's that some/a lot of the bidders on eBay are wackos

 

That became more pronounced with the obscuring the bidder IDs.

 

Just take note boys- NOTHING custom made, hand modified or "one-of-a-kind" in cars EVER is as good as factory- any factory- The Yugo factory turns out a more reliable car than Chip Foose.

This is just the way cars are.

I would only take a shot at something like this if I liked tow truck drivers. Nothing wrong with that, but a well maintained factory built 400i is not a terribly expensive item- and convertible conversions do turn up in the low $30s. Bargains are never what they seem to be.

 

I dont agree.I will take Chip Fooses car anytime and it is usually more refined and detailed than most factory cars, specially custom or resto mods.Their are lots of custom cars that are tastefully built and very expensive.As for this 365GT4 conversion,is done absolutely nice job,especially on the bonnet and top part,where the rear windows look and right.And injected engine is a lot less prone to runnig problems,like carburated ones. Since its all custom done car,will not reduce the value of the car by much and can be reliably used.For $32k,thats a an awesome driving and looking 12 cyl. Ferrari with a 5 speed.

 

I'm not disagreeing - just querying.

Have you ever seen a chip foose car close up or driven one ? They may be as good as they look on tv but this isn't always the case. I bought a 67 Mustang from a UK TV show called "Wheeler Dealers" and the work was beautifully done. On the other hand I knew of a guy who saw another Mustang (approx 1972 car I think) which was restored on another UK car restoration program called "Classic Car Rescue" - this was a total pile of s**t which ended up in a scrap yard but looked good on tv.

 

Yes I've owned a Foose built car and I currently own a Boyd Coddington built car, and have owed a Roy Brizio built 32 Ford.

I'm not saying there is not AMAZING craftsmanship in those builds- there is. Everything is neat and clean and the paint is amazing and the leather is amazing- they are truly works of art. It's just when you do handmade, short run or one of a kind things and subject them to the intense vibration and heat/cold cycles of even a daily driver automobile- stuff stops working. At night. On the highway. When your cell phone is dead. And you left your wallet at home.

Even the most mundane and boring factory built car has had tens of millions of dollars of R+D and testing done for every component- Even Ferrari. And your Ididit steering column and Lokar pedals and Dolphin gauges are really nice, but they are never going to be as reliable as factory. The very best builders mostly use off the shelf aftermarket parts.

Taking a factory carbed Fcar and swapping in a 400i engine and fabricating mounts and cutting and resoldering wiring harnesses and the like- it scares me. The car may be great and 100% reliable- but for me personally- too much "Been there-Done that" on the "Custom" side of things....

 

And that, my friend, makes perfect sense. I couldn't agree more !

The 1970 Chevelle 502 I recently swapped for a '41 Cadillac was built by a very reputable restoration shop in the states and the guy who had it built paid a crazy amount for it but many things were made to work and fit "as best as possible".

The end result was a stunningly quick, superb looking car which turned heads everywhere but was hard to live with because it was a "one-off". One such "best as possible" problem was the drivers side rear shock. The passenger side had failed due to standing still for 12 years so I bought a pair and set about replacing both. The passenger side was a real pain but was do-able. The drivers side, on the other hand, was impossible to change without cutting a hole through the floor to access the top nut as the entire Ford 5-link Curry Enterprises rear axle had been built as a single assembly and then welded into place - easy to change beforehand but impossible after.

The HUGE bore exhausts banged against the bodywork and rear axle, the inside of the tyres rubbed the chassis when the live axle moved around and it clonked, bonked, banged and crashed and was basically a f*****g ball-ache.

Nicely done if you like that sort of thing but give me a factory original car any day - even a 72 year old one like the superb Cadi that the Chevelle morphed into.

Maybe I'm just getting old.....

 

Good day 45exc,

Given your comments, I have to ask if you have a vested interest in this car? You seem to be very aware of the car's details, have a certain confidence in how well it is built, etc that raises some suspicions... and given that your only posts on Fchat are about this car just seems odd to me. If you are indeed at arm's length with the car's owner/vendor, then my apologies for my questioning you.

Cheers,

Sam

 

Good day 45exc,

Thank you for the clarification!

All the best with your new toy... may you have a lot of miles with smiles with it!

Cheers,

Sam

 

Thank you Sam,I will and you have a great weekend.

 

Congrats 45exc.

I, like you, know that you are in for a nice ride.

Welcome to F chat, and enjoy her on the open roads !

 

Thnx a lot. And I m planning to enjoy this. It has a right combo for a cool ride. Mainly a 5 speed,injection and of course topless!
Thnx again.