I remember seeing this car advertised. I didn't know if it wa sthe one Tom Meade designed for a customer who wanted something more sporting Marcel Massini identified it as 4383 GT which he said awhile back is owned by Mark Robinson of Haleiwa/Hawaii and a restamped engine . Rear fenders have GTO-type outlets too. Massini said the riginal owners of 4383 GT were Luciano and Gianfranco Pederzani, the two brothers being of Tecno Formula Two fame in Bologna, Italy. My question is: what year and month was it advertised in Road & Track or Autoweek and how much was it then? I figure it languished for months unsold because most people couldn't fathom how much it would cost to bring it stateside ($1000? $2500?) Also would love to hear ballpark estimate on bringing it back to Lusso state which would mean also buying/fabricating bumnpers and a grille, and a hood and..God knows what else.
The Lusso with the GTO cosmetic modifications was on Oahu for a couple of years. I thought it was a very attractive and a nice driving car. It was sold to the Big Island and it was stored, unused for many years until the owner passed away. It then was purchased by another Big Island resident and quickly sold to Mark Robinson. The story had always been that it was a Tom Meade car, but Mark found the original owner and visited him (them?) in Italy. The conversion was done in Italy and did not involve Tom Meade. Mark no longer owns the car. There was a long thread here in the Hawaii section several years ago. Evidently, some young man took it upon himself to "broker" the car when Mark decided to sell. It was an amusing episode. Aloha Larry
I remember the ad but can't remember the figure? I think the obstacle to selling a car on an island a couple of thousand miles from the mainland is that people who never shipped a car before are daunted by that problem. I wonder if when the Italian owner had the nose changed to a GTO style nose if Enzo or Sergio Pininfarina approved of it? Was it done by an outside shop like Fantuzzi or Neri et Bonicini? Was it in steel? Does anyone have the chassis number?
I am sorry that I can't offer specific information. Much time has passed and we all payed much less attention to details in years past. I am almost certain that I have color slides of the car when it was in my shop. I looked and was unable to put my hands on them. The slides would almost always have the date printed on them. I never saw any ad for the car so I can't help there. The Oahu owner did a lot of business with Mike Sheehan. My memory is that it came to Oahu from Canada through Mike Sheehan. I have no knowledge of the transaction that sent the car to the Big Island. I have some knowledge of the subsequent transactions including prices, but I am reluctant to violate people's privacy. When Mark bought the car, he sent it directly to the mainland. He did a substantial amount of work to the car and eventually the car was passed on through Fantasy Junction. Mike Sheehan probably has kept records. Mark certainly has a lot of information. Mark is very easy to talk to and I feel he could help with any questions that you have. I never took note of the serial number. The bodywork was steel.
