When it comes to replicas and kit cars, there are some obvious winners and losers. Winners are the likes of the Factory Five Racing, which produce some incredible tributes to the legendary Cobra street and race cars. Things trail off quite a bit from there in terms of quality and attention to detail, but every now and again, another obscure replica pops up that actually looks pretty decent. This Ferrari 330 P4 replica listed here on eBay could be such a car, as the proportions look decent and it comes with a 500 horsepower Ford 427 engine. Bidding is strong as well, which suggests the broader car community knows a good copy when they see it.
Now, the story behind this recreation is a bitter pill to swallow for the seller, who has enlisted the help of a broker to move it along. According to the listing, he sent $150,000 to a mechanic/builder who apparently was creating fake invoices. Now, why you don’t trundle down to the shop where your six-figure build is taking place to see what’s happened since you started paying those invoices, I don’t know – but people are funny. Sometimes, they simply trust that the way they’ve done things every time before will work out again. Whatever happened in this instance, it sounds like the owner is simply done with the project and wants to cut his losses.
While the listing is brutally honest that you’re essentially bidding on “...the only things of real value are the metal body, tubular frame and motor/intake/transaxle. The other materials may or may not be useful in a quality build,” I would argue that’s the baseline for most kit and replica builds. If anything, the seller is short-changing the fact that the metal body is a serious upgrade over what normally constitutes a kit. The engine does sound like it’s worth quite a bit on its own, with the listing noting that the Prestige Motorsports F427-HR-01 is paired to an Audi/Porsche 6-speed manual and is equipped with a Jim Inglese-designed stack intake and 8 weber carburetors.
Assuming the photo here shows the finished product, this looks like a compelling copy of the original P4 race car. Apparently, the tubular frame was built by “….nationally recognized sprint car builder Gary Babineau,” and was designed specifically for this engine and body setup. There are numerous other details in the listing that suggests a lot of time, money, and thought has gone into this build, but with bids sitting at $25,100 and the reserve unmet, one wonders if there’s someone out there who wants to see this completed as badly as the owner did at one time. Would you take on a project like this?
Looks like more than one “stalled project”, see, that’s the thing about people with a lot of money, they get carried away, and are prime targets for a ripoff. These people aren’t “funny”, they’re idiots, and a potential $125,000 loss, not to mention what they paid for it originally. The world will never live in harmony when you have such a wide gap from us “regular” people. Too tired and too broke? Poor baby,,,
Well Howard it appears this guy isn’t some rich guy with endless funds. Description fellow states too old and too broke to go on. Maybe this so called friend was in another state. So honest shops fail for numerous reasons, others are just dishonest. He has those invoices he should take it all to a prosecutor office and see if charges can be filed. Good shops are far and few between. So that dream comes to an end.
You are right. Good shops are hard to find, they are very busy for that reason. Lots of small shops are ticking time bombs, they are run by people that don’t play well with others and have a hard time managing build schedules and finances or worse.
Steve R
The original (and this one as well) is the most beautiful vehicle ever made, in my opinion- truly elegant. Graceful, yet every small aspect serves a purpose. As a kid, one of my goals in life was to own one. I’m still working on that…
I think its a cool car. It reminds me so much of the 512 M. I still have my older brothers Ferrari 512 M Tycopro slot car from the early 70’s. ( Shhhhh…… please dont tell him). These are just cool looking cars. I do hope this one gets finished. So much work went into this, hope someone finishes it.
The seller has over 1,700 items listed.
This brings to mind homebuilt aircraft which consume so much time and money that by the time it’s finished– IF it gets finished!– the owner is too broke or so old that he/she can’t pass the medical exam any longer.
The saddest line in ads in aviation circles is “Lost medical.”
It’s also sad to read “Lost driver’s license due to medical issues” in automotive circles.
As far as “if finished”, kit plane maker Van’s Aircraft boasts that on average one and a half of their airplanes is completed and flown every day. Over 11,000 so far.
You can fly a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA), such as the Van’s RV-12, using your driver’s license as your medical certificate. Sailplanes (gliders) don’t require a medical certificate.
1700 items listed? He probably picked it up at an estate sale and made up a great e-bay story
I wish I could shape aluminum like that…
Bidding ended on Fri, Aug 29
US $35,100.00
22 bids
Reserve not met