Occasionally, I think about selling the various heaps that I own so I could own one very special car, like a Ferrari Mondial or an Aston Martin DB7. I always pass on this notion as I like variety in my life and feel as though I’d get bored pretty quickly with just one car to serve as the “fun” driver. As I tend to buy cars in project state and then work on their restoration over the course of several years, it got me thinking: could I buy an exotic car in pieces, and then someday assemble the whole thing at once? Well, no – I wouldn’t actually do that. But if you think this is a good idea, you can start by buying this right rear fender off of a Ferrari Testarossa listed here on eBay for $4,500.
The Testarossa, which evolved to become the 512TR a few years later, is one of the last, great Ferraris that doesn’t sell for millions when it goes to auction. It is an iconic car, one of those models that leaves no delusions as to who made it. The years of it being a sub-$500,000 car are likely coming to a close if the F40 is any indication of what’s to come, and you can bet your bottom dollar I’m trying to find a way to wedge a 348 into the garage as those are likely to rocket skywards in the coming years. The Testarossa, from its performance to its styling, is a standout, so building one in pieces is far from the dumbest automotive exercise you could attempt.
Now, of course, no one is actually going to build this car like a glorified Lego set; that’s what we call hyperbole. The seller specializes in breaking Ferraris and selling spares, and it’s truly amazing how much the parts cost for these cars. That does kill off some of the joy for me, as owning a car that requires endless upkeep with the added penalty of exorbitant parts and labor prices is a total buzzkill. Even if I could afford such a pricey maintenance schedule, I’m not sure you’d ever get enough joy out of the driving experience to justify the costs. Anyone who owns a Ferrari is likely reading that statement and saying, “You don’t get it,” which is fine – I probably don’t. That being said, I’d still jump at a 348 if I could, and if I had the extra scratch, this rear fender from a departed Testarossa would make an epic piece of garage art.
I have an epic right rear fender hanging in my garage but it looks like a Bugeye Sprite piece.
I have a Bugatti tailgate tacked up on the wall of my garage.
2CV bootlid – from my first racer.
I have two rusty factory rolled-lip front fenders from a ’70 Boss 302 on my garage wall.
I have a picture of a Boss 429 on the garage wall. Right above the bottle opener. Everyone is impressed.
Hahaha
I have a 4″ x 6″ rusty piece of a FIAT hanging in my garage.
All that’s left of my FIAT 124 Spyder is a 4″ x 6″ rusty piece of sheet metal which is hanging on my pegboard in the garage.
The sellers name is FerrParts, and they have over 21,000 items listed!!
Grill not included in the quarter sale……
I have a hubcap from my old 69 gtv up on the wall over the slop sink. It’s a good start to a build.
Is this the one that got destroyed in the movie the glass house?
My wall art is the cam cover from my first Alfa.
I have a front fender, trunk lid and half of a nose from 36 1970 dodge charger Daytona in my man cave Buddy Baker and Cotton Owens autograph, had them sense the 70s
I have the radiator support to Richard Petty’s Superbird as the backsplash of my slop sink. It has writing in white paint on it..
Johnny Cash tried the assembly over several years project. While circumstances were different, I’m afraid I’d end up with the same results.
Grill and dashboard from my ’68 Fairlane, and a grill from my last Volvo, are all out in the garage. Far more mundane, but also far more meaningful to me at least.
I have a classic poster of Farrah Fawcett on my garage wall!!!
Is he a famous race car driver?