Ferrari Daytona replicas are one of the most eternal kit cars ever made, despite emerging onto the scene back when the iconic sports car was first introduced. Obviously, the popularity of sympathetic replicas hit a fever pitch during the heydey of Miami Vice and as warm feelings of nostalgia from the 80s continue to permeate modern culture, it’s of little surprise that Daytona replicas like this one listed here on Facebook Marketplace continue to show up for sale. Unlike other replicas, the Daytona clones command a strong price, with this one listed for $27,000.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader JimA for the find. When it comes to Daytona replicas, there’s a fine line between good and great. A variety of manufacturers got into the Daytona business back in the day, and the quality of the workmanship has a direct impact on the price tag that the replica can command. I am far from an expert in the multitude of kit cars offered, but they seemingly used a Corvette chassis for the most part, along with a 350 or 454 powerplant, depending on who built it and when. Based on the location of the reverse light and the configuration of the side marker lenses, I want to call this a McBurnie Coachcraft kit, but I’ll defer to the experts to confirm or deny this wild speculation on my part.
The Daytona has a 350 under the hood, which will provide smooth, reliable power and dirt-cheap operating costs. It’s not particularly exotic but the dirt-cheap operation of the running gear it what appeals here. Typically, these replicas used a 3-speed automatic, and personally, I’d love to build a Daytona replica with a 5-speed gearbox paired to a 454. The engine bay looks very tidy and speaks to a potentially high-quality build. Another reason for suspecting a McBurnie Coachcraft build is a detail on the dash, which in one of the photos shows a leather-covered bolster section on the lower part of glovebox area – a tell-tale sign of the Coachcraft kit.
The seller notes that in addition to these 5-spoke alloys, the car will also come with its Tru Spoke wheels, which are the wire-style look, along with a set of “extra Ferrari seats,” which could indicate it has a set of the Daytona-style replicas with the black strips inserted in the center back portion and seat cushion. If these assumptions are correct, this Daytona replica checks many boxes in terms of being considered a sympathetic replica. The only change I’d make besides the manual and 454 upgrade would be to remove these wheels in favor of a set of Cromodora-style alloy wheels, which you can source quite affordably in replica form.
Cool but a automatic, i would think top down photos would help.
I like the stuff in the garage more than the car.
Nice car but it just doesn’t look right in black. Had a customer with a real Daytona that someone painted black over the original yellow. Seemed a shame at the time and still does.
When they went to the Testarossa, they lost the built-in elegance of the Daytona. Even if it was a replica. Unless you had been in the real thing you would be hard pressed to see the difference. I seem to recall a used car guy in Florida having several of these which were lauded for being a good knock off. Reminds me of Caesar’s wife. Yet here we are with even this rising in value. Remember every convertible of the era was suspect as a sawzall project. The originals weren’t always valuable cars, but I cringe thinking of anyone taking this to Tom’s Body and Fender and saying to make it a convertible.
One telltale sign of a replica is the exterior door handles.
Ferrari Daytonas had a small chrome toggle lever mounted on top of the door at the rear corner, almost invisible unless you know to look for it.
Replicas tend to have a more obvious handle mounted lower in the door skin, usually the Pininfarina teardrop style used on Fiat and Alfa Spiders among others, as seen here.
I seem to remember that Ferrari got a cease and desist against McBurnie. Supposedly that’s the reason Crockett’s Daytona was blown sky high an episode or 2 before the switch to the Testarossa.
If my memory serves, this is a pretty rare replica.
Great looking car except for the wheels. I think I’d take off the Ferrari stuff. I’d rather hve a beautiful modified Corvette instead of a fake Ferrari.
I guess this car does not come with an interior, not a single shot is provided.
From what I can see, I would prefer the C3 that this was based off of.
Kinda funny that demand for phony Ferraris was driven by a show that featured a (phony) Ferrari (s).
I can always tell a replica based on a Corvette because they don’t have door vent windows and Ferraris did.