It’s difficult to say how excited I’d be to unearth a storage unit find containing two old kit cars. Kit cars evoke a conflicting set of emotions: in one regard, they’re a vestige of an era gone by, when safety really didn’t count for much and you could legally build a car in your garage and toot on down the highway the next day. On the other hand, these really weren’t particularly sophisticated or fast, so maybe there’s a reason this pair of Fiberfab GT40s replicas here on eBay were abandoned.
Now, to be fair, the pictures I’ve seen of completed Fiberfan GT40 replicas actually look pretty good. It’s definitely one of the better looking kit cars out there, with proportions that are somewhat believable. Buying one of these as a storage unit full of parts doesn’t light my fire, especially since the integrity of parts like a collection of Chevy Corvair engines is unknown and will have to be evaluated for mechanical health – or, you could scrap the wheezy Corvair mills and go in a different direction.
Someone was spending money on this car (or pair of cars) to a point, with these gorgeous re-done bucket seats as exhibit A. The seller says there is easily enough parts in the lock-up to build two cars, and the inventory includes Corvair engines, transmissions, cooling system parts, a turbocharger, transmission adapters, and a Corvair chassis. The seller estimates the total value of the cars and parts haul to be between $40,000 to $85,000.
Presumably, that’s a “unfinished” estimate and “finished” estimate. The seller is starting bidding at a reasonable $9,995.95 with no reserve, and the option to Buy-It-Now for $24,995. To me, when a kit car enters this stage, its value diminishes greatly. Rarely do enthusiasts want to pick up the fragments of a car that was literally shipped and purchased in pieces, and clearly started and stopped in terms of when the tear-down began. Should this pair of Fiberfabs be rescued and re-assembled?
Get into this package under the dream money and you might have something that would be fun to build and fun to drive. Don’t know about “wheezy” Covair engines as we’ve owned a couple and built some pretty hefty VWs powered with the modified 180 hp versions.. and higher.
yea Bob Hess and if you wanted to go with a vw system you have so many options like the freeway flyer tranny, blowers and etc. Thinking a 350 would be too much Corvair would be cool too, I loved these when they were popular in the 60’s. I’m not sure about the price–i’m thinking 10 large for the pair was a lot and that’s the start, no way 25 k. You are buying unfinished kits. What say you, guys ??
Cheers
GPC
Too many monies!!
Back in the day, some guy named Yenko made Corvairs go really fast.
Safety is a relative thing. Two days ago a brand new F150 lost to a triaxle dump truck killing a 4 year old boy, his aunt, and his grandfather.
Yup, the Yenko Stinger was quite a vehicle.
Sorry, but a kit car or not but something shaped like a GT40 with a Corvair engine just seems wrong to me.
Wow, Debbie Downer!
’73-’78 Corvair Chassis’ should be worth a ton…seeing as how they didn’t make them after ’69. Go figure.
It looks like it could be a lot of fun for a starting price around $3,500. If close by, (I am on the opposite side of the country) right price, and not for current projects occupying all the space I would jump into this. BUT, if bullfrogs had wings they would’t bruise their butts when they land either.
I had one of these once, bought it because the guy said it was built on a 356 chassis, it wasn’t, but it did have a 356 motor. I pulled the motor, sold the car with a VW motor, so got a free motor. I thought about keeping it, they look pretty cool, but they were pretty crude up close, and very small, and I’m not a big dude, 5’9″.
I owned one of these in the early 70s. I did not build it. It was really a mess, doors didn’t close well, leaked in the rain, really poor visibility, handled really bad and worst of all it was a dog. Buying a kit car in any form is about the same as playing the tables in Vegas. Even though they look compelling, run away and live to run away another day. And by the way, for about a year I ran Tom Mcburney’s Corvette to Ferrari conversion shop.
If you’ve never built a Fiberfab Avenger GT-12 or GT-40, you most certainly are missing out on an opportunity to demonstrate and show off your skills. I have built out a 1967 first generation GT-12 (one-piece) body. The body sits on a 1971 V.W. I.R.S. pan (independent rear suspension). This German suspension technology is already built out for you. The power source is a 2300cc stroked air-cooled V.W. engine. It is fueled by dual Weber carburetors. Turn-key it produces approximately 150hp., with plenty of room for upgrading. There is no body hacking here. Instead all of the engine componentry has been built neatly into the aft compartment. The floating myth that you have to be 5′ 8″ or shorter to fit into one of these is simply not true. I’m 6′ 2″ 195 lbs. and fit right in. Another point worth noting is that the original designer had a racing background. He was very clever and designed this kit so the average person could use sourced parts from a wrecking yard ( Corvair windshield, mustang fastback rear glass, Ford door hinges, AMC recessed door handles, and of course the infamous V.W. pan options ). Lastly, a humorous comment always assumed is that these aren’t fast. Well of course if you use a tired old engine, you probably won’t get anywhere fast. I’m happy to say that my car is very responsive. The biggest compliments are from the folks who remember these units and realize that they’re actually looking at one that’s roadworthy. Keep innovating not duplicating…
Great Commentary, Tempo!! Friend of mine had an Alcan- don’t know what the hp was but that was a screamer. Cool times indeed, Guys like Bruce Meyer and the fiberfab guys were so far ahead of their time designing cars that you built for yourself using junkyard parts- engineering done. Hope someone gets these running again!
Cheers
GPC
Was NEVER a fan of buying a puzzle in a box. Having built many Harleys like that, all the while looking ‘complete’ there still was at least a bare min of another $5-$6k+ to go into them. Something like this at $24K? Crazy! Even $5k is a bit of a stretch considering complete finished ones well under $10k. Like this one. https://www.rcnmag.com/fresh-finds/fiberfab-avenger-gt
…back when these cars (Avenger) were the epitome of the kit car industry (when the GT-40’s were actually tearing up European race tracks), they were kind of a neat idea…up close though, they were obviously a kit car…then came the Valkyrie (mid-engine small block V8 and Corvair trans)…and a lot of the kit car-esque qualities vanished…Fiberfab though, had to supply many of the components…if these components were for even one of these, I might be a player, but not at these prices…
Beautiful cars when finished but how can you tell what’s there and what’s missing? There’s a reason why projects are halted and never finished! Good luck to the future owner.
Earlier, I refrained from commenting on the asking price in this ad. But I do agree that the asking price is quite inflated. Addressing the other comment about knowing what parts are needed…There are complete build guides/ instructions available. Make no mistake, the new generation units are built with today’s technology (tube framing able to accommodate V-8’s). The earlier old school builds are just that. Thought up during a time when this was a new fangled concept. And of course the technology was a bit rough around the edges. But that’s the way I like it. It’s for people who like the raw driving experience without all of the modern conveniences. I own several types of vintage cars, but I always enjoy taking this out on the coastal highways of Northern California…folks with skills will be able to follow through. In my 35+ years of restoring/ reviving cars, I have never seen one on the road. Not even at car events…
The car in the picture has a VW front suspension, probably on a VW pan with a adapter for a Corvair engine.
There are 3 Fiberfab’s on the road where I live, 2 Avengers with Corvair engines & my Valkyrie with Chevy 350.
As far as price I had my registered & driving Valkyrie listed for $7500 & had no buyers so I don’t know what a container of parts is worth.
Hi Bill, Yes things have changed a LOT… The latest 2 generations have no skills or interest in building these car. Ten years ago, we sold / restored a dozen Fiberfab Aztec / Avenger / and other models, as well as 3 or 4 V8 Valkyries a year………. that market has gone away…far away.
Unlike the GT15 which was on a 2×4 tube frame with Corvair components, the GT40’s are pretty much all on VW Pans …hanging a Corvair from the VW transaxle meant the cars would easily lift the front wheels on a holeshot