Jeff Wenger Hi, These are some of my cars. Click the images for a larger picture. I might sound like I know what I'm talking about, but I really don't, so feel free to set me straight. OK? Daytona Spider "VICE" My 1980 Corvette is registered in Nevada as an "Assembled Vehicle" as it now sports a Ferrari Daytona Spyder 365 GTS/4 replica body. The only real Ferrari parts are the door handles, and any Corvette owner or Ferrari owner spots it immediately as a replica. It also doesn't sound like a Ferrari. It sounds like a big-ass V8 which it is, with glass packs on the otherwise straight pipes. It originally had a 350ci engine putting out 190 or 230hp, I don't know which. It now has a light weight ZZ4 Corvette crate engine (as of December, 2007) meant for off-roading that puts out 350hp. The real Daytona has 352bhp. I estimate the car is now about 500 pounds lighter than the original Vette's 3,336 lbs. although I haven't had it weighed yet, and even lighter than a real Daytona. That makes it pretty fast! It's very quick off the line, although I've never had it to the dragstrip (no rollbar). It's much faster than a stock Vette of that year, and maybe even as fast as a real Ferrari Daytona (rated at 0-60 mph in 5.4 seconds), if you can find one outside a museum. There were only 122 factory-made Spyders, and only some of those were shipped to the U.S. It probably doesn't handle as well as a Ferrari, but I've had it up to 165 mph with the original engine when the front end started to lift. I hope to solve that with a front air dam. The original Ferrari goes 172mph, and was the fastest production car in the world for many years. Now with my new engine I hope to be even faster! I bought it in NJ and shipped it here to Vegas. The original builder of the car might have been McBurnie Coachcraft, although I do not know for certain. The license plate is a Las Vegas Commemorative Plate: "VICE" which refers to Miami Vice. In the 1980s the car gained new notoriety on the first two seasons of NBC's hit television series Miami Vice. The black car used in the series was a replica built on a Corvette chassis. Ferrari execs were not pleased that their company and one of their products was represented on TV by an imitation car. The Daytona replica was eventually destroyed on-screen and replaced with a Ferrari Testarossa, the company's newest model during the time. That is one less Ferrari Daytona replica. Daytona replicas are probably even more rare than the originals, as Ferrari has forced every replica manufacturer to stop production as soon as they find out about it. For more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_Daytona More pics of my Daytona: Ferrari 308 "BIANCO" This is my "BIANCO". It's a 1982 308 GTBi and yes, even though it isn't red, this is a 100% original Ferrari. White is a rare color for a Ferrari, so I wanted a license plate that said "NOTRED", but that idea was vetoed. Instead i chose the license plate "BIANCO" which means "white" in Italian. I purchased it in early 2002 and have kept it completely stock except for the recent addition of black OMP racing seats, blue OMP 6-point harnesses, 16 inch Speedline wheels, Dunlop SP Sport 8000 P205/55ZR16 89W front, P225/50ZR16 rear unidirectional combination street/track tires, a fire extinguisher, and a coolant overflow resevoir. I have it serviced at Italy Service here in Vegas. I have had it out on the track with the Ferrari Club of America at Watkins Glen twice and Lime Rock once in the summer of 2002. I've also had it on the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway inner and outer tracks and the Spring Mountain Motor Sports Park with the Pantera Club, Porsche Club and a number of other Las Vegas area clubs. I love it. It's a blast! Porsche 951 S "2FST" I purchased my 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo "S" commonly designated by it's factory prototype number "951 S" in the fall of 2003. (Often incorrectly referred to as a "952", the 952 are actually right hand drive models and were sold in Great Britain.) As it is very rare, I flew to Tucson on a one-way ticket with designs on purchasing it, and then drove it home. It now bears the same Las Vegas commemorative vanity plate "2FST" as it has over 50% more power than my previous 944. I understand this is the fastest model Porsche offered in 1988. After Premier Sports Car Service (the company that prepared the last few LeMans winners) installed a new chip and made other modifications, it's even much faster! The Porsche 944 Turbo S represents what most authorities consider to be the highest performance version of the highly successful 944 product line. The Turbo S was introduced in 1988 as a limited production run, fitted in the same manner as the "Turbo Cup" race car. In the following year (1989), the 944 Turbo maintained all of the performance characteristics of the 1988 Turbo S, but dropped the "S" designation. 1989 was to be the last year that Porsche imported the 944 Turbo into North America in any significant numbers. Initially, the Turbo S was only available in a "Silver Rose Limited Edition" form. This characterization followed from their paint scheme. In addition to the performance options and Silver Rose paint, these vehiles were trimmed with a burgandy-plaid ("studio") interior. Fortunately, they dropped this interior theme by the time my car was produced. Initially, Porsche intended to sell 1000 of the "Silver Rose" Turbo S. However, plans changed and in the end, well over 1000 cars were made, in a variety of colors and options. Porsche enthusiasts often refer to the 944 Turbo as the "951" because this was Porsche's project number for the car. It's a convenient way to differentiate the Turbo from the various normally-aspirated 944 models. Production of the Turbo for the US began in 1986. The 944 Turbo S was first introduced to the US market in 1988, sometimes known as the "951 S". About 1,000 S-model cars were produced that year, in addition to the regular 951. For 1989 and 1990, all 951's were built to the Turbo S spec. The Turbo S engine differs from the normal Turbo engine in that it's equipped with a different KKK turbocharger with redesigned vanes, the injection computer has different mapping to give higher boost over the entire RPM range, and the exhaust valves were also increased in diameter by 1/100th mm near the valve guide for better running at full load. The Turbo S has upgraded brakes (from the 928 S4), a stronger clutch, stiffer shocks, springs, torsion bars and bushings. It included as standard equipment an oil cooler and a limited-slip differential. Other differences include different water pump, some plumbing, and a few structural reinforcements. Dual airbags and ABS brakes were standard. Turbo S vs. the non-S Turbo Horsepower increased to 250 bhp Torque increased to 258 ft lb 0-60 mph in 5.4 sec Top speed: 161 mph Enhanced suspension Enhanced braking Built to Turbo Cup race car specs Larger turbocharger (K26-70) Larger 4-piston brakes (from 928 S4) Limited slip differential Anti-lock brakes 16" machined disc wheels (7" f, 9" r) Stiffened torque tube Stiffened torsion bars Stiffened anti-sway bars Adjustable Koni shock absorbers Funky plaid interior (Silver Rose only) Identifying the Turbo S The Turbo S is best distinguished by the engine numbers (the M44/52 engine). The engine serial numbers for the Turbo S are: 47J00001 - 47J01830 There were only 1000 951's produced in 1988 and a total of only 1830 Turbo S engines ever produced, so it is quite rare. It is also very streetable, equipped with an in-dash CD player. I've left the automatic sunroof, air conditioning, upholstery and carpeting in the car. I've installed an Autopower rollcage, black Momo racing seats and red OMP 6-point harnesses. I took it on it's first track outing at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on February 7, 2004. Before the next track event on March 4th I plan to have custom turbo modifications installed by Kent Moore of Premier Porsche Repair, 4005 West Dewey, Las Vegas, NV 89118. Kent was Chief Mechanic for the winning LeMans team in 2003 and says that with minor modifications to the chip and turbo wastegate my Porsche 952 will easily put out aproximately 300 horsepower. Boost could be modified to as much as 400hp with a more extreme modification, but that would greatly shorten engine life. It's plenty fast now, and with modest modifications it will become much faster without any weight gain. The Stage II Engine upgrade kit is the most conservative kit available with noticeable power. It is comprised of a mild computer chip and a wastegate boost bolt increasing the boost to about 1.0 bar. The kit delivers 40 Horsepower and 50 Ft. Lbs. of Torque. It will definately be noticeable, reliable, and safe to run on pump fuel and still use as a daily driver. BMW 318ti "1REDTOY" I also own a red 1998 BMW 318ti as a daily driver, but as you can see, I take it out to the track on occaison too. It's strictly stock, but it holds it's own on short tracks like the LVMS outer track and Spring Mountain race track. I'm a member of: Ferrari Club of Las Vegas Porsche Club of America Las Vegas Italian Auto Club Nevada Replicar Association Sin City BMW Club I'm the webmaster for the first 4 car clubs above, and also created these sites: Kitcar List Las Vegas Car Clubs Lotus Challenge Series Feel free to drop me a line if you wish: Home | Web Design | Personal | Vegas | Cars | Track | Art | Photos