Daytona Spyder Ferrari Replica





My Daytona Spyder Ferrari Replica turns more heads on the road than my real Ferrari. This replica utilizes running gear and components from a 1980 Corvette and a 2007 Corvette ZZ4 crate engine. It was registered in Nevada as an "Assembled Vehicle" and is now registered as an antique in PA as it sports a Ferrari Daytona Spyder 365 GTS/4 replica body. Most people think it's a real Ferrari, but on close inspection knowledgable Corvette owners and Ferrari owners usually recognize it as a replica. Although it doesn't sound like a Ferrari, it has a deep throaty roar 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) that puts out about 350hp. The real Daytona has 352hp. I estimate the car is perhaps 500 pounds lighter than the original Vette's 3,336 lbs. although I haven't had it weighed yet, and much lighter than a real Daytona. That makes it pretty fast! It's very quick off the line, even though it's an automatic. 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 doesn't handle as well as a Ferrari from Modena, although I have had it on the race track. I've had it up to 165 mph running the original engine with more power to spare. It's even faster now with the new engine. The original Ferrari goes 172 mph, and was the fastest production car in the world for many years.

I bought it in New Jersey and shipped it to Vegas. It's now in a Philly suburb but has always been in a heated garage and has never seen rain or snow. The original builder of the car could have been McBurnie Coachcraft, but I doubt it since there is no badging and a few other coachbuilders also made them. There are no manufacturers currently building the car that I know of. Although these photos don't show it, it now has the large chrome prancing horse emblem of the original on the rear panel. The Scaglietti crest of Ferrari Racing is currently on the PA registration specialty license plate. All license plates come with the car along with all the concours trophies garnered over the years. The license plate in the photos 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 Wikipedia or read a magazine article.






These replicas do not come up for sale often. When they do, good examples sell for anywhere up to $45,000. Although you can't tell the difference, there isn't a McBurnie name plate, so the body was probably not built by McBurnie. Although the upholstery is new, it does not have simulated Ferrari Daytona upholstered seats or a Ferrari steering wheel. Although otherwise perfect in every way and in excellent mechanical condition with a new engine, there is some rust on the 1980 Corvette frame. The advantages of owning this car rather than the real thing is that you don't need to be afraid to drive it as you would the original worth one and a half million dollars. Because it doesn't have two oil filters, two distributors, two finicky carburetors and hold 17 quarts of oil like the original, Ferrari Dealer tune ups don't cost you $5,000 every time you take it in for an oil change, and spare parts are not made of unobtanium! Any Corvette dealer can service it, insurance is reasonable and it is not likely to ever depreciate. Also very, very few people will ever know it's not the real thing!

Although it has a renewed appraisal certificate of $40,000, I will entertain serious offers in the mid $30,000 price range. Write me at jeffwenger@gmail.com or call me at 702-617-3300.


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