1970 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder Replica Set Up For Jag V12 Engine & Trans

Description

PLEASE NOTE :
While this may be one of the more interesting vehicles I have ever owned and listed here, this is very likely one of the worst eBay listings I have ever done do to several factors including :
1. I am certainly not yet an expert on this very interesting vehicle even though I appreciate it very much.I am not yet sure who made this vehicle or the kit it might have been built from.I am not yet sure what model of Jaguar automobile the suspension parts and body inner structure are from. I believe at this time that this vehicle was constructed on a Jaguar XJS steel unit body that was shortened about 7-1/2". I will add more information and photos showing this chassis soon.
I greatly appreciate a very kind eBay member who seems to know a lot about these Daytona replicas and has provided me with much very helpful information so far.
2. The car is stored in a rear corner of a rental warehouse and is not yet available to get the photos I should have had.
Iworkedmostof Wednesday 02/28/18 and yesterday Thursday 03/01/18 to move vehicles,partsandboxes out of the way so I can access this vehicle, inspect it fully and takemanymoredetailed photos of it. Please be patient with me while I make progress on this issue.
3. I have no title or other documentation for this car yet.
I am currently looking for the places where Jaguar stamped VIN numbers in various places on the chassis. If I find one, I can get a good Montana title with that number. That process normally takes about a month or so.
4.Another problem with this listing that hopefully is not of my doing is the fact that I have had a considerable amount of trouble communicating with potential buyers through the eBay email system.
I have received 16 inquiries so far, mostly regarding the vehicle title issue, and only 3 of those questions wound up in my private email where they normally do. When I tried to respond to 2 of those emails, the eBay email system flashed a red warning indicating that the customer's inquiry was over 90 days old and could not be responded to. I then received a notice in my private email indicating that those 2 replies from me were not deliverable to the inquirers. Those 2 notices listed the private emails of the 2 eBay inquirers so was able to send replies directly to them using their private email rather than the eBay email system. I have contacted eBay regarding this issue and am waiting for a reply from them.
This listing features a full-size replica of the famous Ferrari Daytona 365 GTS/4 convertible, roadster or "spider" as they are called in Europe. This vehicle is not a compromise based on a Chevrolet Corvette as so many are. I initially stated that "It was built in England from scratch using a welded steel tube frame that is set up for Jaguar V-12 front and rear suspension which are included." and just found out that that statement is not correct. This car appears to have been built on a Jaguar XJS unit body and chassis assembly that must have had the stock wheelbase shortened about 7.5 inches.
This car is designed to accepta Jaguar V-12 engine and transmission but no engine or transmission is included with this vehicle. The molds for the fiberglass body were taken off of a real Ferrari Daytona. I have been told that this car or the parts kit was built by E. G. Autocraft or Robinhood - both of which were located in England. The man I bought this from back east about 3 years ago referred to it as being an "Arrow". Perhaps that is something to do with Robinhood? Please help me on the identification of it if you possibly can.
The seller told me the windshield frame on this vehicle is set up to accept aTriumph TR7 or TR8 windshield glass.The windshield glass is not included but is availablefor $668.78from a glass shop here in Bozeman Montana so it should also be available wherever you live. That seems like a lot of money for a windshield so I am searching for a better deal. The convertible top assembly is also from a Triumph TR7 and will need a new covering. The use of the Triumph windshield glass and top assembly which very closely resemble those used on the real Ferrari Daytona help make this replica look way more authentic than those replicas based on a Corvette.
Some of the real Daytonas had 4 headlamps hidden under a plexiglass cover. Later models like this replica had hidden headlamps that retracted when not in use. That feature made those later cars look cleaner than the earlier fixed headlamp models.
This car has the famous Jaguar independent rear suspension with the inboard disc brakes. The four 15" aluminum wheels on this car are of the bolt on type rather than the knock-off type. These wheels very closely resemble the aluminum wheels used on some of the realDaytonas. The front suspension is also from a Jaguar as is the power rack and steering gear. The dash assembly is loose in the car. It appears that nothing on this car was ever wired up. The steering column is loose where it fastens to the dash so that indicates that this car has not yet been driven.
The white and black interior closely replicates the real car but it is dirty and showing wear. I initially mentioned here that it was done in vinyl but I was wrong - so much for trusting my feeble memory again !! The seating surfaces were done in black and white leather much like the full-size Ferrari but the seats do not have any headrests like the original car had. The leather seating surfaces look weathered as if they had been outside for a while. They are usableand not very hard but have hundreds of tiny cracks starting in them.
There is no wiring on this car except on the back of the dash gauge cluster. I believe this car was nearly finished but I doubt if it was ever driven at all. I found this gem here on eBay 3 years or so ago, bought it out of New York and had a friend haul it home for me. I did take the marginal photos you see here on the day it was delivered to me. It has been stored in the back corner of a rental warehouse ever since I bought it.
As you can see, there is a small piece of the amber lens on the right front combination park and turn indicator lamp that is missing. There is a 1/2" wide by 1-1/2" long piece of fiberglass missing between the outside of the driver's side headlamp and the inside of the combination park/turn signal lens.
All of the rest of the fiberglass seems to be in very nice condition with only a couple of minor cracks that would not be difficult to repair. There are 3 stress cracks about 8 inches long at the center of the back of hood. Both the hood and deck lid are reinforced with a lot of 1" square steel tubing.The hand laid fiberglass on this car is a lot better than mostreplicars or kit cars I have seen. The doors fit nice as do the hood and deck lid.
The front and rear bumpers are massive and very heavy metal castings that are non-magnetic so I have to assume that they are bronze or brass castings. They are supported by a pair of 3/4" steel tubes that run to the frame so they are more for show than for anything else.
The door windows are in the lowered position in the doors. They are electrically operated with a pair of switches on the console but I don't believe they were ever hooked up and working. The headlamp door assemblies are molded from fiberglass and very nicely done. They too are operated with power window actuators that appear to never have been hooked up.
I can send you some photos of a beautifully completed car like this but it has right-hand drive. The builder used a Jaguar V-12 engine and made false valve covers to make that engine look very similar to the real Ferrari engine. They even built a large false air cleaner to match the original Ferrari air cleaner that covered all of the carburetors. The finishing touch was the incorporation of a pair of orange Fram oil filters on top of the front of the engine just like the original Daytona had. On the original car, one of those oil filters was functional while one was used just for show and to make the engine seem to be more balanced or symmetrical.
This replica is the same width and length as the real Ferrari Daytona unlike those many other replicas based on a Corvette chassis and body. The fact that this replica is of the proper size, has a windshield glass and frame that very closely resemble the original car, has doors that don't have the profile of Corvette doors but match the Ferrari door profile and have vent windows in the doors is really what sets it apart from the Corvette-basedreplicas that have no vent windows at all. I can usually tell a Corvette-based replica from 100 or more feet. It would take a well-informed enthusiast to tell that this car is not an original without some reasonably careful inspection. I believe most of the Corvette-based replicas are 5 or 6 inches wider than the original car.
I am working today (Thursday 3/1/18) to move a lot of things and get this car out of storage so I can inspect it better and get some good photos of the tube frame, front suspension, steering gear, rear suspension and other details. I believe this car was built using the front suspension, steering gear, rear suspension and differential from a Jaguar XJS and will attempt to confirm that soon. Please check this listing every day or so for updated information.
PLEASE NOTE :
When I woke up this morning (Saturday 03/04/18), some more of the probable history of this car popped into my mind. I believe it started life as an EGA or a later Arrow kit with right-hand drive, and was probably built in the UK. It may have run and moved under it's own power but I believe it was never totally finished and wired since none of the lamps,gauges,electric windows, or headlamp motorsappear to ever have been hooked up. At some point, an owner probably sold it to someone here in the USA who decided to convert it to left-hand drive.
The engine and transmission may have been removed at that time in order to reroute the steering shaft with the U-joints.that runs from the steering column down to the rack & pinion steering gear. The windshield may have been removed in order to remove the dash assembly to relocate the steering column and instrument cluster to the left side. The steering column is loose and was never mounted on the left side of this beautiful vehicle. At some point, someone may have lost interest, died, went broke, got a divorce or whatever so the car was sold without the engine, transmission, or windshield. The man in New York that had this on eBay when I bought it also had a completedcar like this that had right-hand drive that he was trying to sell at the same time that I bought this car.
As I see it, this car probably has one of the best fiberglass Daytona spider bodies ever built mounted on a chassis that is fairly good but needs some work on several details and a drivetrain to make it driveable again. I am telling you this because if I don't, I would be lying by omission. I like this car eventhough it has several minor issues that need to be sorted out.
It is no problem if you buy this car and wish to leave it here for a few months until you or a friend can make a trip this coming spring or summer to beautiful Montana to pick it up. I have a friend that may be able to deliver this car anywhere here in the USA or Canada for around $.70 per loaded mile depending on where you live and how soon you need it. If you live somewhere other than North America, I can have this car delivered to the port of your choice where it can be included in a large sea-going container being shipped to your country.
I figured I would never sell this project but I found a very nice partially restored 1932 vintage vehicle that I really want so my loss is your gain. This is a ratherrare opportunity to acquire anexceptionally nice, partially completed and very accuratereplica of the famous Ferrari Daytona spider. If you don't have the million dollars or so to own a real one, then you might do well to give some very serious thought to purchasing this project while you can. Thanks a lot, Bob Woodburn in Bozeman Montana USA - 406-799-1847
PLEASE NOTE :
A customer asked about the very nice aluminum wheels on this car. They are 15" by 6 or 7 inches wide (I will take one off tomorrow and determine what size they are). They are marked RUOTE O.Z. on the outside of the center hub. I have no idea what that means so please help me here if you possibly can. I am sorry that the eBay mail system seems to only be working part of the time. Sometimes questions from members do not reach me but a notification arrives in my regular mailbox that has their email address in it and I can contact them that way. Thanks again, Bob Woodburn in Bozeman Montana USA - 406-799-1847