There is evidence that the great Woolly Mammoth met its decline and ultimate decimation from the face of the Earth not by an asteroid, comet, pole shift, molten lava, Y2K, a 2012 death ray, or nuclear disaster. It was in all likelihood simply hunted off the planet, a majestic creation of Mother Nature erased from all existence by mankind. In man's relentless domination and neediness, the pristine becomes sullied, the delicate balance disrupted. And so it goes.
In the Ferrari community it is well known (and often despised) that perfectly good original Ferraris, their engines and chassis and serial numbers, are sacrificed every year in order to feed the fringe-esque "replica market." No small feat, the cost to create another "Ferrari" from a donor car can be as much as buying a "real" Ferrari. But that clearly doesn't matter. What does end up being done is the dreaded "recreation" or "tribute car." Very often (or most often I would be willing to bet) what results is another "GTO." Why? Because.
With the obvious cadre of tasteless and bizarrely proportioned efforts built from scratch or on Nissan Z car chassis, the more expensive specimens created from actual Ferrari donor cars (namely the Ferrari 250 GTE and 330 GT), often command higher attention to detail, feature many original Ferrari parts (including the entire engine), and can have considerable value. With enough worksmanship, artistry, and serial number provenance, some "replicas" can be quite stunning. At this level they are, at least in part, actual or virtual "Ferraris." For example, the car below is the closest you can get to having an actual Ferrari GTO without it being one:
(above: 1964 Ferrari GTO replica on 330 GT chassis, body by Scaglietti)
"For Sale: 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO Replica by Allegretti... The word ’replica’ doesn’t always have to be a negative one. Take this 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO Replica by Allegretti for example. Back in the 1970′s a German Ferrari collector discovered three Scaglietti Series I GTO bodies at the renowned Ferrari coachbuilders Allegretti. The bodies were produced to quickly replace damaged bodies of original 250 GTO’s used in races. One of these Scaglietti spare bodies was used to build a 250 GTO, chassis number 5815GT.The base for the project was a Ferrari 330 supplied to Allegretti by the German Collector. It features a 3.9 liter engine producing 365bhp, with two overhead camshafts, six double carburettors and dry sump lubrication. When the replica was finished in 1979, it entered the German collection, where it has remained until now. Back then, the build cost the owner more than 1 million Deutschmark or € 500,000.
Essentially, this car is an original Ferrari 250 GTO with a different chassis and engine. With the original Series 1 250 GTO’s being the most coveted collectors car of modern times, this replica is very special indeed. Coys says the car is in excellent condition, regularly serviced despite very little use. It has EU registration documents and so can be registered throughout the EU without further costs."
Blasphemy or just history?
I think the lines can become blurred somewhere between then and now, between a body and parts ensemble crafted by artisans and craftspeople of old (as in the above example) --versus modern rip offs and blatant sacrifice of dwindling "lesser" models. So when will it stop? Answer: when there are no more Ferrari 250 GTEs and 330 GTs; they will be hunted to extinction. Why? Because. That's just the way it is. Unless the replica market ceases to exist, certain models of original cars will simply be destroyed every year until there are no more. Desire cannot be regulated. Money buys all.
And, lo and behold, the impetus for this article:
"A beaten-up old Ferrari that has spent more than 30 years languishing in a garage is set to sell for £60,000."
From February 20, 2012: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2103371/Would-pay-60-000-Beaten-Ferrari-s-rusted-garage-30-years-goes-sale-need-100-000-makeover.html#ixzz1nAsid3Ac
(above photo: unrestored Ferrari 250 GTE found after sitting since 1975, formerly owned by Dino De Laurentiis)
We all love the "barn find" story, if not only for its archetypal sense of mystery and curiosity. There is a romantic atmosphere around the diamond in the rough, rather, the glorious diamond that once was, became abandoned, traversed decades sitting in neglect --to then be discovered, recovered, and resurrected. A vintage car's return to glory can be both a reverence to history and a recapturing of a time that many may have never experienced. A showroom-condition old car can be amazing. A vintage mint Ferrari is magical. A vintage mint original Ferrari is sublime.
Indeed, I hope I am wrong, but instead of this:
(above photos: fully restored Ferrari 250 GTE, chassis 4329, currently for sale)
We will get this:
(above photo: fake GTO, body by redneck)
Behold: The Ferrari 250 GTE and 330 GT: To be hunted to extinction. Were I the reader of means and intent and passion, I would take the next 250 GTE or 330 GT barn find and sock them away in another barn. Their original state will eclipse in value and sentiment any replica they assume in their butchered form.
Comments are always welcome.
Nail hit unfortunately. Some people are not true car enthusiasts and have no appreciation of history and thus do not blink at the destruction of these now 50 year old cars.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I agree, of course. Some of the documented stories of the destruction of perfectly solid 250 GTEs and 330 GTs are bordering on sociopathic, ie, a total lack of caring and ethics on behalf of the perpetrators of these crimes against beauty, history, and integrity. Get your GTE now and hide it.
ReplyDeleteRecreation of cars isn't a new phenomenon and won't go away. I like how on other well documented cars show this as well. There are 38 very authentic Ferrari 250 LMs but Ferrari only built 32. Alfa Romeo P3s and Monzas are more plentiful now than were ever produced during the 1930s. Many of these "extra" cars were produced when the cars were still new after the cars were damaged and differing people salvaged numbered portions. Like the 3 Allegretti GTOs, they can be amazingly nice cars.
ReplyDeleteYes agree. I feel in the case of the factory and/or privateer rebody on original chassis, using a vintage original body (or replacement panels crafted from the original body buck), made during the 1950s or 1960s, created by old-world panel beaters and artisans -yes. That has clear authenticated provenance. It therefore becomes part of the car's history. The Scaglietti/Allegretti GTO above can be allowed in that category. You could say they are using "new old stock" (NOS) OEM parts that are of original vintage and origin, with an original Ferrari chassis and serial number, albeit from another car.
ReplyDeleteIn days of yore the original intent and function of many of the Ferrari GTs was, of course, to race. When a car is raced it tends to become damaged, in need of repair. I don't take issue with that. I also have no problem with boutique companies that recreate vintage cars from scratch. Even though the resultant car is clearly fake, it hasn't been derived from destroying another perfectly good vintage original (and rare) car. Here is a list of companies (with some making quite ugly cars, and others quite accurately done): http://www.kitcarlist.com/
To add, for the record, there was only 1 250 LM made, the first one. The rest are 275s ;)
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ReplyDeleteI would have no problem with acquiring a 100 point GTO replica as a way to enjoy the aesthetics and dynamics of that incredible car. Using 250/330 models as donor cars will eventually deplete their numbers until such time as increasing rarity will boost their prices out of the donor range and encourage restoration of these models on their own merits.
ReplyDeleteI agree. At some of the historics you will see repro'd GTOs and TRs to spec and appearance so that the owners, when they crash, are not destroying the real cars. I don't have a problem with that.
Deleteyou had a dupe comment, so I removed it....
ReplyDeleteI have owned a rhd 250 gte for 40 years shoud l sell or keep
ReplyDeleteThat is up to you, of course --are you tired of it? Need the cash? As you must already know, I am biased: As I suggest in my article, find a barn of your own and keep it away from the butchers. You will thank yourself later, or your family who inherits it will thank you. The GTE is going to be hunted to extinction.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you could be wrong on the barn find, it brought more than GBP100k. This makes it likely it will get a sympathetic restoration.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/9122109/Ferrari-which-rusted-in-a-barn-for-decades-sells-for-100000.html
FWIW I hate all replicas that use original Ferrari parts, as they deplete resources to run the real deal. I have also personally experienced several owners of fakes and they always lie about their car. They don't own it for themselves, they own it to pretend someone else.
I welcome the opportunity to be incorrect and, if true, am glad in this case particularly. Thank you for the update.
DeleteSadly, the reality is that 30 million buys you a GTO, where 150k buys you a 250GTE and another 500k gets it to nut and bolt GTO spec with a correct 250 engine. If you want to drive and experience a GTO and you're not so concerned with who farted in it in 1962, it'd be foolish money to spend the 30x money for a real one. The beauty is in the design, imo, and that's what is important. It's not like we're talking about works of art where there's only one original and the rest are copies (with few exceptions), they were made in multiples with blueprints on how to do it over and over - the only reason there aren't thousands is due to lack of money and demand in period. As long as the designs and blueprints are saved, they will never go extinct as a new one can always be built exactly the same from the same materials. The magic occured when the pen hit the paper before the car was ever built.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the readership and your comment.
DeleteThe big problem here is that there is a lot of greed in the World today. Everybody is out to make a fast buck. The 250 GTE is a beautiful car and far better looking than the GTO but unfortunatly has not got the charisma of the GTO. I would love to own a 250 GTE but when I think I have enough spare cash somthing comes along to ruin my plans. Just recently it has been the increase in their prices. Last month a dog which was in a museaum in Denmark fetched a stupid price. I saw that one of the replies was from an owner of a RHD car which is the model I would love to own but I have not seen any up for sale over the past 2/3 years.
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