chandlerGTi wrote: Rabbit?
The Rabbit/Golf A1 would be very cool.
chandlerGTi wrote: Rabbit?
The Rabbit/Golf A1 would be very cool.
Toyota 2000GT
ebonyandivory wrote: E-Type Jaguar and my earlier-mentioned 356.
Are there any E-type donors left?
stroker wrote:ebonyandivory wrote: E-Type Jaguar and my earlier-mentioned 356.Are there any E-type donors left?
Good point! I guess I like them so much I figure there must be a way to retrofit other stuff under there!
stroker wrote:ebonyandivory wrote: E-Type Jaguar and my earlier-mentioned 356.Are there any E-type donors left?
Series 1 and II XJ6s should be able to donate a lot of parts.
fanfoy wrote: The BMW 2002 could be interesting of it's the early round taillight bodies.
The primary differences are nose and tail, and you can already get both noses. I don't know about tails, but they'd be a much smaller undertaking.
irish44j wrote: 2002 configured to fit a WRX AWD drivetrainAll-weather sleeper.
I really looked at that idea when I had my 2002. There is not nearly enough room forward of the front wheels to fit an entire Subie engine and some of the transmission.
I'd like to have a BMW E9 shell to violate. No way, would that be a profitable enterprise as the popularity is not there, but I love the lines of those.
Knurled wrote: ShadowSix, I'm in the same age range as you, and I was thoroughly unimpressed with all of that import junk. What I wanted was a '69 Firebird...
You guys have a few years on me, but I went a different path. I had the '65 mustang I wanted, so I got into sho's. After a decade of ownership, I can't think of anything better. (I still want that bitchin '80 Turbo T/A I passed on)
Personally, I think that the recent low production number "sport compacts" will be a pretty hot item in 20-25yrs.
Saturn belted out cars that made the zo6 and zr1 corvettes look commonplace, some FSVT's are rare, R32 VW's, etc.
mad_machine wrote:chandlerGTi wrote: Rabbit?The Rabbit/Golf A1 would be very cool.
As a bonus, most of the body panels are already available (just some interior panels and the roof aren't available... And I NEED a roof... grr.. and the US-specific panels don't seem to be available and the German nose is fugly) and it's not much work to put common A2/A3 bits in it. Just need glass and interior bits.
While we're at it, let's ditch the A1 suspension and stuff A2 hardpoints under it. Yeah the subframe makes the car weigh more, but it gets easier to put an exhaust system behind the engine and suspension bits are a lot more easy to find, since the A2 hardpoints were used in millions of A2s and A3s and VW B3s.
What of the beetle? Or the bus?
I bring these up because I figure at this point the world has a better notion of how cars do go on to become collectible, those VWs probably will, and more to the point, the tooling just went out of use; so there isn't the same degree of investment in getting set up to make them. Even if there's little demand now, you'd think someone (maybe VW) would be setting that tooling aside for firing up once things get a bit more scarce?
Not sure how worn the tooling is, or whether tooling gets refurbished or just made over, in which case... Oh well.
Knurled wrote: http://www.frpautomotive.com/frp_240z_shells_clubs.html They make Mk1 Escorts too.
to be clear they make fiberglass replica shells, you'd need your own custom home built chassis then fab a way to bond the 2, if they made a real steel replica series 1 chassis I'd own one.
I think ransom may be on to something with the VW bus....Look at the following they have, the prices paid for even massively rusted versions, the number of rich, aging ex-hippies that would squander a retirement account to recapture their youth. And I'd be willing to bet the 15 window busses ( or whatever) are actually rarer than old 911s....more on th eorder of real steel 356s
It hasn't been that long since the VW bus and beetle went out of production, really.
In reply to Keith Tanner:
Exactly! Rather than having to tool up, I'm guessing someone will have the foresight to not let the tooling get scrapped.
They aren't now, and may never be, worth what the Mustang or Porsche bodies are, but by already having the tooling, the cost of producing them could be down near OEM car levels... You don't get the production numbers or the offset of higher-margin portions of the product, so there are limits to how cheap. And of course the most-recently-used tooling isn't shaped to turn out 15-window buses...
I think the best ideas I have seen are Porsche 911s, 356s, and E-types.
I'm going to 2nd or 3rd a Miata. While Keith mentioned that many of the cars aren't aspirational, he's falling into that whole 'North American' trap. The Miata was a worldwide phenomenon and relatively speaking had a higher status in the market place in other parts of the world where cars cost more and wages are less. I see its biggest down side is the lack of a real motorsport heritage. Yes it's won 20 million autocrosses, IT races, spec piñata races etc. But unlike the 356, 911, Mk II Escort it never one major international events against its competition. Club racing and cone dodging doesn't cut it.
Fox body was such an icon, and a car that people aspired too in high school or owned when starting out on their way to being major league attorneys. Those are the people who can drop $100k to have a toy car rebuilt for them, it's a shoe in.
Another one I can see is either the Sierra or Escort Cosworths. Epic aspirational car. Won major rallies and races all-round the globe. Everyone slapped a spoiler on the 1.6L Sierra L with a Cosworth badge on the back. They are already commanding serious coin for good examples.
There already are repo's of the old Mini's, but the new MINI seems to have a massive following. I'll hold judgment on that one for another decade if it's OK with you guys.
Japanese cars? hhmmm. GC Impreza. They won a lot of rallies, were a massive aspirational vehicle. Lots of base spec ones modded to look like STi's and lots have exited through hedges at all angles. I think that's got some possibility.
For us growing up, it was 3rd gen F-bodies, Fox bodies, G-bodies and trucks(lifter or slammed on bags). We thought the Testarossa was awesome and the Lambo Countach was out of this world.
What we drove were first gen J-bodies, X-bodies, Tempos, Chevettes and AMC's. Not the cool ones either.... as if there was a cool Tempo or Chevette.
Adrian_Thompson wrote: I'm going to 2nd or 3rd a Miata. While Keith mentioned that many of the cars aren't aspirational, he's falling into that whole 'North American' trap. The Miata was a worldwide phenomenon and relatively speaking had a higher status in the market place in other parts of the world where cars cost more and wages are less. I see its biggest down side is the lack of a real motorsport heritage. Yes it's won 20 million autocrosses, IT races, spec piñata races etc. But unlike the 356, 911, Mk II Escort it never one major international events against its competition. Club racing and cone dodging doesn't cut it. Fox body was such an icon, and a car that people aspired too in high school or owned when starting out on their way to being major league attorneys. Those are the people who can drop $100k to have a toy car rebuilt for them, it's a shoe in. Another one I can see is either the Sierra or Escort Cosworths. Epic aspirational car. Won major rallies and races all-round the globe. Everyone slapped a spoiler on the 1.6L Sierra L with a Cosworth badge on the back. They are already commanding serious coin for good examples. There already are repo's of the old Mini's, but the new MINI seems to have a massive following. I'll hold judgment on that one for another decade if it's OK with you guys. Japanese cars? hhmmm. GC Impreza. They won a lot of rallies, were a massive aspirational vehicle. Lots of base spec ones modded to look like STi's and lots have exited through hedges at all angles. I think that's got some possibility.
Not completely falling into the North American trap - did you see me mention the JDM Imprezas? There wasn't anything interesting from Subaru at that time in North America, but there was overseas. I'm not cool enough to call them by their chassis designation, but I do think there's potential. Especially for an STi Spec 2 WRX Stage 1 McRae Edition whatever.
It will be interesting to see if the Miata ever gets to the point where there's reshelling. You're right, no major international victories - but the late 60's Camaros really didn't race outside North America either. They're just really really valuable :)
The only reason the shells exist for the LBCs is luck or good thinking when BMC went down. There's no market to justify producing them from scratch now. Are the Chevy/Ford shells on the market based on old tooling or new?
The Cossie Fords weren't special shells, but if that tooling is still around I can see it. There's still a long way to go before they hit six figures though.
In reply to Keith Tanner:
I'm pretty sure the Dynacorn re-pops are new tooling. From what I've read, the big 3 recycled the tooling from old models most of the time.
I know I mentioned Jag E-Type and Porsche 356 but I accidentally left out Cadillac Cimmeron and Pontiac J-2000. Talk about demand vs. supply!
Repo shells were originally salvaged British leyland tooling from the field behind the factory.
Reproduction US tin; (Hot Rod or Muscle) is or was the confluence of cheap Chinese labour and the Chinese buying the machinery to build the tooling.
And while it might get me tossed under the bus like it did 8 years ago when I said GM was going bankrupt, you wont believe what the 3D printer technology is going to do for this niche. Yes, you can already print metal. Not cheaply yet, but you can.
I'd jump all over a 2000gt. What is the height limit on those? I'm only 5'11", would I fit? I bet the engine from ann S2000 would rock in there, maybe a 2JZ. How heavy were the original engines in those? A 240z would rock, too, or an AE86. Or a miura with a LS3... So many possibilities... Mazda Cosmo? Just think of that with a renesis. Jay Leno has one and says the 13b wouldn't fit, but a reproduction body means we could saw away until it did fit.
I could see the NA miata in the future. I would want one. I want one now. I don't have any space or money, though.
Any car that has a youth following is a candidate. You can discount the AE86, or a 510, or a Miata...all you want...
but having grown up experiencing original Mustangs, and Camaros, Firebirds GTO's Road Runners, Barracudas... etc.
Nostalgia... and recapturing said youth, is (and will be) the great determiner
Are second gen F bodies being reproduced yet? I'm no GM guy, but I'd love an early second gen camaro with round tail lights and LSx power.
NOHOME wrote: And while it might get me tossed under the bus like it did 8 years ago when I said GM was going bankrupt, you wont believe what the 3D printer technology is going to do for this niche. Yes, you can already print metal. Not cheaply yet, but you can.
^This, 3D printing is eventually going to totally change the restoration parts business. I don't know what it's gonna look like, but it won't be anything like what it is today.
You'll need to log in to post.
