For Sale: A Ferrari 250 GTO Replica That Appeared In “The Italian Job” + “Ford v Ferrari”

This car is titled as a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO but it’s never actually been to Italy, it’s actually a replica built by McBurnie Coachcraft using a Datsun 280Z as a donor car.

The team at McBurnie Coachcraft also built the Ferrari Daytona replica that was used in Miami Vice before legal action from Ferrari shut down their operations. They would later design the “RIOT car” that was used on the television series Baywatch.

Fast Facts – A Ferrari 250 GTO By McBurnie Coachcraft

• McBurnie Coachcraft was founded in the United States by Tom McBurnie to build replicas of Ferraris like the 250 GTO and the Daytona.
• Cars built by McBurnie featured in TV series like “Miami Vice” and “Baywatch,” as well as feature films like “The Italian Job,” “Ford v Ferrari,” and “Overdrive.” Using replicas in films is typically far less expensive, and easier to insure.
• The 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO you see here is actually a Datsun 280Z with a new fiberglass body, it has a few other changes too like new wheels and a Ferrari valve cover on the inline-six.
• This car has appeared in a number of major feature films as well as a Gucci photoshoot, it comes with movie scripts and storyboards, as well as movie documentation to prove its identity.

The McBurnie Coachcraft Ferraris

The two most famous cars developed by McBurnie Coachcraft included a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona based on the C3 Corvette platform, and the car you see here, a Ferrari 250 GTO replica based on the Datsun 240Z family of vehicles.

The interior of the car has been significantly modified to make it look more like an authentic Ferrari 250 GTO. The seats, dashboard, center console, steering wheel, and door trim has all been changed.

Both of these cars were reasonably good facsimiles, certainly by the standards of the replica car industry, and they were deemed good enough to appear in a slew of TV series and feature films in place of the originals.

These on-screen appearances would eventually lead to the downfall of the company, the Ferrari Daytona replicas that were appearing in Miami Vice in the 1980s attracted the attention of Ferrari.

The Italian automaker filed a lawsuit against McBurnie Coachcraft, and the next season of the TV series would feature an authentic Ferrari Testarossa that had been donated by Ferrari.

The End And A New Beginning

Shortly after the Ferrari lawsuit, McBurnie Coachcraft was burned to the ground late one night in an act of arson – no one has ever been brought to justice for the crime, and it stopped the company from producing any more replicas as they had lost their fiberglass body moulds.

The company would later reform as Thunder Ranch, selling replicas of the Porsche 550 and Porsche 356 Speedster, as well as a hot rod kit called ″34 Lightning.″ McBurnie eventually sold the company to Carrera Coachwerks in 2012.

The engine is a Datsun straight-six, it’s been fitted with triple Weber carburetors and a “Ferrari” cam cover.

Ferrari 250 GTO Replica Shown Here

The car you see here actually started life as a Datsun 280Z before being converted into a “Fauxrrari” by McBurnie and his team.

The conversion included the fitment of many new fiberglass body panels, new seats were added along with a new dashboard, steering wheels, gear knob, and other interior parts to make the car look a little less Japanese and a little more Italian.

Under the hood you’ll find the original 280Z inline-six cylinder engine rather than a Ferrari V12, though a Ferrari branded valve cover has been fitted that’ll fool only the most unobservant of onlookers.

While most replicas will be relegated to the less frequented corners of eBay, the car you see here is likely to be a little more popular thanks to its multiple brushes with fame. This car appeared in Ford v Ferrari, The Italian Job, and Overdrive, as well as a Gucci photoshoot – and it comes with all the documentation to prove it.

The car is currently fitted with American Racing 17 inch wheels, these are probably the most glaring indication that the car isn’t original and the new owner may want to swap them out for something a little more period correct.

The car was built by McBurnie Coachcraft directly, it wasn’t a kit bought and built by an amateur at home. It’s powered by the Datsun inline-six fitted with triple Weber carburetors, a tuned exhaust system, and of course, that Ferrari valve cover.

Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission and the car has a Rosso Corsa exterior, a black interior with bucket seats, American Racing 17-inch wheels, and Lionhart tires.

It comes with the movie scripts and storyboards included, all of its cinema documentation, and a Bob Bondurant signed poster.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Mecum. It’s due to cross the auction block in mid-May.

Images courtesy of Mecum

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A 1980s Icon: The Lamborghini Countach LP5000 S

The Lamborghini Countach LP5000 S was released in 1982, it had the largest engine of any Countach up until that moment in time, combined with the daring bodykit that had first been introduced on the earlier LP400 S.

Its newly upgraded 4.8 liter V12 engine, with six Weber carburetors and double overhead cams per bank, sent 368 hp at 7,500 rpm through its five-speed transmission the rear wheels – enough for a top speed of over 150 mph.

Fast Facts – The Lamborghini Countach LP5000 S

• The Lamborghini Countach LP5000 S was an important car in the evolution of the Countach family, it’s powered by an enlarged version of the Lamborghini V12 with a displacement of 4,754cc over the 3,929cc displacement of the earlier LP400 models.
• The name “Countach” is an exclamation of shock or surprise in the Piedmontese language of northwestern region of Italy. It’s said to have been chosen by Marcello Gandini after he heard a Piedmontese handyman frequently using the word.
• Much like its predecessors, the Countach LP5000 S has a spaceframe chassis constructed of welded round-section steel tubing with a body made up of aluminum panels with some fiberglass elements.
• The Countach would remain in production from 1974 until 1990, a relatively long 16 year lifespan. It remains one of the most popular and influential supercars of all time.

Lamborghini And The Next Great Supercar

When it was first shown to the world at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, the Lamborghini Countach shocked the world.

The Countach remains one of the most famous supercar designs of all time, and its distinctive wedge-shaped profile has been highly influential on modern supercar design.

Its angular wedge-shaped styling had been previewed on two earlier concept cars, the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo and the 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero – both from the same designer as the Countach, Marcello Gandini.

The key difference was that the Countach would be a full production car, not just a concept car intended for the show circuit.

The Countach had big shoes to fill, it was developed to replace the Lamborghini Miura as the next great supercar. The Miura is widely regarded as one of the most important supercars of all time – some even call it the first true supercar.

The Lamborghini Dream Team

The project was led by Lamborghini Chief Engineer Paolo Stanzani, working with test driver Bob Wallace, assistant engineer Massimo Parenti, and Marcello Gandini of Bertone – a veritable supercar dream team.

The team developed a state-of-the-art supercar with a tubular steel spaceframe chassis, a longitudinally-mid-mounted V12, seating for two, and of course, an avante garde body designed by Gandini.

This car has a Rosso full leather interior, there’s ample instrumentation for the driver and a gated 5-speed manual shifter.

The Countach went into production in 1974 with styling very close to the original concept car, it was powered by a 3,929cc Lamborghini V12 and orders flooded in for the car from around the world.

Building A Faster Countach – The LP5000 S

As the 1970s had progressed Lamborghini had worked to update the Countach to keep it competitive with its supercar rivals, even as the company itself faced potential bankruptcy and an uncertain future.

The original Countach was the LP400, this was succeeded by the LP400 S which featured an outlandish body kit that included wheel arch extensions, a lip spoiler, and a large optional rear wing. The car was also given wider tires and uprated suspension to match.

The model name started with “LP” as this stands for “longitudinale posteriore,” Italian for “longitudinal rear.” This described the orientation of the engine, the earlier Miura had a transversely mid-mounted engine.

In 1982 the Lamborghini Countach LP5000 S was released, also known as the LP500 S, for the first time the engine size in the Countach exceeded 4.0 liters with a total displacement of 4,754cc with power increased from 350 bhp to 368 hp.

Power is provided by a 4.8 liter V12 engine with six Weber carburetors and double overhead cams per bank, it sends 368 hp at 7,500 rpm through its five-speed transmission the rear wheels.

The LP5000 S kept the eye-catching bodykit of its immediate predecessor, and it proved immediately popular with both the general public and the motoring media.

The model would stay in production until 1985 when the four-valve LP5000 Quattrovalvole was released, with 321 produced in total.

The Lamborghini Countach LP5000 S Shown Here

The LP5000 S you see here is a 1984 model that has just 14,451 kms (~8,980 miles) on the odometer.

The car is finished in a combination of Nero Tenebre over a Rosso full leather interior, and it was imported to the USA by Sports Car Studio of Ormond Beach, Florida in November of 1983.

Due to its low mileage and excellent state of preservation its clear that this Countach has seen very limited use, it’s still fitted with its original period-correct Alpine head unit with its built-in cassette player.

This car is due to roll across the auction block with RM Sotheby’s on the 26th of March in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with a price guide of $600,000 – $750,000 USD.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images: Jasen Delgado ©2022 Courtesy of RM Auctions

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For Sale: A Lamborghini R230 Tractor – A Vintage Lamborghini For $13,000~

This is a restored 1976 Lamborghini R230 vigneron tractor, it’s a special model that was designed for working on vineyards – its narrow track width is to allow it to be driven between the rows of vines.

Lamborghini company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini started out making tractors long before he delved into the world of high performance road cars, and if it wasn’t for his unreliable Ferrari he would likely never have built a single automobile.

Fast Facts – The Lamborghini R230 Vigneron Tractor

• Ferruccio Lamborghini got his start building tractors using many parts from disused military vehicles in the years after WWII.
• By the mid-1950s Lamborghini was one of the biggest tractor manufacturers in Italy and Ferruccio had become a wealthy man, which allowed him to buy the fast cars he had dreamed of as a young boy.
• He had owned a number of Ferraris however their lack of refinement and the need for frequent mechanical work irritated him. He took his grievances to Enzo Ferrari in 1962. The two men had an argument that led Ferruccio to start Automobili Lamborghini in 1963.
• The Lamborghini R230 vigneron tractor is designed to be narrow enough to fit between rows of grapevines on vineyards. It’s powered by a simple three-cylinder air and oil-cooled motor and the example you see here has been recently restored.

Ferruccio Lamborghini

Ferruccio Lamborghini was born into an agricultural family in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. He showed an early aptitude for all things mechanical, and he was far more interested in the machinery on the farm than the actual practice of farming.

Above Film: This 1987 report on 60 Minutes shows Ferruccio Lamborghini driving one of his tractors on his vineyard in Italy, it also shows him driving a white Lamborghini Countach.

After his schooling he studied at the Fratelli Taddia Technical Institute near Bologna but at the onset of WWII we was drafted into into the Italian Air Force where he served as a mechanic. Later in the war he was taken prisoner by the British, later returning to Italy in 1946.

Lamborghini’s love of fast cars had been with him his whole life, after WWII he opened his own garage in Pieve di Cento and bought an old Fiat Topolino that he modified into a race car.

He competed in his car in the 1948 Mille Miglia but wouldn’t see the checkered flag as he collided with a roadside restaurant 680 miles into the race.

The Art Of Building Tractors

In 1947 Lamborghini recognized the need for tractors and other mechanized agricultural equipment, to help Italian farmers improve their productivity and keep pace with their European rivals.

He began developing simple tractor-like vehicles using many military surplus parts, he childhood on the farm gave him an intuitive understanding of what would work and what wouldn’t.

The three-cylinder diesel engine is air and oil-cooled, its designed so that each cylinder and head can be removed and worked on individually.

By the mid-1950s Lamborghini Trattori was one of the largest agricultural machinery manufacturers in Italy, selling a wide range of different tractors for different purposes – their smallest tractors being those dedicated to use on vineyards, called “Vigneron Tractors.”

The 1976 Lamborghini R230 Vigneron Tractor Shown Here

The vehicle you see here is a recently restored Lamborghini R230 vigneron tractor, its unusually small size, short wheelbase, and narrow track width are down to the fact that it needs to be able to fit between rows of vines of wineries.

Under the hood you’ll find an air and oil-cooled, modular three-cylinder engine that was designed in such a way that each cylinder and head can be removed independently of the others.

The exhaust exits up high on the right side of the tractor to avoid blowing exhaust fumes all over the grapes and vines, potentially affecting their viability.

This tractor was imported from a vineyard in the South of France and it was restored in the ownership of its current keeper. It’s now due to roll across the auction block with Bonhams at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting on the 10th of April, with a price guide of $13,000 – $19,600 USD.

If you’d like to read more about this unusual tractor or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Bonhams

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The Amphicar 770: A Vintage Car That’s Also A Boat

The Amphicar 770 is the most successful civilian amphibious production car of all time, 3,878 were sold between 1960 and 1968 with a few hundred surviving to the modern day thanks to their enthusiastic owners – one of whom was US President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The model name “770” comes from the fact that the Amphicar can do 7 mph on the water and 70 mph own the land – hence 770. Owners like to think of it as “the fastest car on the water and fastest boat on the road.”

Fast Facts – The Amphicar 770

• The Amphicar 770 was designed by German engineer Hans Trippel, it’s been described as a descendant of the WWII-era Volkswagen Schwimmwagen, and it was manufactured in West Germany between 1960 and 1965.
• The 770 has a steel cabriolet body, four wheels, two propellers, and a rear mounted engine that drive either the rear wheels, the two propellers, or all of them together – used when entering and exiting the water.
• Power is provided by the 1147cc Standard SC inline-four engine from the Triumph Herald, power was a somewhat modest 43 bhp at 4,750 rpm however the engine proved to be simple and reliable, which were the key criteria required for the 770.
• 3,878 examples of the Amphicar 770 would be built over its production run, the majority were sold in the United States. Many were used by civilians but some were used as rescue vehicles, and others were used to give people rides at Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs in Florida.

The Amphicar 770 And President Lyndon B. Johnson

The most famous story you’ll hear about the Amphicar is that President Lyndon B. Johnson owned one. He kept it on his ranch in Johnson City, Texas and he used to delight in taking guests on tours of the property in the car with the top down.

President Lyndon B. Johnson driving an Amphicar, April 10, 1965. Image courtesy of the LBJ Presidential Library.

Ever the practical joker, President Johnson’s favorite trick was to drive the car into his lake while yelling about the brakes having failed, as his guests riding in the car with him screamed for their lives.

Once in the water he would engage the propellers and drive the Amphicar through the water laughing heartily as his passengers tried to collect their wits.

The Most Successful Amphibious Production Car Ever

Building cars that double as boats isn’t a new idea, but is is an idea that had struggled to find its feet. Much like flying cars, amphibious cars have been plagued by difficulties and engineering challenges, not the least of which is that cars don’t make very good boats, and boats don’t make very good cars.

The Amphicar 770 was designed by German engineer Hans Trippel, taking some inspiration from the WWII-era Volkswagen Schwimmwagen – an earlier example of a successful amphibious vehicle.

Trippel was careful to avoid unnecessary complexity in his design, the same engine was used for driving the wheels and twin propellers, the front wheels act as rudders, and the engine was a mass-produced unit from Triumph.

Above Film: This vintage episode of Motor Week covers the Amphicar 770, and it shows them entering the water and leaving again.

The car has a body made from stamped steel panels and it was only ever offered as a cabriolet (convertible).

The engine is installed in the rear and it has a special gearbox that allows it to drive only the rear wheels, only the twin propellers, or both together allowing the car to be driven in and out of the water on a typical boat ramp.

The Amphicar would remain in production from 1965 to 1965, however the company was still selling them in 1968 when it closed down. Of the 3,878 that were made many have survived thanks to the committed nature of the car’s enthusiasts.

The 1961 Amphicar 770 Shown Here

The car you see here is a 1961 Amphicar 770 that has been subject to a bare-metal restoration including extensive structural repairs carried out by marque specialist East Coast Amphicar.

It’s showing just 5,435 miles post-restoration, and it’s finished in the factory combination of Beach Sand White over red and white interior with white top.

The price guide on the car is $80,000 – $100,000 USD and it’s due to cross the auction block with RM Sotheby’s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on the 26th March.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images: ©2022 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

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Full Documentary: The Fast One – A History Of The Chevy Small Block V8

The Chevy small block V8 was first released in 1954 in the 1955 model year Chevrolets, the company can’t possibly have known it at the time, but their new engine was about to revolutionize the American automotive industry.

Today the small block V8 is one of very few engines that even non-car people will typically recognize, largely thanks to the fact that it’s been a core staple of the American car world for 70 years and counting.

Fast Facts – The Chevy Small Block V8

• Chevrolet developed the small block V8 to compete with the popular Ford Y block V8 that had been released in 1953.
• The name “small block” is a bit of a misnomer, as some of the small blocks that were built had displacements up to 400 cubic inches (6.6 liters). The name had originally come about to differentiate the small block V8 from the larger Chevy “big block” V8s.
• With the release of the legendary flathead V8 in the 1932 Ford and the later Ford Y block V8 that had come to replace it in 1953, Ford was the undisputed king of building mass-market V8s. The Chevy small block V8 was designed specifically to take this title from Ford.
• The Ford flathead V8 had democratized V8 power for the masses when it was released in the 1930s, but it would be the Chevy small block that did the same in post-WWII America.

The 1955 Chevrolet with its all new optional small block V8 would fundamentally revolutionize the American automotive industry, and give Ford a run for their money.

This 43 minute long documentary does a fantastic job of showcasing the conception, development, and release of the small block V8, as well as the importance of the first production cars they were fitted to – the 1955 Chevrolet.

The small block V8 was almost certainly the best mass-produced V8 in the world when it was introduced.

This new engine was smaller, lighter, and more powerful than previous American V8s, and hot rodders soon realized that it was very responsive to tuning – making it popular for street performance cars and race cars up to and including the professional level.

The small block was so named to differentiate it from the big block V8. The small block was available in sizes up to 400 cubic inches (6.6 liters) and it was smaller, lighter, and more powerful than its competition when it was released.

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