1975 Datsun Z-Series

Coupe

6 - Cyl.

Automatic

HLS30207303

Gasoline

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE SELLER'S NOTE: THE SPORTS CAR IN THIS AD IS NOT A FERRARI 250 GTO. IT IS ONE OF TWO VEHICLES, CALIFORNIA GTO 250'S, BUILT BY TOM MCBURNIE, OF MCBURNIE COACHCRAFT AND THUNDER RANCH, TO REPRESENT THE 250 GTO IN THE 1991 MOVIE "DELIRIOUS", STARRING JOHN CANDY AND EMMA SAMS. AFTER FILMING, THE CAR WAS SOLD TO THE GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS MUSEUM, IN GATLINBURG, TN. THIS UNIQUE AUTOMOBILE HAS BEEN DISPLAYED IN THE MUSEUM SINCE 1992. NEVER TITLED FOR THE STREET, THE ODOMETER REFLECTS THE 134 ORIGINAL MILES. SOLD WITH AN ORIGINAL MSO (MANUFACTURERS STATEMENT OF ORIGIN) FROM THE BUILDER. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS VEHICLE HAS EVER BEEN OFFERED FOR SALE TO THE PUBLIC. ONLY TWO UNITS WERE BUILT FOR THE MOVIE, AND THE LOCATION OF THE SECOND MOVIE CAR IS UNKNOWN. MCBURNIE IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE DESIGNER OF THE CALIFORNIA DAYTONA SPYDER, WHICH WAS USED IN THE '80'S TELEVISION SERIES "MIAMI VICE." PLEASE READ THE COMPLETE DESCRIPTION AND VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS. THE BEGINNING PARAGRAPHS OF THE AD OFFER BACKGROUND AND HISTORY. THE FINAL PARAGRAPHS ARE A DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTUAL VEHICLE. PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE HAVE VIEWED THIS BEAUTY, BOTH FROM THE MOVIE AND FROM NEARLY TWO DECADES OF DISPLAY AT THE MUSEUM. THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A RARE AND UNIQUE CLASSIC, MANUFACTURED BY ONE OF THE MOST WELL KNOW BUILDERS OF THE ERA. UNRESTORED SINCE THE CONCLUSION OF MOVIE FILMING, THE PATINA AND ORIGINALITY FROM 1991 ARE STILL PRESENT. THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF EXPENSIVE, RARE, ORIGINAL, PERIOD CORRECT PARTS HAVE BEEN UTILIZED IN THIS BUILD. THE CAR HAS BEEN VERIFIED BY MR. MCBURNIE, AND HE HAS PROVIDED NUMEROUS ORIGINAL PHOTOS AND VEHICLE HISTORY, WHICH GO WITH THE CAR. As stated above, this is not a real Ferrari 250 GTO. The 250 GTO is widely considered as the holy grail of the Ferrari car line, one of the most famous sports cars of all time. There were only a total of 39 of these units built- 33 standard GTO's, three with the four liter 330 engine, and three Type 64 cars. It is believed that all 39 still exist today. In fact, at the 50th anniversary of the GTO at Pebble Beach, 22 were in attendance. The last GTO to be auctioned was in Las Vegas in 1991, at $5.5 million. Although prices are confidential, the few that have changed hands recently have been estimated in the $15- $28 million range. The 250 GTO racing debut was the 12 hours of Sebring in 1962. Although the race car was entered in the GT class, it finished second overall to a prototype class Testa Rossa. The GTO won the World Manufacturer's Championship three successive years- 1962, 1963, and 1964. The 250 GTO was truly unique in that it was a pure-bred race car, yet could easily be driven on the street. It was one of the last front engine cars to be competitive at high levels of racing, and the last front engine car Ferrari ever made. The sleek styled design and rumble of the 300 HP V12 can still be observed at various vintage races across the country. Collectors view this model not only as an incredible race car, but also as a work of art. Due to the soaring popularity of this race car, an intense demand for tribute or replica models developed. The fact that only 39 were manufactured, the price tag, and the fact that few owners were willing to part with their prize possessions, meant the genuine car was practically unattainable to any collector. The next option was to own a replica or tribute vehicle. The platform of choice for the tribute cars was the Datsun Z series. The Z based GTOs were originally designed and produced as the Alpha 1 GTO by Barry Goldstein at Eagle Engineering in California. Goldstein sold his business to Joe Alphabet. Alphabet sold his business to Tom McBurnie. There have been other manufacturers of these cars over the years, but these three men were the innovators. Tom McBurnie was a fascinating individual in his own right. He is most well known for another of his creations, the California Daytona Spyder, the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona replica based on the Corvette chassis. McBurnie's California Spyder became the centerpiece of the first seasons of the '80's television show "Miami Vice." Detective Sonny Crockett drove a Black one. He was originally a designer for General Electric's Defense System Department. He traveled to Europe in 1964. Tom enrolled in the Swiss Race Driving School at Monterey, France. He returned to the United States, and in the mid to late sixties enjoyed a successful road racing career. He not only drove, but also built and maintained the cars. He retired from driving in 1969, but continued to build and maintain race cars for others. He entered the specialty car business as a full time vocation in 1978. In that year, McBurnie founded Sceptre Motor Car Company, building the Sceptre 6.6S, based on a '78 Ford Thunderbird platform. In the 80's the company name was changed to McBurnie Coachcraft. Tom McBurnie is still building specialty cars and selling modification parts today as Thunder Ranch. McBurnie built two vehicles for MGM Studios, as a representation of the 250 GTO for the movie "Delirious". The comedy was released in 1991, starring John Candy and Emma Sams. In 1992, the GTO was sold to the Guinness World Records Museum, in Gatlinburg, TN. It remained on display there until recently, as an example of the most expensive automobile in the world. It was removed when a rare Bugatti inherited the title of world's most expensive automobile. THE CAR: Please click on this link to a massive file of photos. These photos include not only the car, but also archival photos from the movie shoot and also the actual action sequence script from the movie: http://s1102.photobucket.com/albums/g453/tnbargaingiftstore/Ferrari%20GTO%20Replica/ Here is a short video from the public domain of Youtube. This was taken when the car was on display at the Guinness Museum. The videographer at the time thought he was looking at an original GTO 250. Of course, after viewer's comments, he realized it was a tribute. Evidently the people that left comments didn't realize they were looking at the only remaining movie car from Delirious, and one of the more accurate tribute models built. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jffLFtla6FA Here is a link from the public domain of Youtube, the trailer to the movie Delirious, in which you can see some views of the car. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cd9sWGlhoM&feature=related This link is an actual section of the movie in which John Candy is driving the car, obtained from the public domain of Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7yA1ffymTs&feature=related This vehicle has not been restored since it was built by McBurnie. With the exception of some mechanical maintenance and some minor cosmetic touch ups, it is essentially the exact vehicle that you see in the movie. The car had four stages in its' life- It was built for the movie, used in the movie, displayed in the museum, and is now for sale to the public. This is not a 1,000 point show vehicle. The body has some minor paint chips, minor flaws here and there. However, herein lies much of the provenance of the car, the unmolested condition. The platform for the build is a 1975 Datsun 280Z. The body has undergone an extensive transformation to emulate the 250 GTO. Only the basic roof line remains unchanged. McBurnie used all of his own parts in this build. These parts are still available today at the Thunder Ranch facility. Complete front nose section and rear tail section. Front hood. Rear quarter window panels. Rocker panels. Rear hatch trim. Door skins. After assembling all body panels and massaging the bodywork, he painted the exterior in a custom blend Porsche India Red. This finish from the original build is still present on the body. Fit and gapping on all panels is very good. Paint has been buffed to a mirror gloss. There are some minor touched up and untouched up chips from use in the movie, and there are a few minor flaws in some of the aging bodywork. The familiar racing stripe adorns the car. Glass is in good condition. Correct Ferrari emblems are present on the body. Even the side scallops are trimmed out in aluminum to add to the detail. The McBurnie logo is embossed on the inner hood and rocker panels. Wire wheels with real knock off spinners. Correct logos in each spinner center. Goodyear Eagle radial tires, P195/60VR15 on the front and massive P245/60VR15 on the rear. Correct headlamps and headlamp shields, and correct rear tail lamps. The interior was gutted and rebuilt. McBurnie installed his custom fiberglass dash assembly, with correct dash pod. Auto-Meter 200 MPH speedometer attached under the dash. Fitted in the dash pod are Auto-Meter Pro Comp tachometer, fuel gauge, oil pressure gauge, water temperature gauge, and volt gauge. Three spoke steering wheel with factory logo on horn button. Tan leather seats and door panels. Ferrari seat belts.. The center console is another McBurnie fiberglass component. There is one very unique feature in this interior, which also serves to further identify the car as one of the 250 GTO's involved in the movie Delirious. A Ferrari manual shifter and shift gate are fastened to the console. There is also a clutch pedal in the pedal assembly. However, the car has an automatic transmission! The film makers required the authentic look of the manual crash box, but wanted an automatic shifted unit so it would be easy to drive in the movie. McBurnie fitted all the manual transmission components, then fabricated a small lever on the right side of the transmission tunnel, hidden by the passenger seat, to shift the Datsun three speed automatic. It is an ingenious fabrication, and functions perfectly. McBurnie states that only two units were ever built this way -the two cars used in the movie. The power train is all performance Datsun. The 280Z was a stout sports car in its' own right, so no grand modifications were required. A 2.8 liter six cylinder with Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection. 170 horsepower. Three speed automatic transmission. R200 rear differential. Four wheel independent suspension. McPherson struts on the front. Chapman struts on the rear. Rack and pinion steering. Four wheel disc brakes. Twin split exhaust. For the movie car collector, the 250 GTO enthusiast, or just a lover of the Datsun Z Series vehicles, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Let's look at the pros and cons of this classic: PROS- One of only two units built for the movie, and the only one still in existence. One of the most correct appearing cars ever built. Vehicle history shows only duty in the movie and display in the museum. Unmolested and unchanged since it was built. Thousands upon thousands of people have seen this car in the movie and the museum. Thousands of dollars of correct period parts used in the build. Priced at a fraction of the build cost. CONS: It isn't in your garage. But it could be. Don't hesitate. This will absolutely not last. CALL RANDY AT 847 456 7726 WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR TO ARRANGE AN IN PERSON INSPECTION. BANK WIRE IS THE PREFERRED METHOD OF PAYMENT. IT IS SAFE, SECURE, AND PROTECTS BOTH PARTIES. OPTIONAL PAYMENT METHODS INCLUDE BANK OR CASHIER'S CHECK, MONEY ORDER, PERSONAL OR BUSINESS CHECK WITH BANK LETTER, AND CASH(IN PERSON). VEHICLES PURCHASED WITH CHECKS OR MONEY ORDERS WILL NOT BE SHIPPED OR DELIVERED IN PERSON UNTIL FUNDS HAVE CLEARED THE BANK. All other payment methods must be agreed upon by both parties before end of auction. A Paypal deposit of $500 required within 24 hours of auction end, unless other arrangements are made. Please contact us via telephone or email immediately after end of auction to discuss payment arrangements. Payment in full due within 72 hours of auction end unless other arrangements are made. BUYER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL TRANSPORT FEES. Please follow all the terms of sale for this auction, including deposit and final payment requirements. BUYER MUST ADHERE TO AND ABIDE BY TERMS OF SALE THAT ARE CLEARLY STATED IN THE PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RENDER THE SALE NULL AND VOID. WE DESCRIBE VEHICLES TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY. HOWEVER, IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BUYER TO CONFIRM THIS DESCRIPTION. WE REQUEST AN IN PERSON INSPECTION OF ALL VEHICLES PRIOR TO BIDDING. IF IN PERSON INSPECTION IS NOT POSSIBLE, WE RECOMMEND A THIRD PARTY INSPECTION OF VEHICLE. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ERRORS OR OMMISSIONS DUE TO A “SIGHT UNSEEN” PURCHASE. SOLD AS IS, WHERE IS, WITH NO WARRANTIES OR GUARANTEES. ALL SALES ARE FINAL, NO RETURNS OR REFUNDS. PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BID.