Entries in replica (7)

Thursday
Apr012010

"It is so choice..."

"...If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

Those were the famous words of Ferris Bueller describing his friend's father's 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California. Well, now the actual movie car is up for auction.  I think we all remember that heartstopping moment when the Ferrari is sent crashing through a plate glass window and into the ravine below.  In fact that car, as well as this one, were both replicas built by the studio specifically for the film (there were 4 replicas total).  A faithful recreation on the surface, the car is actually bodied in fiberglass, and propelled by a 4.7L Ford 289 V8 and automatic transmission.  The auction's estimate is 40 to 80 thousand pounds, but I just have a feeling the car could sell for far more than that because even though it is not a real Ferrari, this machine is basically the most famous car in cinema (up there with the DeLorean in Back to the Future) and as such is a desirable piece of pop culture history.  I hope it goes to the Peterson Museum in LA for their Hollywood cars section! Click here for the link to the full auction item description.

On a side note, the house in which the car was kept in the movie (formerly belonging to real car collector Ben Rose) has also been on the market.  Perhaps one lucky fan can own them both!

Sunday
Mar212010

Alberto Ascari wannabe spotted in Soho!

Alberto Ascari may be back from beyond the grave...and he wants attention.

Yesterday there were tons of cool cars out and about on the streets of Manhattan.  But this was by far the most unusual sight of the day.  I tried to find out more info about what this kit car / replicar was online, but to no avail.  So All I can say is it appears to have a 4 cylinder powerplant, and seems to be like a 3/4 scale replica of an early 50s Ferrari Grand Prix or F2 car.  It was certainly a cool toy, and very loud.  The guy behind the wheel was grinning for all the iphone cameras that greeted him at each stop light on Spring Street.  Clearly the guy craves attention.  Why else would you risk being squashed by a cab in order to drive a fancy go-kart on the streets of Manhattan?  But hey, I give the guy one bit of credit.  He's clearly doing it for the fun, because you can't pick up chicks in a monoposto!

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