240Z / 250 GTO

According to the article they are made by Alpha 1 Engineering. I've never seen one before but I did park near a real one once.

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In the 80's...

There use to be a place in Phoenix AZ which built all types of kits for Z cars. I almost traded my X for a Z car once.

Eric
 
How could I forget?....

Freudian avoidance or something:laugh:
It's awfully cute, I have to admit. Get a lot jokes thrown your way on account of it?
 
I had an '86 years ago and I got laughed at a lot. This one belonged to my parents until the engine wore out. I'd like to fix it someday. They aren't the best cars ever built but they are the most under rated by a large margin.
 
funny story

This doesn't exactly follow the line of this thread, so forgive me for butting in, but it's a funny Yugo story I don't get to share very often with those who might actually appreciate it:

At an autocross several months ago I got to talking about X's and some "rare" cars with an older gentleman while working a corner. Somehow we got talking about Yugo's and he wondered if there was a source for getting parts anymore. I told him about Midwest and how some X drivers liked them. He thought it was an odd connection, so I told him about swapping a Yugo head onto an X engine.....

While we were talking another corner worker was just sort of listening in. When I said "yeah, some guys like to put Yugo heads on X engines" the bystander butted in and cut me off:

"WAIT, that's an IMPROVEMENT!?" The thought of any part coming from a Yugo being an improvement on anything else was just too much for him.
:)
 
You can get them from two US companies.

Or, hey that's my car! Yup, the link you have listed is for my car.... so thanks usta in Portland!

The Ferrari 250 GTO kits on a Z car are not easy to build but when they are done right they can be great cars.

You can get both the coupe and the spyder version from John Washington at Reaction Research http://www.reactionresearch.com/automotive.html or the coupe version from Tom McBurnie at Thunder Ranch http://www.thunderranch.com/gto.html
 
BTW (although it hasn't been well maintained) you can find out more about the Ferrari 250 GTO kits and their history on the GTO Replica Registry web site http://www.reactionresearch.com/gtorr/index.html

The biggest problem is that the body is bolted and glued to a Datsun Z car and the early Alpha bodies did not fit very well. Tom McBurnie made major changes to the nose that really helped later kits. Tom Washington made the nose on his spyder versions one piece to solve the fit problems.

If you are really, really good ay body work then it probably would not be that difficult to do.

What else would you like to know about my car?
 
Oh, like what...

model Z is it based on? What engine/tranny are you running? Does it have mod cons like A/C? How many $ (don't have to answer that obviously!!!) Wheels and tires? Just any old thing.:thumbsup:

Thanks
 
I bet the cost vary WILDLY!

There was a 250GTO/Datsun Z car kit down here in the houston area years back... it was a bit beat. A friend of mine who knew the guy said the Datsun 6 was yanked and replaced with a junkyard 350 chevy... which laid down little power and didn't last very long. Last I heard a serious engine was being built for it... Looking at the car when I saw it, with the stock 6 in it, I find it hard to believe there was more than $8000 to $10,000 in it. And that would be on the high side. I'm betting he bought it as a unfinished car for a steal.

And I'm sure a well done conversion can suck up similar money to a Cobra kit...
 
True enough...

Costs on these things is pretty much a 'how long is a piece of string' deal. The example I saw here a few days ago looked to be pretty much stock Z car interior (although in show condition) and it even had an automatic and I think A/C. Couldn't tell what the engine was but it did have twin-twin tip exhausts which implies a V engine I suppose. No wild power bulge on the hood or anything. My attraction to it was purely the shape and the surface sculpting-just the most beautiful thing! And all the more so parked up with a bunch of 'just cars', ugly transport devices without an ounce of individuality or charisma.

I just read that Ferrari only built 40 of the GTO.
 
Additional info on my GTO

There is a complete writeup and some pictures of my car over on the CarDomain web site. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/236622/1962-ferrari-250-gto

My car was made from a kit that was originally designed by Barry Goldstein of Eagle Manufacturing and sold by Joe Alphabet as an Alpha 1 GTO. I originally purchased this kit from Joe at his Alpha 1 Engineering shop in Huntington Beach, California. The body installs on a Datsun 240Z to 280Z (except 2+2) so a rust free 1971 240Z was selected as the donor. The ’71 was preferred because it was prior to the bumper laws and would not have to go through the trouble of lowering it.


The real 250 GTO had a Colombo designed 300HP V12 with six 2bbl Weber carbs. – one barrel for each cylinder! The cost of a Ferrari V12 was way outside of my budget but a 1965 327 Corvette motor wasn’t. The blueprinted 365 HP 327 SBC, has 64cc Trick Flow 23 degree aluminum heads, 1.5:1 aluminum roller rockers, new (but stock) 365HP solid lifter cam, .030 over 10.5:1 forged pistons and ceramic coated Hooker "Block Hugger" headers. The dual exhaust uses two 31” stainless steel glass packs with “Ansa” dual tipped outlets in the back. To save weight there is a Summit gear drive starter and aluminum water pump plus a Chevy 16lb nodular iron flywheel with a Hayes competition clutch. It’s topped off with a Tri-power setup that has 3 Rochester 2 bbl. carburetors sitting on a vintage single plane Corvette Offenhauser manifold.



The engine is bolted to a Camaro T-5 and installed using the “Jags that Run” (JTR) conversion method. A 1984 and later Corvette bell housing was used along with a 7/8” bore Wilwood (Tilton) master cylinder through a braided stainless steel line to the stock Corvette slave cylinder. Behind the T-5 transmission is a custom-made 19.25” driveshaft, which goes to a R200 LSD 3:70.1 rear axle.



To keep it cool there is a custom Griffin 25” x 19” aluminum radiator and a pusher type 1980-CFM electric fan out in front of it.



The entire car was rewired using an 18-circuit “Painless Wiring” kit and all the marker lights are real Ferrari units. A Ferrari GTO type dashboard was installed with custom Stewart Warner 5” speedometer and tachometer. Except for the dash and the Nardi wheel, the rest of the interior is all stock but almost every piece is brand new. Of course, the custom mats have the Ferrari shield on them and the horn button, as well as the gearshift knob, are genuine Ferrari parts.



The custom made Dayton real knock-off 72 spoke stainless steel wire wheels are 15x8” and 15x10" in the rear with the rear wheels having quite an offset. The “knock-off” spinners have had the Ferrari horse engraved into them. Dunlop P205R70’s were installed up front and P225R70’s on the rear. The rest of the suspension is stock except for the usual “trick” pieces, polyurethane bushings, Eibach springs and Tokico struts. Stopping power is provided by using Toyota 4 piston brake calipers on the front along with a later model Z 15/16” master cylinder and 280Z vacuum booster.


The car is painted Ferrari red using PPG Durathane Ultra without clear coat. After it was painted, all new weather-stripping was installed as well as a new front windshield and rear window. It has a full set of Ferrari emblems on the car as well as replica hood hold-downs and leather belts.



BTW, there were 39 Ferrari GTO's made although only 33 were 1962 250 versions. Another interesting note is that a Ferrari 250 GTO is the most expensive car ever sold with one going for a report 28 million dollars!
 
Stunning !!

Both car and your response. Thanks for all the info.

I don't suppose you are getting tired of it enough to sell? No,no, forget I asked:p:p
 
Sorry but its not for sale.

The car is a blast to drive. With about 400HP and only 2,500 lbs it is one seriously fast car!

A Z car is a pretty good handling car and the V8 small block Chevy (SBC) conversion makes it even better. With all the aluminum parts the SBC engine doesn't weigh any more than the long tall Datsun 6 cylinder and it sits entirely behind the front axle. With the short and low V8 profile it not only lowers the center of gravity of the car but shifts it to a 50 - 50 weight distribution.

Its way to much fun to drive and gathers so much attention at any shows and cruise nights that I just can't part with it.
 
That's OK...

I will just cry myself to sleep!:p

Thanks for all the info-keep enjoying it and when you stop enjoying it, I'm here!!:thumbsup:
 
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