Here they are...Finally! 355 BONDO FIERO!!

you know that old saying, if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say it at all. Well all I have to say is

 

I have really been trying to refrain from posting on this thread. Yes there are some laughable replica's out there and many here have posted things at least trying to credit the bondo fiero's owner with having some good intentions and/or decent carving skills.

Frank, I had to comment though. I know most of the posting on this car has been in the spirit of fun banter, not mean spirited. I like to think that's the result of several of us locally having both real and replica Ferrari's/Lambo's/etc. Yes, a real Ferrari can be had for the price of a loaded minivan but I think it's not completely right to think that for this reason everyone who likes Ferrari's should just get a real one. I see two problems with this solution.

First, many people don't have the credit to go get a loan for a 20+ year old car that costs "less than a minivan". The bank could care less if it's a Ferrari that will hold value. Many people who can go get a low interest loan for a new minivan (loaded or not) just won't qualify for the same amount of money for anything but a relatively new car. Heck, we could come up with $2000/month to put into the car, but I know Haley and I couldn't waltz into the dealer and say "We'll take whatever will have payments under $2000/month." So maybe some of these people were able to get a $1000 fiero and every month they "improve" some aspect of it.

My second thought on this is that this is an apples and oranges comparison. If someone loves a 308 they may loathe an enzo. The same person who dreams of having a Daytona spider may hate mid-engined cars. Loving one Ferrari model doesn't mean automatically you have to love all Ferrari's. I love the 250 GTO, however for less than this engine swap and repaint is costing I could get a mondial coupe or a 400i.. but I don't WANT one of those. Haley loved one model of the Vector. She could get a real vector of the model she doesn't want for less than it would cost to make a replica of the one she wants, but she wouldn't be happy with it.
When you were into Vettes would you have told someone who wanted to join the Vette club but was struggling financially to go get a used Chevette and take it to the shows because at least it's a real Chevy (and hey - it still has "Vette" in the name, so Zora would say it's okay)? I know- silly comparasin but it's the best I could come up with.
While I personally think the F50 on a stock wheelbase fiero and the Testarossa on the same look way off and don’t do it for me, I wouldn’t put them in the “ricer” category. For me that’s reserved for the honda’s and similar with a huge wing, giant wheels, big exhaust, and stickers everywhere with no power..or even with power stuff like Lamarossa’s.
Andreas- the last year of the Fiero wasn’t too bad , Lotus redesigned the suspension, and with the V6 it was quicker than the 308. With a V8 conversion they are REALLY quick. Ask Skip or the Vette guy Dave from the drives, it’s not a Ferrari but an 88 can be a fun driver or interesting alternative. Actually I still know a few Diablo owners who have 1988 Fiero’s for drivers. Occasionally you’ll find a fiero tub used for some really high end builds and in some of those the only thing fiero about them is the VIN number and maybe steering column. I have to say though I have never seen any replica F50 that looked like a real one, of course most of the real ones probably never see 100 mph unless the truck trailering it to a show is going down a long hill either

Chelle

 

http://www.6park.com/enter7/messages/gvk21098.html

Even you could probably learn a few tricks from this guy. Absolutely amazing what they did and on the NSX basis it makes handling and performance wise a lot more sense than on a Fiero.

 

wow - still doesn't look accurate enough to me - but still, amazing amount of work.. and I pity anyone on a dial up waiting for that page to load.. lol
and brave of them to paint anything hand fabricated black
I'm sure I could learn lots from them about glasswork... though I don't want to do fiberglass every day.. my god it makes ya itchy..
Chelle

 

Dial up is though, but trying to read their comments is really hard...


Did they build the body in styrofoam and then made molds in fibre glass?

If so, they could do a cookie cutter approach. NSX are plenty abound.

I agree that despite their efforts they could have done a better job on some of the details like mirrors and wheels, but all in all they did a great job. There were two different threads on FChat about this car and one of the things that came out, was that the NSX and the F50 have huge similarities in the shape of the front window, which is so essential in such a project.

 

How come you never see a Gulfstream V replica made from a Cessna 172?

 

DN35- NOW THAT is funny thanx... thought you know there have been some small kitplanes that looked like various others.. the Pitts is/was a great little stunt plane.. and there have been a couple that looked like fighters.. from all eras... I remember a like 2/3rd scale F4-U Corsair... and the Bede jet that looked like a little F14

Sorry Frank - maybe the fumes in the garage are getting to me.. I wasn't offended, really - an think the world of you
I was trying to make sure when I wrote it that I noted how people have made some positive comments about the bondo fiero
but Haley and I have been spending like crazy and depriving ourselves of sleep trying to get the GTO done.. so maybe I was a little defensive too.. since it's not "REAL" and has a japanese windshield and rear suspension (though nearly everything else is different) maybe I vented different than I meant to..
There are good and bad out there with regard to replicas and other custom built cars.. and I know most of us here .. MOST anyway, agree on that..
Though there have been some here who would have said Napolis should send his #0846 to the crusher if he couldn't document it as original.. his car is a work of art.. even if it was 100% fake I would insist it deserves to be driven, shown, and enjoyed..
I remember when the purists were screaming that Norwood had a 308 with a Chevy.. lol those people are the kind who made me mostly leave the corvette world..
In 100 years the only cars from this era you will see will be replicas or static displays.. whatever keeps the memory of them alive works for me.
Chelle

 

Maybe the purists don't realize, that the #1 car at Ferrari's Galleria museum in Maranello is a replica.


Replicating a 308 makes little sense. Replicating something extinct or too valuable to be driven like the GTO makes a lot of sense IMHO.

 

I think Andreas has it right on. I cringe when I see peeps making grotesque "copies" so they can impress people, when in fact they look like total asses. Even worse are dudes on ebay selling those abominations to insecure morons who want to pose. Constructing an homage to a famous car that's way beyond almost anyone's capability is a token of respect. But I don't need some dude making his Fiero into a 308.

I think there's a certain Zen to accomplishment. Once you get a Ferrari, you become less concerned that people know you have one. If you don't have one, it becomes important to some people for others to believe that you do have one.

That being said, I still give props to the bondo guy/gal, and would give him/her a ride in mine any day.

 

Well, I have to say a few things here.

First, I want Bondoboy at my place on Thanksgiving to carve the turkey, It would be one bee-u-teeful bird with his skills! We can even use the biggest surviving chunk of bondo from the first railroad crossing as the table centerpeice

Second, I still say that the sickly prancing horses on that car should have been put down years ago...I did not notice the one on the badge til the last group of piccies...and I did have to spend a bit of my morning cleaning the coffee off the keyboard. I cant help but think of Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack...
"Oh, that is the worst looking hat (horse) I ever saw....but it looks good on you!" ~~insert Rodney Eye Roll~~

Frank, no worries, we just taking in too many epoxy fumes and not enough exhast fumes from all the cars we are missing on the drives. Sometimes words read a bit different than intended...darn hormones!

Oh, and if Chelle gets out of line, let me know and I will whoop her for ya, I already broke a buncha nails on that engine, I s'pose I can spare a few on her backside, unless someone can get me some tools from a certain shop in Amsterdam that a few of you gentleman mentioned that was on a few threads back.

 

Andreas-

It's the 'wing' that turns you on; right?

 

I have to agree with Chelle and Haley.

In most cases, I don't believe people with replicas are trying to impress anyone. And, in most cases, I believe people with bad replicas know they're bad.

I think Bondoboy knows that his isn't fooling anyone; he just had fun making it.

Many of us have/had replicas. Even heavy duty collectors have them.

Jan Frieberg, who owns about 13 Ferraris and many other cars, has a replica Ferrari. Frank Beard has a 250 GTO Spyder replica.....he could surely afford the real thing, if it was ever made!

So let's not knock the owners of replicas; there are many reasons why they have them. And it's not necessarily for trying to impress!!

 

I want a Corsair, always have; always will!

Closest I ever came to owning one was my twin Cessna 310J.

I know, I know, it was nothing like a Corsair. But it was a hoot!!

One of the things I miss most in life, is being able to fly my own airplane.

 

C'mon over to my place and show me your skills in my flight sim. I'll show you then how to do a suborbital in Spaceship1.

The Friebergs are my heroes. For their real cars and their replica. That thing is so darn beautiful and done the right way.

 

You should have bondo'd the Cessna up to look like a Corsair, of course it probably wouldn't have been able to fly with the additional weight of the bondo, but it would look supremely cool in your driveway!

 

look!!! I found some info!
WAR F4-U Corsair
http://warbuddies.homestead.com/WARCorsair.html
The WAR ones were half size - here's one flying next to an original
http://warbuddies.homestead.com/files/Full-sz_half-sz.jpg
Here's someone building an 82% scale
http://www.corsair82.com/links.html

and this guy is insane... the amount and quality of fabrication he is doing.. I'm speechless. and it takes a lot to shut me up
lol
http://f4ucorsair.tld-productions.com/alscorsair.html

 

A friend of mine in FL has a Superformance Cobra and that things goes like a rocket and looks the part. The Superformance Daytona Cobras are also awesome.

In regards to worries about the replica and replacement parts: You're spot on. I'm having the same anxiety and worries as with the real car. Crazy, but that's how it goes. If your turn signal costs $ 400 to replace you worry.

 

I fear my skills have waned, since I have not been able to have a pilot's license in over 20 years.

A diabetic isn't 'legally' allowed to fly an airplane.

 

With no license I flew a fighter jet. In Russia.

 

Were you involved in combat?

Seriously, wasn't there a segment about that in the movie you made?

 

Yup, good memory. The scene early on of the jet flying low overhead, that was actually me in there. One of the ground crew shot that footage.

 

By the way, it's a great movie!

Have you scheduled a rerun?

I'd love to see it again!!!!

 

Remind me that drinks are on me next time we meet.