Ross' New car has arrived

[Ross Nicol]

Well after purchasing this Pantera in Nov 07 off ebay in the US, I have just got it in my garage as of last week.No it doesn't take a ship 6 months to travel from the US to Australia and I am about to unleash all the drama on you people.
The car I was after had to be fairly original as I want to race it in an Historic category and I didn't want the cost of having to chase original parts to get a modified car back in order. This one looked good in the photos and the owner hadn't tarted it up inside the engine bay etc so I was very keen to get it.I checked the California map and found it wasn't far from where my friend ( hi Tim) lives in Riverside.Unfortunately Tim wasn't able to contact the owner for viewing, prior to the auction ending, so I steamed in and won the auction anyway.Tim was able to view the car and check papers before money was handed over but of course there is always that voice in the back of your head going silly B........
Tim was able to store the car for me as the shipping was delayed till early January. So the car was delivered to the shipping depot in Colton about the 8th of January ( thanks again Tim) to await loading in a container with 3 other cars and 2 Harley bikes. After more delays the container finally set off on a ship bound for Melbourne. The ship docked in Auckland NZ and the news I got was that it was off loaded for return to the US on another ship.Well at that point I panicked for 2 reasons, 1/ US customs had recalled the container and wouldn't give a reason and 2/ knowing my luck (the only raffle I've ever won was the army ballot) The Pantera is stolen and I will lose my money. Anyway after 2 more weeks the container arrives back in the US and news filters to me that one of the bl..dy Harleys had been stolen 29 years ago.Phew I breath a sigh of relief. Now they load the container again less one Harley and 3 weeks later my car arrives at Melbourne Dock. The Pantera and a mustang were a bit dirty for the powers that be so they were held for cleaning.The customs agent handling the clearance had a long weekend which further delayed proceedings too.Anyway my declared value of the Pantera was not felt to be accurate so Customs ignored it and had it valued at a higher figure. Well I was not arguing after having waited so long and having felt the relief of not losing so much money. So it's here and it's a beauty and in remarkable condition for it's age. Nice guys should win more often I reckon.Now all I have to do is live like a pauper for a couple of years to pay for it.

Rossleased:

 

[Ross Nicol]

Here are the photos I took when I returned to my factory with the Pantera on the trailer.

Ross

 

[ali grey]

Ross,
you should looked over here there is quite a nice red one for sale.how are you going to race the 40 and this at the same time,i would say you are a tiger for punishment,it will be harder to score browny points thats for sure.
Ali

 

[RichardH]

isnt that always the way - buy summat - think yu got a good deal and theres always someone that says "i got mine cheaper/easier/quicker" or after spending months looking, a week later the one you REALLY wanted becomes available.


law of sod - i suppose

 

[MReid]

Great looking Pantera, Ross! After the ordeal, you must be relieved. At least you have a good story to go along with a great car. Enjoy!

 

[Ron Earp]

That is a nice looking car there Ross and I bet it'll be a load of fun on the historic circuit. Sounds like you are about to get knee deep in some Clevland lore.....

Now, we need to figure out how you can ship one of those Falcon/Ford/Holden whatever they are in the picture over to me. Don't know why they don't sell those over here, cool vehicles.

 

[Tim Kay]

.

......Phew I breath a sigh of relief.

....a sigh of releaf?!!!! Don't lie Ross. I know you ran to the local bar and got smashed:chug:

And with that.....I will too. Cheers and good luck my Friend

 

[Pat Buckley]

Congratulations!

It looks really original - unusual!

 

[Randy V]

Ross - Great ending to a somewhat scary story!!!!

I love your Tow Vehicle... They're supposed to be bringing them to the US in the next year or so, but by then gas will be half again more expensive so I couldn't justify buying it anyway... ((sigh))

Looking forward to more tales from the track!!!

 

[Jac Mac]

And now we know the 'REAL' reason why the New GT40 motor has never eventuated, shame on you Ross, heck you even suggested that the Missus was curtailing your spending, a bit of history review of recent events would suggest otherwise; New Toy Shop-New Tires-Pantera-New tow vehicle-two trips to NZ, I suppose the Harley & Mustang are yours too!!!

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Congratulations Ross, the car looks really original, I bet you have a grin like a rat with a gold tooth.
Good to know some one will have their Harley returned after 29 years.

How difficult was the importing process, shipping customs etc.? I have often thought of trying to bring over a Mustang but the tales of woe have put me off.

 

[Paolo-LoveGT40 Modelworks]

Hope to see the pantera in your videos soon Ross, I love theme!

 

[Ross Nicol]

Hey Ali G ( Respect ). This one will do me thanks, I think I've seen a pic of the Pantera your'e referring to and it is a later model than we can run in Historic Races. Historic meetings are run on different dates to the State Events I compete in with GT40.

Ron thats a Ford Falcon ute mate, Holden (GM) people are over on the dark side.

Tim - Now you've let the cat out of the bag I here declare my very good friend in the USA is Tim Kay (Aladinsane).When we finally meet up, I will be going home in a Taxi after shouting a lot of drinks.

Pete - buying off ebay is the scary part, there are shippers in your neck of the woods that specialise in car freight from the US and I think they are worth engaging.

Randy - I'm driving round in the Lotus Europa at the moment to combat the gas price.

Yes Paolo this car was made by your fellow countrymen in Modena. I should be able to fit the video camera in it as well.

Now Jac Mac - 1/ The National Australia Bank is the actual owner of this car
2/ Toy shop now handed over to new hire workshop business
3/New tyres for GT40 ( paid for by not smoking and not drinking..much hic)
4/New Tow vehicle ( well Abbey Sound has to deliver PA equipment)
5/ 1st NZ trip to band reunion fully paid by Invercargill Musos club
2nd trip ok indulgence on my behalf but $99 air fare to NZ was not a bad price.
6/ I have no interest in the harley but a Mustang yes, but no it's not mine.

The motor is going together trust me, the previous builder has decked the block a bit too much and my pistons are poking through about 15 to 20 thou.I have to remove them for machining.Damn those spirolocks are going to be a pain to get out.
How timely was the pic of the orange Pantera on this site missing it's left rear wheel.Word is you have to replace the hollow axles with a solid forged unit.I think it will be a while before the Pantera hits the track and yes the missus is on my back, she has her new kitchen and has now moved on.
Ah Boys and their toys

Ross:shrug:

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Pete - buying off eBay is the scary part, there are shippers in your neck of the woods that specialise in car freight from the US and I think they are worth engaging


Ross:shrug:

You are a lot braver than me, I don't think I'd be game to buy something of that size/price on EBay.
I have been looking at the pony cars on the American dealer sites and bringing one across seems it could be a better deal than paying the silly prices being asked locally. You dont have a name for one of those specialist shippers do you?

 

[Bill Dietz]

Ross, very nice car and glad it got to you. Customs can be scarey shipping anything it seems now.

Enjoy your new addition.

Bill

 

[Bill Hara]

Ross

She's a beauty, I can't wait to see (and HEAR!) her! Too bad you couldn't use the toy shop exclusively, but then again with that much space you get tempted to fill it :idea:

Cheers mate

Bill

 

[Bill Musarra]

To Pete and anybody else trying to buy on ebay,

If you spot something you like, contact the seller and get him to agree to do the transaction with an escrow service. It is the only way to do something that big and not lose your shirt, or shorts or whatever. Using an escrow account will protect both the buyer and the seller.
Basically once the money and details of the transaction are settled(inspection length,shipping, returns, who pays for what services etc.), the money is deposited in the account. The escrow service pretty much handles it from there. The money is frozen at that point. Once all the parameters are met(car delivered inspected and you are happy), the buyer and seller agree all is well and the money is released. It cannot be withdrawn without both parties permission. They have rules of arbitration that are agreed upon ahead of time so that if there is a problem, it is delt with.
I bought my 40 that way. Saved me a bunch of money. There were problems with the deal, but the negotiations straightened it all out. In the end the seller had to refund me several thousand dollars for some misrepresentation and screw ups along the way.
Do not use Paypal. It is just an extension of Ebay and you will be lucky if they stand behind the deal. I don't care what they say. Ebay is beginning to stand behind the deals, but they have already made their bed.
If you would need further info, PM me.

Bill

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Bill, thanks for the info. You have a PM.

 

[Ross Nicol]

Pete
Check Unique Car magazine that's where the car shipper ads are.

Ross

 

[J. Salmon]

Congrats Ross, that's a big adventure already, with much more to come.