RCR's Next car should be.....

[Dalton]

I thought the Fiat 500 was the smallest car two adults could get into without being married. However, I don't think Fran is planning an Abarth Fiat 500 (great cars, but lacking a little alongside a 917).
This has turned into one of the longer and more interesting threads on this Forum.

Dalton

[Brian Hamilton]

I found it, perfect!!!! THIS is it...

Autoblog

[Peter D]

Paulo, the Tomassina is is the most perfect car that I have ever seen !

I just hope that the enigmatic "Smiley" in Fran's following post has some major significance !

Way to go, Fran !!!

Kind Regards,

Peter D.

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

yes, really, the Thomassima 2 is the nicest one ever seen(Tom Meade made also other 2 type of thomassimas..1 and 3, maybe a little too much exagerated..), as well as my pray for Fran are to look also at the Nembo spyder I've posted before (at today the NICEST Ferrari 250 California conversion ever done. If I am not wrong...only 2 ones were produced,using the 250 California as donor.Consider the 250 california original car has a value today around 5 milions dollars).
Will be really too cool (if possible..sure) to see such beauty done with today quality and technology.
The Thomassima 2 is a PURE dream car.Today should be in Texas and seems someone is going to restore her,while the Thomassima 3 is still owned by Tom Meade and,lagend says,..hided somewhere in Italy.

Think at that cause as for Noble's P4s they had to change the cockpit zone,also probably to avoid problems with maranello people.
Many of u have the american address of Tom Meade, but he doesnt use pc so much, and so can be hard to take him abroad of our forum.
Try maybe ask him if he would like to see a 2007 thomassima 2 done by Fran and his "hardware".Surely the result will be too better than the real original car,and no one will have problems with modena,cause thomassima never was scheduled as a Ferrari.
And..as for all rcr productions the price can also be too good...really incredible.

Maybe just change the name, cause in italian thomassima sounds ugly (maybe Fran Maxima)
Thomassima 2 was from 1968, following thoma3 was much more aggressive,and IMHO too 70's style..searching pics to post..

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

this should be thomassima 3, reminds a lot the Cheetah
I prefer the previous older one:

[Doug Sainlar]

Fiberfab made a "Cimbria" that looked a lot like that top photo, Paolo. At least it had the large louvres--it's been a long time since I saw one, but that's the one that popped into my mind when I saw these pics.

Doug

[Doug Sainlar]

Originally Posted by JIMMYMAC

1962 Ferrari Dino 196 SP

Any Ferrari Dino!!!!!

Look out for those lawyers, though.

Doug

[Doug Sainlar]

Originally Posted by kenshiro8

ciao Mesa,
dont u know maybe the address of Tom Meade in Modena?
I was completely fallen in love with his thomassima2 (as he says...how the p4 should be..)as well as for the Nembo spyder(the nicest unofficial conversion over the nicest spyder ferrari of the 60s....the 250gt california)
Cool to see at the time he worked mainly over ferrari chassis and mechanics.

I dont have the picture of a similar beauty (I've seen last year when I was Jas Honda motorsport truck driver) in Bellasi factory near Milano.
He was producing his own "monster",an unique spyder car with a too nice shape similar to old dodge Viper in the front and to Ac cobra in the rear.
Very BIG car, but the line and proportions are perfect.
Bellasi family today makes carbon fiber parts for racing, so all the body of the car will be done that way,over a spaceframe chassis(already finished)
The machanic (engine and trans)is based on a 550 maranello.
The car is simply amazing, I dunno when he can finish it (old Bellasi was a formula 2 producer of the 60's..he loved to work alluminium).
Was too cool to talk to this old car "nut"..asap I entered his garage I found in front of me the nicest old Chevy camaro I've seen in Italy....so we started talk about cars and we both lost 3 hours..

Paulo, if you like the looks of that one, Factory Five already makes an almost spot-on replica. LOVE the Italian looks this one has, considered it, but, as you say............life is devoted to the GT40 now.

Doug

D

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

ehehe..really, for me the always nicer one remains the gt40 wide body
Think anyway the thomassima 2 can be an interesting idea for Fran, maybe he likes that too..and can keep in touch with tom meade...who knows.

Factory Five has a website that for me is a real killer application, simply LOVE every picture inside that (and that cobras..mamma mia..)and they also have the too cool idea of a building school...too nice, really

[Doug Sainlar]

Well, Murphy's Law (Whatever can go wrong will do so, and at the worst time) is definitely in effect. I surfed into the FF website looking for a link to the Spyder--SURPRISE, it's no longer there. I called them to find out if they had quit producing it and was told that the GTM project took all the engineer's time. I know they sold some, so there was an actual kit, but it was discontinued last October. The salesperson I spoke to said they might re-release it at some time in the future.

Maybe Fran will step up and make one of those gorgeous Italian roadsters--SO Ferrari looking!! The red suited lawyers left FF alone on this one so maybe they wouldn't bother another manufacturer.

Here's a link to the Factory Five Racing Owner's Group forum board for the Spyder--check it out and see if you don't agree it looks like Enzo might have designed it, himself!

FFCobra Discussion Forums: FFR Spyder GT

Doug

[Brian Hamilton]

Originally Posted by YerDugliness

Well, Murphy's Law (Whatever can go wrong will do so, and at the worst time) is definitely in effect. I surfed into the FF website looking for a link to the Spyder--SURPRISE, it's no longer there. I called them to find out if they had quit producing it and was told that the GTM project took all the engineer's time. I know they sold some, so there was an actual kit, but it was discontinued last October. The salesperson I spoke to said they might re-release it at some time in the future.

Maybe Fran will step up and make one of those gorgeous Italian roadsters--SO Ferrari looking!! The red suited lawyers left FF alone on this one so maybe they wouldn't bother another manufacturer.

Here's a link to the Factory Five Racing Owner's Group forum board for the Spyder--check it out and see if you don't agree it looks like Enzo might have designed it, himself!

FFCobra Discussion Forums: FFR Spyder GT

Doug

[Doug Sainlar]

Is that yours, Brian? It's definitely the car I was trying to turn Paolo on to--SWEET!

BTW--check your PM's.

Doug

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

that one is a beauty..maybe under the bonnet there is a cobra..but the shape is wonderful.
Fran can make a real clone of the Nembo...the proportions are a little nicer, and that can be a replica of a real dreamcar exactly as his gt40, 917 or t70s..

[Doug Sainlar]

You're right about there being a Cobra under that skin--as I understand it the Spyder has the same wheelbase and chassis as the F5 Cobra, just a different skin.

It never was supported well--only 50 or so sold before they discontinued production. Most builders wanted some sort of soft top and F5 never did develop one.

However, as one member said, RCR does stand for RACE car replicas, so we can dream on, I suspect Fran's path wouldn't include this one. F5 "may" re-release it, we'll see.

Onward through the fog............

Doug

[John Killgore]

Speaking of COBRAS: I'm "fixin" to buy this one "sight unseen". Shipping details to follow:

[John M]

Originally Posted by gt40fran

OC...read two post above yours....I know its late but pay attention in school...your deposit would get your car moving much faster....

What does "ready very soon" mean?

and how about the monocoque version?

I assure you; you will be getting a check as soon as its economically viable.

[Randy V]

Originally Posted by YerDugliness

You're right about there being a Cobra under that skin--as I understand it the Spyder has the same wheelbase and chassis as the F5 Cobra, just a different skin.

It never was supported well--only 50 or so sold before they discontinued production. Most builders wanted some sort of soft top and F5 never did develop one.

However, as one member said, RCR does stand for RACE car replicas, so we can dream on, I suspect Fran's path wouldn't include this one. F5 "may" re-release it, we'll see.

Onward through the fog............

Doug

Doug - I believe that the Spyder was a modified version of FFR's Type 65 Coupe. The Coupe and Spyder shared the same chassis which was a stretched version of the roadster chassis.
You can find partially built Spyders for sale from time to time. The body work on them as well as the Coupe was a far more daunting task than the Roadsters..

[Bill Hough]

Randy, you are right ! But, most people don't know that there was two versions of the FFR Spyder. I was the one who sculptured out the first version. I simply cut the roof off of the Cobra Daytona Coupe. I worked under the direction of one of the owners, Mark Smith. His idea ! The first version had two faired in head rests that ended up not being used. Mark's brother, Dave, didn't like them. I also scuptured out the body & made moulds of the Type 65 Coupe ( Daytona Coupe ) I went on to work on making a California 250 Spyder, but FFR got nervous about the lawers and ended that project.

[Doug Sainlar]

Originally Posted by Big-Foot

Doug - I believe that the Spyder was a modified version of FFR's Type 65 Coupe. The Coupe and Spyder shared the same chassis which was a stretched version of the roadster chassis.
You can find partially built Spyders for sale from time to time. The body work on them as well as the Coupe was a far more daunting task than the Roadsters..

Thanks for correcting my error, Randy--now that I read your post I remember that, too. It's been years since I considered a Spyder GT and, like I said, I've slept since then.......

Even when I was considering one, I was pretty leery. I liked the lines, but knowing it was a kissing cousin to the Type 65 I was aware it was a much more difficult build than the F5 Roadster. I do remember reading on the FFROG forums, though, that a Mustang GT was used as a donor by some of the builders--I guess that's the reason I thought it was kin to the Cobra.

Body work is tied with fabrication as my greatest challenges--glad I didn't spring for one back then--it would probably be sitting in my garage, waiting for the body work to be done right. Wish I had been able to attend Mark's PPG class!

Doug

[Brian Hamilton]

Originally Posted by YerDugliness

Is that yours, Brian? It's definitely the car I was trying to turn Paolo on to--SWEET!

BTW--check your PM's.

Doug

OH no, that's not mine. I'm waaaay too broke to afford anything remotely that cool. I drive a 2000 Crown Vic P71 Police Interceptor, that's about as cool as I get. BUT, I do work at a performance shop and have lines on 2003-2004 Supercharged Cobra engines... But really, I found that picture when I did a Google search for it. I swear to God, Google is going to run the world in a few years...