Totaled SPF GT40 Replica Ebay - Parts/Spares

Seymour Snerd

Lifetime Supporter
"You are bidding on a 2009 Ford GT40 Superperformance TWIN TURBO street legal RACE car with only 894 original miles. This GT40 runs , drives and looks great ( Needs some cosmetic TLC). This Ford has a Illinois Salvage Title and is sold AS-IS. "

This item perhaps says nothing about the "market" but it's certainly an interesting case.

Probably the HP/$ champion. 1,200/83K. (well, if it's really 1,200....)

Why a salvage title?

P2175 (I think.... focus, please).

Replica/Kit Makes : Superperformance | eBay
 

Rick Muck- Mark IV

GT40s Sponsor
Supporter
Re: Current State of GT40 Market

"You are bidding on a 2009 Ford GT40 Superperformance TWIN TURBO street legal RACE car with only 894 original miles. This GT40 runs , drives and looks great ( Needs some cosmetic TLC). This Ford has a Illinois Salvage Title and is sold AS-IS. "


Why a salvage title?


Replica/Kit Makes : Superperformance | eBay

Perhaps due to the "curb contact" that was the result of too much throttle and not enough steering? This car was featured in several videos touting the "huge horsepower" of the twin turbo motor. Too bad it is not possible to put the power levels claimed to the ground with any tires that are streetable...
 

Seymour Snerd

Lifetime Supporter
Re: Current State of GT40 Market

This car was featured in several videos ...

Oh, THAT one. "Dallas Performance twin turbo...."

What would happen to an SPF in a "curb arrested" deceleration? Looking at the A-arms, etc., my intuition is the tub would take the damage.
 

Seymour Snerd

Lifetime Supporter
Re: Current State of GT40 Market

So I did a little searching and discovered this interesting description of driving the car:

"So I'm sure most of you guys have seen Alf's Superformance Twin Turbo GT40 at Dallas Performance or at Cars and Coffee....Alf works at the same company I do, and I got a call from him asking if I could do him a favor, and drive it to another one of our co-worker's house, so Alf can pick it up when he comes in town Sunday. Not a huge deal in my opinion, as I was told the house was fairly close to DP. Now most everyone in the shop is scared to drive the car, and I always thought to myself that I wouldn't be scared to drive the thing at the mile, as long as it went straight. Well, I got there and having never even sat in the car, had no idea what I was in for. The closest thing I have ever driven to a non "mass production vehicle", would be Robert's Ariel Atom. Although I was nervous driving the Atom, it was a very well behaved car...nothing to really worry about, except some gawker slamming into me. I've also driven Kumar's Twin Turbo Ford GT, and that car is very civilized, even at WOT, and drives great.

Alf's car is NOTHING like the Atom or even the new Ford GT. For instance, no one can even sit in the passenger seat, as he's got a speaker on the passenger floorboard (so my knee was eye level when Taylor gave me a quick ride to show me how to drive it). Visibility is horrible through some very dark "side windows" at 6pm with no sunlight, and no visibility practically out of the rear window. No power-assisted brakes, no power steering, very stiff clutch. BTW, did I mention the seats don't move? Probably wouldn't be a problem if I was 4" taller, but I had to slouch in the seat, just to touch the pedals...which compromised what little visibility I had. Not to mention the front of the car sits 3" off the ground, so the front end lift system has to be used to get over some normal roads. Oh, did I mention that to handle the insane amount of power the car makes, DP used a Ricardo transaxle from the 2005/2006 Ford GT? Probably wouldn't be a big deal...but this sucker is almost as large as the engine. So to make everything fit, they had to move the engine forward a little bit. Suffice it to say, if I hit ANYTHING in front of me, or got rear-ended, I would be crushed by the motor.
ahhhhh.gif


After the quick ride in the passenger seat, I realize that this could very well be my last trip in a car, and I really start to doubt whether I should even attempt to drive this car. Realizing I would probably never get a chance to drive this car again, I have Taylor explain several of the controls for the car, ranging from the front lift, switchable tanks, transfer pump, etc. Then he explains the detachable steering, the electronically activated door openers, and fire extinguisher operation. Next comes the explanation of how the Mastershift works. The car has a clutch pedal, but has a sequential shifter that can take input of what gear to switch into, but won't do so until the clutch is engaged. Very trick, but not what I'm used to. Then I discover the house I'm going to is almost 20 miles away, and requires me to take some roads with a decent amount of rush hour traffic. Stop and go, no power assist for the brakes, poor visibility...this is not a good mix. Now I'm quickly realizing how "in over my head" I am.

With an evil grin like he knows I'm going to regret this decision, Taylor sends me on my way, and I'm now driving a car that probably has $300,000 invested in it, down the road...by myself. It takes a while to get used to the dimensions of the car, as I initially ride over the lane buttons on the left side, not wanting to curb the wheels on the right side. I travel 10mph below the speed limit pretty much the entire way, having almost every car try to pace me, just to get a second glimpse of the GT40. This makes me incredibly nervous, as it's more and more obvious that there really isn't much protection between normal Jason and amputated limbs Jason.

Then I start to think about the fire extinguisher. What if there is a fire and it fries the electronics? The doors are both electronically opened from inside the cabin (no manual override to my knowledge), and I just heard a safety speech at an OSHA meeting yesterday, from a man that spent 2 months in a burn hospital. On top of that, the steering wheel needs to be disconnected to even move from the driver's seat, and the release doesn't always come off with the first try. If I thought the cabin in the Viper was small, it's nothing compared to the GT40. How would I explain to Alf if I bottomed out the car and ripped off some exotic piece of the car, or if someone happened and I wasn't able to brake in time, or....a million other thoughts raced through my mind, as I traveled down the highway.

Although extremely stressed out, my left foot very tired from having to operate the stiff clutch, neck strained from trying to check my blind spots every few seconds, 30 minutes later, I finally make it to the house and drop the car off. They tell me that Alf has told them they can use the car for the weekend until he gets there. I quickly give them a very short speech on why they shouldn't drive it, call Alf and let him know that the car reached the house in one piece, and get a ride back to my car.

I wish I could post that I went full throttle through the first 3 gears, that I had never driven a car with this much power that fast before, but the truth is I just drove it like a grandma and I never went over 60mph. I can honestly say that I was glad to finally park the car in the garage and get out in one piece. For a car making over 1000rwhp, the Motec controlled the car very well. No surging, no bucking, and pretty much great driveability all the way around. The mastershift is actually very cool to use, and I would love to see how it performs at WOT. The front of the car seemed to follow the ruts in the road, which was kind of un-nerving. It is a very cool car, and I'd love to drive it on a long open runway if given the chance to see what it could really do. However, I really have no desire to ever drive the car again in public.

Sorry for the ramble, just thought I'd share a pretty rare experience of mine with the group. To those of you that drive your kit cars pretty often, hat's off to you. It definitely takes a very special person to drive a car like that!"<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
 
Re: Current State of GT40 Market

Friend of mine looking for a SPF called on this car. To say buyer beware would be an understatement. The car has been crashed hence the salvage title. The seller wouldn't give details of the crash except that the LF wheel was replaced and there was damage around the left cowl area. He admitted a door didn't fit right and it needed some 'TLC' !!?!! Seller didn't know the chassis #, who built the engine, or what trans it has, although I see the photos cover that. Speaking of photos does it look like distortion in the dashboard lower left? $80K for a totalled car? Sounds more like a $25K parts car.
 
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Fran Hall RCR

GT40s Sponsor
Re: Current State of GT40 Market

The drivetrain would be great in an SL-C....

We could even fix the chassis of the SPF and a customer could then sell it on pretty inexpensively, having taken the drivetrain out......hhmmm...there's a thought....wink.
 

Kirby Schrader

They're mostly silver
Lifetime Supporter
Re: Current State of GT40 Market

I work with Alf and the stuff I was selling recently was what was left over from his car. He was taking a friend for a ride back in January (I think) and they hit some ice in the Dallas area. Police report confirmed this. The car was totaled, driver and passenger OK.

What is being sold now is likely from the insurance company? Or someone has bought it from the insurance company and is selling it. They paid him what he had it insured for and the car is gone, as far as he's concerned. He told me the chassis was bent both front and rear.

The last dyno results I saw were 1134HP. They couldn't keep the tires from spinning on the dyno....

This car has had LOTS of stuff done to it. iPod docking station, GPS and stereo where the screen auto folds out and in, electric mirrors, twin inter cooled turbos, Ricardo transaxle, engine and trans relocated so it all 'fit', etc. etc. etc.

FWIW,
Kirby
 

Kirby Schrader

They're mostly silver
Lifetime Supporter
Re: Current State of GT40 Market

As I understand it from Alf, when they hit the ice, the car hit the median barrier front first, then spun into the embankment rear first.

I have _not_ seen the car personally after the fact, but Alf said the chassis was visibly twisted, front and rear.

What/how did they hit?
 
I commented on this thing when it was being built, I never understood the point of it then and am still mystified as to why some one would take a great car, that could exceed 200 MPH and would hold up for 24 hours and do all of that on about 450 HP 40 yrs ago.
It resulted in some strange morphadite beast that was, overcomplicated and apparently undriveable. To me part of the appeal of the GT40 is the level of performance available from such a simple and beautiful package.
It is sad to see it come to such a sorry end but I doubt that the original builder will re-invest his insurance windfall into it's clone.
IMHO, Dave
 

Ron Earp

Admin
I'm with you David. That sort of build isn't my cup of tea.

Too bad about the chassis. That must have been a hell of a hit. However I think it'd make a great base for a race car. Pull it as straight as can be had then adjust the rest out with the suspension. Race it in the historical events with the other SPF GT40 replicas. The only thing is the $80k price, that is a lot of clams although one might be able to sell the Chebby power plant off along with some other bits and offset the price.
 

Kelly

Lifetime Supporter
I saw the auction when it went up and immediately recognized the car. At first I thought it was a scam but when I saw the cosmetic damage and salvage title I began to wonder. I fired off a few questions mostly surrounding the engine build to the seller who said he would post more details Tuesday. Doubt he knows what he has. Seems to me it's a quality twin turbo engine, coupled to a Ricardo, and the rest is an SPF parts car. What's that add up to? -Not sure but not $80k. I'd have no interest in the car as it was bulit. Other than conversation and soiling your trousers, seems like Texas mile is about the only use for something like that as it was bulilt but not given it's been wrecked.

Was the intercooler on that car just connected to the chill tank or was there another heatexchanger up front?
Best,
Kelly
 
I've always been a "live and let live" kind of person but it doesn't mean I don't ponder "why" sometimes. This car, sadly, is one of those times. I recall a 3rd Gen. RX7 I had some years ago (BTW fantastic car) and all my buddies were taking out the twin turbos and going with a massive single trurbo and getting huge power out of that beer keg sized engine. But they were also blowing engines all the time as I kept enjoying my 375HP car week after week after week. Sometimes power is not everything and while I really admire the engineering of this BEAST of a car I do have to ask why. Driving is suppose to be fun. The way Alan described his short drive made me beg the question...does that sound like fun?

I am curious though...what does one think that engine and tranny is worth on its own?
 
The last quote I got for over 1,000 WHP was just under 30-40K with a new block. Now that was without negotiation. The guys on LS1 Tech have been doing this for MUCH MUCH MUCH less. Regular builds for this much power are going on average for 15-20K and less if you supply the motor. There is a company now that has a turbo kit for an LS-1 that is capable of going from 700whp to over 1,000whp all for something like $8,000. I am looking to do a something similar (in the WHP range) and I have found a LOT of builders VERY WELL KNOWN that will build this for the second quote. It all comes down to if you want a TITAN plate on your motor or if you want a CFT (Central Florida Turbo) one. The difference is 20K for the name plate!!!!!!! I have a TITAN GT40 (over 1,000 whp) and a few others I am gunning for!!!
 
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Heck call Schwartz performance (1,001 WHP Ultima) and ask him how much he is willing to build a copy of his motor for. I made that mistake and well he was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back in my decision to go local (over 40K !!!!!!). Now he is a great guy and builds some INSANE TOYS but not worth the $ IMHO! Heck if anyone pays over 20K with all of the options available to us than well hows about throwing some of that F.U. money my way.
On a side note Fran told me that at 600 + hp the SL-C was just perfect and anything more would be overkill and honestly the only reason I am entertaining only going 600-700 WHP with the option to switch maps, up the boost and go BIG.
 

Keith

Moderator
[QUOTE=trader;336466


"ONLY 600-700 WHP"

You're all barking mad and are going to die in a fireball. Just make sure you don't take innocent bystanders with you.
 
We have several tracks here in central Florida. The GT40 guys and the other Titan guys hold regular track days both 1/4 mile and road course. Orlando has a BIG HYPER CAR scene. I do not believe in speeding or driving aggressively on open public roads.
 
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