With real Ferrari Daytonas going for over half a million bucks these days, it might make sense to scoop up an infinitely cheaper replica like today’s competition edition. Let’s see if this project roller can get off the ground.

When it comes to the used cars we consider around here, there are a couple of red flags that really trigger a lot of us. Tantamount amongst those is the presence of rust. We like holes in our Swiss cheese, but not in our cars.

The we looked at yesterday was described in its ad as suffering from “severe rust,” and those two words triggered many. Offering a $4,500 asking price on the rare car must have countered the rust’s influence, though, as ultimately, the Jensen took home a 53 percent Nice Price win.

If a rusty but running project isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of Castrol, then I wonder what your opinions will be on this that seems solid, but still needs an engine, transmission, door glass, and… um, well, a lot of things. Oh, and it’s a slight bit more pricey than yesterday’s Jensen.

Now, according to Hagerty’s valuation tool, the poorest condition 365 GTB/4 — which we’ll just call “Daytona” from here on out — should average somewhere around $365,000. One in decent condition will likely go for half a million or so. A replica doesn’t have the panache of the real deal and hence shouldn’t cost anywhere near as much, and this one doesn’t. The more intriguing question is: who makes a replica of the Daytona coupe when the Spider is the much more prized edition and can be built on a C3 Corvette?

Many of you know that in the original Miami Vice TV series, Sonny Crockett drove what to the TV audience looked to be a Ferrari Daytona Spider. That was not one of the 122 real Spiders built by Pininfarina, nor was it one of the handful of coupe-to-spider conversions made by Richard Straman back in the ‘70s. It was instead, a C3 Corvette clothed in Daytona bodywork by Tom McBurnie. Ferrari got its corporate panties in a knot over this prime-time TV deception, and in response took the twin tack in of suing McBurnie for copyright infringement and gifting the Miami Vice production a white Testarossa to serve as Crockett’s whip.

The seller doesn’t know much about the origin of this particular replica but claims it was “most likely built in the ‘80s or ‘90s” and says it was “featured in a 1993 Specialty Car Magazine,” asking to “please read article attached for more info.” Unfortunately, no such article is attached. There is a manufacturer’s ID plate on the driver’s side door jamb, but the ad doesn’t give us a good enough shot of that to determine what it says.

The car is a roller, lacking any sort of engine or transmission. There is a big Ford Blue Oval under the plexiglass on the nose so perhaps it was previously set up for some sort of Fo-Mo-Co mill. We don’t get to see the engine bay, and the spare interior (this is supposed to be a racer, remember) offers no clues as to whether the car has ever had a drivetrain or what that might have been. What we do see is a somewhat under-sized roll cage, a dash that looks like it’s out of an old pickup, and a pair of red buckets with no obvious restraints of any sort. Also, can any of you place that steering wheel?

Externally, the car looks the part, although the Mustang wheels and Pep Boys mirrors do impact the overall aesthetic. Another issue is the windshield which is suffering a crack in the corner. If that’s a real Ferrari part, that could cost as much as the car to replace.

The car is pictured with what is likely one of those McBurnie Spiders and what seems at first glance to be a pretty decent Lamborghini Countach replica so perhaps the seller is some sort of replica hoarder or something. The car is said to come with a clean Florida title and a $39,999 price, which, per the ad, has dropped from $80K to $69K and now to that present amount.

What do we all think about this oddball “race car” and that $39,999 price? Does that seem like a fair deal for a Faux-arri? Or, for that much, can this roller just roll on out of here?

You decide!

Los Angeles, California, , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!

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