That sounds... AWESOME!308GUY wrote:KENJI, you are right, there are people that do projects like that just for the challenge.
Another reason sometimes is that the car is so rare, there just aren't that many around, so you get what you can find, and do what you have to to bring it to the condition you want it to be.
The 308's were fairly "plentiful", i.e., there are still a number of good examples around if you have the funds to buy, then keep up, the "real deal".
Aside from the nostalgia associated with the MPI infatuation, I just think the lines of the car are so classic and beautiful, that I'd more than likely be doing the same thing even without the MPI link.
As some of you know, Pontiac made available only through their dealerships, an american car based on the Fiero chassis called the Mera. They only produced around 1,500 units when Ferrari took them to court and shut their production down. Destroyed the molds and said, no more of that.
More than a couple private concerns took it upon themselves to produce molds from the Mera bodies, and some even took molds from actual 308's. Eventually, Ferrari sued them all that were doing it for commercial purposes, (can't really blame them), but many of the bodies produced and a few sets of molds survived, even if clandestinely. There are still bodies being produced, but no advertising, and the home built replica is not a super rare occurance.
It's been long enough since the 308's were in production, that I don't think the folks at Ferrari are that interested any longer, and a guy putting one together in his garage, for his own personal satisfaction/entertainment, is probably not of any concern either. As long as noone is trying to mass produce them, and/or make a major commercial enterprise out of it, it's a hobby more than a few enjoy.
I'm still at the collecting parts stage for the most part. I have the fiberglass parts, but not all in one place yet. I have the front and rear clips fitted, but not permanantly mounted, and am building the engine that I'm going to use (3800) I'm putting it on an 88 ttop chassis that I've got stripped of all the stock body panels. Have been working on the door latch mechansims, as I want to duplicate what the actual cars used, rather than the Fiero units, that requires making some of the parts. I also plan to rework the hood and decklid to more closely resemble the actual car, and already have an MR2 back glass that I'll have to do some fabricating/welding to fit onto the chassis, but it has the curved ends, like the 308, and unlike the flat glass on the stock Fiero. Then there's the windshield....Got a plan for that too!
Point is, not much to take pictures of at this point. I did buy a set of actual 308 wheels and tires, have them stashed in my storage trailer, along with many other parts. Haven't been able to do much with this weather we've been having, but I hope to make better progress this spring/summer. These type projects can take years, that's why I said SLOWLY working on!
Besides, I haven't yet figured out how to post pics here. I don't have any accounts anywhere that hosts pictures, so not sure how to go about it otherwise.
Bottom line is, it'll be a while before there's much to take pictures of!
Good luck, man!
I've seen them for as little as $1500 (not finished or wrecked) and as much as $20,000 (really nice with expensive engine and interior)
