noelga

Needs finishing but does not look bad. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2446336513

Mecom Racer

Looks pretty rough. The D&D cars are a real challenge. From what I've heard, they require a lot of additional work to get them to line up right. The fit and finish is terrible and the frames are something else...

I've noticed a lot of D&D projects that are abandoned. It takes someone with a lot of talent (like JohnZ) to pull it all together.

Rogs65

I was in Laughlin, Nevada this past weekend. They have about a dozen casinos on the Colorado River just below Lake Mohave (about 1 1/2 hrs from Vegas). The Riverside Casino has a classic car collection. They have a nice 67BB, a 63 convert and a few c-1's on display. They also had a red Grand Sport II there for sale. I don't know much about Grand sports let alone a GS II but it sure was a nice clean car. My guess is the II was the convertible version. I don't think I have seen anything that would compare to John Z's GS that he made. :steering:

Solid327

There's more to the story. The builder, OJ Hanna, apparently owned GS#1, purchased in 1967 for $4500.00 and sold to Sam Walton in 1970 for $5700.00. Yes, THAT Sam Walton.
http://www.digitaldfw.com/clients/bi...y.asp?i=7&s=91 http://www.motorsportranch.com/

Can only guess why OJ Hanna is abandoning this project.


[Modified by Solid327, 1:05 PM 12/2/2003]

Mecom Racer

The GS II is the Mid America version built from a real Corvette - not a kit car. I know... I'm building one. :chevy

Mecom Racer

Because he lost his suppliers. D&D and Timeless can no longer make the kit versions of the cars.

Solid327

Why is that? GM licensing problems? I have only seen a couple of Gran Sport replicas, one was at Bloomington this past summer and it was stunning. I don't know what manufacturer made the body or if the chassis was a one off design. JohnZ may know the car I'm referring to.

Rogs65

I was wondering about that. This particular GSII had a legit VIN according to the narrative on it. The car was on show there for about 10 years, disappeared for about 3 years than came back. Evidently the prior owner ran into tough times, sold it to a guy in Hawaii, than bought it back. Don't know why he wants to sell it again. They were asking 43k for it. Nice looking car.

Solid327

Rogs65, Different car.

Mecom Racer

Yes, GM licensing.

JohnZ

GM has decided to protect the design patent and "trade dress" of the Grand Sport (as Ferrari does, vigorously, for all their cars); the GM lawyers shut down GSR and Timeless, and that's why E.R.A. didn't go through with their plan to produce kits after buying the manufacturing rights from D&D, who has since gone out of business.

I don't know which car was at Bloomington - didn't see it; I was only there for the Instructor's Dinner and to put on my Restoration Workshops, and I was on the road again for all my other 50th anniversary weekend commitments.

The car in the auction will take a LOT of work, but if someone has the time, motivation, engineering and fabrication skills, and money, they're a helluva ride when they're done. O.J. is no spring chicken any more - he's probably just tired of screwing around with it.

#001 came back into the Walton family about six years ago when Sam's son, Rob (whose current net worth is $20 BILLION, 20% of Wal-Mart), bought it from Gene Schiavone for $900,000; Rob sold it in the pits right after the 2002 Monterey Historics for $4.7 million to Harry Yeagey from Cincinnati. We're talking big bucks here, folks :eek: :thumbs:

Allcoupedup

I'm bored here so I did a simple calculation to put Mr. Waltons purchase in perspective.
Let's say I'm worth $1M.

A guy worth $20B spending $1M on a car is the same as me (wannabe Millionaire) spending $50 - - - - - - - yeah 50 bucks.

A grand sport is like a toy to those guys. Kind of makes you sick doesn't it?
sorry for the off -topic post.

jimgessner

Thanks for the history lesson. Rob sold that car to Harry Yeaggy after the 2002 Monterey Historic race celebrating Corvette's 50th B-Day.

And I heard it was for quite a bit more than the 1.3m. Yes, a bit more.

jimgessner

Sorry John, I did not see your note. Now here is a new one,

Did you hear that Larry Borman bought Tom Armstrong's #003 Car two weeks ago???

Mecom Racer

Speaking of Grand Sports... get a load of this. A sixth car may have actually existed and was torched by GM. :sad:
http://www.autoweek.com/search/searc...&Search_Type=S

63Corvette

Idle comments:

1) Jerry Hannah used to work for Jim Hall (Chapparal) when he owned the GS roadster 001.
2) He's about my age (63) so might not want the BS associated with a GS replica.
3) I've never met Rob Walton. However, I've raced against him at Sears Point (Wine Country 03) and he is a fine racer (2nd in a 250LM) and I have spoken at length with his wife, who is a fine person and a passionate vintage supporter.
4) I know Tom Armstrong and his wife Susan, and I did NOT know that Tom had sold GS003. I am sorry to hear it. Tom is a fine racer and a gentleman. His wife is a fine racer, driver of the ex-Paul Reinhart Z06.

Tim Gilmore

I wish there was some way that the Grand Sport could be recreated. I owned D & D #32, the shoot out car. I let it go a few years ago and it is in Oslow Norway now. I really wish I had kept this car.
I went by Timeless about two weeks ago and there are some D & D bodies there. There is so much potential for these cars, Dean could put together a good car, his paint work was beautiful.

JohnZ

Mine was #39 - Jeff Nestor assembled the raw body shell, and did a great job on it (Jeff works for Mike Miller now at what used to be GSR). :thumbs:

Mecom Racer

There is. http://www.corvettegs.com