Brillante Vendetta a Ferrari Testarossa for Yuppies Hit by the Economic Crisis

If there's one manufacturer that every motoring enthusiast adores, it's Ferrari. And from the mid to late '80s, the king of wall poster exotics was the make's epic flat-12 engined Testarossa.

So what does a budding Ferrarista do in the late '80s? Well, you can't buy a Testarossa, as the thing costs US$180,000 or more than the median house price at the time. You could buy a Chevy Corvette for a lot less, though really that's just admitting that you're not as rich or cultured as the guy with the Mercedes-Benz 450 SL.

So why not go for something that's home grown but with an exotic edge? No, not a De Tomaso Longchamp; I'm talking about something that's really home grown. Home built, even. A Brillante Vendetta!

According to the seller, California based Classic International began converting C4 Corvettes into the Testarossa-lookalike "Brillante Vendetta" in the late '80s. The seller bought this particular example new for US$70,000 in 1989 and has owned it ever since. To put that into perspective, a new C4 Corvette would set you back US$32,000 in those days.

With just 15,000 miles on the odometer, all relevant paper work and the promise that it has been regularly serviced, this Italian impersonator comes with a 5.7 L V8, auto tranny, full grain Italian leather interior and inlaid burl wood on the dashboard. Couple that with power everything, climate control, steering wheel mounted controls and even one of those awesome, car phones from the early '90s and you've got yourself...well, something, that's for sure. Finished in Ferrari's trademark red with black soft top and clip on red hard top, a recent insurance appraisal valued the car at an alleged US$35,000.

So what's the verdict?

Well, it looks pretty good for what it is. Yes, Classic International was a little ambitious trying to recreate a Testarossa instead of something simpler like a Mondial and the interior looks a bit more kit car that superstar. And there's the fact that for a few thousand more than the US$21,900 asking price you could pick up an actual, second hand Ferrari or even an immaculate C4 Corvette.

So I leave it to our readers: would you or wouldn't you?

By Tristan Hankins

Link: eBay

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Transformer's Corvette Stingray Concept Replica from Custom Hell

Chevrolet's 2009 50th Anniversary Corvette Stingray Concept that made its way into the Transformers movies is one of those love-it / hate-it cars. On the one hand, it was sleek and muscular and pointed to the next generation Corvette. On the other hand, it owed a bit too much design-wise with the 2003 Cadillac Cien and the nods to the original Corvette Stingray appeared a little forced.

Still, I'd find it hard to believe that anyone, even lovers of the '09 Concept, would consider putting down over US$40 grand on this so-called replica. It's even harder to believe that underneath all that fibreglass is a 2005 C6 Corvette; it could just have easily been based on a twenty year old Mazda Miata / MX-5 like so many other eBay customs.

So what does the US$42,500 "Buy It Now Price" get us? For starters, the underpinnings from the C6 Corvette including its 440 hp LS2 V8 and 6spd automatic transmission. You get a clear title and 29,111 miles on the odometer to boot.

So, what else? Well, the bodywork, exhaust, air intake and interior decals are all new. And an ECU tune is good for a purported, though still unconfirmed, 430 hp. Jet stream blue paint. There's also Jet Stream Blue Paint, LED headlights (which surely can't be road legal) and "adjustable ride control" with "electric tilt front end". Is this a car or a sex toy?

Better still, is trying to choose a favorite quote from the seller's description. My two picks are:

"BUILT BY A PROFESSIONAL CAR BUILDER..... NOT SOME KID IN HIS GARAGE... And take a close look and you will see the difference."

And:

"Now with most "Replicas" you can tell from ten feet away that they are a replica's... We are proud that this "CONCEPT" car looks like a FACTORY BUILT CAR. NO one would ever know that this was not build by Chevy."

Oh, and the capitalization and grammatical errors are all the seller's own doing, not ours. Honest.

There are at least three of these replicas roaming about the Pacific Northwest, one of which allegedly appeared in Vette magazine. Oh, and there's a video too. We'll leave it up to our readers to properly "dissect" this abhorrent mutation, in the comment's section below.

By Tristan Hankins

Link: eBay , Seller: Z & M Customs

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