Plastic fantastics: Under The Hammer
Snooty about GRP bodied cars? Values suggest you may be missing a trick - and some nice vehicles
Even a replica 904 is a near six-figure car
Produced by Porsche replica experts Martin & Walker, it looks completely authentic - not surprising since moulds were taken from an original 904, and plonked on an accurate steel chassis. The engine is a six (not a four as original), based on a 2.7-litre 911 crankcase with a 2.2 crank, resulting in a 2.5 engine with 220hp. With a weight of 700kg, it should knock Caymans for six.
GRP not exotic enough? Stratos begs to differ!
It's got me thinking about all the other plastic cars 'of value'. There's plenty of pricey plastic crying out for you to flex your very own plastic. Pre-eminent among these is the resin-reinforced Lancia Stratos - one sold at auction a couple of years ago for nearly £300K, so the asking price of £475,000 may not be fanciful.
And then you have fiberglass Ferraris. What plastic Fezzas? Yup: the original 308 GTB of 1975 had glassfibre bodywork, although doesn't the Italian phrasing - 'Vetroresina' - sound so much more romantic? Maranello's experiment to save weight didn't last long, so this is a rare sight: only 808 Vetroresinas were made between 1975 and 1977, just 154 of those with right-hand drive. And while prices of steel-bodied 308/328s remain resolutely affordable (such as this £45K 308), the plastic version has suddenly rocketed in value.
Lotus has long been associated with plastic bodies
Classic British glassfibre
And let's not forget that weight-loss obsessive Colin Chapman loved a bit of glassfibre. Many of his early plastic creations will now hit your plastic hard. The best examples of the monocoque Elite are nudging the £100K mark these days, and have you seen how well Elans are doing, too? This fully restored 1972 Elan Sprint is up for £35,000 - £40,000. Makes the Esprit Turbo seem positively cheap at £11,000 - £13,000.
Can't forget TVR in this roll of honour!
So don't knock plastic - it's acquiring genuine value.
Ford GT40 Roadster prototype, sold for $6,930,000 in August
Ford GT40, GT/104 (Le Mans winner), Sold for $7000000 in April this year.
Ford GT40, '68 (Mirage/GT40, used as Steve McQueens camera car) $11 million USD (in 2012)
Although the spider is steel (or aluminium) on them, the rest of the bodywork is GRP (also with one of the first uses of carbon fibre) on a steel chassis.
The text in the lot listing doesn’t really help sell to me though as it is said that the current vendor, a former employee of Al-Fayed who was once responsible for ‘maintaining his car collection’ acquired the car in 2013 at 25,949 miles then spent £10k on the engine and gearbox rebuild at a well known (but curiously un-named) specialist whilst simultaneously putting it through a ‘full mechanical recommissioning’ at Spellbound yet the car now shows just 4 miles more than the quoted mileage when it last changed hands... Was the owner so concerned to keep the mileage down that he couldn’t contemplate using it or at least allowing for a decent shakedown test?
As far as the cosmetic condition can be established from these photos, I could see past the tired looking non-original interior but I didn’t expect to see daylight through one of the two air intakes and possibly into the engine compartment on the other side
Perhaps there are a couple of fantastic plastic parts missing. 
And as for the fit of the bonnet, did all the vetroresinas leave the factory looking like that?
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