GT40 Replica Kit: 1965 Volkswagen Ferrer GT
It’s amazing how influential the Ford GT40 was when first introduced. From how it set the racing world on fire and spawned numerous dogfights with Ferrari, to the modern day re-creation that never lost a step when it came to its resale value, it’s safe to say it’s an icon. It should come as no surprise, then, that kit car manufacturers were quick to build replicas like this 1965 Ferrer GT here on craigslist, which utilized VW running gear and had a snout clearly built in homage to the original Ford supercar.
The timing of this post is a bit eerie: the seller claims the previous owner was driving the Ferrer until it became disabled somewhere in South Carolina. The driver somehow made it to a local junkyard, where it was likely assumed he would come back for the car once the necessary parts for repair were acquired. He didn’t, and the Ferrer disappeared into the undergrowth until its recent discovery. Similarly, my next project car was also discovered in a junkyard and will be featured here in the days ahead.
The seller notes some parts have gone missing, like the engine, windshield, and headlights. If you’re looking for a more complete kit car to build, be sure to check out the Barn Finds Exclusive Kelmark GT we recently featured. The windshield apparently is interchangeable with 1963-1967 Chevy Corvettes, notes the seller, but good luck finding the headlights which were probably the key styling element that made the connection to the GT40 so evident. From this photo, we can see the floors are likely rotten but sourcing a VW pan and motor is likely the easiest part of the restoration.
Would you believe this was a VW? Yes, yes I would. Building VW-based kit cars seems like just the thing you did when you got bored selling airplanes, as the founder of the Ferrer Motor Corp. did. It’s hard to say which one looked the best, but if you were a GT40 fan, the Ferrer was for you. Personally, I still prefer the Kelmark’s connection to the Ferrari Dino of the same era, and they looks damn good with an appropriate set of wheels. I wonder how the Ferrer would look with something other than VW steelies underneath? Thanks to Barn Finds reader Pat L. for the find.
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Comments
Some really old cool vintage pictures in the ad link.
Looks like a modified Fiberfab Bonito.
Looks almost the same as the RPB Piraya, from the northern parts of Sweden in the 1960’s. RPB stood for Racing Plast(ic) Burträsk, Burträsk being the small village where the “factory” was situated. Production started in 1965 and some 70 kits are supposed to have been sold. Here’s a link with some pictures and a contemporary ad, lots more to be found on the web: https://www.allcarindex.com/auto-car-model/Sweden-RPB-Piraya–GT/
Read more at https://barnfinds.com/gt40-replica-kit-1965-volkswagen-ferrer-gt/#EmBFHIwm2QYl0rqu.99
That first ad would sell me – the proportions and wheels look good. But it seems no one ever built them that way at home.
I bought one of these years ago, guy said it was on a 356 chassis, it wasn’t, but it did have a 356 motor, with Bugpack carbs! I stared at the pictures and thought about keeping it, they are cool to look at. Then I sat in it, nope, crude, and un-inspiring. Pulled the motor and sold it to a friend on the west coast.
Thats a fiberfab avenger, they’re pretty common actually. I’ve ran into a few of them before.
Hhhmmm VW power or 427 ford power…no Brainer! These kits never struck the mark of the GT40. Many have tried!
I would pay the money for the later GT40 kits.
See http://www.lorenagt.com
I am the owner/seller of this ’65 Vw Ferrer GT. I posted the listing, and its still for sale. The headlights and taillights and headlight buckets and trim rings are from a mid 1960s Citroen AMI 6. I found a parts dealer in Paris, France who has them.
The Ferrer GT in case anyone was wondering is actually a modified Lorena GT, originally from Brazil. Frank Ferrer and his builders reconstructed the bodies to a much better design. They only made 100 of them, and so far there are only 8 documented to still exist.
You are wrong. Ferrer GT came out so years before the one made in Brazil in fact the people in Brazil bought the clothes from the Ferrer company and copied it the headlights were from a 59 Chevrolet or a CB a headlight
Hey Gary (good to hear from you again), thanks for the info :). I was wrong about that part on the Lorena GTs, thanks for clearing that up. I haven’t started yet on restoration, but I did recently got a Speedwell Steering wheel for it. It also needs to be redone with new wood on the wheel, etc.
But on the headlights and bezels, if you look at the headlights and bezels on the original Ferrer GT, the one that made the appearance at the Miami motorshow in ’66, and the one that appeared in Road&Track magazine in ’66, and the one sitting in the desert in Texas (the big single headlights), zoom in on the close up of the headlight, it says “MADE IN FRANCE”. I did a TON of digging on the big single headlights headlights and bezels. The big single headlights are from a mid 60s Citroen AMI 6. I have heard they’re from a late 50s chevy truck or impala, etc. They do look exact for a 59 impala with the dual light setup (the citroen also had a similar dual light setup as well). Mine was originally painted gold exterior with black interior, but the restoration I’m doing on it will look like the original one in the Miami Motorshow. Mine actually had the dual lights on each side option originally and they were from a 59 impala I believe, but I’ve also seen some with the big single headlights, which I preferred. Someday hopefully if I ever get it done, I’m going to roadtrip it to its original factory in Miami, FL.
Below are the links and proof of the big single headlights and bezels. I’m almost positive they came from an early to mid 60s Citroen AMI 6.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Citro%C3%ABn_Ami_6_Break_front_20120816.jpg
https://rzpict1.blob.core.windows.net/images/lva-auto.fr/RZCLVAFR245695/CITROEN-AMI-00.jpg
https://www.american-automobiles.com/Ferrer-GT.html
http://www.lorenagt.com/02-ferrer-carros/2-ferrergt-carro-05-08-lg.jpg
http://www.lorenagt.com/02-ferrer-carros/2-ferrergt-carro-05-09-lg.jpg