Jabberjaw on ebay now

[craterface]

Why buy and then sell so quickly? Wonder what the reserve is? Anyone know the story behind the current seller?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ONE-KIND-E9-COUPE-/250820900352?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3a66173600

Scott

 

[rsporsche]

my guess - way north of $50k - regardless if i am wrong ... if it sells, it will probably be a new high for a publicly sold CS (non CSL).

i wish i was in the league that could afford to buy it

 

[gary bellamy]

That is one Sweet Ride. But alas it is out of my reach as well.


73 Chamonix

 

[azcarguy]

Yes, sadly the Jaw is for sale. Let me start with the reason for the sale. I recently found myself staring a garage with more than 6 cars and 5 motorcycles and was wondering how I would ever use them all the way they were meant to be used. I also realized that the time I spend with these great pieces of automotive and cycle art has been mostly reduced to maintaining them, so a battery here, a leak there, followed by a registration slip and an emissions test and on and on.

Since I'm an enthusiast and not a collector I've decided to reduce the herd and pursue the "holy grail" of my automotive passion, a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4. To do so I will need to be able to dedicate both my attention and resources to a single objective.

All of that said, this coupe is possibly the best driving car I've had the honor and pleasure of caretaking during my tenure as a true enthusiast. I've owned quite a few cars from various prestigious marquees and the Jaw is tops when it comes to the comfort, feel and cruising capability of the way a car should feel, at least in my mind. I've told more folks than I can count that this car would be a perfect car for all of the many road ralleye's that take place every year. And that's really how this car should be enjoyed, not the occasional drive and then a trip to the shop for resealing a leak or charging the AC.

I appreciate the nice comments and hope the car finds its way to a deserving owner that will enjoy it the way it should be. As for the sale price I have no idea what the car will sell for or what the "value" is. I've been watching these cars for as long as I can remember and I can't really compare it to the nicer factory correct examples that have recently sold for 42k and 46K nor can I compare it to a restored CSL so I think the Jaw is a hybrid of the best of breed. And isn't the value of any object what somebody else is willing to pay?

 

[Tierfreund]

That´s a stunningly beautiful car.
I´m very critical of all deviations from stock, but as I´ve said before:
Sir, you´ve got excellent taste in your choice of cars and in what you do to them (except for selling them of course)

I really hope that car goes to a deserving new owner.

 

[JFENG]

Awesome, the ultimate .... except

That is a fantastic car!

One nit to pick. For a car that's undergone not one but two $100k restorations, why hasn't the undercarriage been stripped and refinished? I've pretty much never heard of anyone spending that much on a restoration without going to the "nut and bolt" level including a show quality underside. As a driven car, you'd still want to coat the underside with something to stop stone chips, but you'd bare-metal refinish the underside first.

But, I'm sure the PO's prioritized making it the best performing E9 over getting the bottom side up to trailer-queen standards. That's one of the great things about classic BMW owners as compared to Jags and many other marques.

John

 

[Nicad]

Funny, just last night I changed my Signature photo on the E36M3 forum from an old Corrado race car to the photo of this car in the underground parking lot . Underneath the photo I wrote "What I really Want". I wake up this morning and it is for sale to the highest bidder (ok it has a reserve). Anyway, it is what I want. BFeng, I agree on your point about the undercoat.
Azcarguy, would you take an E36 M3 sedan and an Old English Sheepdog in trade? haha

 

[JFENG]

and one more nit before I click "bid"

And just to confirm to all here that I really am a jerk, let me say that had this been my car to restore ... I would have taken the front fenders OFF the car BEFORE having the inner/outer fenders fixed. Without taking the panels off the car, you'll never be able to clean up both sides of the sheet metal to original appearance. It also means you can't totally strip the underside of the fenders and fully rust-proof them with modern zinc-chromate or self-etching primers.

24 years ago when I restored my first 2002, I redid the front fenders this way and proceed to drive it daily through 4 Michigan winters with mountains of salt. When I pulled the fenders last summer, they were still clean and rust-free.

I admit that this point is pretty stupid wrt this E9 because I doubt any of it's owners will every drive it in the rain/snow/mud. In theory restored cars really don't need any type of anti-rust treatment because they're used only in the sun/dry. But, for a car built for historic rallies I think attention to the undercarriage should be almost as important as that incredible paint job on the top.

Just so you know I'm an imperfect jerk: on my XK120, there's one remaining spot where you can just see the weld bead if you stick your head way up inside the rear wheel well. It drives me nuts so I'm going to pull the fender, grind it flush and have the underside stripped/resprayed. That, IMHO, is the minimum level of attention to detail for any "show" quality restoration.

J

 

[Stan]

While in CA a few months ago, I saw the Jaw as it was just about done. It looks spectacular up close and personal. I only wish we could have taken it out for a ride!
Stan

 

[sfdon]

I was working on that car when the rubber side of the car was being dealt with. Of course I had to ask Gabe what he was doing with all the different colors of paint. The answer was he wanted to have a finish that looked like a patina of use and still be perfectly fresh. In other words- the weathered look under the car is a phony. Alvin never would have allowed any part of that car to be dirty. The entire underside was de-greased, pressure washed, welded up, resprayed- whatever was needed.
I also watched Alvin hand scrub the damn car with a toothbrush and cleaner night after night before I installed the engine and tranny.
The only dirty spot on that car was an tiny oil drip off the ac compressor and the current owner addressed that as soon as he got the car from Alvin.
I think that car went into the spray booth 3 times before he was satisfied. Can't even dream of that kind of paint job on my cars.

 

[WALTER]

OK, Bfeng, I won't let you be the only jerk; how does one spend $100K on a coupe restoration? I'm thinking $20K max for the amount of paint and body work that was done on that particular car; $20K on the interior; $20K on the motor/driveline. I think I am being generous here too. Maybe they stuffed the seats with $100 bills or the bumpers are platinum? Just sayin. I hope that he gets a ridiculous amount for the car and sets a new record for a non-CSL coupe because it will only increase the value of the rest of them.

 

[Nicad]

Just realized if the paint is that perfect, I am not a good candidate (phew) I want the General looks and mechanical abilities of that car but with a bit of wear, as I can't be worrying about paint as much as I have on past cars that are now stolen or wrecked.

 

[JFENG]

Resto costs

It's actually pretty easy to spend $20K on body work. Let's say the shop charges $60/hour. $18k is 300 hours or 7.5 weeks working full time. How long does it take to strip everything single nut and bolt off of a car, including suspension, all trim/glass, every bit of that the asphalt damping material, etc. And, assume it's done carefully, not breaking things, labeling, bagging and photographing for reassembly. How long? I'd say at least 50-60 hours. Then you have to get the body stripped to bare metal, and straighten and fix all the dents and dings. Replacing a quarter panel is already 30-40 hours if you want to minimize the use of bondo/lead and replicate all the factor spot wells properly .What if you have to pull the door or hood skins to address some seam rust? I could easily see 3 weeks burned up with this phase. So now you're at close to 200 hours and you've not got any paint or reassembly. For a car that needs a moderate amount of rust and body work, a nut and bolt restoration of just the body should take 400-500 hours.

I think $80,-$100k is about right for a full on, ground up restoration to show condition.

John

 

[azcarguy]

Funny, just last night I changed my Signature photo on the E36M3 forum from an old Corrado race car to the photo of this car in the underground parking lot . Underneath the photo I wrote "What I really Want". I wake up this morning and it is for sale to the highest bidder (ok it has a reserve). Anyway, it is what I want. BFeng, I agree on your point about the undercoat.
Azcarguy, would you take an E36 M3 sedan and an Old English Sheepdog in trade? haha

Well, I'm not in need of an M3 but the dog on the other hand...........:-D

OK, Bfeng, I won't let you be the only jerk; how does one spend $100K on a coupe restoration? I'm thinking $20K max for the amount of paint and body work that was done on that particular car; $20K on the interior; $20K on the motor/driveline. I think I am being generous here too. Maybe they stuffed the seats with $100 bills or the bumpers are platinum? Just sayin. I hope that he gets a ridiculous amount for the car and sets a new record for a non-CSL coupe because it will only increase the value of the rest of them.

As Bfeng mentions, it's quite easy to get "lost" in the details with paint/body work and his calculations on time are pretty accurate. There was also more than one person working on the couple which will eat through hours and money much more quickly.

As to the comments on the undercarriage I understand that some would want the car as detailed and as nice underneath as it is on the topside and there are instances in which it's not only advisable but required. I'm currently working on a 1967 Corvette that's being prepared for a run through the NCRS (National Corvette Restoration Society) guantlet in order to obtain a pedigree and that car can be eaten off of, top and bottom. Will it help in the judging process, yes (for condition points only). Would it provide any benefit whatsoever in a classic ralleye setting, no. And for the person looking to admire the car in their garage, I agree this might be a point of contention on the Jaw, but for someone that intends on driving the car this put my mind at ease. It's clean but usable, which is what this coupe is all about....in my opinion. And you know what they say about opinions :mrgreen:

 

[azcarguy]

That´s a stunningly beautiful car.
I´m very critical of all deviations from stock, but as I´ve said before:
Sir, you´ve got excellent taste in your choice of cars and in what you do to them (except for selling them of course)

I really hope that car goes to a deserving new owner.

Thank you for the kind words and believe me, if I were not looking for that one particular car I wouldn't be sacrificing the coupe.

 

[ccr2002]

275!

Since I'm an enthusiast and not a collector I've decided to reduce the herd and pursue the "holy grail" of my automotive passion, a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4. To do so I will need to be able to dedicate both my attention and resources to a single objective.

And isn't the value of any object what somebody else is willing to pay?

I must say...the 275 is the pinnacle....nice choice if you can do it. Any car is worth sacrificing for one of those. I passed on one in 2006 thinking it was too much money. Dumbest financial decision I ever made...and car decision. Good luck.

 

[execmalibu]

Passed on several 275-GTB4s because they were coupes.... But did buy a 330GTS!

Back in the 1980s I was a TOTAL MORON and was not interested in coupes of any type I only like convertibles!...

I did buy a 365-GTB4 Daytona coupe (the Rocket Powered School Bus) only because it was very reasonable $36K... I sold the Daytona and bought a 330GTS and a Dino Spyder and then a 427 Cobra...

If I had not been such a MORON I would have bought a GT40, an RS Carrera or a Gullwing...

Just yesterday I was driving on PCH in my CS and a Lusso was next to me for about 3 miles... An absolutely Gorgeous car!

 

[azcarguy]

I must say...the 275 is the pinnacle....nice choice if you can do it. Any car is worth sacrificing for one of those. I passed on one in 2006 thinking it was too much money. Dumbest financial decision I ever made...and car decision. Good luck.

I couldn't agree more, and have my eye on an excellent example, in my own back yard no less. I just can't bring myself to think of these cars as a financial decision........too much fun and passion to care about the money. After all you only live once!

Back in the 1980s I was a TOTAL MORON and was not interested in coupes of any type I only like convertibles!...

I did buy a 365-GTB4 Daytona coupe (the Rocket Powered School Bus) only because it was very reasonable $36K... I sold the Daytona and bought a 330GTS and a Dino Spyder and then a 427 Cobra...

If I had not been such a MORON I would have bought a GT40, an RS Carrera or a Gullwing...

Just yesterday I was driving on PCH in my CS and a Lusso was next to me for about 3 miles... An absolutely Gorgeous car!

I'm the polar opposite in that I prefer coupes over convertible's. To me it's more of a true sports car and more fun to drive aggressively.

The Lusso is actually slightly more appealing aesthetically, especially the front end but the remarkable improvement in driveability of the later 275 is what put it out front for me. I intend on driving the car everywhere I can as often as I can so it's critical that it be an enjoyable experience.

 

[d-ace]

Restoration is not the work just anyone will do!

Quote bfeng
"I think $80,-$100k is about right for a full on, ground up restoration to show condition."

I have done “A FULL ON”, ground up restoration on a CSI I am selling and it seems like you should get paid $80-$100k once finished to paint. Just the undercarriage and wheel-wells stripping work for tank dropping in muriatic and phosphate acid can take weeks. That OEM rubber coat is about 1/8” inch thick and has to be heated before scraping Looks good after done although >>> http://shred-master.com/new_page_2.htm

 

[shanon]

...and to think it ALMOST earned its Monte Diablo sticker on its maiden voyage. ;-)

Wondered where it went. Wonderful car. Buy it and drive it.

-shanon