New and Looking at a McBurnie

[Memorex]

Used to watch the show religiously when I was a teenager and it was current.  Loved the music, the bad guys were always driving really cool cars and especially always loved any scenes with the Daytona.  Have an opportunity to buy one but with all the work and changes it will need to make me happy with it, I expect the seller and I will be too far apart on price.   The seller had it on display at a local car show and I learned that he wanted to sell it.  He actually has two replicas and is keeping one just because it is better optioned (also its NOT a McBurnie but of unknown manufacture - maybe back to that topic later). 

Now I myself am a card-carrying NCRS member, having done body-off restoration work and gotten a Top Flight on a 72 Corvette coupe.  At present I have a 69 Corvette t-top in Le Mans Blue.  (I have a thing for the chrome bumper cars.) So I am somewhat familiar with the undercarriage of the C3 based replicas.  But I haven't had much opportunity to see any.  This is only the second one I've ever seen in person.  The first was more than ten years ago at a local Corvette club show and I can't remember very many critical details.

I've been looking at lots of pictures and videos online trying to learn what I need to determine a fair market value.  Its easy enough to figure out how much money needs to be spent on it, but its difficult to find information on sales and even so, every one is very custom and so different.  The seller is representing the car as one of the factory made McBurnies but he has no documentation, only the word of mouth of the guy he got it from many years ago.  I'm wondering if there is any way to authenticate that claim on the car itself?  I would have expected a better attention to detail if it were a factory car.  For example the edges of the fiberglass around the hood vents and back-up light thin out and go kind of ragged.  But maybe that's the way McBurnie shipped them out, I don't know. 

There have also been many modifications made over the years.  One in particular would have to be undone (I would prefer the pop-up headlight appearance but plexi would still look more period-correct.  Someone has installed some "modern" headlights that don't even really fit.  Also if its a clue, this car was born as a base-engine t-top (tho it no longer has that original motor).  It does not have a convertible soft-top (another thing that would need to be rectified).  Rather it comes with a rather hideous removable hard top/t-top, probably made directly from the removed t-top section of the original car.  To me it subtracts from the value rather than adds.   Perhaps someone has seen this car before, will recognize it and know some history.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by Memorex
clarification

[Dadrian]

Welcome to the site @Memorex! Cool story! Good luck!

 

These members are all great resources on the car:

owners of actual cars from the show

@CameraDaytona @volobrian 

Great Daytona replica owners (current/former)@Sonny-Burnett @Bigsarg @Pritt  @jurassic narc @MTVcops

 

fellow shopper:

@Mvice8489

 

dreamer:

me  

 

Forgive me if I missed anyone 

 

[Mvice8489]

To better determine the value of this particular car it would help substantially if you post many more pictures. Both exterior and interior

[Mvice8489]

Never mind. I just found it on eBay.

No way that car is worth $38,900.

$25k at best in my opinion.