Hi to all- I just bought a FireRossa and cant seem to find any info on the car other than a link to a guy who builds them at LakeWerks Kit Car co. Has anyone out there ever owned one? natch I am referring to the one built on a FireBird or Trans Am chassis. Not the Fiero kit. These kits almost never come up for auction on E BAY. I guess there are NOT too many out there. I need to work on the rear light grill as the current one literally fell off the car on my highway trip back home. Luckily I heard something dragging on the roadway behind me and was surprised to learn that it was my rear grill. That thing weighs about15-18 lbs,waaaay to heavy than need be. No wonder it worked itself off the screws attached into the fiberglas rear body. Well--- fingers crossed someone knows something about these FireRossa's. Thanks and Good night to all.   J.J.  

Is this the red one that was on EBay?  

I did not buy it off e bay--- I was in contact with a guy from the south that had one on E bay about 2 weeks ago- he wanted $17,000 for that one. He told me alot about his BUT he never showed pics of the interior and he went on and on over the phone how it was impossible to tell HIS COPY from the original even if they were parked side by side. Thats when I figured he was stretching the truth a bit.So I passed on his. I think the bidding ended at about $8200- natch the reserve was not met. I had actually bought one 3 years ago on E bay but when it was disclosed that the seller did not disclose that it had a SALVAGE TITLE- I persuaded him to RETURN my $1000 deposit minus his listing fees. He agreed. Lottsa headaches with these Kits. How is your Mustang-MB/ Fit and finish up to par? Any rattling inside the interior compartment?  

I am very pleased with it.  I knew up front that it needed things, it had never been finished.
The quality of the kit I would rate at 10 on a one to ten scale, and this kit had been installed well - 10 years ago!  Comically, things like the Mustang headlight plugs not plugging into the Mercedes headlights totally stumped them (I went to a wrecked Mercedes and got the plugs).  The tail pipe had rusted from the sitting, rear brakes cylinders stuck, little things like that, but I bought it at a price that made doing all that practical.  I am doing all the mechanical things, got the emblems, then get it painted.  In my case someone had spent tons of money on it and gave up before finishing it.  It was exactly what I wanted, very comfortable to drive and use everyday, an obvious luxury sport car - clone.  

The only other clone I am interested in is a Testarossa.  I will probably buy one that needs paint and some work, that is an easy for me to make perfect by throwing some bucks and a little labor into it. Probably will be a Fiero core, maybe stretched.  They show up from time to time, but when you are buying junker stuff, I gotta keep it close enough to home to allow going to pick it up and check out.  

Gotta check the length with these replicars- the fiero based ones even stretched dont seem to give the look of a real Testarossa. That is why I went with the FireBird based kit. Also I have a nice sized rear seating area for friends or stuff to bring along to the beach - cant do that with any Fiero based TR kit. Also- I can flip the rear seats forward to give it that 2 seat sports car look. Sure wish that someone would come up with a Euro Dash for the FireRossa. That would make it look more authentic. BUT when I saw the DASH on a real Testarossa it looks like something from a late 80's -early 90's Subaru or nissan sentra. For a SuperCar like the Ferrari TR series- their DASH layout was very simple and humdrum. Not at all keeping with the super sexy lines of the Testarossa exterior. By the way- this Firerossa has a small V8-301 cu inch engine. And all that extra Fiberglass really makes the car feel a little heavy. But It tracks tight and solid.    

Thanks, I did not know that.  I basically dismissed them because of the front engine, but a rear seat is a big plus for me, the Mustang/Mercedes has a nice back seat, something the real Mercedes don't have.  I will take a better look at them next time on EBay or wherever.  

Keep an Eye on E bay- maybe that guy from 3 weeks ago will relist his Firerossa. I think he is in Florida. He told me that he has a $4 million home with a garage layout over 50-100 ft to house his real Lambo and GT 500 mustang BUT since he has to make mortgage payments he has to part with his COPY Testarossa.He wanted 17k for it. I heard from others that  these KITS can be appraised up to $17k. So maybe he is right on with his asking price-.
Ill drop you a line when I see another FireRossa pop up.  

Sure, I would appreciate that.  I have my ebay search set to "replica/kit" which lets me see all them that are properly listed.  Of course, the real bargains are the ones that are NOT listed properly, like over in Pontiacs or such.  

Would you guys suggest buying a partially completed kit or are you just asking for headaches when buying someone else's problems?  

You know, that is a very good question.  It really depends on the individual.
What I have found is that many who want a replica kit, have no clue of the methods needed to complete it, many are partially completed, the workmanship on many so poor that it is practically beyond ever finishing.
It is not something you can just call the local dealer to have completed of course, and most mechanics will not touch one.
For me, I see that as opportunity!  I am 70, my background includes being ACE certified auto repair, as well as an FAA certified aircraft mechanic (A&P rating), and having owned and operated a body shop.  I just wanted some toy to play with and keep busy in retirement.
My current project is a good example.  It had sat for over 10 years incomplete for minor stuff.  One biggie was for instance, the Mustang headlight plugs would not plug into the Mercedes headlight unit.  I simply went to a junkyard, clipped off the plugs from a wrecked Mercedes, and soldered them on.  About an hour total time including travel to the wreckers and back, total cost $10.  I am almost done, will go to the painters in a week or two and be done.  

If you live near Penn- try to get to RepliCar-Kit Car Day at the Carlisle fairgrounds in the spring. I'll be heading out there in the spring with the FireRossa. This one is nice except for the rear grill that fell off on my trip back to NY Long Island. The paint is very good except for some lifting near the fenderwall extension. this car is wide- I mean WIDE. The grill alone weighs about 15 lbs made from banded wrought iron. there is No Way that I want that piece back on the rear. I plan on taking the grill to a metal fabricator and have him construct a grill like the original BUT out of aluminum. What I like best about the car is the interior room and that its in really good condition- no rips But the lower door panels-stock pontiac trans Am look a little dingy and the TAN carpet should be replaced with black. the dash on the FireRossa is nearly mint. No cracks. Thats good. But the fabric around the T Tops looks to have lost its flex and may soon need to be replaced down the road. If another one pops up- you will be the 1st to know.  Jim from Long Island.  

wrought iron... is it a gate or a piece of the car? Hahaha yeah I would surely get that remade from aluminum.  

Quick Check----if you like- send me your e mail address so that I can get INFO to ya without having to check in with KIT CAT 5 times a day. As much as I like the site- I sure wish we had more posters onboard who could provide us with some kit Car How To's and the like. my e mail address is  not2bbeat@yahoo.com   - good luck. JJ  

Check out E bay NOW- there are 3 count em' three fiero tessarossa's up for bid.  They are all on the Fiero Platform though. I guess my full sized FireRossa will be only ONE of a few we will ever see around. Nice in one sense- but sad in other ways. No one else to touch base with.  Although its a Trans Am inside thru and thru-- There will be times when I will need to network with other owners of FireRossa's regarding panel alignment and what not.  fingers crossed- I wont have too much trouble maintaining the FireRossa.