S&M.
And here is some video.
S&M
I went to view it this afternoon with a totally open mind. It's a $10,000 car - a lot of money to think about parting with for a project car. Even one with a Maserati block under the bonnet.
I had an hour long chat with the owner and this is what I found out.
Good
- Second owner, has owned the car since 73 or 74.
- Original paperwork...but recorded service history is lacking.
- Canadian car with the Euro lights.
- Not the original gold colour but a slightly different respray
- Tan interior.
- He started it...it ran...no blue smoke
Bad
- It's $10K and there is a personal attachment to the car, beyond anything else, this is my biggest issue with it. The car has a lot of personal importance to the seller as originally it was a 'father-son' project, but his son sadly passed away a number of years ago. I am of the impression that he has a price in his head, and that will not change. He's had lots of interest but I think many prospective buyers walked away thinking similar things.
- The attitude of 'I have always changed the oil, why do people always ask about the chains, they are chains, what is there to go wrong?' just doesn't fly when you're talking about borderline antique Italian supercar engines....so no, the front and rear timing chains have not been replaced (should happen at 60K for the rear, 20-30K for the front) and this car has done almost 100K. How it hasn't become a tangled mess of aluminum is beyond me.
- The exhaust is leaking appallingly (read as rotted out) at the mid point under the car, right before it 'Y's and forks.
- Underside of the floorpans are very crusty.
- Despite being told 'it uses no oil, no leaks' it does...I could see that just looking under the car.
- The hydraulic system has spheres that 'don't leak'...but a push down on the car (the car should drop) revealed they do so one or more of the spheres need replacing
- The clicking of the hydraulic recycling system every seconds or so has me thinking there's an internal leak in the hydraulics or the pressure regulator/ accumulator needs to be replaced (stolen straight from the buyers guide) - pricey.
- The drivers side seat seems to sag at one side, couldn't tell if the frame was cracked, but the interior needed a significant amount of work. Interior chrome has pitted, would all need re-plating.
- Zero way of checking the gearbox, it's the same unit as on early Esprits, parts hard to find, oil leak could well be from the box.
- There are simply way way, WAY too many unknowns. Many of the valid questions I had, were met with stories, while interesting, they rarely answered the questions I had. All were reasonable technical questions "Have the chains ever been replaced?" for example, "Who serviced the car?" and on a French Supersled powered by a notoriously badly behaved Italian Stallion that just doesn't sit well with me. The experience from the first Z has me unwilling to ever take a blind 'punt' on a car, especially one as potentially bottomless as this one.
- Bottom of the sills look okay, but the lines (brakes, fuel, hydraulic) that I could see, all need replacing.
Seeing this car was a truly awesome experience, but I think buying it would likely be a very painful one.
And here is some video.
S&M
I went to view it this afternoon with a totally open mind. It's a $10,000 car - a lot of money to think about parting with for a project car. Even one with a Maserati block under the bonnet.
I had an hour long chat with the owner and this is what I found out.
Good
- Second owner, has owned the car since 73 or 74.
- Original paperwork...but recorded service history is lacking.
- Canadian car with the Euro lights.
- Not the original gold colour but a slightly different respray
- Tan interior.
- He started it...it ran...no blue smoke
Bad
- It's $10K and there is a personal attachment to the car, beyond anything else, this is my biggest issue with it. The car has a lot of personal importance to the seller as originally it was a 'father-son' project, but his son sadly passed away a number of years ago. I am of the impression that he has a price in his head, and that will not change. He's had lots of interest but I think many prospective buyers walked away thinking similar things.
- The attitude of 'I have always changed the oil, why do people always ask about the chains, they are chains, what is there to go wrong?' just doesn't fly when you're talking about borderline antique Italian supercar engines....so no, the front and rear timing chains have not been replaced (should happen at 60K for the rear, 20-30K for the front) and this car has done almost 100K. How it hasn't become a tangled mess of aluminum is beyond me.
- The exhaust is leaking appallingly (read as rotted out) at the mid point under the car, right before it 'Y's and forks.
- Underside of the floorpans are very crusty.
- Despite being told 'it uses no oil, no leaks' it does...I could see that just looking under the car.
- The hydraulic system has spheres that 'don't leak'...but a push down on the car (the car should drop) revealed they do so one or more of the spheres need replacing
- The clicking of the hydraulic recycling system every seconds or so has me thinking there's an internal leak in the hydraulics or the pressure regulator/ accumulator needs to be replaced (stolen straight from the buyers guide) - pricey.
- The drivers side seat seems to sag at one side, couldn't tell if the frame was cracked, but the interior needed a significant amount of work. Interior chrome has pitted, would all need re-plating.
- Zero way of checking the gearbox, it's the same unit as on early Esprits, parts hard to find, oil leak could well be from the box.
- There are simply way way, WAY too many unknowns. Many of the valid questions I had, were met with stories, while interesting, they rarely answered the questions I had. All were reasonable technical questions "Have the chains ever been replaced?" for example, "Who serviced the car?" and on a French Supersled powered by a notoriously badly behaved Italian Stallion that just doesn't sit well with me. The experience from the first Z has me unwilling to ever take a blind 'punt' on a car, especially one as potentially bottomless as this one.
- Bottom of the sills look okay, but the lines (brakes, fuel, hydraulic) that I could see, all need replacing.
Seeing this car was a truly awesome experience, but I think buying it would likely be a very painful one.
Now back onto the Z 
which I don't see ever happening, in part because the bonnet was sold to the guy I bought my GT from, so, it has been out in the open all this time.
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