In May of this year a 1961 Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spyder, formerly owned by actor James Coburn, set the world record for the highest auction price ever paid for any vintage car. As the black California Spyder beauty, one of only 106 built, brought $10.8 million at the Maranello, Italy Ferrari-themed auction, Edmunds Insider correspondent Mike Lysaght didn't bat an eyelash, calling the sale "A perfectly stratospheric price for one of the most perfectly designed vehicles in automotive history." And guess what! A gorgeously-crafted, highly-engineered Ferrari Spyder replica can be in your garage for quite a bit less than a multi-million-dollar price tag.
That's not to say that replicating one of the rarest and most beautiful cars of all time can be done on the cheap, and Phoenix, Arizona based Classic Cars by Renucci, LLC set out to do the Ferrari California Spyder full justice. President and CEO Mike Renucci started in the auto industry with Range Rover in the UK, then went to Jaguar for over 10 years as chief engineer of the XJ8 sedan and XK8 sports car, finally retiring from Ford Motor Company in 2004 as Director of Vehicle Engineering, North America. Mike saw a retirement mission of recreating one of the most high-image Ferrari classics of the twentieth century. Knowing just a little something about the big picture of auto engineering and sports car customer expectations, he also knew that he and his company were well up to the challenge.
Cal Spyder Has Movie Star Looks
The Cal Spyder replica had evolved in the eighties from an award-winning design called the Modena, and its unique euro-look was featured in many movies of the eighties and nineties, including the classic "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." When Renucci took over Cal Spyder production in 2005 at his new assembly plant in Phoenix, the company began to fold in many significant technological and luxury detail improvements to an already impressive vehicle.
A basic Cal Spyder kit contains frame and body together with small block engine and transmission; standard kit engine is regular Ford small block, but Ford 5.0L 302, Ford Racing 5.0L or Roush Performance engines can upgrade the power. Body trim, front and rear suspension assembly, fuel tank and gas pedal assembly completes the company standard-build kit. Many other options and upgrades are available both from Renucci and other sources, which are documented in build specs and guides. A respectable Cal Spyder built at home will run a minimum of $75,000; special options, features and upgrades can bump $88,000.
Renucci's primary focus is on supplying quality kit components and build support for the Cal Spyder replica assembled at home, but the company does entertain a select few requests for a turnkey build each year. In either mode, the small team of artisan-engineers at the Renucci assembly facility will work with customers to achieve their own, distinctly-appointed Cal Spyder.
If you have a taste for something as rare and beautiful as the Cal Spyder, you may have to ask the price, but you may also be in a position to afford it!
