Just thought I'd post a couple photos of a few of, but not even half of the projects In the works. This is the upper level (Mechanical/Assembly) floor of the Hot Rod- Exotics Restoration and Racing facility that I work in on Tuesday's and Thursday's. I still have my shop of 32 years open. There's a full fabrication and body shop on the lower level and full time upholstery shop one building over, ..... all part of Streetworks Hot Rods & Silverstone Exotics. They have a Brand New Web-Site in the works and should be up shortly. Of course they are on facebook. Larry
That's "My Priority" project there, .... though I work on just about all of them to some extent. Most people are unaware how the Maserati Ghibli DOHC V8's sound, .... much like and American Muscle Car. We have another Maserati Ghibli as well as a Sebring in the storage building waiting for full restoration. Just this Wednesday we got in an "Iso Grifo" which is powered by a Chevrolet 327. That is another full blown restoration. We have 4 DeTomaso Mangusta's which are powered by Ford 289 V8's in Europe and Ford 302 V8's in America,(predecessor to the Ford Pantera which DeTomaso sold to Lincoln Mercury). One is done and took best of show at the "Concorso Italiano" in Monterey California this past summer (pictured below at the award ceremony). Larry
The owner of the yellow Countach also owns a white one and a red one, .... along with a list way too long of other exotics and Micro-Cars that would make ones jaw drop. We have the yellow one in for a distributor service (broken advance weight comperession spring that is no longer available). There is virtually no info out there as to the factory advance curve for a 1988-1/2 Lamborghini Countach. One individual that specializes in Lamborghini distributors wanted $5000.00 to rebuild it. We had our Ferrari engine expert who also services Lamborghini's set up the distributor with springs he had made for these years ago. The rotor alone which is a dual step two contact design was $160.00 and we felt that was a deal. Supposedly years ago there was a fire at Lamborghini, and the area where the older model engineering information was stored has been destroyed, .... as we were told. I snapped this photo of his white one while a co-worker and I were on location at the customers storage facility installing the rebuilt 12-Cylinder distributor and firing the yellow one to bring back to the shop for power-timing. Somewhere along the line one of the venders that had possession of the distributor managed to omit the rotor when sending the distributor back to us (not the Ferrari Specialist). We robbed the rotor from this white Countach to install in the Yellow Countach so we could fire it up to trailer it back to Silverstone/Streetworks. Larry
This 1963 Iso Grifo Prototype, ..... serial #00001 recently sold for $1.76 Million Dollars at the Gooding & Company Auction. This car was owned by the original founder of Silverstone Exotics/Streetworks where it was restored to its currant status. This is the same facility I'm working at. Larry
Oohh, an Iso.... One of my very first and best customers, George Bassett, had a 72 I think.... it had the Tri-Power 427 in it.. I got a ride in it on one of my trips to Coral Gables to fuss with his Stage 1.. it was very cool.. JW
The shop owner is still in negotiations. One representative has already paid a visit. It was interesting to hear how they orchestrate the process. I'll ask where it's currently at when I go in on Tuesday and let you know. I know initially the owner showed some interest, but how much is yet to be determined. Larry
Neat shop! My cousin works in a large but not well known shop that specializes in restorations of classic exotics (as well as a little of everything old/rare/unusual really). It's pretty cool some of the pictures he sends. He keeps bugging me to come by and he'll give me the tour, just haven't had time.
The green interstate battery in the Iso looks really out of place. I would not have that in an otherwise pristine machine.
Trivia time. Motion Performance modified some Iso Grifo's back in the day. And there is one and only one documented Baldwin-Motion Iso Grifo. Marty Schorr (editor of Hi-Performance Cars magazine, plus others) had Baldwin Chevrolet get a new Iso from a dealer and he purchased it from them after Motion Performance had modified it. He still owns it today.
We made the deadline for completion of the Maserati Ghibli and the Lamborghini Espada. We finished both yesterday and today we loaded them in the trailer and left for the 44 hour trip to Monterey California. They are both entered in "The Quail" this Friday 8/24/18 and the "Concorso Italiano" show this Saturday 8/25/18. Sunday 8/26/18 is the "Pebble Beach" show but neither car is entered. Both of these cars are standing tall. I finished with the initial synchronizing of the Ghibli's 4-Weber 2/barrel carbs on Saturday night and we took it out on its first shake down drive in 15 years. All went well and 1/2 dozen of us spent all day Monday and part of this morning detailing both cars. I snapped a few photos out front right before we loaded them. I'm really bummed out that I had to forfeite my trip out there because of my recent knee surgery, ..... walking through the Quail golf course and Pebble Beach would be too much too soon. No golf carts or the like are allowed. Now I can catch up on the work load at my shop as I have been working at Streetworks full time for a week and a half, ... plus 10 hours this past Saturday and 6 hours on Sunday. I'll report the results next week. Larry
One of the shops I work out of does MANY high end Classic Foreign cars. He's done half a dozen Maserati stroke rs making them 427"s. They do FLY. One of my customers just bought a 2019 Ferarri B12 Super Fast. 0-60 in 2.7 secs. Cruising at 150+ feels like 75. This car is AMAZING. Put your foot to the floor & the car basically drives itself. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!
Update: ...... As of last week I have been promoted to "General Manager" of Streetworks Hot Rods / Silverstone Exotics. I'm up for the challenge as our team of 15 personnel is second to none! Current major restoration projects include, but not limited to a '68 Lamborghini 400-GT, (3)-De Tomaso Mangusta's (4th Mangusta is already completed/ Best of Show at the 2017 Concourso Italiano in California), '68 Lamborghini Islero, '71 Lancia Fulvia, '67 Maserati Sebring, '55 Chevy Hot Rod Truck, '69 Camaro 496 Weber Carbureted one of a kind road course car, '74 Porsche 911 Track Car, and the 2 projects that I am personally in charge of .... '67 Iso Grifo Gl-350 Series One, and a '78 Lamborghini LP-400 (Early Countach). I'm excited as the owner of the Grifo is so pleased with the attention to detail (correct parts, part numbers/casting numbers, dates and stanpings) of the 327 Corvette Engine that I'm currently building, ..... that he is shipping an empty 427 block from California to have us set it up correctly for his 7-Liter Grifo that is currently housing an incorrect 454. That's the tip of the iceberg, .... there are continually vehicles rolling through as short term projects. We just had one of our builds ('31 Model A Blown Hot Rod) featured this past month in "Hot Rod" magazine. We even have a Nailhead Buick powered "Rod" belonging to the owner of the shop in the works. Even with all the new responsibilities involved, ... I still have my own shop of 33 years open. Though only nights and when weekends permit. Larry
QUE FA ?? Soooo... THATS why you never answer the phone! LOL... Literally! Thanks for taking the time the other day Larry. I was scribbling notes while we chatted. Im sending you a package of white cotton gloves for yer birthday! Talking with you is always amazing... Bill in TR
