How many 428 Frua left?

[J Jones]

Thanks to Tim Isles for the input on how many 428's were actually manufactured. I too have heard that some 428's were rebodied as Cobras, though it (now) seems a pretty silly thing to have done.
   A white Fastback was offered for sale in Hemmings Motor News (USA) months ago (perhaps July or August 2006) - it looked pretty forlorn in photos, but was supposedly intact. I imagine if the body is really too far gone to be salvaged, the temptation to rebody it as a Cobra would be hard to resist. Cheaper and easier than trying to recreate a Frua body.
   My own car (CFX29) has apparently been unaccounted for since it left the factory in 1969 - at least Andy Shepherd has no record of it. I'm happy to report that it is in really excellent condition, with a recorded mileage of 43,000 miles. No rust or accident damage to be seen, but you could certainly fry an egg on the transmission console after 20 minutes on the road. I'm going to fix that with dynamat, some sheet metal and devising an escape route for hot engine air. And an A/C unit. I certainly have no need of a heater.
   I've diverged from the thread, but has anyone seen a sucessful A/C installation in a 428?

[Mark-Anthony]

Guys,
   
   F.Y.I.
   Hurst Park are selling an automatic 428.  It has had everything done that needs doing and is in (according to them) 1st class condition.  It has had many many thousands spent on it and it is a 60,000 mile car (high 50's actually).
   They say they can show receipts for work on the car totalling over £90,000! and they claim a full service history.  Be that as it may it can't justify the asking price of  . . . are you sitting down? . . . £60,000 ! ! !
   
   Not only are they not kidding, but they claim to have sold another 428 (silver/manual) in the last 6 months for the same money.
   
   It's not that I doubt them but a 428 can't be worth more than £30,000 of anyone's money, even a manual convertible can't be much more than £35,000.
   
   We'll see how long they sit on it I guess
   
   As to anyone buying a 428 and converting it to a 427 I personally would like to burn such philistines at the stake.  A good Kirkham would be a better bet, and cheaper.  Though you would of course be able to drop a genuine 427/428 into a converted Frua without any MOT problems.
   
   Still . . . the horror.
   
   Mark-Anthony
   CRS #22

[TLegate]

I know that five 428s have definately been 'converted' and I suspect it may be a higher figure than that. I would have thought that Andy S should know? No? There was an article about the process in an issue of ACtion a few years back. I do have some photos of one such car, now registered 5ALD if I recall. It's a short-nosed AC289 clone and looks good with green paintwork. I took some photos of it at one of the ACOC Sprints at Gooders not so long ago. I shall trawl my archives.....
   
   The 428 was Derek Hurlock's favoured mode of transport and who could blame him?

[Emmanueld]

quote:Originally posted by Mark-Anthony
   
Guys,
   
   Be that as it may it can't justify the asking price of  . . . are you sitting down? . . . £60,000 ! ! !
   
   Not only are they not kidding, but they claim to have sold another 428 (silver/manual) in the last 6 months for the same money.
   
   It's not that I doubt them but a 428 can't be worth more than £30,000 of anyone's money, even a manual convertible can't be much more than £35,000.
   
   We'll see how long they sit on it I guess
   
   Mark-Anthony
   CRS #22
   

   
   Why, With Cobra prices at a all time high, Isos' selling above $250K, convertible Mistrals and Giblis hitting above $150K. The 428 is both rarer and technically superior. It should actually sell for more than these cars!
   I think the problem is it's rarity and the fact that most cars are in horrible condition.
   Emmanuel

[freddie]

quote:Originally posted by Mark-Anthony
   
Guys,
   
   F.Y.I.
   Hurst Park are selling an automatic 428.  It has had everything done that needs doing and is in (according to them) 1st class condition.  It has had many many thousands spent on it and it is a 60,000 mile car (high 50's actually).
   They say they can show receipts for work on the car totalling over £90,000! and they claim a full service history.  Be that as it may it can't justify the asking price of  . . . are you sitting down? . . . £60,000 ! ! !
   
   Not only are they not kidding, but they claim to have sold another 428 (silver/manual) in the last 6 months for the same money.
   
   It's not that I doubt them but a 428 can't be worth more than £30,000 of anyone's money, even a manual convertible can't be much more than £35,000.
   
   We'll see how long they sit on it I guess
   
   As to anyone buying a 428 and converting it to a 427 I personally would like to burn such philistines at the stake.  A good Kirkham would be a better bet, and cheaper.  Though you would of course be able to drop a genuine 427/428 into a converted Frua without any MOT problems.
   
   Still . . . the horror.
   
   Mark-Anthony
   CRS #22
   

[freddie]

Lets not be blinkered by perceived values here, these cars have been undervalued for years with restoration costs only getting worse. I've seen this car in the past, it's everything it's cracked up to be, the work was done by Uniclip afterall. I also saw the other car at the NEC, (it was an auto. actually) a true 'minter', which had covered 50 odd thousand miles with proper history.
   As to the comment about dropheads only being worth £35000; who saw the black car sold by Bonhams at Goodwood last September? £42,000 + 17.5% premium. If you lifted the carpets you could see the road not to mention incorrect seats, no bumpers and louvres all over the bonnet. How many more tens of thousands to spend on top I wonder. Time to reappraise I think, look at the value increases of some comparable cars over recent years...
   In the best interests of the surviving cars we should all be grateful of increased values
   
   
   

quote:Originally posted by Mark-Anthony
   
Guys,
   
   F.Y.I.
   Hurst Park are selling an automatic 428.  It has had everything done that needs doing and is in (according to them) 1st class condition.  It has had many many thousands spent on it and it is a 60,000 mile car (high 50's actually).
   They say they can show receipts for work on the car totalling over £90,000! and they claim a full service history.  Be that as it may it can't justify the asking price of  . . . are you sitting down? . . . £60,000 ! ! !
   
   Not only are they not kidding, but they claim to have sold another 428 (silver/manual) in the last 6 months for the same money.
   
   It's not that I doubt them but a 428 can't be worth more than £30,000 of anyone's money, even a manual convertible can't be much more than £35,000.
   
   We'll see how long they sit on it I guess
   
   As to anyone buying a 428 and converting it to a 427 I personally would like to burn such philistines at the stake.  A good Kirkham would be a better bet, and cheaper.  Though you would of course be able to drop a genuine 427/428 into a converted Frua without any MOT problems.
   
   Still . . . the horror.
   
   Mark-Anthony
   CRS #22
   

[Emmanueld]

On top of it, they are not that difficult to restore, rectangular tubing, flat steel underneath, nothing that a good steel guy can't handle. The cars are simple and the chassis is unbelievably stiff! In other words, please restore them correctly and you will see prices go to up significantly! This is a great car! It's very powerfull and it handles very well when set up correctly! Actually, the additional 6" of wheelbase adds quite a bit of stability compared to a Cobra, great for the open road. Based on pedigree and on rarity alone, these cars should sell well in excess of 200K and I bet they will shortly!

[shep]

Hello Trevor, sorry but the register is at work so I can't confirm the exact number of 428/Cobra conversions but I'll look on Monday. It is a shame that it happens when a Mk IV offers the same experience at less money, and can still wear the AC badge with pride.
   
   Regarding values, the performance, beauty, rarity and practicality would in any other market make the 428 Frua priceless! It's just a matter of time, a re-run of Linda Thorson in The Avengers, and David Beckham smoking round Hollywood in one, and we're made. It's called fashion.
   
   Andy.

[TLegate]

If only James Bond had an AC fetish.........

[J Jones]

CF 27 was just sold by Wolfgang Rudolf. CFX 28 was or is owned by Michael Hart (California). My car is CFX 29. All three are Fastbacks. CF 14 is owned by Jim Feldman (Oregon), and CFX54 is owned by Emmanuel D - both are Dropheads. So that's a little better than 6 percent of the total production accounted for.

[Emmanueld]

There is also ex Bruce Milner car, CFX 37 an immaculate green 1970 convertible with manual trans, still in California as well! we are now up to about 8%.  [:D]
   
   Emmanuel

[J Jones]

and the two silver fastbacks one sold and one for sale @ Hurst Park. Chassis numbers unknown (to me). And Tim Isles reported convertables CF 81 and CF 17 known to him in the 70's (still around?). CF 19, a fastback - might be one of the Hurst Park cars(?), or not. Total of 8 so far, with 3 additional possibles (81, 17, 19)

[J Jones]

And Andy Shepherd's car, Luigi. What's the number, Andy? - That's 9 confirmed, so far

[Mark-Anthony]

I believe I'm right in saying that Andy has two 428s, and is not the only person known to have two 428s.
   Me - I can't get my hands on one!
   
   M-A

[Emmanueld]

CF62, a white coupe, sold in San Diego in February 2003!
   
   http://www.collectorcarads.com/addetail.asp?CarID=4117
   
   Emmanuel[:)]