Just Moved to Italy - Looking for Beater Ferrari..

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Fellas -

After two years of no musclecars in Seoul, Korea, my Uncle Sam sent me to Naples, Italy for the next 3 years. Have been here all of 10 days or so. Thought about bringing over one of my musclecars, but as the saying goes, when in Rome... Anyway, I'll have a very short commute to work (5 minutes?) so I don't need anything terribly practical. I can also import it legally back to the US if it's 25 years old.

Picked up a 99 318i BMW to get around in for now. Wife's SUV (2013 Infiniti) will be here in 80 days or so. Now I need a project or toy of some sort. Budget tops out at $30k but I'd have much better relations with the Chief Financial Officer if I kept it under $20k. I should have a large garage to work in; most of the places we have been looking at have plenty of space for my tools and a few cars. I do all my own work (including engine/trans rebuilds) except for body and paint.

The easy choice is the 1967-1975 105 series Alfa Romeo GT Junior - these can be had for around $10k for a driver, excellent aftermarket support, plenty of OEM parts available, light weight, small, lots of character. The 2.0 liter engine is a bolt in swap, and you can make 200 hp with one without too much trouble. Not bad with a 2,000 lb car. They make sweet looking cars when set up for racing, too.





I also like the 1969-1973 Fiat Dino Coupe 2.4. These were built by Ferrari in Maranello alongside the 246's. Use the same engine (2.4 V6), transmission, and some other bits, too. The Spyder's are bringing close to $100k, but you can still get a driver quality 2.4 coupe for less than $30k.





If I beat the bushes enough, I could probably find a Lamborghini Urraco or Maserat Merak for under $30k, but finding parts for these would be a nightmare.

The Ferrari 308 GT4 (no, not the Magnum PI Ferrari) prices are all over the map, but you can still find them for less than $30k too.

I'm also partial to the Sunbeam Tiger, but the real ones have jumped in price recently. Could also pick up a Sunbeam Alpine (nice ones start at $10k; $20k buys a nicely restored one), drop in a crate 347, Toploader, and 9" and call it a Faux Tiger. However, this isn't a bolt in swap. Firewall needs to be massaged, probably transmission tunnel, too, and the stock steering won't work, either.

Along the same lines of American V-8 (Mopar 383/440-4/440-6) in a European car, the Jensen Interceptors are out there for about $20k for a decent one. My main issue with these -- 98% came with slushboxes.

A roached Pantera with a blown motor might be within striking range, too.

Your thoughts?

Thanks,

Scott