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 Topic  |
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Jason Dowell
56 Posts |
 Posted - July 08 2003 : 09:17:29 AM
Has anyone ever heard of through bred coach(?) out of Florida
They have a 36 ford pickup and several mercedes.I saw they have a SWEET merecedes gullwing and I dont want to get my hopes up only to find out they are another CK3 kind of company.PLEASE any info on this company would be most helpful.
www.tbccoach.com |
meat
USA
992 Posts |
Posted - July 08 2003 : 10:55:40 AM
They do indeed make a Gullwing. They're located out of Florida, which isn't a great thing. They did have a negative bit on Curt's site from 1997 - again, not a good thing.But... They do pick up the phone, they do deliver kits - I've been researching with a few owners I've found, and they did finish and do drive their cars around. I have never seen the pick-up, other than in photos, and one of the photos on their site makes the truck look like it's either a model, or it's very poorly photoshopped. I have not seen their gullwing, but according to them it's a pretty close approximation of the original. The kit runs around $15K, uses Mustang II suspension, can can be set up for either a Chevy or a Ford small block. I will continue my research, and as soon as I get some solid info on the gullwing, I'll go ahead and forward it. Your pal,
Meat. 
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mantacars
127 Posts |
Posted - July 08 2003 : 8:29:42 PM
Jason,
Having no knowledge of this company, used your link to browse website.
Nice pictures. but some look too good to be "finished" kits. If they are completed kits - excellent job!
Did notice one flaw with website that the company should act immediatley to correct. Should you decide to order any information, be aware that your personal credit card information will be transmitted online over an "UNSECURE" connection.
Mike
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bones1
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - August 15 2003 : 12:56:03 AM
greetings,
a friend gave me a copy of kit car mag so i jumped on the site & i once again was chomping at the bit to relive my near ownership of a 1955 gullwing in 1964. this was before people in my town knew what they were. but one look and i knew! i missed it & those days are gone but the image lives on. didn't think there were any of us around anymore.
as i read the letters on the forum & waited for info, i cruised a bit (oh! i mean surfed) & came accross the THOROUGHBRED site. definitely the photography! then i found the REPLICAR site, called thunderengine.com. they have a gullwing. anybody shed some light on it?
thanks, bones1 |
meat
USA
992 Posts |
Posted - August 18 2003 : 08:56:12 AM
It appears that the Replicar Group is a replica builder. However, the pictures of the cars on their site do not appear to be cars that they have built. In fact, they actually look like scans from brochures and magazines.I'd use a "wait and see" attitude before I used them to build a car for me. Let someone else be the guinea pig. Your pal,
Meat.
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gullwing
New Zealand
150 Posts |
Posted - August 22 2004 : 06:27:22 AM
quote:
It appears that the Replicar Group is a replica builder. However, the pictures of the cars on their site do not appear to be cars that they have built. In fact, they actually look like scans from brochures and magazines.I'd use a "wait and see" attitude before I used them to build a car for me. Let someone else be the guinea pig. Your pal,
Meat.
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gullwing
New Zealand
150 Posts |
Posted - August 22 2004 : 06:49:53 AM
You are wise to take a wait and see atitude reguarding any Mercedes Gullwing kit. Since the demise of Gullwings unlimited there has been a tremendous pent up demand for a replica Gullwing. Right now Herman Quint is building turnkey versions that will set you back $90,000. Other than that there is Thoroughbred Motorcars in Mt Dora Fl. and now ThunderEngine.
The Thoroughbred design uses a special built steel frame. The ThunderEngine uses a Caddilac. Neither company as far as I know have tackled the hard part yet.
The hard part? That is all of the items to trim the 300SL out to make it appear correct. For instance- the front grill. These are identical to the 190SL. However a nice one will set you back $7,500!
Same for the front bumper, almost $10,000. No one makes the special door hinges and even if you could find them Bricklin door hinges won't work (Deloreon aren't even in the ballpark). There is a specialized door handle/lock/striker plate that no one makes. There is a specialized cowl grill that no one makes. The lists of parts is endless. Yes, you can be creative. I bought a 230SL grill for $125. I found a combination of rear fenders for under $1,000 that look real close.
So until a cottage industry of inexpensive reproduction items exists building a Gullwing is not for the faint of heart!
By the way, did you notice that the thunder engine picture use two different cars. The upper appears to have a Mercedes 300SL dash and the lower has a Caddillac dash. Perhaps the upper is a real gullwing and the lower one of their creations. Although those late model aluminum Mercedes wheels are a dead giveaway.
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Bob Chambers
USA
45 Posts |
Posted - August 30 2004 : 3:08:09 PM
Jason, I went to look at Thoroughbred Coach Builders (in Mount Dora, FL, NW of Orlando) several months ago to look at the 300SLR kit. They had a '36 Ford pickup there that I thought was superbly done. It is supposedly built on a Ranger chassis. I especially liked the custom extended cab version, but if you're looking for a true repro, then stick with the original. I thought the body kit was kinda pricey, since you provide your own chassis. The body kit was close to $20K by the time you get all you need from them.HOWEVER, I keep reading nightmare stories in regard to them not delivering what has been long paid for, so if I do wind up buying the SLR kit from them, I'll go personally to pick it up, and THEN pay for it. I'll make sure they can provide EVERYTHING I need from them at once, or not go. TBC has been around a long time, I gather, (in Seattle first, then Mt. Dora), but there's supposedly lawsuits pending, regarding the non-delivery issue. I'm also looking for SOME good news concerning TCB.
Bob
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gullwing
New Zealand
150 Posts |
Posted - September 03 2004 : 6:26:52 PM
quote:
It appears that the Replicar Group is a replica builder. However, the pictures of the cars on their site do not appear to be cars that they have built. In fact, they actually look like scans from brochures and magazines.I'd use a "wait and see" attitude before I used them to build a car for me. Let someone else be the guinea pig. Your pal,
Meat.
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gullwing
New Zealand
150 Posts |
Posted - September 03 2004 : 6:47:35 PM
If you are going to buy a 36 Ford truck or an Mercedes SLR here is the problem you will run into. You have to put a deposit down or he won't build it. You go to pick it up and all the parts aren't there what do you do. Walk away and sign on to growing list who have filed a class action suit? Or pay the balance take your kit and hope the parts come someday?
I bought a Gullwing from Gil and thats pretty much where I am. I am not counting on him coming up with much more but I do need all of the glass to finish the project. The rest of the parts I have found an outside source for. So if you buy a kit buy only the body and the frame. You can order the other stuff if he makes good on the delivery of the body and frame. At least with the Ford truck and the Mercedes SLR there are no specialized parts to be made. I can't speak about the truck but the SLR uses mustang II parts and MGB parts.
One other thing. The Gullwing shown in his brochure is nothing he ever made. Perhaps it is one of Toney Osterhaus's replica. Perhaps it is an original. Although I doubt it is original because there are too many things incorrect (the late style turn indicator, the front bumber isn't quite right and it looks to be painted with silver paint, the speaker is black not chrome, the wheels are aftermarket). If you went to Gils place in Mt Dora than you probably saw his incomplete replica. He didn't even make that! That was made by the guy that sold him the molds.
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Kasey
USA
38 Posts |
Posted - September 14 2004 : 10:42:56 PM
I purchased a gullwing kit from tbc in September 2003. I was required to wire the full amount via bank transfer before they would even begin work. I ws given a delivery date of 6 weeks later. A full 3 months later I was still making daily phone calls, most of which went unanswered. I even had 2 instances where Gil Longnecker answered the phone and when I said who I was, he would hang up. I finally received the body, but it was not in the custom made crate I paid extra for, nor was it brought by the car delivery people that I paid an extra $695 for. Instead, it was delivered by a friend of Gils on a flatbed with no covering or protection of any kind. That is the last contact I have had with them. They still owe me thousands of dollars worth of parts and I can't get a returned call. I am at the point now of throwing in the towel and selling my kit. I have been asked to join a class action suit against TCB because this is apparantly common business practice for this company. There are also claims against Gil with the better business bureau. I am lucky that I received the body and chassis, from what I understand not everyone even gets that. I am actually selling mine because I can no longer sit on this project. Please proceed with caution.
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gullwing
New Zealand
150 Posts |
Posted - November 14 2004 : 11:45:09 PM
quote:
It appears that the Replicar Group is a replica builder. However, the pictures of the cars on their site do not appear to be cars that they have built. In fact, they actually look like scans from brochures and magazines.I'd use a "wait and see" attitude before I used them to build a car for me. Let someone else be the guinea pig. Your pal,
Meat.
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johnm
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - November 16 2004 : 8:26:36 PM
Hello, we have recently purchased Hermann Quint's Quint Motor Coach. Hermann built 30+ cars over the years, and we are proudly offering the turnkey. We are just starting the business, and the posts here are pretty spot on. Yes, there are a couple of firms offering different things. The parts are the challenge, as we will be producing the parts ourselves (other than those which we can use from existing "stock"). Our site is www.m-wingmotors.com It is not robust yet, we will be putting many pictures of the car, the process, etc. We are committed to offering the highest quality, with honest, ethical business practices. We have a passion for this car, as many people do. We look forward to answering any questions. John and Matt Mazza
M-Wing Motors LLC
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Songman
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - December 04 2004 : 10:26:11 PM
quote:
By the way, did you notice that the thunder engine picture use two different cars. The upper appears to have a Mercedes 300SL dash and the lower has a Caddillac dash. Perhaps the upper is a real gullwing and the lower one of their creations. Although those late model aluminum Mercedes wheels are a dead giveaway.
Just checked out the site for the Gullwing by Thunderengines.com. I can't figure any reason for that bottom picture of the interior to even be on this page. It is not a Cadillac interior. It is a stock Pontiac Fiero interior, and it is obviously still in a Fiero. You can tell by the A-pillars and door panels. No way this in that Mercedes kit at all! Go figure the tricks of so-called kit manufacturers. I stumbled into this thread because I was considering one of the TBC 36 Ford truck replicas. Looks like I may need to reconsider after seeing the reputation of the company.
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jblair1948
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - April 12 2005 : 4:49:56 PM
Back about '85 there was a company in CA that was making a 300SL
Gullwing. It appeared in one of the kit car magazines. I called
them, but at that time it was turnkey only. If I remember correctly,
they had a metal body.Anyone know the company I'm refering to? Are they still around?
I couldn't find anything on them on the net. John
John T. Blair WA4OHZ
jblair1948@cox.net
65 Morgan 4/4 Series V (B1109)
71 Saab Sonett
75 Bricklin SV-1
77 Spitfire
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jaysherman
139 Posts |
Posted - April 16 2005 : 10:26:21 PM
Tony Ostermeyer made them in Glendora. They are out of business but they are now being made in England. You can find them used for 80+. Here is the link to the new company. http://www.hooperandco.com/
Link is down but keep trying. I have a kit in the garage, wish I had time to finish it. Soon, very soon.
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Echidna
USA
38 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2005 : 10:34:49 PM
Unfortunately, the Hooper shop can't be reached---not a good sign. The Ostermeier cars are reaching new heights in the secondary market. To wit, BJ sold one in January for $245,000. They are superb cars but only about 50 exist in the U.S. Good luck in finding one. Anyone looking for one on the cheap had better reconsider. The BJ auction took all his cars and put a hefty floor under the price point.
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jaysherman
139 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2005 : 9:35:30 PM
These are not easy cars to put together. I think that Tony's cars are just becoming appreciated for there quality. The glass parts, door parts, trim, just about every part is expensive to get. I am slowly getting parts to make mine as nice as possible. It will be interesting to see how some of the replica makers solve these problems. I understand that Tony had many of these parts made which solved the very high parts cost.
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has anyone ever heard of through bred coach?
