The Velo Rossa is a
fibre reinforced plastic composite (usually
fiberglass) automobile body built by Reaction Research (a.k.a
ZTrix.comand formerly known as VR Engineering) in
Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. It is designed to re-style the body of the 1970-1978 Datsun/
Nissan S30
The Nissan S30 (sold in Japan as the Nissan Fairlady Z and in other markets as the Datsun 240Z, then later as the 260Z and 280Z) is the first generation of Z GT 3-door two-seat coupés, produced by Nissan Motors, Ltd. of Japan from 1969 until ...
Z series cars. Front end appearance panels (hood, fenders) are replaced. Doors and rear external components (which are part of the unitized body/frame of the Datsun) are over-skinned after trimming out the wheel wells for wider tires.
Ferrari GTO Replicas
While not a replica ''per se'', the Velo Rossa is very similar to several
Ferrari 250 GTO replica designs which preceded it, including the
* Eagle GTO by Merlin Coffano (a.k.a. Barry Goldstein; sold to Joe Alphabet)
* Alpha One GTO by Joe Alphabet (molds now owned by ZTrix.com in Scottsdale, AZ)
* McBurnie GTO replicas by Tom McBurnie of
McBurnie Coachcraft
McBurnie Coachcraft was a US bodywork company mostly known for their replicas of Ferrari Daytona Spyder. McBurnie also manufactured a Ferrari 250 GTO replica in the style of the Alpha One GTO, and the Velo Rossa. See, Ferrari S.p.A. v. McBurnie ...
(sold to Carrera Coachwerks, San Diego, CA, now defunct)
* Blu-ray Rhino GT by Jim Simpson of
Simpson Design
Simpson Design is an American automobile coachbuilder founded in 1978 by owner Jim Simpson. The company is based in Clinton, Whidbey Island, located just outside of Seattle, Washington, and specializes in the production of custom sports cars co ...
, sold to Scorpion Z-Cars
* Scorpion GTZ, sold to UK-based OM Sports Cars (now defunct)
* Puckett 250GTO by former McBurnie associate Charlie Puckett (now defunct)
* Classic Revival, NSW, Australia
Of these manufacturers only Reaction Research (db
ZTrix is still producing kits and parts for this style of rebody for the
Nissan S30
The Nissan S30 (sold in Japan as the Nissan Fairlady Z and in other markets as the Datsun 240Z, then later as the 260Z and 280Z) is the first generation of Z GT 3-door two-seat coupés, produced by Nissan Motors, Ltd. of Japan from 1969 until ...
.
Velo Rossa Differences
The Velo Rossa differs from previous designs by offering a one-piece, tilt-up front bonnet, with "cheek panels" on the sides; and the ability to be built as either a coupe; or as a Velo Rossa Spyder roadster with a trunk and trunk lid.
Ferrari Rebodies
The Ferrari 250 GTO was only offered as a coupe, though other
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
models were occasionally rebodied into roadsters that looked like the GTO. These included the "Nembo" cars by Italian
coachbuilder
A coachbuilder or body-maker is someone who manufactures bodies for passenger-carrying vehicles.Construction has always been a skilled trade requiring a relatively lightweight product with sufficient strength. The manufacture of necessarily ...
s
Neri & Bonacini (under direction of American
Tom Meade
Thomas Meade (19 January 19391 August 2013) was an American automobile designer and dealer best known for his ''Thomassima'' series of custom cars based on Ferrari engines and chassis. He was based in Modena, Italy from the early 1960s through t ...
), and a one-off by American car restorer Mark Goyette for
ZZ Top drummer
Frank Beard (musician). Goyette also built the
Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California SWB replica for the American movie "
Ferris Bueller's Day Off," which continues in production as the CalSpyderII.
There are also a few examples of highly sophisticated tube-chassis 250 GTO replicas, including a very nice one by the Australian team of Tim Foate, Gavin Tindell and Dale Stevens with a
Ferrari 330GT engine.
Performance Modifications
Any performance modifications available for the
Nissan S30
The Nissan S30 (sold in Japan as the Nissan Fairlady Z and in other markets as the Datsun 240Z, then later as the 260Z and 280Z) is the first generation of Z GT 3-door two-seat coupés, produced by Nissan Motors, Ltd. of Japan from 1969 until ...
cars can be applied to the Velo Rossa. These include brake and suspension upgrades, larger wheels and tires, and engine swaps.
Chevrolet small-block engine swaps, including the LS-series, are common. More extreme engine swaps have included Jaguar V-12 engines, and a BMW V-12.
References
{{Reflist
Nissan
Vehicle modifications