Hand Made Ferrari 250 GTO: Man Builds Perfect Replicas Of Classic Cars

By Dan Howlett @DanHowlett85

A CAR enthusiast has spent five painstaking years recreating one of the world’s most desirable Ferraris

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Videographer / Director: Brian High
Producer: John Balson, Nick Johnson
Editor: Kyle Waters

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Starting out: The team builds a handmade wood buck in the early stages of the process

Rod Tempero hand crafted the replica Ferrari 250 GTO in a chicken shed in New Zealand – but the incredible car which has a 4.4 litre, V12 engine could be worth well over one million dollars.

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Hammer it out: The metal is then shaped onto the buck using a hammer and English wheel

Rod and his team specialise in handcrafting cars that otherwise would be unobtainable for enthusiasts around the world.

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Artisan supercar: Very few machines are used during the build

There were only 39 of the original vehicles ever produced by Ferrari and one recently sold for more than $38m at auction.

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Commission car: Most of the vehicles built by Rod have been specially requested by customers

Tempero and his team make their own wood bucks for the body and then bang out the metal body with hammers and an English wheel.  

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Humble beginnings: The cars are designed and made in a chicken shed

Rod said: “I have lots of return customers so I must be doing something right.

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Precision engineering: The replica cars can take up to five years to create

“The car chassis and body are built in the workshop and we used some items from a donor vehicle.

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Tools of the trade: Rod is aware of the ease of 3D printing but prefers the hands on approach to his vehicles
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Big money: The replica Ferrari could be worth more than one million dollars

“This car was actually commissioned by John Rietveld – and that’s not unusual.

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Father's footsteps: Rod is a third generation car customiser

“We build cars to order and can make whatever the customer wants.

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Powerful engine: The car is capable of going from 0 - 60 in less than five seconds

“Everything is done by eye and touch there are very few machines involved in the process – which I think makes the whole thing a lot cooler.

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Classic cars: Over the years Rod has built a 1967 P4 330 Ferrari, 1953 Maserati A6GSC, an XKSS, Maserati A6 and a Cooper Bristol

“We are currently working on a 1958 246 Dino Grand Prix car, a 1967 P4 330 Ferrari, a 1953 Maserati a6GSC and a 1964 version of the Ferrari GTO.”

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Old school: Rod says he relies on sight and touch to complete his vehicles

The car has a top speed of around 170 miles per hour and can go from 0 – 60 in five seconds.

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Early start: Rod began working with cars in 1978
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Spare parts: Some components are donated from other cars and customised to fit

“All the cars are special and come with their own challenges with the build but they are always fun,” added Rod.

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New start: The team will get to work on creating another GTO in the new year

“We just love what we do – we put a lot of time and effort into these cars but once they are done we are on to the next project.

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Need for speed: The car has a top speed of 170mph

“They get lots of attention – we actually won a best car in show prize with the GTO which was really special for us and the car’s new owner John.”

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Rare commodity: Only 39 of the original cars were ever made

John added: “I asked him if he could build this incredible car and he looked at me and said of course.

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Serious investment: One of the original cars recently sold at auction for $38m

“No car is too difficult for him to build – he does all of his homework and research, this is as close to the original as you can possibly get.

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Dreamteam: The guys are now working on building a complete replica of the 1967 P4 330 Ferrari

“It’s taken a lot of time but nobody minds that – if you just bought this and made it out of a kit it would not have the same appeal.”