By Dean Larson

Photos: Seller, Craigslist

If you’re going to ask a premium price for something, it usually pays to have your presentation in order. I’ll go no further in this article without mentioning that this remark is not directed at Bailey Cars, but instead a seller with a poorly presented, albeit stunning, Porsche 917 replica. At a $750,000 ask, vertical cellphone photos and an unidentified Ferrari 12-cylinder are not exactly what we’d expect to see.

With a well-engineered tubular chassis, crisp 917 replica bodywork and exquisite period-correct details, this 917 replica is a credit to Bailey’s capabilities. Most builders elect to power their 917s with a variety of Porsche air-cooled flat-sixes, but the buyer of this Bailey 917 has gone with a liquid-cooled Ferrari V12 with Bailey’s custom horizontal engine fan fitted.

The original 917 was of course powered by Porsche Type 912 180-degree, flat-12 engine. The unit was essentially two of Porsche’s 2.25-liter flat-sixes joined together, and featured twin overhead cams and a large horizontal cooling fan. With two distributors, twin spark plugs and unusual alloys, the engine was quite exotic, and produced 520 to 630 hp depending on specification.

Obviously sourcing an air-cooled flat-12 today is no simple task, so one could hardly blame the builder for installing the Ferrari unit. And while some will cry foul and accuse the builder of offending both Porsche and Ferrari, I think it really comes down to personal preference. Do you prefer the unequivocal air-cooled performance of a smaller Porsche flat-six, or are you more aroused by the thrill of V12 performance.

Hell, to the Ferrari engine’s credit, it’s a pretty appropriate choice. Assuming we’re looking at a 4.9-liter Tipo F113 from the Ferrari Testarossa, the engine has the correct displacement and cylinder layout for the job. All fine and good, but next time, it would probably pay to tell buyers what engine is in your super expensive race car replica.

There’s also the matter of price that makes this sale odd. We haven’t seen pricing information from Bailey in a while, but we’re pretty sure the factory’s options would make this car look pretty pricey. I mean, $750,000 buys some of the more valuable collector cars out there. Additionally, this same car was offered on eBay in 2018 for $295,000 OBO, although it needed a few finishing details at that time.

At the end of the day, this Bailey 917 is a stunning car and a really amazing build. I have no doubt that the car will fetch some serious coin, but the current asking price is several times the amount that other 917 replicas sell for. So you could say this is a pretty tough sell, which gets even tougher when you present it with vertical cellphone photos!

I cannot say this enough, take the time to present your car well in photos and description!

See the seller’s ad here on Los Angeles Craigslist.