By Dean Larson

This red-hot Superformance Daytona Coupe is a reminder that it’s always worth keeping a fire extinguisher in your project vehicle or classic car. Having an extinguisher can be the difference between replacing some wiring and a total loss. Listed on eBay under “Salvage Parts Cars,” this Coupe could be someone’s shortcut to a finished build, but do the numbers really make sense?

According to the seller, this Coupe was a fairly significant car. Its data tag bears the number SPC0005, which allegedly makes it the second Superformance Coupe built that wasn’t a factory development car. The seller also states that the car originally belonged to a member of the Olthoff family, and one of the supplied photos could potentially back up the claim.

Any supposed provenance aside, it’s plain to see that the car is in pretty tough shape. Our guess is that one of the Weber-style carburetors lit up the engine bay, which spread to the firewall and eventually engulfed the cabin. The photos don’t show much of the body damage up close, but it’s safe to assume the remaining bodywork would only be good for parts or scrap. A talented craftsman could attempt a restoration on the composite bodywork, but the roof and rear quarter-panel are totally destroyed and the bodywork looks slightly warped throughout.

Aside from the interior and exterior, the remainder of the Coupe could probably be salvaged. The seller claims the running gear is in good condition, and the Ford 427 ci engine could probably live again after a rebuild. It’s tough to gauge the condition of that chassis though. The car looks straight enough, but there’s no doubt that parts of the chassis will have been exposed to the fire for several minutes.

It’s obvious from the seller’s other items that they deal extensively in salvaged vehicles, and this one does come with a non-repairable certificate. However, it seems that there are ways to convert a non-repairable certificate to a rebuilt title if a buyer should choose to do so. As a parts car, I’m not sure the Coupe makes sense at this price point. The seller wants $35,000 for the car, but that does not include the engine and transmission. For those, the seller wants an additional $15,000.

So does that mean the Coupe makes more sense to restore? I think there might be more merit to that idea from a financial standpoint, as an equivalent Coupe will run north of $100,000 new, but you should be ready to exercise your checkbook extensively on this one also.

Check out the listing here on eBay and let us know what you think.