Using chassis as a base for something else?

[_Cosmos_]

A purely hypothetical question, but I was watching a video yesterday that showed a lovely restored Chimaera chassis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqkRa646MoU) and it got me thinking whether there was any reason why someone couldn't use this as a tried and tested platform to then just design and have made a custom body to sit on top?

I take it that cost would probably be the major reason, and also because its obviously a strange idea, but if you really wanted to could this be done? And if so, are there any examples of this that have a good end result? Or am I just describing what a kit car is?

[Scrump]

Has been done before:

[spitfire4v8]

The chassis in that was galvanised .. I know because I drilled every blinking hole in those tubes before it was done ... in the top gear episode you can see the holes in the chassis tubes for a brief moment.

[s p a c e m a n]

It's been done a few times..

https://youtu.be/Xxzs73A4mZI?si=U9PEt9dEvu2w8mxd

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

I'm sure that there's more of them but my memory is struggling at the mo...

[ARHarh]

Plenty of people do this sort of thing, always have done.

Check out the history of Colin Chapman.

[TwinKam]

This thread sprang to mind:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Gets relevant from the point that 'TVRFlying9' buys the unfinished project.

Edited by TwinKam on Friday 26th July 14:43

[_Cosmos_]

Thanks all, how interesting to read about all of these things (and people) you've mentioned.

From that thread linked above I discovered the Formosa 120 GR (there are some pictures on page 4) which is the exact kind of thing I was thinking about. It reminds me of the Maserati 450S; they've done an incredible job with the styling and it seems like a really sensible way to create a very nice end result.

[porterpainter]

My favourite is the Ferrari 250 GTO based on a TVR Tuscan

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...