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Ed asked me to post a picture of my Jovi, a Mercedes SL600 reproduction. I LOVED this car!
Built on a 1991 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible.
The car was my daily driver for a bunch of years.
PMOSSBERG 40623.9991087963 Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Great looking car Paul. How long did you have it? How did it handle?
Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The ShackI had the car from about mid-1993 to about 2000. Sad, I really should remember exact dates. I do know my daughter was still on baby food when I bought it.
We were in Florida. We had run out of milk for Lauren. I ran out to some convenience store and while I waited for the clerk I grabbed a Want Ad Press. Flipping through it…there was the Jovi. I bought it a month later, flew down to Florida to pick it up and took AmTrak’s AutoTrain home.
It’s a front wheel drive Chrysler, but…
With the steel skin replaced by fiberglass the cars loses hundreds of pounds. The wheels are stock Mercedes rims (plus two over the stock LeBaron rims), and there are spacers at each corner that widen the track about four inches front and rear. Suspension is otherwise stock. With the weight loss, the “plus” wheels/tires and wider track, it handled pretty well and rode great.
V6, power top, factory air in a “kit car”.
The wheels, lights (front and rear), grill and all trim pieces are stock Mercedes. And since all kit cars are required to have some VW content, the door handles are off a VW Jetta.
As you might imagine, I have some great “what is that?” stories, but they’ll have to wait for another time.
PMOSSBERG40624.4777314815
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Jovi also produced an SL rebody using Mustang donor cars:
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Comparison shot…
A LeBaron based Jovi is on the left, an original SL on the right. Pretty darn close, if you ignore the fact that the Jovi will seat four people (and there is a story there that I will share later)!
PMOSSBERG40624.4758217593
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
To tell you the truth, I like the looks of the car on the left (Jovi) better than the original. The stance seems better and the grill section below the bumper looks better. That’s my stoty and I’m sticking to it.
Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The Shacklooks like only the mirrors and the number of grill slats is different. Very close match. But what about the interior? There’s the difference….
take it, Paul
Actually….just a different model.
Notice the chrome vs blackout grill. The Jovi used an original Mercedes grill with no modifications.
The lower bumper valance on the Jovi is molded off an AMG air dam. The Mercedes in the comparison photo is a stock Mercedes valance.
My LeBaron interior was stock Chrysler. Although that meant full leather, power seats, six speaker sound system. And a back seat that the original does not have.
The only Chrysler markings were a small Mopar pentastar on the steering wheel airbag and Chrysler on the stereo face plate.
And the steering wheel has a great story…to be told later.
PMOSSBERG40624.8833101852
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
After the merger, I once let someone believe the car was a prototype that had looked at merging Chrysler and Mercedes design and technology.
One of those “know it all types”. It was cruel, but it was fun letting him think he did indeed know it “ALL”.
PMOSSBERG40624.9220949074Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
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