eNCA News Visits Ferris Cars!
Nqobile Madlala from eNCA Drive chats with the Ferris Team to gain insights into the Ferrari market, buying a car with Bitcoin, and considerations for an investment in your dream car!
Month: May 2021
Ferris Wins Again!
Last Sunday, SEFAC (Ferrari Club of SA) held their annual show day at Emperors Palace.
The show was well attended by members from across the province, with cars entered into Concours and Show & Shine categories. This 246 Dino was prepared for the show by Vishal from R.A.D. (Resurrection Auto Detailing) and presented at the show by one of the partners of Ferris Cars.
It was the winner in it’s category:
Vehicles from 1949 to 1970 – Show & Shine.
Newsletter 19: HORSE PLAY!
This week we bring you another “First for Ferris” thing.
Never before have a Testarossa, a 512TR, and a 512M been photographed together in SA, and in true Ferris style, we decided to do it with the mother of all brand ambassadors, a Cavallino Rampante!
The Testarossa bloodline started with the 365 GT/4 BB, first released for sale in 1973 at the Paris Motor Show, followed in 1976 by the updated BB512, resurrecting the name of the earlier Ferrari 512 racer.
After the BB512, a further upgrade (mainly electronics) was introduced as the BB512i in 1981.
In 1984 the Berlinetta Boxer layout was totally revamped, restyled and reproduced in the guise of the Testarossa.
Built to compete with the Lamborghini Countach, the Testarossa was superior in performance, drivability, comfort, and reliability.
The Countach is the kind of car Darth Vader would drive whilst control the evil empire in Star Wars, if he could fit in it that is. The Testarossa, however, was the car Sonny Crocket drove whilst chasing down drug dealers in Miami Vice.
Which one was cooler?… If you are 12, your answer would be Darth, but your not, because you are all grown up now and you appreciate superior build quality, class, comfort, aerodynamics, and most of all… Air conditioning!
TESTAROSSA
The Testarossa was a car designed and built to cash in on an image, and since cashing in was what the Eighties were all about, it was the perfect vehicle for its time.
The Testarossa got a facelift and upgrade in the form of the 512TR in 1991.
512TR
The 512TR’s engine was extensively reworked. Nikasil liners were added, along with a new air intake system, Bosch engine management system, larger intake valves, and a revised exhaust system. In addition to the higher peak power, the modifications delivered a broader powerband for better acceleration.
512M
The final iteration in the Testarossa family was the 512M. Unlike the 512TR, the change was quite radicle. The front and rear lamps received a design change, the pop-up headlamps were replaced by two fixed square units, the rear tail lamps were round and the bumpers had been restyled to yield a more unified look. The car also featured a different front lid with twin NACA ducts.
The F512M’s interior received only a minor update from the 512TR. The gearshift knob had a chromed finish, the aluminum pedals were drilled, and air conditioning was now included as standard.
Pininfarina and Ferrari flags, a common sight on later Ferrari models, lined the dash board.
The Testarossa and its proceeding siblings were Ferrari’s boldest statements in the ’80s and ’90s, all of which are true collectibles now, and the chance to acquire a good one will surely be a solid investment going forward.
The Ferris Cars Grandprix Store Launch
Ferris Cars in proud partnership with the GrandPrix Store and Papachinos Broadacres is bringing you a day of Ferrari Fun for the whole familia!
- Ferrari Display
- GP Store Specials
- F1 Simulator
Great prizes up for grabs! Stand a chance to win:
- A drive in a Ferrari
- GP Store Hamper
- Papachinos Vouchers
Sunday 30 May 2021
11am – 4pm
Broadacres Shopping Centre
For more information: info@ferriscars.com
www.ferriscars.com
𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯
#ferriscars
#grandprix
#ferrari
#automotivepassion
Newsletter 18: AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!
This is a Millennium 7, a South African designed and built a kit car that defies all you know about kit cars. Whilst you may be forgiven for thinking it’s a Lotus 7, it’s not. Yes, okay it does look like a Lotus 7 and you could use terms like “A Tribute to,” “A Nod To,” etc…. but this is a completely different animal.
In true South African style, aeronautical engineers, Chris Carstens and Cobus van der Walt of SAA Technical, on the request of a friend, set out to design and build a bespoke track-focused, but road legal, vehicle.
They have produced numerous versions of this compact little missile, all of them made to client specs, all of them light, quick, and constructed with the finest materials, but none of them compare to the “Dragon Slayer.”
Of the 40 cars produced, this incarnation is, by far the most extreme produced to date.
The standard offering of the power unit was the 2.0-liter Ford Duratec coupled to a Ford Type 9 gearbox. The Dragon Slayer Millennium 7 has been fitted with a turbocharged version of the 1.6-liter Renesis rotary engine seen on the Mazda RX-8.
The “Slayer” is fitted with a carbon clutch, BMW E30 3-Series rear differential, driveshafts, brakes and callipers. The windscreen is toughened glass, set at a 55-degree rake, and the car has an overall weight of just 700kg’s (1543lbs), due to the space frame chassis, aluminium skin panels, and fibreglass body.
Millennium 7 were lucky enough to get Alistair Gibson, former South African-born chief mechanic for the Honda F1 program, so you know it’s had some serious eyes on design and production. Let’s consider the facts!
The car weighs in at about the same as a Venter trailer full of Castle Light, the build process was consulted on by a Formula 1 mechanic and, get this……… the motor puts out 700 horse-power (currently detuned to about 400).
This thing is insane! – Zero to 100 is about 5 minutes ago. At full tilt, your face will look like a bulldog chewing a wasp. This is the best fun you can have with your pants on!
There’s not even a handful of this version of the Millennium 7 in existence, so they rarely come on to the market,
but don’t despair………..
WE HAVE ONE FOR SALE!
MILLENNIUM 7 2016
677 km’s
OODLES OF FUN FOR
R 549 000.00
CONTACT PAUL: +27 82 851 3300
Guess the Ferrari Competition Winner
Congratulations to Monique who won the Ferris Kit Bag valued at R1500 in the Ferris Guess the Ferrari Competition!
Monique won after her father, Johan Van Niekerk, entered the competition on her behalf. He guessed all the Ferraris correctly and was the lucky winner in our draw.
On contacting Johan, he explained to us that he entered for Monique as she is the ultimate Ferrari Fan. Monique is an artist and applies her Ferrari paintings to clothing, such as the Ferrari 458 jacket she is wearing in the images below.
Together with Johan, we then decided to surprise her with the prize handover and a ride in a Ferrari 458 Spider!
Thank you to everyone who entered the competition and showed their support! It was a fantastic success!
Newsletter 17: FERRARI ICONS – DINO
In the mid-1960s, designer Sergio Pininfarina presented Enzo Ferrari with sketches he’d made of a small, swoopy, mid-engine sports car that he felt Enzo should build. Up to then, all Ferrari road cars were front-engined, but the automotive world was changing rapidly, most notably with the introduction of the Lamborghini Miura, the world’s first-ever mid-engined sports car. Enzo relented and agreed to build the car presented by Pininfarina, but only if it had a relatively small, less-powerful engine, Ferrari was afraid that his customers were not capable of handling a mid-engine car safely!
To power this car, Enzo chose a V-6 engine design that his son Alfredo (nickname Dino), had helped develop for racing. Alfredo had passed in 1956 from effects related to muscular dystrophy, but the engine he helped design had given Ferrari a Formula 1 world championship in 1958.
Enzo decreed the car would be called “Dino” in tribute to his late son and would bear no prancing horse, or the word Ferrari. Because Ferrari was required to mass-produce the engine for homologation and lacked the capacity to do so, he called on Fiat to cast and assemble the 2.0-liter V-6 in a partnership that saw Fiat able to produce its own front-engine Fiat Dino road cars.
Just 152 Dino 206 GT models were built before Ferrari decided to up the engine’s displacement to 2.4 liters, creating the 246 GT for the 1970 model year.
While the five-speed manual transmission was retained, there were many changes, including a switch to steel for most bodywork and the engine’s bottom end (a push towards cost and production efficiency), a small lengthening of the wheelbase for more stable handling, and the introduction, in 1972, of a GTS model with a removable Targa-style roof panel.
Hand assembly of all Dino’s was carried out by Ferrari in the Modena factory, on the same production lines as V-12 cars. The Dino has become iconic among Ferrari enthusiasts and collectors. Prices have risen dramatically over the years and good examples will always be a shrewd investment.
Specifications
Ferrari Dino 206 GT
• 0–60: 8.0 sec
• Top speed: 135 mph
• Power: 180 bhp
• Torque: 138 lb ft
• Weight: 1070 kg
• Cylinders: V6
• Engine capacity: 1987 cc
• Layout: Mid Engine
• Transmission: 5 x Manual
Ferrari Dino 246 GT
• 0–60: 7.1 sec
• Top speed: 143 mph
• Power: 195 bhp
• Torque: 166 lb ft
• Weight: 1070 kg
• Cylinders: V6
• Engine capacity: 2418 cc
• Layout: Mid Engine
• Transmission: 5 x Manual
Ferrari Dino 246 GTS
• 0–60 7.1 s
• Top speed 143 mph
• Power 195 bhp
• Torque 166 lb ft
• Weight 1100 kg
• Cylinders V6
• Engine capacity 2418 cc
• Layout Mid Engine
• Transmission 5 x Manual
FERRIS CARS IS PRIVILEGED TO BE ABLE TO OFFER THIS
1970 (L SERIES) FERRARI 246 DINO GT
Meticulously cared for, this matching numbers car is a fine example of this iconic mid-engine collectible.
P.O.A.
Newsletter 16: FERRARI, STILL THE MOST SUCCESSFUL FORMULA 1 TEAM!
Despite the recent domination of Formula 1 by the Mercedes F1 team and prior to that Red Bull, Ferrari is still the most successful team in F1 history.
Ferrari is the only team to have competed in every Grand Prix since it’s inception in 1950.
In a conversation about Ferrari, both road and track, it is difficult for the hairs on the back of the neck not to stand up, never mind the goosebumps.
Such names as Michael Schumacher, Phil Hill, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jean Alesi, Nikki Lauda, Gilles Villeneuve, John Surtees, and of course our very own Jody Scheckter, evoke passion and emotion, something that Ferrari was built on by its illustrious founder Enzo back in 1929 when, still under contract to Alfa Romeo, he formed Scuderia Ferrari.
Although Enzo designed and built his first racing car in 1937, it was whilst under contract with Alfa Romeo. It was only once his contractual obligations ended in 1939, that he was able to establish his own company, Ferrari SpA, however, due to the war effort, he was only able to start producing racing cars from 1946.
Since then Ferrari has been responsible for building some of the greatest machines ever to compete in motorsport, for creating some of the most memorable moments ever seen in motorsport, and for elevating some of the finest drivers to a level of stardom usually reserved for movie stars.
Ferrari’s history is not without its sadness however, many lives have been lost in the pursuit of motoring excellence, but despite this, Ferrari has always been the team that everyone wants to drive for.
No other racing team or car manufacturer conjures up the same poignant, fervent, and sometimes obsessive feelings as Ferrari.
Their past is indelibly etched in the history books, and the adoration of many grows stronger as time passes.
Here’s how Ferrari stacks up to the top five successful F1 teams:
1. Ferrari – 16 Constructors’ titles, 15 Driver titles: Constructors’ wins: 1961, 1964, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008. Drivers’ wins: 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007.
2. Williams – 9 Constructors’ titles, 7 Driver titles: Constructors’ wins: 1980, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997. Drivers’ wins: 1980, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997.
3. McLaren – 8 Constructors’ titles, 12 Driver titles: Constructors’ wins: 1974, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998. Drivers’ wins: 1974, 1976, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2008.
4. Mercedes – 7 Constructors’ titles, 9 Driver titles: Constructors’ wins: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020. Drivers’ wins: 1954, 1955, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020.
5. Lotus – 7 Constructors’ titles, 6 Driver titles: Constructors’ wins: 1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1978. Drivers’ wins: 1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1978.
Ferrari fans, collectively known as “The Tifosi,” are passionate about their team, win or lose, the Tifosi are steadfast in their support and adoration of the Scuderia.
Ferrari is a religion in Italy, speaking of which, when Enzo Ferrari had an audience with the Pope, Enzo was not well enough to travel to Rome, so the pontiff went to Enzo! Such was the magnitude, influence, and reputation of the great man and what he has built.
Anyone who owns a Ferrari, supports the team, or collects memorabilia will tell you it is an illness, an indefinable “thing” that draws you in, almost like a drug, once you have tasted it, you want more. It is no wonder that Ferrari ended up being the Most Successful Formula 1 Team.
Become part of the Tifosi, show your passion and get your fix!
Visit the Grand Prix Store at Ferris!
In addition to the great offerings in the GP Store, Ferris have produced a range of kit bags, in canvas or leather, as tributes to some of the legendary names in motorsport such as, Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, etc.
