Newsletter 37: 355 ….. THE PERFECT FERRARI?

By Dee Munro2021-11-22Comments Off

The Ferrari V8 is one of the worlds most iconic inventions.
Shoehorn it into a 355 Berlinetta, the quintessential Ferrari shape, strap on a manual gearbox, the only gearbox to have….in any car, bolt a Capristo exhaust on, and you end up with what can only be described as Automotive Pornography!

The 355 was sold from 1995 to 1999, and it was offered in three body styles. There was the convertible (spider), which a lot of people didn’t like, mainly because it spoilt the cars lines with the top up. There was also a Targa model, the GTS which was an odd in-between compromise between a convertible and a coupe. And then there was the 355 Belinetta, the coupe version, which, for many, is the most beautiful regular production road car Ferrari has ever built.
There’s no bad line on this car, no awkward angle. It came at a time when Ferrari was trying to leave behind the dated wedge shape of the 1980’s, and before they went with the rounder less aggressive look of the 2000’s. For a brief period, they got things just perfect.

Another reason that makes the 355 so great, is the manual transmission version.
Newer Ferrari’s with paddles might be faster, but nothing will ever take the place of manually shifting gears in a bright silver gate.
1997 was the last year that the manual transmission was mandatory. Beginning in ’98 Ferrari introduced the F1 style automatic paddle gearbox, which in the 355, was well……. Questionable. A bit slow, a bit jerky, a bit lurchy, but being as it was Ferrari’s first attempt at a production paddle shift box, it wasn’t too bad.

Now one of the most obvious quirks comes right away when you’re trying to get inside, because how do you enter a car with no visible door handle? Well you see, Ferrari trying to make this thing as beautiful and as perfect as possible, actually hid the door handle inside the 90’s style side strake. Interestingly, designers must have finished up on a Friday afternoon, because they couldn’t be bothered to hide the keyhole, instead they just stuck it on the door, in plain sight, for everyone to see.
Now once you get into the 355, you’ll notice two things simultaneously, that will be minimalism, and maximalism. The basic interior design is pretty minimalist. There’s no fancy screens or modern gadgets, even the gauges are just simple gauges, not on a screen with all sorts of readout’s.
As for maximalism, well, instead of modern gadgets and gizmos, Ferrari did what they thought their customers would appreciate; – they put leather on everything, everywhere, all over!
Obviously the seats are leather, and the dashboard is leather, and the door panels are leather too, but it doesn’t even come close to stopping there! The parking brake boot is stitched leather, and so is the little tray beneath the parking brake. The centre tunnel is completely covered in leather, except for the plastic parts that well……. just can’t be.
They even put leather behind the seats where no human, except maybe a two-foot contortionist midget, would ever possibly look.
The sun visor is of course finished in leather, and when you turn it over, you’ll find a surprisingly handy little pouch …… covered in leather!

Interestingly, the 355 has a sport mode. It’s a little toggle switch located in the centre console. Push it and it firms up the suspension for a sportier ride. Of course, this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why would an exotic Ferrari need a sport mode … isn’t the whole thing a sport mode?!?
So, the 355 is a beautiful car, in the best body style, with the best colours, with the best transmission, and with a few little quirks, that you really need on an Italian car. This is a true Ferrari! The perfect Ferrari! And we haven’t even gotten to the best part …………. driving it.
While the latest Ferrari has 48 trillion horsepower and does 0 to 60 microscopically faster than the one that came before it; the F355’s 3.5 litre V8 only made 375 horsepower and it did 0 to 60 in around 5 seconds, it’s more of a sports car than an exotic supercar, so how does that translate to the road.
This car comes from a different era of exotic cars, – today, they try to make cars useable, comfortable and drivable, – the thing with the 355 was, just make it fun and to hell with the girly kak!

The 355 makes one of the most beautiful sounds of any car ever made, in the history of cars, ever, on the planet, of all time!
The main reason the 355 is so special is simply this, it isn’t overpowered, it’s not too much to handle, it’s a car that you can bomb down back roads with, and just enjoy and have a blast.
It’s not slow by any stretch, but interestingly, it isn’t incredibly fast, it’s in that perfect band, that you wish all cars could be in. That’s what makes it an absolute joy to drive. The 355 has so much more of a go-cart feel than a modern Ferrari, it even has more of a go-cart feel than the 360 which came next.
The clutch is easy to operate, anybody can drive this car.
Ferrari made the switch from old-school to modern exotic, when this car left and the 360 showed up. But more and more people are having an appreciation for these older exotics.
There is nothing more exciting than a gated shifter, It’s a shame everybody didn’t do it, seems nobody wants to do it anymore. – Man, that gear change! – Oh, that clink between the gears is intoxicating.
Once you get a gated shifter, you get it, and it feels so good to slot that gear into that gate, it’s just the most perfect feeling you’ll ever have!

Now for people who want to drive a really fast car, and want to mash the throttle at the robots, and be faster than everybody else on the road, this ain’t the car, – this is the car for people like who like to go on a Sunday morning and burn up some great back-roads, really use the whole engine, and really be able to down shift a gear and ring it out and hear it and feel it, – that is what this car is all about, and it may have been the last Ferrari that was really like that.
The truth is the F355 is the quintessential Ferrari experience, it is everything you’ll ever want in a sports car, it’s beautiful, has perfect body lines, a manual is the right transmission, it’s quirky and cool, and it’s amazing on the road, without being unusably fast, it is just the perfect Ferrari!

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Newsletter 36: MODELS …. NO, NOT THE ONES WITH BOOBS!

By Dee Munro2021-11-15Comments Off

All of us have a few Ferrari model cars in our lives. It might be one on your office desk, one or two in your garage or a couple dotted around the house.
Some of us have larger collections, I personally have about 2000 1:18 scale Ferrari models in my garage and I know people who have 4 or 5 times that. But here’s a piece about a guy called Milan Paulus from the Czech Republic,
who has so far amassed a collection of 57 models, and his goal is to reach 107 (the number of F1 cars made by Ferrari).
Not very impressive you might think, until you hear that each one is made by hand …………… OUT OF PAPER!!
Yep, you read correctly, paper, you know, the stuff we write on, wrap our fish and chips in, and when caught short, wipe our arses on ……. Paper!

The passion for Ferrari knows no boundaries and sometimes manifests itself in the most unusual forms.
Recreating models of Ferraris with paper is something frankly, hard to believe.
Milan Paulus is a Niki Lauda fan.
After the horrific accident of the Austrian at the Nurburgring, he decided to celebrate the qualities of Ferrari, the car that, due to its construction, likely saved the life of his beloved champion.
Malan decided to channel his passion for the Red into making paper models, all in 1:6 scale, whose perfection of detail and correspondence to the originals are truly amazing.

The dream of this wonderful craftsman is to sell his collection to Ferrari. Milan has specialised in Ferrari F1 paper models since 2008.
As of now, 57 are completed. His goal is to make all Ferrari F1 cars made. He is one of those Formula 1 enthusiasts who create amazing things without receiving broad recognition.

Paper models start with cut-out prints and building them is all about being precise and having sharp edges, clean seams, well defined shapes and coloring.
Malan says, “After a while, classic paper modeling became unfulfilling for me, not challenging enough. Without intending to offend paper model-makers, no matter how good you are, assembling cut-outs only means taking another step in a process that was already started by someone else.”
He adds, “There is no responsibility or humility in that, and it does not require much time. I need to spend hours in front of the computer, looking for resources, documents, photographs… then I need to draw the blueprints, take exact measurements… it requires a lot more effort. Much different from classic paper modelling.”

Q. So the only material you use is paper… including the spiked wheels and tyres?
M.P. It is 90% paper. The rest is other materials like cables, wires, toothpicks. The wheels are paper but the spikes I make from fishing line.

Q. How do you make the really sharply curved parts and tyre treads… is it pressed into a mold?
M.P. Rounded shapes are definitely the hardest, but there is no moulding. Everything is folded paper, glue, putty, scraping, grating, more fillers, rasp, sand, polish… over and over until I am satisfied. As for the treads, I first draw them on and then burn them out using a soldering iron.

Q. How do you determine the exact size of wings, cockpit, and so forth?
M.P. Well, I have plenty of resources in regard to that… more than I need. In addition, any specific dimension could be easily calculated from pictures that contain another component of known size.

Q. Why the 1:6 scale? It is not exactly traditional?
M.P. I started with classic scales, then experimented with 1:10, 1:8 and even 1:3… but that was way too big! Nine years ago I settled at 1:6, and worked with that ever since.

Q. Your goal is to build all the Ferrari F1 cars ever produced. Each model takes nearly 300 hours to complete, so that amounts to a pretty ambitious project!
M.P. There are going to be over a hundred and right now I am working on no 58. I spend at least 3-4 hours every day doing this… I don’t go out for a beer with my buddies, and vacations do not exist for me anymore either. Which makes me a fool, I suppose? I will sell the entire collection once it is complete.

MALAN PAULUS
A truly remarkable craftsman with an unrelenting passion for what he does.
If you’d like to see his video click HERE.

Read all about Formula 1 in 2022 here.

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Newsletter 35: FORMULA 1 CARS ARE FASTER, BUT WORSE !

By Dee Munro2021-11-08Comments Off

Formula 1 cars have got absolutely enormous.
Since the start of F1, they’ve grown and grown, with them now being both longer and wider than a Ford F150 pickup truck, and this has to be a bad thing, the cars may be quicker now – but they don’t look nearly as fast as they used to. So, why have they got so big and, is there still hope for smaller Formula 1 cars in the future?

First, let’s cover why does it actually matter that these cars are getting bigger and heavier? They are the fastest racing cars out there, lap times are faster than they have ever been, and, quite rightly, pushing the envelope of what is physically possible.
From the outside, the speed is absolutely astonishing, but from onboard, the cars don’t look like they are going any faster than say, a GT3 car.
larger cars make it more difficult to pass. A wider car fills more of the track, making it easier to defend. In MotoGP, for example, they have to defend by just being faster, you can’t block very much of the track, consequently, there is a lot of overtaking.
In the current Formula 1 scenario, there are some tracks with very few places, e.g.; Monaco (below), where you can actually fit two cars side by side.
But, at the risk of venturing into, ‘it was better in the good ol’ days,’ territory, let’s dive into the reasoning.

WIDTH

The width of the cars has gone up and down over the years, but from 1997, the width was reduced from 2m to 1.8 meters, as part of a collection of rules targeted at slowing the cars down in the interest of safety.
It did a pretty good job, cars were slowed significantly, and this was for a number of reasons.
A narrower car means a narrower chassis with less space, so a lot of the components needed to be mounted higher, and typically this raises the centre of gravity.
It brings the tyres closer to the car, and therefore the tyre wake with it, this means there is more dirty air disrupting the floor and the downforce generation on the rear of the car.
So the cars got shorter to allow for better balance in the corners, a side effect is that they were very light, around 600 kilograms, and this meant that they were really agile and, due to the comparatively unrefined suspension, they looked alive and resulted in smaller Formula 1 cars.
The narrower cars stayed around until 2017, when they returned to 2 meters to try and add more drama to the sport.

LENGTH

The biggest difference between the cars of today and the 90s, is the length. The cars are nearly a meter longer now. The length has been rising enormously since 2017. Turns out, the reasoning behind this is pretty clear.

Whilst the regulations don’t directly control the length of the cars, there are regulations on the maximum overhangs, front and the rear. Maximizing this allows them to create larger wings that are further away from the wheels, increasing the effect of the downforce on tyre grip, but the wheelbase is actually unrestricted.
The increase in length is mainly down to the turbo hybrid engines that were introduced in 2014. They come with far more baggage than before, like batteries, regen systems, an electric motor, 110 kilograms of fuel, larger safety cell and lots more telemetry and cameras, etc.
All of this has to go in somewhere.
Trying to fit all this into a shell from the 90’s would be absolutely impossible.

Mercedes have adopted the longest wheelbase for aero reasons.
The longer the wheelbase, the more aerodynamic surface you have, which makes an enormous difference. It also means they can run less rake, which in turn means the rear isn’t as high and there’s less drag on the car. It also typically lowers the centre of gravity, so you can place components lower, improving cornering ability in the faster corners.
It’s not all good news though! The longer the wheelbase, the less agile the car is. This is why the Red Bull is normally faster than the Mercedes through the slower corners. The shorter wheelbase, higher rake design, allows for cars to be much better on turning, and rotate better through the slower corners.
With the addition of hybrid systems, additional safety and removal of in-race refuelling, the FIA have had to increase the minimum weight of the cars in order to keep safety a priority. Subsequently, with strict limits on width, the cars have naturally got longer.
It must be said however, that the cars are longer, wider and heavier, because the rules have pushed them in that direction.

2 Ferraris aiming for smaller Formula 1 cars

The real question is, could they actually fix it?
Obviously they can’t magically shrink the car to less than it is now whilst keeping all of the additional safety, the hybrid and everything else that comes with these new cars.
The Le Mans hyper cars, Indy cars and some of the lower formulae seem to have managed to run shorter cars with the same components as F1.
So, it stands to reason, if the regulations were to force the move to smaller cars, the teams would manage it.
And the good news……….. they are!
The 2022 Formula 1 regulations are mandating a maximum overall length of 5.63 meters, and a maximum wheelbase of 3.6 meters. Admittedly this is only a hundred millimetre reduction from the length of most of the current cars, and actually no reduction for the current Ferrari, but it is a step in the right direction.

2022 Ferrari wish for smaller Formula 1 cars

Wouldn’t it be fantastic If this is what next year’s car looks like!

These new 2022 regulations look really exciting, – promising smaller Formula 1 cars, simpler aero and much better overtaking.
The even better news for us as Ferrari fans, is they already have a car that complies with the new size regulations, so logic would dictate, we have an edge! All Ferrari need to do is up the power, and with Merc and Red Bull having to compromise their current layouts, we should be in with a shot next year!
Here’s hoping!!!

2022 FIA concepts smaller Formula 1 cars

Read our follow up newsletter Formula 1 in 2022.

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Newsletter 34: BY THE NUMBERS: THE STATE OF THE FERRARI MARKET

By Dee Munro2021-11-02Comments Off

There are collector cars, and then there are Ferraris. The cars that Enzo built are in many respects a market unto themselves, coveted by the ultra-rich for their beauty, performance, and the very status they confer. Ferrari can claim the world’s most valuable car, the 250 GTO – and has at times dominated the international auction scene as thoroughly as it dominated Formula 1 in the Michael Schumacher era.
Yet even at these lofty heights, Ferraris are not immune to the factors affecting other enthusiast vehicles. As we wind down 2021, some notable numbers from the Ferrari market this year show how they are and aren’t just like any other cars.

$10,840,000

The sale price of the only Ferrari to sell at auction for eight figures this year, which is the 1959 Ferrari 250 California LWB Spider, sold by Gooding & Company at Pebble Beach. The lone eight-figure Ferrari sale is down from the record eight sold in 2015, but none sold for more than $10 million in 2019 or in 2020.

40/41

The share of Boomers (1946–1964) versus Gen X (1965–1981) who have called us for insurance quotes on Ferraris since the beginning of 2020.
That represents a huge surge in interest from Gen Xers, who are gradually supplanting their older siblings as the prime movers in the classic car market.
Note, however, that quotes are different than policies – the former represents interest, the latter ownership. Policies show that Boomers still have the majority of the cars, with a 53/33 split.

24

The average premium for which $1 million-plus Ferraris sold at auction this year relative to their condition-appropriate value in the Hagerty Price Guide.
Most of the sparks in the pandemic-era classic-car market have been in the more attainable, more modern segments – think Nissan Skyline GT-Rs and the like.
We’ve even wondered whether the ultra rich are sitting out the latest surge in the classic car market.
The fact that million-dollar Ferraris are seeing such active bidding indicates top collectors are indeed joining the Ferrari market frenzy.

18

As Ferrari values have risen, we’ve seen appreciation for ever-more-recent models, most dramatically the 1987–92 F40, but also for much newer cars like (stick-shift) 1996–2006 575 Maranellos.
It thus bears mentioning that Ferraris do depreciate.
The typical three-year percentage depreciation for a 488 Spider from new – 18 percent – is less than that of competitors like the V-12-powered Aston Martin DB11 Volante (21 percent) but more than that of the Ferrari Portofino (9 percent) and Lamborghini Huraca n Spyder (15 percent).

13

The percentage of people calling us for policy quotes on Ferraris who are inquiring about a 2010–16 Ferrari 458. That makes it the most popular Ferrari, followed by the 488, with 11 percent, and the F430, with 10 percent.
The most popular Enzo-era car is the Dino 246, at 1 percent of our quotes. This largely reflects how much Ferrari has scaled up production in recent years.

73

The average percentage premium in the Hagerty Price Guide for an open-gate transmission when compared to its F1-equipped equivalent. The average includes the F355, 360 Modena, F430, 612 Scaglietti, 575M Maranello, and 599 GTB.
With Ferrari continuing to expand into new product lines and likely expand into electric vehicles, demand will remain strong for the models that built Ferrari into the most sought-after car maker in the world today.
The generational shift from Boomers to Gen Xers is happening with this generation representing the largest share of quotes. However, with the Gen X share of quotes for Enzo-era cars only about a quarter, the demand for vintage cars is uncertain.

Courtesy of HAGERTY/JohnWiley

https://www.hagerty.com/media/market-trends/hagerty-insider/the-state-of-the-ferrari-market/

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Newsletter 33: THE CAR THAT SHOCKED FERRARI

By Dee Munro2021-10-11Comments Off

This week I thought we would take a trip down memory lane and have a look at the F2004, what with the new Formula 1 rules set to impact next year’s championship, we ask the question, “Can Ferrari return to the winning form of the ‘Schumi’ era.”

Image Credit: Lorenzo Benetton Art Collections – lorenzo -benetton.pixels.com

Ferrari’s F2003 GA often gets forgotten among the great cars Michael Schumacher drove while dominating Formula One in the early 2000s.
Sitting between the dominant 2002 and 2004 cars, the O3 machine made heavy weather of a title fight that boiled down to a showdown with the McLaren of Kimi Raikkonen, which was effectively a year old car.
That served as a wake-up call to Ferrari, and the following years F2004 was one of the greatest F1 cars of all time; but when it first hit the track, even Ferrari couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

After shaking the car down at Fiorano, Ferrari took the F2004 to Imola where it could be tested back to back against it’s predecessor. The team simulations, admittedly not as sophisticated as they are today, suggested the new car should be half a second faster, but Schumacher was already lapping 2 seconds quicker.
Rather than patting themselves on the back for the car being so fast, Ferraris engineers were convinced something was wrong.
The first assumption was that the car was under weight, presumably because the mechanics had forgotten to put the ballast in.
Once that was ruled out, Ferrari began a 12-hour investigation into what could possibly have gone wrong to cause such a big gap between the two cars. – While this was going on, a beaming Schumacher was insistent that the pace was real and the F2004 was just that good!

More back-to-back tests with the 2003 car were arranged for the following day, as Ferrari tried to outsmart itself to work out what was going on. But all those tests showed was that on long runs, the car was even better.
When Rubens Barrichello tested the car for the first time at Mugello, Ferrari remained convinced something must be up. The Brazilian remembers the team even wondering if there was a problem with the timing equipment, – but like Schumacher, he knew the speed was real. He says the F2004 was the only car that ever allowed him to take the Mugello’s fearsome Arrabiata corners flat-out.

So what made the F2004 so great? – Rob Smedley who was head of test engineering at the time, believes it was the first car designed around modern era F1 engineering, using new wind tunnel techniques, with Ferrari focusing on one particular area of the corner where it wanted to extract the most performance.
Designer Rory Byrne is credited with being a superb big-picture thinker, – he was good at identifying the areas worth the most effort, while being willing to spend less time on other parts of the car.
Aldo Costa who went on to enjoy phenomenal success with Mercedes in recent years, was tasked with focusing on the finer details of Byrne’s ideas.
The focus of the 2004 design was to lower the centre of gravity and improve weight distribution, and the bodywork, radiators and exhaust were redesigned to improve air flow to the rear of the car.
Costa believes the F2004 was the result of a big effort from Ferrari to understand more about tyre behaviour, working on suspension, car set-up, aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics, to get the most out of the tyres.

By this point Ferrari was the only top team still running Bridgestone tyres, and it forged a formidable relationship with the Japanese company.
Ferrari pushed for Bridgestone to constantly evolve its tyres to suit the team’s needs, and to deliver changes quicker than it had in the past.
With only Sauber, plus back markers Jordan and Minardi, also running Bridgestone’s, Ferrari effectively became the company’s sole focus.

Once it knew the F2004’s pace was real, Ferrari could have rested on its laurels, and some members of the team at the time, admit that was discussed. But under the leadership of Jean Todt, total domination was demanded.
Smedley recalls team members hanging their heads in shame in front of Todt on a Monday morning at Maranello, after Ferrari came home from a Grand Prix with something other than a one-two, even though both championships had already been wrapped up by the team, before the season end.

Ferrari’s cause that year was helped by its two biggest rivals from 2003, McLaren and Williams, dropping the ball with their radical designs for ’04, and it was only once the championship fight was over, that those two teams had reworked their cars and turned them into race winners.
The Ferrari Schumacher bubble burst the following year, with rule changes for 2005 banning in-race tyre changes. Ferrari and Bridgestone were caught out by the move, which Ross Brawn believes to this day, was designed to bring an end to their success.
Ferrari didn’t win a proper race all season, with Schumacher winning the embarrassing six car US GP, as Fernando Alonso and Renault brought an end to Ferrari’s five years of, up to then, unprecedented dominance.

With the new rule changes for 2022, we can only hope that the Scuderia will return to the winning ways of the “Dream Team” era.
All will be revealed in the new season.
In the meantime, with all development switched to the new car, we can only hope that Charles and Carlos can capitalise on all the opportunities that might come their way for the rest of this season.

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Newsletter 32: THE FORGOTTEN FERRARIS

By Dee Munro2021-10-04Comments Off

Some will say that there has never been an ugly Ferrari.
It’s true, Ferrari are renowned for making exquisite works of art that function as automobiles; the beautiful lines of the Dino 246, the astonishingly fetching 250 California, 250 GTO and Lusso, the striking wedge shape of the Testarossa, the low, wide and quintessentially shaped 355, the list goes on and on and on.
But even Ferrari can have a “bad day” in the design office, resulting in the forgotten Ferraris.
It seems as if some of the following cars may have been designed by someone suffering from a severe babalaas, or had just had some seriously good (or bad) weed, or both……
Beauty is undoubtedly in the eye of the beholder!

FERRARI 408 4RM

According to many aficionados, this forgotten car is the first four-wheel-drive Ferrari ever made.
Only two prototypes were ever produced.
The vehicle had a variety of problems on the inside, followed up by a bizarre look on the outside.
These days the vehicle is only used for display purposes. One can be found at the Galleria Ferrari, in Maranello. It wasn’t to be the end for four-wheel innovation however, Ferrari would resurrect the concept in 2011, with the FF.

FERRARI 365 “HARRAH HOT ROD”

Front and rear of the forgotten ferraris 365

This 1970s Ferrari doesn’t look like the classic Italian luxury car, however, you might think it is really cool……. If you’re 12 or looking for a sporty hearse.
Nonetheless, it certainly catered to the psychedelic 70s.
Based on the 365 Daytona, this version was nicknamed, “Harrah Hot Rod”.
In the late 90s one example sold for just under $700,000 at an auction. That’s a cheap price point when assessing the rareness of such a car.
If you could find one for sale, you could expect to pay in excess of £1 million today.
Now despite the fact that it’s known as a forgotten Ferrari, the company still produced over 1,000 units.
That’s a lot more than most Ferrari enthusiasts would have expected.

FERRARI TESTA D’ORO

The Testa D’Oro might be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Thankfully, only one was produced.
Despite the awful design, the goal was to make this vehicle among the fastest Ferrari rides ever. Instead, designer Luigi Colani built a forgotten Ferrari model most do not recall.
The modified version produced a sizzling 700 horsepower.
For those curious, the car has a worth of just under £2 million these days.
Not bad for a car that looks like it was built in 2050.

FERRARI 166 MM/212

Front and side photo's of a forgotten Ferrari 166

Better known as the “egg shaped” Ferrari, this is one of the lesser-known models dating way back to the 1950s. It isn’t a prototypical Ferrari look, that’s for sure, however, it’s a unique concept and one that shouldn’t belong to the forgotten Ferraris.
This particular example sold for $4.5 million at a Pebble Beach Auction.
Ferrari collectors might consider this a steal.
Created by Franco Reggiani, the car remains in remarkable condition, having once raced competitively.
In the mid-80s the vehicle was completely restored and now resides in a private collection.
It’s one of the better Ferrari’s car enthusiasts might have forgotten about.

FERRARI 512S BERLINETTA SPECIALE

Two side view photo's of the Ferrari 512 which is one of the forgotten ferraris

No need to rub your eyes. Yes, feast those eyeballs on this rare Speciale.
A vehicle so good that employees of Ferrari actually needed to roll it out for the public to see… without an engine, the goal was to showcase the stunning exterior, and nothing else.
Created in 1969, only one version of the car was ever created. Perhaps the car would not have become one of the forgotten Ferraris, had Ferrari given it an engine and produced a few units.
Based on, and with styling cues from the P3, the 512S never actually made it to the production line……….Shame!

As much as all of the above Ferrari’s are forgotten, we explore one that certainly is not in Newsletter 39.

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Newsletter 31: THE ALFA CONNECTION!

By Dee Munro2021-09-28Comments Off

Enzo Ferrari famously raced for Alfa, as a driver, from 1920 to 1932.
Ferrari won his first Grand Prix in 1923 in Ravenna on the Savio Circuit.
Deeply shocked by the death of Ugo Sivocci in 1923 and Antonio Ascari in 1925, Ferrari, by his own admissions, continued to race half-heartedly. At the same time, he developed a taste for the organisational aspects of Grand Prix racing. Following the birth of his son Alfredo (Dino), Ferrari decided to retire and focus instead on the management and development of the factory Alfa race cars, eventually building up a race team of superstar drivers, including Giuseppe Campari and Tazio Nuvolari. This team was called Scuderia Ferrari (founded by Enzo in 1929) and acted as the racing division for Alfa Romeo, cementing the Alfa Connection. The team was very successful, thanks to the excellent cars, for example, the Alfa Romeo P3, and the talented drivers, like Nuvolari.
When Ferrari retired from competitive driving, he had participated in 41 Grands Prix with a record of 11 wins.
The Alfa legacy, much like the Ferrari one, can undoubtedly be attributed to Enzo’s involvement.

2000 GTV

The Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV (Veloce) was introduced in 1971 and production ran until 1977. The 2000 was the replacement for the 1750.
The basic body shape was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Bertone. It was one of his first major projects for Bertone, and borrowed heavily from his earlier design of the 2000 Sprint/2600 Sprint. The balance of glass and metal, the influence of the shape of the front and rear glass cabin glass, and the flat grille with incorporated headlamps were ground-breaking styling features for the era.
The engine was standardised throughout the range, with displacement of 1962 cc with a bore and stroke to 84 mm × 88.5 mm.
The engine produced 130 hp at 5500 rpm. SPICA fuel injection was fitted to cars destined for the United States and Canada, whilst carburettors were retained for all other markets, both systems produced the same power.
The interior trim was changed, with the most notable differences being the introduction of a separate instrument cluster, instead of the gauges installed in the dash panel, as in earlier cars. Externally the 2000 GTV is most easily distinguished by a grille with horizontal chrome bars, featuring protruding blocks, forming the familiar Alfa heart in outline, and smaller hubcaps with exposed wheel nuts.
Optional aluminum alloy wheels styled to the “turbina” design first seen on the Montreal.
“Turbina” refers to the wheel’s resemblance to a jet engine inlet.

The last GTV model was delivered in early 1975.
37,459 units were made before European production ended, though it continued until 1977 in South Africa at the Rosslyn assembly plant, with a further 25 being produced, all were right hand drive.
Ferris Cars is delighted to be able to offer this exceptional example of the Alfa connection.
Built in South Africa in 1974, this car is in exquisite condition.
Apart from a respray, in the original colour, twenty five years ago, the car is totally original.
Multiple Concours winner, recently “Overall Winner” at the 2021 Alfa Concours.
The car comes with the original bill of sale, original car cover, books and spare keys.
This is, without question, the finest example in South Africa.
Comparative cost in the UK, would be between £55,000 and £65,000.
This car is extremely well priced at
R749,990

For more information on this vehicle click here.

Image Source: https://www.classicargarage.com

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Newsletter 30: FERRARI CALIFORNIA – NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE!

By Dominique Munro2021-09-20Comments Off

When originally unveiled in 2008, the California was powered by a front-mid mounted, rear-wheel drive, naturally aspirated 4.3-litre V8. In 2012 a lighter, slightly more powerful variant, the California 30 was introduced, and in 2014 Ferrari announced the second generation of the model, named California T, powered by a new twin-turbo 3.9-litre V8.

The car revived the name used on the late 1950s Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder and the 1960s 365 California. The modern California was originally introduced as an entry-level model, however, it included many new design innovations from Ferrari. The original base price of the California was similar to the base price of the F430, the company’s V8 flagship sports car at the time of its introduction.

In 2018, the California was succeeded by the Portofino.

The California represented a radical new design by Pininfarina S.p.A. and primarily intended to attract new Ferrari owners. The car’s grand touring personality was emphasized with a slightly higher ride height compared to its more aggressive siblings.

The chassis was designed and manufactured by Ferrari division Carrozzeria Scaglietti. Overall, it is considered a landmark car for Ferrari, in that it represents a number of concepts being used for the first time in their road cars:

• The first front-engined Ferrari with a V8.
• The first to feature a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
• The first hard-top convertible with a folding metal roof.
• The first with multi-link rear suspension.
• The first with direct petrol injection.

The California is equipped with an exclusive Ferrari-designed F1-Trac system. The system, originally introduced on the 599 GTB Fiorano, was updated for the California model. The variable power distribution to the rear wheels allows greater stability and performance when turning. The result is an average increase of 20% in acceleration when exiting corners.

The California was available with two passenger seating configurations. Option 1, included two rear seats that are limited in space and arguably only capable of accommodating small child safety seats.

Option 2, did away with the rear seats replacing them with a bench storage area. This storage area could accommodate slightly more luggage or personal effects than the seats and included matching leather luggage tie-down belts.

The California was manufactured in a purpose-built facility that was constructed adjacent to the existing factory at Maranello.

The new facility was part of Ferrari’s Formula Uomo programme that started in 1997 to improve production, safety and employee happiness.

Production of the California amounted to about 8,000 units spanning between 2008 and 2012.
Throughout the modern California’s history (2008 to 2017), only 3 cars were built with manual transmission.

On 15 February 2012, Ferrari announced the California 30, an updated model that was lighter and more powerful. While the Pininfarina design remained unchanged, the changes included reducing body weight by 30 kg and increasing power output by 30 hp (hence the monica ”30”).

First unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, in March 2014, The “T” in the moniker stands for Turbo, a technology Ferrari last used on the F40. The “T” utilises a new 3,855 cc twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 553 hp, and has a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission with different gear ratios, a revised MagneRide adaptive suspension, as well as a new F1-Trac system.

The California is a surprisingly quick car, Ferrari’s first real exploration into the world of the “daily” driver, this car certainly ticks all the boxes for such criteria. The California behaves well in traffic and, when you want to be a hooligan, it’s perfectly at home doing that.

Responsive, comfortable and versatile, it performs all the tasks set out for it by designers, engineers and imagineers in Maranello, with style, class and ease. The slippery aerodynamic shape has aged well in its ten-year existence. The California will, like its 250 and 365 predecessors, probably become a sought after classic.

Its fair to say that it won’t appreciate as much as the 250 and 365, but you’ll have so much fun in it, you won’t really care!

Ferris Cars is pleased to be able to offer this

2010 FERRARI CALIFORNIA

This vehicle has covered only 26,000 Km’s, and has a

Complete Service History.

Representing extremely good value for money, this particular California
has been lovingly cared for and is in exceptional condition.

Competitively priced at:
R 1 749 990

Face or Boobs? read our Newsletter 36 and decide for yourself!

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Newsletter 29: FERRARI 458 ITALIA – TIME TO BUY?

By Dominique Munro2021-09-07Comments Off

The Ferrari 458 Italia, launched in 2009 (South Africa receiving their first one in 2010) was a complete redesign for the company and the last V8 model to be completely designed by Pininfarina.

4.5 litre, normally aspirated V8, 0-100 Kmh – 3.4 Seconds.

Impressive figures, considering it is now over ten years old. Even pitting it against today’s turbo and hybrid offerings, it’s pretty competitive. The Bugatti Veyron Supersport, for example, is only 1 second quicker, and that costs one hundred and seventy hundred and forty million hundred……… (listen carefully), more!

The 458 represents Pininfarina’s discovery of the optimal aerodynamic shape, which many supercar manufacturers copy aspects of to this day.

When Luca di Montezemolo was shown the mock-up of the 458, he looked at the exterior, the interior, and the engine, and said this is the perfect car to represent Italian motoring, its style, its speed, its power, its grace, it’s looks, and that is why it’s called the 458 Italia. – This is Italy’s car!

The Ferrari 458 Italia isn’t just beautiful to look at, its design has a purpose. The two wings situated in the front grill, deform at speed to improve aerodynamics and reduce drag. Air flows down the body of the car into a vent just behind the rear side window, where it cools the dual-clutch transmission, the result of that though, warm air is forced out the back, and reduces drag in the car – It’s all rather clever!

It’s also one of the slipperiest Ferrari’s ever made. It’s drag coefficient, or how easily it slices through the air as it goes, is just 0.330, which is a very small number, but the thing is, it’s not just how it cuts through the air, it’s how it uses it to improve airflow aerodynamics and reduce drag. Someone put a lot of thought into this!

A certain Mr. Schumacher had a lot of input in the interior cabin, everything is driver-focused, within easy reach, and that’s because he wanted it to be like a Formula 1 car, so it becomes second nature just to fiddle with your controls, you don’t have to take your eye off the road, which is really smart, because in something like this, you really don’t want to take your eye off the road.

As a driver you have loads of information at your fingertips, the steering wheel has got everything you need. The engine start button, the suspension adjust, the indicators, and all the rest, there’s the manettino switch, which is a wonderful little invention, allows you to switch instantly between the traction control modes.

It’s basically derived from Formula 1 tech, and there are five modes to choose from; Wet, for when it’s raining, Sport, which is Ferrari speak for normal, then you have Race, which turns the traction control off a little bit, (Ferrari speak for….just a leetal beet crayzee), CT off, which turns it off quite a lot, (Ferrari speak for…. starta to aloosa de plota), and then you have to press and hold it for ESC off, which turns everything off (Ferrari speak for…. youa fuckina inasayna).

There’s two screens in this binnacle, as well as the rev counter. The one on the left gives you lots of information about the car tyre pressure, oil pressure that kind of thing, also there’s a little speedo, odometer and the fuel gauge. And on the right-hand side, well, when you’re not using the Sat-Nav or the phone or anything like that, you have a giant speedo, nice big numbers you can see just out of the corner of your eye, which is really quite handy.

The big question …. “What’s it like to drive?”
Well, when you look at it you think, will it be heavy, light, wayward, slippery, tricky – none of the above, thankfully, – it’s awesome!

If you drive like a saint, you can get up to 22 miles per gallon out of it. The gearbox in this thing is an absolute masterpiece, – it is once again derived from Formula 1 technology, so a dual-clutch. There’s one clutch always resting on the even gears, and one clutch always resting on the odd gears.

Everyone wants to know, just how long is the transition between the changes? If you ask a Ferrari rep, the response will be, “We’ve really stopped measuring that because well, it’s pretty instant.” – And they’re right, it really is! – You flip the paddle, down! Flip the paddle, down! Flip the paddle, down! – It’s just bang, bang, bang, – it is that instant, – it’s absolutely incredible, it really, really is!

The steering in this thing is absolutely incredible, it is just so direct you just pop the nose in and well, away you go, there’s no hint of understeer, and there’s no threat of nasty oversteer, with you spinning into a forest. It’s absolutely incredible, and you can get it out of shape if you drive like a bit of a numpty, or you really don’t know what you’re doing; – but as a car for a normal person, it’s really, really, good. Comfort-wise, you’d expect a car like this to be very uncomfortable, very hard riding, so you sit on the freeway and go, “God! I regret spending so much on this, oh it’s so uncomfortable, oh for the love of God, make it stop!” – But in actual fact, no, there are lots of suspension modes to choose from, so you can have a nice cosseting comfy Ferrari.

The 458 Italia is as Ferrari intended, a dream, it causes a stir wherever it goes, it has a visual drama that other cars struggle to match. It combines performance, agility and style in a way that few will ever see, let alone experience! – It’s a true Italian thoroughbred! – It’s the definition of desirability, of a dream! –
It is Italy’s car!

We are proud to be able to offer this

2012 Ferrari 458 Spider

20,000km’s

R3 449 990.00

News

Newsletter 28: SCHUMACHER ON NETFLIX

By Dee Munro2021-08-28Comments Off

Netflix is set to release a new documentary about the Formula 1 legend, Michael Schumacher.
This long-awaited film, to be aired on September 15th, tells the story of the German F1 legend’s career, from karting in Kerpen to taking his record seventh championship in 2004, with interviews from his wife Corinna, their two children Gina and Mick, and many former F1 rivals and peers.
“Schumacher” promises unseen archive material showing the “many facets of his multi-layered personality.” His brother Ralf, former Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo, FIA chief Jean Todt, former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone are featured along with F1 drivers, Mika Hakkinen, Sebastian Vettel, and David Coulthard.

I met Michael in 2007, at Fiorano. It was at the companies 60th Anniversary party. I gave him a DVD I had made of all his championship wins, to the sound track of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck.
As we walked into the venue together, we were greeted by a sea of paparazzi, something Michael was all too familiar with, but for me it was a little unnerving!
A few weeks later, I received an email from Michael, thanking me for the DVD and asking me to keep in touch. We did keep in touch periodically, almost right up to that fateful day in 2013.

Photo of Michael Schumacher — 17 Mar 2002: Portrait of Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher before the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia. \ Mandatory Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images \

Don’t miss what will be an extraordinary insight into the life and character of one of F1’s greatest ever drivers!

Category: News

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Newsletter 37: 355 ….. THE PERFECT FERRARI?

Newsletter 36: MODELS …. NO, NOT THE ONES WITH BOOBS!

Newsletter 35: FORMULA 1 CARS ARE FASTER, BUT WORSE !

WIDTH

LENGTH

Newsletter 34: BY THE NUMBERS: THE STATE OF THE FERRARI MARKET

$10,840,000

40/41

24

18

13

73

Courtesy of HAGERTY/JohnWiley

Newsletter 33: THE CAR THAT SHOCKED FERRARI

Newsletter 32: THE FORGOTTEN FERRARIS

FERRARI 408 4RM

FERRARI 365 “HARRAH HOT ROD”

FERRARI TESTA D’ORO

FERRARI 166 MM/212

FERRARI 512S BERLINETTA SPECIALE

Newsletter 31: THE ALFA CONNECTION!

2000 GTV

Newsletter 30: FERRARI CALIFORNIA – NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE!

Newsletter 29: FERRARI 458 ITALIA – TIME TO BUY?

Newsletter 28: SCHUMACHER ON NETFLIX

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