Top work and enjoy.

 

Well, it's been a few days now and I am getting used to the car a bit. Happy enough in the dry, but still not willing to put the foot down in the wet.

A few things I have noticed:

Attention, OMG! Everyone looks at you and I mean everyone. Everyone takes photos, why oh why does someone need a photo of me stuffing a Big Mac into my gob!. Ok, maybe they were taking a pick of the car

Boy Racer element. They seem to insist on hammering their car until about 2 ft from my bumper and then staying there. **** off! I have not and never will give them the satisfaction of putting my foot down, I just pull over, let them pass and then pull out again. This also seems to irk them somewhat.

Police. They also seem quite interested but yet to catch me pushing towards the wrong side of the speed limit.

Parking, I am not too carefull about where I park it as long at it seems reasonably safe. Generally when I return to car a crowd has gathered. Adults tend the appreciate the car, yoofs tend to ask things like 'Has it got NOS?' 'Are those 19's' 'How fast does it go etc'

I have also managed to attract the Jakey element. I have even had one jump out in front of the car asking me to stop, so I do and put the window down and he proceeds to tell me about the one that he used to own before swapping for a life on the streets. I was happy enough talking to him until his buckfast fuelled mate decided to stick his head in the window and ask me to 'lend' him a couple of quid

A few other nuggets of info:

Got about 22 mpg travelling up from London, sitting about 80 for the entire journey. Not sure what I am getting now and don't really care, but more likely to be around the 10-12 mpg.

As a day to day car, which this in not, the car is very easy to drive. It will sit in 4th at 30 and happy speed up without any issue. Clutch and Accelerator are a bit stiffer than normal, but that's about it.

I still double take when I see it parked in my drive. I even followed the misses while she had her first solo run in it. I kept thinking 'Oh cool there is a Ferrari' quickly follwed by 'it's yours you idiot, stop getting excited!!'

 

Glad you're having fun in it. I have just enjoyed the weekend with my brother in his mint 456 GTA. It's the same age as yours and cost 175K when new!!! Bit of an old man's Ferrari with the auto box, but he does turn 40 on Thursday and has a "dodgy" left knee (i.e. clutch-operating leg), so that's fair enough. It's also got a wailing 442bhp V12 up front, so certainly out-runs the teenage chavs slobbering out of the windows of their Corsas. We also got my 2 year old son in the back in his correctly fitted child seat.

He's had it about 9 months. Only fault in that time : knackered alternator. Replacement cost: labour 89 quid, alternator 600 quid!!!

Here's a piccy:

 

IS HE LIVING IN LEGO LAND

 

It looks like one of those 'Eco' houses. I bet that pleased his neighbours.

 

Don't worry, it's not his house. The car's parked outside a modern hotel that was holding an Italian Car Day that we attended on Sunday. There's actually a 328 parked behind the 456, but it's too low to see it. There were some nice cars there: F40, Diablo Roadster, Countach QV, Maserati Gran Turismo, couple of F430's and other V8 enigined ones, Alfa 156 GTA, Integrale Evo 2 etc.

The highlight for me was watching the F40 power-slide onto the main road and then fish-tail its way up the hill as he nailed it on the journey home.

 

Here's some of some of those other cars present:






New Super Size FIAT 500 dwarfing old originals:

 

Got any of the Integrale in the background?

 

Sorry, no. It was there last year too when I parked next to it in my 16v Integrale (since sold). All I can tell you is that it is a lovely standard LHD Monza red 1994 Evo 2 (registered I think B12EVO), that the guy has owned for 6 or 7 years. He also owns an Alfa 156 GTA. I've got a feeling he lives in the MK area, but I may be mistaken.

 

Cool. thanks.

I've driven a couple but didn't really like them. Oddly though I keep looking at them on pistonheads. Hoping its a grower if I ever buy one.

 

Integrale's are great cars. I regret selling mine, but I needed a bigger boot for a double buggy with sprog number 2 arriving last autumn, so it had to go. The Impreza replaced it. Sure the Impreza is quicker and smoother and an all-round better machine, but they're 2-a-penny in comparison. The Lancia had soul and pedigree and just looked the business with those flared arches. They defined the rally car for the next two decades and probably beyond (Front engined, 4WD, 2 litre 16v Turbo/IC). Imprezas divide opinion, but just about everybody loves an Integrale (except women!!!).

That said the Lancia is a fragile beast, so much so that ours rarely saw the outside world during the winter and never when it rained! I wouldn't recommend one as a daily driver.

 

This was it:

 

Nice

 

im on the wrong forum if there are people who can afford ferraris! i can barely afford dinner let alone a supercar!

 

Great thread. Top marks to the op (ferrari owner ) for letting us know what its like to live the dream, without the arrogance that can sometimes creep in

I am truly jealous.

 

"Boy Racer element. They seem to insist on hammering their car until about 2 ft from my bumper and then staying there. **** off! I have not and never will give them the satisfaction of putting my foot down, I just pull over, let them pass and then pull out again. This also seems to irk them somewhat."

Lovely car - enjoy it.

Get use to tools in novas etc been up your chuff, I find it worse enough in the 996TT - really becomes annoying after a while.

 

Nice

What's in the garage if you have to park it on the drive?

 

Garage is about to be converted into a movie / entertainment room. It is currently a games room, pool table, darts etc but I just done this myself by putting up some plaster board and giving it as lick of paint. Access via the main double garage doors.
It is now being done professionaly with windows to the front and patio doors to the garden at the back, internal access from the house etc....going for the full monty, fake chimney breast with 50/60" Plasma, Xbox, Wii etc all hidden.

Would probably of pushed the conversion back a year or so to use the garage for the Ferrari, but already booked the builders etc so decided to go ahead anyway.