....

 

Its hard to explain, isn't it? All I can say, is that they make the little hairs on the back of your neck stand.

 

Glad you got a drive of one would like to have a blast in one too but ill be seeing the real thing in 2 weeks and anyway, why didnt he buy one in red?! Thats THE only colour you should get a ferarri in

Tony

 

Excellent article

 

in my eyes, the 360 looks better in the silver, so a good choice!

 

Thank god he didnt buy one in RED.... They are common. Classy ferraris are not RED. I thought the original colour sceme sounded great. Silver and Oxblood leather..very nice.Tell him he needs to get it serviced this weekend and to expecta new clutch..if he has done more than 30.miles!!!

 

Just to clarify a few points

If you're referring to Argento Silver (just a plain silver), I don't think that's a nice colour for the 360, and isn't very popular.

The most common silvery colour, is Grigio Alloy (with a hint of blue) which looks the dog's.

The only downside to the metallics, is that Ferraris are always needing their fronts resprayed (due to stone chips), and the metallics are a pig to re-spray - sometimes impossible to get right, without a majorly £expensive respray.

The matt black rear mesh, is called a Challenge Grille. Quite popular on the red cars.

The badges on the front wings are called Scuderia badges, and as you say, are embossed into the panel, rather than being stuck on. They're a cool £600 option.

Why did he go from a £120K Spider (*the* car to have), down to a £100K Modena..

As you say. the reason the exhaust is muted is because (due to driveby noise regulations) there are valves in the exhaust which are opened below 4000rpm, diffusing the noise. Above 4000rpm the car will howl.

I had this problem with my F355. I've now got a straight through exhaust which sounds awesome (sound clip of my car HERE)

And if the ride is too stiff, you can always switch the suspension into soft mode.

Any idea why he went for the unfavoured F1 shift ?

David
(waiting for his 360 Spider to arrive...)



[Edited by DavidBrown - 6/27/2002 9:35:21 AM]

 

no offence (as I am a major ferrari lover) but it seems to me that you were only impressed by the straight line speed and the noise.

There are much faster japanese cars around admittedly without the noise, but the skyline comes close.

For sheer enjoyment you should insist your friend buy a 355. The noise from that is incredible.

I also dont understand why he would switch from a spider to a berlinetta and have yet another 360 on order?

The spider is supposed to be as good as the hard top, but even if not, he has now had a hard top, there are no options left, so why buy another?

 

"I also dont understand why he would switch from a spider to a berlinetta and have yet another 360 on order?

The spider is supposed to be as good as the hard top, but even if not, he has now had a hard top, there are no options left, so why buy another?"

I think the reason is............because he can!

 

That's not a reason, that's a cliche.

The only reason I can think is that due to the demand + waiting lists, he can sell his current car for what he paid for it when his next one arrives.

 

I too haven't been in a Ferrari - yet. Owning one is a few light years away too

However, a friend of Dad's currently owns a 456 GT which he brought over here last year for Dad's birthday. The only time I realised it was here was when he started it up to leave. "What the **** is that?" I thought as I made quick excuses and bolted out the front door. There he was sitting in his blue beast about to drive off.

This guy used to own Aston years ago and has owned some serious exotica. Zagato's, the original Vantage, he raced (and now owns) a DB5 for Aston, a Skyline, the list goes on. I don't know much about Ferrari's but this thing sounded ridiculous. I asked him why it was so loud?

"I've changed all of the exhausts and also reprogrammed the ECU. It now has 479 bhp. Anytime you want a ride over the ?? pass (can't remember the name..) in Switzerland give me a call and we'll go over there."

After reading your story, I feel a strange urge to call him up now and arrange my test drive! On my 16th and 17th birthday's he took me out for a drive in the Swiss Alps in the Zagato and then the Skyline. The man can drive! The Zagato had a passenger foot rest which I thought a little odd for a road car when I got in. As he flew round mountian roads with a sheer drop on one side 10 minutes later however, I was thankful they had put it there

I'll report back after I sample the 456

PS He had noted my Scooby in the drive and was glad to see I was still into my cars, although when I told him I had it rr'ed at 307 bhp, he didn't seem as impressed as I thought he would be Wonder why

 

I intend to one day be rich enough and not worry about the money with either of the cars you mention, but even given this, there is no way I would choose a 120k 360 spider over a 50k 355 gtb (open gate in red with cream leather).

I would even go for LHD as independent experts have told me the steering lost some feel in the conversion to RHD.

when you are looking at cars in that price range, I dont believe you are a true enthusiast if you are buying a car to sell and make money and just to have the latest ferrari.

I dont want the latest edition, I want the best edition (imho of course).

 

That suggests there is a limit to what a true enthusiast can spend, even if they have all the money in the world. Which would be nonsense. Or are you suggesting that if you're buying + selling at a profit, then you can't be an enthusiast ? Surely the two aren't mutually exclusive. Couldn't it be a way that an enthusiast can fund their interest ?

FWIW: Stylistically, the 360 isn't as nice as a F355, but it's widely regarded as being better mechanically/dynamically.

 

Yeah Olly you flash git, So you've been in a V8 Fiat. I bet you can't get one down Pexhill as quick as my wife's Ka





Question: Is my rampant jealousy showing?

 

Olly,

That was a cool story... chears mate

Adam M.

Trust you to start some "jap v ferrari" rubbish prattle...... cant you just for once remove your head from **** and just read a story for its merits.... the best Jap car may go quicker blah blah blah but thats not what the threads about!!

I wish i could drive one Olly!!!!

Jza

[Edited by Jza - 6/27/2002 2:09:37 PM]

 

Great story Olly

 

JZA,

what the hell are you talking about?

olly made it perfectly clear that he accepted what I had said, ie. his appreication was for straight line grunt and sound, which are only two assets of a ferrari, they arent the whole package which in my mind is what make it special.

You clearly know nothing about me, and if i remember rightly you were the one who kep going on about bugeye superiority with your blinkered view to everything you dont own.

I love ferraris, much more than any jap crap, excluding the piece of jap crap that I own. I also would not be so stupid as to suggest they are even comparable as packages, I was only pointing out that olly didnt seem to be appreciating the "soul" of the ferrari as a whole.

I dont see why that merits an attack on me starting with trust you to .......

since when do I have a reputation for dictating japanese or even subaru superiority. doesnt sound like the actions of someone who has been saving for a 355 since they received pocket money does it?

david,

the sentence I wrote was intended to be read as a whole, the first clause if read alone does imply that there is an upper financial limit to be an enthusiast, but the sentence is not intended to be read this way.

I take your point about buying and selling to fund a passion for such cars.

I guess in this case I would argue that some people haev a passion to own them at one poin in their lives and move on to add more notches on their bedposts.

I probably should have used the word collector rather than enthusiast, as it is my intention to buy the cars I love to own them and continue to drive which ever one I fancy on that day, rather than work my way through a succession, and appreciate each one for the brief period during which I own it.

I want to hang on to a classic for a long time and be able to enjoy it for the rest of the time it remains in my favour.

eg. I had wanted to own a countach anniversary, but I am sure I would start hating it fairly quickly.

I do however know for sure that I will always love the 22B almost as much as I will always love the 355. I cannot say the same about the 360 regardless of improved mechnicals.

btw. I had heard that the steering was less alive in the 360.

I cant comment as I have not driven a 360 in anger, only been a passenger, unlike the 355 which I had driven enough to know what it was all about.

 

u should write a book mate...have to go to charles hursts this evenin...test drive one ha ha

 

With the afternoon at my desk heading into the "i'm losing the will to live" zone, your write up sir was just what the doc (or preferably tasty nurse ) ordered.
Great stuff!
Mossman

 

A while ago a drinking pal of my dads took me for a spin around the Knutsford back lanes in his McLaren F1. I win.

 

Spill the beans Beef! What was it like !?!!??!

 

Er, fast? Seriously though, it was absolutely amazing. 100mph in 6secs!!! Interior was plain but well made, but the noise it made was just fantastic. I had a grin like Cherie Blair's the whole time. When he punched the throttle in 2nd at 40, grabbed 3rd, and we were at 70 instantly, it felt like Vanessa Feltz had just jumped onto my chest. From a LONG way up. I swear it actually felt like i'd been hit in the chest. The country roads i've driven at 50/60, we were taking at well over 100. An experience i'll never forget, i can tell you. Had a look around it for ages too, bloody Titanium tool kit! Gold lined engine bay! Wow.

[Edited by beefola - 7/1/2002 12:49:32 PM]

 

0-100 in 6.3 is the official figure

 

Damn! A ***** in my hitherto undamaged car-knowledge-bible like head! I feel dirty...

 

Saw Tiff's review of the F1 on Top Gear some time back. When he was going thru the gears, how quickly he was grabbing each successive ratio reminded me of a Civic with a short ratio box going thru its gears.

Only that the Civic would be at 70mph or so after going thru the first 3, the F1 would prob be at around 150mph...