The Best ///M/Barge/General Rant/Look at this/O/T(Vol XVIII)

[TheRocket]

348 looks great and agree in a world of crazy priced pork I'm not so sure it's that high. Tonight I went to Classic car show at Excel, some stunning machinery including several 288 GTO's worth goodness how much, however the price that shocked me the most was a 1970 1275 GT Mini for £35k, yes it was better than new, but it's official the world has gone mad.

[Output Flange]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Clicked the link expecting the price to be higher. Perhaps a RHD car would be?

As you say, with the prices of everything else where they are, it does seem conspicuous value.

But then, for pretty much the same price, you could have this instead:

[ferrisbueller]

The LHDs have been helped out by the weaker pound. However, a quick scan of autoscout suggests there are still significant savings to be made in a trip to Germany (even more so if you're prepared to buy in Italy).

[Diesel Meister]

ferrisbueller said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Where "a bit" equates to a doubling in value.

Still, at least I've never turned down the opportunity to buy one of the six RHD GTCs before they went stratospheric. Oh, no, wait.......

!

Fun Bus said:

I know these aren't a particularly loved Ferrari but I've always liked the look of them. Has to be the black trim at the base of the car though.

<Ding!>

Is the correct answer.

Amen to the above. With exception of having been in a position to buy one, natch

Crazy times. These were resolutely a £25-30k car at one point in the last 10 years and tempting as it may have been if I had the cash, I'll admit to being fearful of the maintenance bills, not being a spannerer of any repute myself. Doesn't a PHer have a nice modded example? seem to remember an entertaining thread somewhere - vice choice upgrades, some mild and momentary aesthetic wobbles (I recall stripes at one point) aside....

ETA: Angelis' Modified 348 GTB. Now chopped in against a paddle-shift 360. I know which I'd prefer but then don't operate at that level

Edited by Diesel Meister on Tuesday 28th February 23:01

[ferrisbueller]

Diesel Meister said:

ferrisbueller said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Where "a bit" equates to a doubling in value.

Still, at least I've never turned down the opportunity to buy one of the six RHD GTCs before they went stratospheric. Oh, no, wait.......

!

Fun Bus said:

I know these aren't a particularly loved Ferrari but I've always liked the look of them. Has to be the black trim at the base of the car though.

<Ding!>

Is the correct answer.

Amen to the above. With exception of having been in a position to buy one, natch

Crazy times. These were resolutely a £25-30k car at one point in the last 10 years and tempting as it may have been if I had the cash, I'll admit to being fearful of the maintenance bills, not being a spannerer of any repute myself. Doesn't a PHer have a nice modded example? seem to remember an entertaining thread somewhere - vice choice upgrades, some mild and momentary aesthetic wobbles (I recall stripes at one point) aside....

ETA: Angelis' Modified 348 GTB. Now chopped in against a paddle-shift 360. I know which I'd prefer but then don't operate at that level

Edited by Diesel Meister on Tuesday 28th February 23:01

Each to their own but some of the mods on the 348 are very much down to personal preference I think. A standard 348 is a very pretty thing. 25 years on it arguably looks better than it did when new, in relative terms. Assessment at the time suggested a nervy handling, particularly snappy at the limit. I question how much of an issue that genuinely is in everyday driving and how much of it can be tamed. The centre of gravity is probably an inherent design problem but fettling elsewhere might mitigate some of it. I've never had the pleasure but I imagine they're a wonderfully touchy feely analogue drive relative to modern tosh.

Equally, whereas I can understand the move to a 360, stick shift has to be the way forward. However, it comes with a fair premium nowadays. I'm really not a fan of the F1 'box and whilst the manual isn't the last word in shift action, you do get the "snick-snick" and that in itself is definitive for me. I've not driven any Ferrari of the last ten years, none of them really grab me. I guess we're now at least two degrees of separation away from the analogue Ferrari n terms of generations.

[Cactussed]

Nail on head.
The 355 and 360 were the last to use the original 308 block architecture and the last to have a really wailing V8. 430 onwards are more barky in noise (to my ears at least).
Also, 360 down you can have fun and exploit the chassis and power at remotely sane (and recoverable) speeds.
The modern stuff has, I gather, sacrificed some of this for the sake of speed.

Arguably, that's a large part of the brand cache, but for old luddites like me, I enjoy a damp roundabout at 25mph and tinkering in the garage as much as seeing how fast I can get to xx mph (which as it turns out, isn't especially quick).

Its the sensation of doing 150mph when you're only doing 50 which is so great about older stuff.
The modern stuff is mostly the other way around, which sort of detracts.

Mind you, I'm not exactly in a great position to comment, not having driven much modern stuff so its all just my 2c, so treat accordingly.

[ferrisbueller]

Funnily enough I was just thinking about TdF 355s.

[ferrisbueller]

PS WTF is Loon?

[TheRocket]

"The 355 and 360 were the last to use the original 308 block architecture and the last to have a really wailing V8. 430 onwards are more barky in noise (to my ears at least)."

Often wondered why the 355 was the best sounding v8 Ferrari, was it also due to them having 5 valve heads iirc ? Or did the 360 have those too, I lived in Wapping in the late 90's and a guy had a 355 with what sounded like pretty much straight through pipes, the noise bouncing off of the wharf walls in the high street was incredible.

[ferrisbueller]

Flat plane crank and 8.5k rpm.

[braddo]

ferrisbueller said:

Flat plane crank and 8.5k rpm.

There does seem to be something about the 355 in particular though, something extra zingy that separates it from the bit-like-a-4-cyl sound of all other flat plane V8s.

I haven't heard a 308 or 360 sound like a 355 (not that I've searched much), but this.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-Kr64KfEQ8

[ferrisbueller]

braddo said:

ferrisbueller said:

Flat plane crank and 8.5k rpm.

There does seem to be something about the 355 in particular though, something extra zingy that separates it from the bit-like-a-4-cyl sound of all other flat plane V8s.

I haven't heard a 308 or 360 sound like a 355 (not that I've searched much), but this.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-Kr64KfEQ8

They do have slightly more of a howl to them. There are a few possibilities. Exhaust is one, it may just be that they had more freedom in the design of the system in what would have been 1994/5 than they did later. I'm also not sure if they have the bypass valve in the exhaust? There's a big difference between open and shut, obviously. Comparison of aftermarket pipes suggest that the 355 is still more shrill. Maybe valve timing as I'm not sure if they have VVT or if that was new to the F131?

[Diesel Meister]

ferrisbueller said:

Each to their own but some of the mods on the 348 are very much down to personal preference I think. A standard 348 is a very pretty thing. 25 years on it arguably looks better than it did when new, in relative terms. Assessment at the time suggested a nervy handling, particularly snappy at the limit. I question how much of an issue that genuinely is in everyday driving and how much of it can be tamed. The centre of gravity is probably an inherent design problem but fettling elsewhere might mitigate some of it. I've never had the pleasure but I imagine they're a wonderfully touchy feely analogue drive relative to modern tosh.

Equally, whereas I can understand the move to a 360, stick shift has to be the way forward. However, it comes with a fair premium nowadays. I'm really not a fan of the F1 'box and whilst the manual isn't the last word in shift action, you do get the "snick-snick" and that in itself is definitive for me. I've not driven any Ferrari of the last ten years, none of them really grab me. I guess we're now at least two degrees of separation away from the analogue Ferrari n terms of generations.

Agree totally - I made no judgement on relative merit or taste, just highlighting one example in reader's cars. I think modifying cars is deeply personal and potentially dicey. I'm all for it but wouldn't pretend to like everything it brings us.

Manuel for the win. I like the "baby" V8 Ferraris generally but have a weakness for the 12s (Daytona and 512BB in particular), loose order of preference 355, 308, 348, 360, 458, 430. I'd not kick any out of bed. Nor many other models.

All pipe dreams at this stage!

[Diesel Meister]

olly22n said:

https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=DkKUCbv4Hd8

The gearchange at 36 seconds.

Heaven.

Epic. The 355 really has a more pleasant sound when compared with the later cars (also epic but more violent / bombastic "look at meeeeeeee!" than musical). Can be made naughty with straight pipes (flames optional).

Nice snargling from the bestraked flat 12 interloper at the end too!

[Cheburator mk2]

You fekkers!

Got misty eyed with all this prancing donkey stuff...

Two years ago we shared Donni with the Pirelli Ferrari Formula Classic boys and the cars were absolutely sublime. Imagine 328s and 308s, gleaming rosso corsa or subtle tdf blue, with gold BBS E28s, V8s wailing going up the hill after the old hair pin... Beats an androgynous F458 any day of the week...

Yum....




P.S. I am not even a big fan of the name... While I absolutely love Italian engineering and ingenuity, I also detest the nature of the Ferrari brand with its theme parks and obsession with chintz

Edited by Cheburator mk2 on Thursday 2nd March 09:16

[Cactussed]

Here you go.
Some 355 and 997 gt3 action from a Scotland trip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgwEPsLr7_E

[Diesel Meister]

Cheburator mk2 said:

P.S. I am not even a big fan of the name... While I absolutely love Italian engineering and ingenuity, I also detest the nature of the Ferrari brand with its theme parks and obsession with chintz

[TheRocket]

Diesel Meister said:

Cheburator mk2 said:

P.S. I am not even a big fan of the name... While I absolutely love Italian engineering and ingenuity, I also detest the nature of the Ferrari brand with its theme parks and obsession with chintz

The last car signed of by the 'Old man' was the F40 which says it all really, not sure he'd be quite so keen on the theme parks.. There have been some notable exceptions since his death (355, 550 etc.) I had a weekend of a 430 from Ecurie25, to be fair it was very good, reminded me of a big Elise with a decent lump but never sounded anywhere near as good as the 355.

308/328 with gold wheels just works

Edited by TheRocket on Thursday 2nd March 11:31

[ferrisbueller]

I would be far more productive if Youtube didn't exist.

NSX

S600

[Diesel Meister]

ferrisbueller said:

I would be far more productive if Youtube didn't exist.

NSX

S600