Name: Andrew Schaeffer
Car: Ferrari 430 Scuderia
Owned since: Nov 2014
Previously owned: "Suzuki Swift GTI, Toyota AE82 Corolla Twin Cam (Supercharged 4AGZE engine!),Mazda MX-5 NA and NB, Mazda 323 Turbo, Ford Escort Cosworth RS, Mk2 Golf GTI 8v, Audi S3, E46 Alpina B3 3.3, Lotus 340R, Volvo XC90, BMW E70 X5 3.0sd M Sport and BMW LCI E70 X5 40d M-Sport."
Currently owned: "BMW F15 X5 M50d, Ferrari 430 Scuderia, Porsche Gen.1 997 Carrera S, VW Polo Bluemotion!"
Why I bought it:
Man maths said importing one would be cheaper...
"I have one mate who has a 360 CS and another who is just getting out of an Italia into a Speciale - so it fits nicely in the middle! A good friend and I have bought the car and it's been great fun doing it together."
What I wish I'd known:
"We decided we didn't want to pay the crazy RHD prices so imported a LHD one from Germany - and from a Ferrari main dealer. It cost extra to import the car this way but the car came with a two-year Ferrari powertrain warranty, and importantly is made with the steering wheel on the side it was designed for! Importing is both time consuming and more costly than you think - it would have been easier and not much more costly to buy one landed in the UK - and the Ferrari dealers here will sell you a LHD car with warranty as well. Having said that, if you have time on your hands and really love cars it's fun to do what we did at least once!"
Things I love:
...man maths not perfect; car is though
"It looks a lot different from the standard F430 - and the dedication to making the car lighter and faster is plain to see from the moment you lay eyes on it and holds true from the opening of the doors, to the interior and especially to the engine. It's no understatement to say that the engine is a masterpiece and with the Capristo exhaust on ours - it's truly epic winding it around the rev range. I have also driven my friend's 458 extensively and in comparison the Scud feels more alert to steering input and I prefer the fact that the gearbox is single clutch rather than dual. The 458 is also epic! On my car you can tell when you are changing gears and it gives you a nice kick in the back on upshifts - which suits the car's character beautifully. The biggest compliment that I can give the car is that it feels like another car I used to own - a Lotus 340R. The damping on the car has a real quality to it, and it feels like a bigger and far faster 340R - with beautiful mid-engined handling much like the Lotus."
Things I hate:
Stands comparison with more modern Ferraris
"The car hasn't put a foot wrong in the time we have had it. It's actually a very well screwed together car despite what people say about Ferrari's being fragile - I think that was consigned to the history books when the 360 was produced but it still seems to linger in the UK buying public's obsession with low mileage Ferraris. We are prepared for large bills in the future as wouldn't have gone into buying a car like this without our eyes wide open, however there is definitely an arbitrage sweet spot between price and mileage that if you are smart you can tap into - probably between 15K and 40K mileage wise. Below that the price goes up exponentially and above that the maintenance bills get bigger."
Costs:
"A lot to bring the car back from Germany. None in this country as yet - but we expect a decent service bill shortly! We are consoling ourselves that the car has been appreciating nicely in the meantime."
Where I've been:
What next? "Perhaps one in a different colour?"
"The road trip back from Germany was truly epic. The best bits were of course the German Autobahn and the attention the car garners - almost exclusively to the good. The highlight of that was a women's off-road cycling team coming up to us wanting to know more about the Scud - and ending up taking selfies in and out of the car! All good fun and exactly what a car like this should be used for - to share the love of cars around! Next up a few supercar meets..."
What next?
"Really don't know - the car is so good it's hard to see where you go from here for motoring nirvana. It has a roof so you can drive it anywhere. It crosses continents in some style and you if you wear earplugs arrive almost as fresh as when you set off. For a two-person transport it takes some beating. We are going to have to think hard - perhaps one in a different colour?"
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