RE: Ferrari 512TR: PH Carpool
Monday 20th May 2013
Name: Greig McArthur (GreigM)
Car: Ferrari 512TR
Owned since: October 2011
Previously owned: Porsche 996 GT3, Ferrari 360, Porsche 996 Turbo, Porsche Boxster (x3), Westfield Megablade, Westfield Megabusa, Alfa Romeo 155 "and many, many shopping/family cars..."
McArthur junior is a fan - start 'em young!Why I bought it:
"It wasn't a car that was on my radar, nor was I really in the market for an addition to the fleet having fairly recently had a baby but I was on holiday in Las Vegas and saw one driving down the strip in front of me. Never had I seen a car with such presence. Even in those flamboyant surroundings it really stood out; the width and aggressiveness of the rear, the noise, the strakes. I initially thought (as many do) that it was a Testarossa with different wheels; it wasn't until I got closer and spotted the 512TR badge and noticed a few other subtle differences that my interest was really piqued. The seed was planted, the scanning of the classifieds began."
Testarossa roots are clear in the 512's linesThings I love:
"I love the noise; I hadn't really appreciated the depth of tone in a flat-12 before and to some extent it takes your ear a little while to tune-in and properly appreciate the timbre. I love its heritage with roots firmly planted in the Enzo period, the history of that Colombo 12 cylinder dating back to Ferrari's F1 debut in the 1940s. I love the reaction it gets out on the road; never have I driven a car before which gets universal approval from everyone that sees it. Finally, and importantly, I love driving it. Let's be straight; it's not a good drive by today's standards, and even with 428hp on tap I'm sure it could be beaten down any B-road by a modern warm hatch. The drive is about the very raw experience; the dog-leg box, the gated shift, the heavy steering, the non-ABS brakes. There's also the challenge of finding a piece of road long enough to get the flat-12 up to full song, but so very satisfying when you do. It's all about the intimacy of hustling a proper old-school Ferrari down the road."
Worth lifting the bonnet to see this beautyThings I hate:
"The old girl really needs a bit of time to get out of bed in the morning. It really needs to idle for a while to get some temperature round the old parts before trying to move off and even then it needs a good 20-minute run to start moving the oil temperature gauge enough that you'd want to rev the engine anything like hard. Second gear simply doesn't exist until some temperature starts to flow, but once up to full temp it is surprisingly smooth considering the age. The lack of power steering and poor turning circle is an issue when parking or doing three-point turns, I really could do with lifting weights. The air conditioning works on a freeze/boil principle and anything in-between requires brain surgeon-like precision on the heater controls. The interior fit and finish is typical 80s/90s Italian, you can tell they put all their effort into the oily bits - not necessarily something to hate, but certainly gives 'character'."
Classic Ferrari interior in immaculate conditionCosts:
"Costs have been surprisingly reasonable. The legendary tales of the 12-cylinder running costs are turning out to be internet legend and mostly apply to the service pricing in the USA. The engine-out belt service at a main dealer in the UK will be £2,000 or at an indie nearer £1,200 as compared to five times that in the US. An annual service at a main Ferrari dealer cost me under £600 last year. It's not cheap, but not anything different to previous cars I've had. I suppose if something big were to go wrong then the costs would be eye watering, but on the whole these are relatively simple beasts mechanically and (fingers crossed) with some sympathy and good preventative maintenance the costs will remain very manageable. Insurance was pleasantly cheap at around £300 for more miles than I'd need in a year. I don't do enough miles in a year for fuel costs to be an issue, and you don't buy something like this then worry about mpg. Some parts are now becoming difficult to get however - for example if I break off the rear '512TR' badge while washing then I won't be able to get an easy replacement. For the majority of parts though they can be bought easily online and the prices are no worse than any other premium brand. Outside routine servicing the only issue I've had was a coolant hose leaking, which due to the accessibility of the engine bay was easy to diagnose and replace with some off the shelf hose for under £100."
Clean enough for you? Greig's 512 sparklesWhere I've been:
"Given that I live in the west of Scotland I have the UK's best driving roads outside my door. On any given sunny day the flat-12 can be heard singing through the hills of Glencoe or down the side of any number of Lochs - I don't have to put many miles on her to find a good drive. I rarely get time to myself but fortunately my wee boy loves going out for a spin - some of his first words were "red car go", and we do get some odd looks parking in the parent and child spaces!"
Ferrari 512TR: PH Carpool
Much-overlooked Testarossa evolution fires the passion of one PHer
Car: Ferrari 512TR
Owned since: October 2011
Previously owned: Porsche 996 GT3, Ferrari 360, Porsche 996 Turbo, Porsche Boxster (x3), Westfield Megablade, Westfield Megabusa, Alfa Romeo 155 "and many, many shopping/family cars..."
McArthur junior is a fan - start 'em young!
"It wasn't a car that was on my radar, nor was I really in the market for an addition to the fleet having fairly recently had a baby but I was on holiday in Las Vegas and saw one driving down the strip in front of me. Never had I seen a car with such presence. Even in those flamboyant surroundings it really stood out; the width and aggressiveness of the rear, the noise, the strakes. I initially thought (as many do) that it was a Testarossa with different wheels; it wasn't until I got closer and spotted the 512TR badge and noticed a few other subtle differences that my interest was really piqued. The seed was planted, the scanning of the classifieds began."
What I wish I'd known:
"I wish I'd known it existed. I knew about the Testarossa, and the 512M, but the 512TR slipped nicely between the two and somewhat flew under the radar due to its visual similarity to the Testarossa and significantly lower production numbers (only 50 RHD). I didn't know that Ferrari had taken note of many of the perceived weaknesses of the Testarossa and performed a major re-engineering of the car underneath. To my shame, until that day in Vegas I didn't know the 512TR existed, and my knowledge of Ferrari's flat 12-cylinder line was sadly lacking."
Testarossa roots are clear in the 512's lines
"I love the noise; I hadn't really appreciated the depth of tone in a flat-12 before and to some extent it takes your ear a little while to tune-in and properly appreciate the timbre. I love its heritage with roots firmly planted in the Enzo period, the history of that Colombo 12 cylinder dating back to Ferrari's F1 debut in the 1940s. I love the reaction it gets out on the road; never have I driven a car before which gets universal approval from everyone that sees it. Finally, and importantly, I love driving it. Let's be straight; it's not a good drive by today's standards, and even with 428hp on tap I'm sure it could be beaten down any B-road by a modern warm hatch. The drive is about the very raw experience; the dog-leg box, the gated shift, the heavy steering, the non-ABS brakes. There's also the challenge of finding a piece of road long enough to get the flat-12 up to full song, but so very satisfying when you do. It's all about the intimacy of hustling a proper old-school Ferrari down the road."
Worth lifting the bonnet to see this beauty
"The old girl really needs a bit of time to get out of bed in the morning. It really needs to idle for a while to get some temperature round the old parts before trying to move off and even then it needs a good 20-minute run to start moving the oil temperature gauge enough that you'd want to rev the engine anything like hard. Second gear simply doesn't exist until some temperature starts to flow, but once up to full temp it is surprisingly smooth considering the age. The lack of power steering and poor turning circle is an issue when parking or doing three-point turns, I really could do with lifting weights. The air conditioning works on a freeze/boil principle and anything in-between requires brain surgeon-like precision on the heater controls. The interior fit and finish is typical 80s/90s Italian, you can tell they put all their effort into the oily bits - not necessarily something to hate, but certainly gives 'character'."
Classic Ferrari interior in immaculate condition
"Costs have been surprisingly reasonable. The legendary tales of the 12-cylinder running costs are turning out to be internet legend and mostly apply to the service pricing in the USA. The engine-out belt service at a main dealer in the UK will be £2,000 or at an indie nearer £1,200 as compared to five times that in the US. An annual service at a main Ferrari dealer cost me under £600 last year. It's not cheap, but not anything different to previous cars I've had. I suppose if something big were to go wrong then the costs would be eye watering, but on the whole these are relatively simple beasts mechanically and (fingers crossed) with some sympathy and good preventative maintenance the costs will remain very manageable. Insurance was pleasantly cheap at around £300 for more miles than I'd need in a year. I don't do enough miles in a year for fuel costs to be an issue, and you don't buy something like this then worry about mpg. Some parts are now becoming difficult to get however - for example if I break off the rear '512TR' badge while washing then I won't be able to get an easy replacement. For the majority of parts though they can be bought easily online and the prices are no worse than any other premium brand. Outside routine servicing the only issue I've had was a coolant hose leaking, which due to the accessibility of the engine bay was easy to diagnose and replace with some off the shelf hose for under £100."
Clean enough for you? Greig's 512 sparkles
"Given that I live in the west of Scotland I have the UK's best driving roads outside my door. On any given sunny day the flat-12 can be heard singing through the hills of Glencoe or down the side of any number of Lochs - I don't have to put many miles on her to find a good drive. I rarely get time to myself but fortunately my wee boy loves going out for a spin - some of his first words were "red car go", and we do get some odd looks parking in the parent and child spaces!"
What next?
"I have no plans to sell, although I say that about all the cars I buy and few last longer than a couple of years. The market for these is starting to mature meaning it's worthwhile investing in all the little jobs so I intend to slowly make my way through my list of issues. It's all very minor and mostly cosmetic; stone chips on front bumper, leather on driver's seat bolster needs to be reconditioned, one of the stereo speakers isn't working, some corrosion on the headlight surrounds - those kind of things. The car is excellent mechanically and with the tidy up of a few small items which I can mostly do myself it will be perfect."
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
Discussion
What a lovely car.
I find Ferrari of this era and earlier ( probably no later than and including the 355 ) vastly more attractive than any more modern Ferrari, including the current range.
Congratulations on owning and maintaining such a beauty. I have had a quick drive in a 512TR in the Cotswolds and it was a glorious thing. I can understand why you love it so much.
It has turned out to be a bloody good investment as well !
I find Ferrari of this era and earlier ( probably no later than and including the 355 ) vastly more attractive than any more modern Ferrari, including the current range.
Congratulations on owning and maintaining such a beauty. I have had a quick drive in a 512TR in the Cotswolds and it was a glorious thing. I can understand why you love it so much.
It has turned out to be a bloody good investment as well !
DELETED: Comment made by a member who's account has been deleted.
Brilliant game!! I used to love going to airports just to play this as a child. Normally when I see Ferrari I see Italy....but the Testarossa is very much a 1980s California adult entertainment industry entrepreneur's car.
I swear the engine in this is a 180 degree Vee rather than the horizontally opposed design that the term 'flat-12' implies? If the former, I'm sorry it's a V12 as far as I'm concerned. People stop propagating this myth of a Flat-12! I know it seems romantic to say Flat-12, but really, get it right.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff