Classic vs modern V12
Discussion
JJ77 said:
Enjoying this thread, thanks Adam for asking the question. Wow, £220k for that 365 GTC at Autostore, never thought they were that. I would rather take their F12 & Delivery mileage Morgan 110 Anniversary for the same money.
Yes, there are lots of very attractive 2 or 3 car combos covering several different bases for that amount, although I don’t have the space for more than one special car unfortunately DeejRC said:
Lovely thread Adam.
There is one thing that puts me off the GTC4 and it really really annoys me: they were £35k back in the day when I first looked at them
I couldn’t stomach their prices now.
The other aspect I would say for a 70s Ferrari is L or rhd? I had the painful learning experience of just how badly the lhd 308GTS I owned translates to rhd. I would suggest you get some decent seat time in an old GTC4 to ensure that actually it isn’t crippling. I have to drive my GTS back from Switzerland with a semi broken foot due to the angle my feet were forced into by the footwell.
The F12 however, well, I have a few posts on here that basically extol its virtues as quite possibly the best car ever made. I don’t care about miles, I put them on any car I own, nothing is spared, everything has to be driven daily and used as part of my 2000miles/month travels. I put 12,000 miles on my F12 in under a year mostly doing the Cornwall to Oxford commute to clients. Loved, loved, loved that car, it was simply superb at everything it did and quite able to hold Teams meetings in her whilst I drove.
The overly light steering was the only slight criticism I could level at her, otherwise simply brilliant.
I share your pain. I bought a pristine, low mileage 964RS from Nick Faure in the late 90s for £23k. I would never buy one now for the same reason. It’s the same story for so many models though, I just think you can’t look back any more. Too painful.There is one thing that puts me off the GTC4 and it really really annoys me: they were £35k back in the day when I first looked at them
I couldn’t stomach their prices now.The other aspect I would say for a 70s Ferrari is L or rhd? I had the painful learning experience of just how badly the lhd 308GTS I owned translates to rhd. I would suggest you get some decent seat time in an old GTC4 to ensure that actually it isn’t crippling. I have to drive my GTS back from Switzerland with a semi broken foot due to the angle my feet were forced into by the footwell.
The F12 however, well, I have a few posts on here that basically extol its virtues as quite possibly the best car ever made. I don’t care about miles, I put them on any car I own, nothing is spared, everything has to be driven daily and used as part of my 2000miles/month travels. I put 12,000 miles on my F12 in under a year mostly doing the Cornwall to Oxford commute to clients. Loved, loved, loved that car, it was simply superb at everything it did and quite able to hold Teams meetings in her whilst I drove.
The overly light steering was the only slight criticism I could level at her, otherwise simply brilliant.
The GTC/4 I’m looking at is LHD, which would work as my wife is Italian, so we may well end up back in Italy at some point. The 964RS was LHD too, so I’m fine with that, and I think it is probably the case for some cars that they work better as one or the other due to the routing of various things.
The F12 seems to cover all bases and everyone who has one raves about it. My question - which I hope to resolve by driving one - is whether they are just too competent, too fast, and not analogue enough.
Nigel malvern said:
Interesting that the Autostore 365GTC4 has non original front seats , they don't look very comfortable for long distance , the original seats are nicely padded and the backs fold to get at the rear seats . The rear seats are only suitable for children , however they do fold down for extra luggage space .
Although the boot is a good size and even has a full sized spare wheel .
I am 6ft 3. I sat in a similar car at Joe Macari with standard seats and had to bow my head. The Autostore car comes with the original seats, but the ones fitted make for a much better driving position for tall people. They are more thinly padded but still feel pretty comfortable. It seems like a relatively practical car actually. Although the boot is a good size and even has a full sized spare wheel .
One more update….. Le Mans Coupes near Crawley were kind enough to let me drive their Mk1 7 litre Superformance GT40 yesterday. Not a car that would tick any touring box, but unmatched as a selfish Sunday morning blasts car. Cramped, hot, noisy and more exciting than any other car I’ve driven. Caused me to question again what the most important attributes I’m looking for are. Right, off to Goodwood members meeting tomorrow at crack of dawn, so better get head down. No doubt I’ll find some more inspiration in the car parks there! Thanks all for your input. If it all goes quiet it means I’ve chickened out and bought a 911….
ked.adam917k said:
One more update….. Le Mans Coupes near Crawley were kind enough to let me drive their Mk1 7 litre Superformance GT40 yesterday. Not a car that would tick any touring box, but unmatched as a selfish Sunday morning blasts car. Cramped, hot, noisy and more exciting than any other car I’ve driven. Caused me to question again what the most important attributes I’m looking for are. Right, off to Goodwood members meeting tomorrow at crack of dawn, so better get head down. No doubt I’ll find some more inspiration in the car parks there! Thanks all for your input. If it all goes quiet it means I’ve chickened out and bought a 911….
Those were (and still are) on my want to own list too, checked into them about 10 years ago - but there were issues with German MOT / it being treated like a 60s car as opposed to a new one (cats etc)Stunning looking cars and I bet they are a lot of fun to drive
Did about 200+ km today in my 1971 911 - very very slow, but still so much fun to drive
adam917k said:
One more update….. Le Mans Coupes near Crawley were kind enough to let me drive their Mk1 7 litre Superformance GT40 yesterday. Not a car that would tick any touring box, but unmatched as a selfish Sunday morning blasts car. Cramped, hot, noisy and more exciting than any other car I’ve driven. Caused me to question again what the most important attributes I’m looking for are. Right, off to Goodwood members meeting tomorrow at crack of dawn, so better get head down. No doubt I’ll find some more inspiration in the car parks there! Thanks all for your input. If it all goes quiet it means I’ve chickened out and bought a 911….
After Goodwood made any decisions? F12 or chickened out to a 911? I wanted that Autostore car but couldn’t get the finance and p/x to work, and ordered up a 992.2 then chickened out on that when I couldn’t get my head round the cost on the road for a 992 S, haha.. F12 looked a bargain in comparison.. think over the holidays going to look again at the F12 and my man maths when loosened up on some drinks…Hi JJ. Goodwood was lovely, thanks. The car that caught my eye in the car park was a black 599 HGTE. Good value those 599s.
In terms of an update, I have made good progress in my decision and put a deposit down on something, so a big thank you to everyone who has provided helpful insights and suggestions, especially to those who have taken time to chat over the phone off line. When I started this thread I was pretty convinced that the prancing horse route was where I was going, the only question being classic or modern, or as many of you subsequently suggested, modern classic. I had gone as far as shelling out nearly £800 on an inspection of the 365, but in the end I couldn’t get the thrill I felt after trying the Superformance GT40 out of my head. I stepped out of that car on such a high, I couldn’t imagine anything else getting close. So, a high risk choice in many ways, but I have put a deposit down and hope to complete on Friday. My Italian wife will be especially unhappy at my disloyalty.
In terms of an update, I have made good progress in my decision and put a deposit down on something, so a big thank you to everyone who has provided helpful insights and suggestions, especially to those who have taken time to chat over the phone off line. When I started this thread I was pretty convinced that the prancing horse route was where I was going, the only question being classic or modern, or as many of you subsequently suggested, modern classic. I had gone as far as shelling out nearly £800 on an inspection of the 365, but in the end I couldn’t get the thrill I felt after trying the Superformance GT40 out of my head. I stepped out of that car on such a high, I couldn’t imagine anything else getting close. So, a high risk choice in many ways, but I have put a deposit down and hope to complete on Friday. My Italian wife will be especially unhappy at my disloyalty.
Right.. ok that’s a surprising choice, was really enjoying this thread to see which Prancing Horse.. you will have a lot of explaining to your Italian partner.. hopefully a decision not regretted, I drove a AC Cobra MKIV, same exhilarating drive, was going to buy one but a friend said the exhilarating will start to become annoying ownership. Said better to rent them once in awhile for the thrill and be happy to hand back the keys… Did you not get to drive a F12, they can be exhilarating and motorway cruiser? F12 is a major step up over 599. Best of luck with your chat with the Wife!
Haha, YES! Especially if she was watching the F12 Chris Harris Video last night and looking forward to her Prancing Horse..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjp1xjOzJqY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjp1xjOzJqY
JJ77 said:
Right.. ok that’s a surprising choice, was really enjoying this thread to see which Prancing Horse.. you will have a lot of explaining to your Italian partner.. hopefully a decision not regretted, I drove a AC Cobra MKIV, same exhilarating drive, was going to buy one but a friend said the exhilarating will start to become annoying ownership. Said better to rent them once in awhile for the thrill and be happy to hand back the keys… Did you not get to drive a F12, they can be exhilarating and motorway cruiser? F12 is a major step up over 599. Best of luck with your chat with the Wife!
+1… and these types of Continuation cars are very small market and difficult to shift when you tire of all the things you liked on a first drive. I’ve never owned this type of car but have heard they need constant tuning.. thanks for posting Chris Harris video, good start to the Holidays with Coffee!! F12 Ciao Bella…I’m sure you’ll have fabulous fun in your GT40 - special cars should be exactly that. The use case you describe calls for something older/different/more exotic. Current quick cars are really too fast to enjoy and generally pretty dull in normal weekend use. There is something lovely about getting to understand an older car and your original post is correct, people love rather than loathe them.
I know you’ve now made a choice but, should you change your mind, I wouldn’t worry too much about the GTC. I have a 70’s Ferrari and I used to have a Daytona (sold badly when they were cheap-ish!). Mechanically they’re robust if you use them regularly and properly, most annoyances are generally very straightforward to sort and don’t need a ££££ expert. As ever, buy well, keep it serviced and in-use and they’re a good ‘un.
I know you’ve now made a choice but, should you change your mind, I wouldn’t worry too much about the GTC. I have a 70’s Ferrari and I used to have a Daytona (sold badly when they were cheap-ish!). Mechanically they’re robust if you use them regularly and properly, most annoyances are generally very straightforward to sort and don’t need a ££££ expert. As ever, buy well, keep it serviced and in-use and they’re a good ‘un.
Strange thread, Classic or Modern V12 and ends up with a non original GT40, albeit in the lovely narrow body spec.. I would certainly vote Modern V12, went Classic V12 and spent more time at Rardley Motors than my place. Enjoy the GT40, I have never been able to get comfortable in one, 1’90.
Caught up with the thread now.. these type of cars feel like Boat Ownership to me. Best 2 days of boating are the day you bought it and the day you sell it. Much better to rent or let some other friend buy it and you get to drive it. Not sure about Italian wife’s but no point putting this purchase forward to my Brasilian! FFinally, what did you say to put him off the F12? I’m in the market for one, can you publish or dm me?
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