Discussion
I need to start by saying that this is not an advert. I was a PHr way before I started my business - this thread is all about my own personal car. I am not touting for work, I'm consistently booked 3-6 months ahead and I spend my life wishing the phone would stop ringing. Hopefully the mods will see this thread in the light it is intended to be....
This pic was taken on the day I bought the car, a little over 9 years ago. This is the longest I've owned a single car.
I've had some really good adventures with it over the years. Plenty of Euro trips and even had it featured in a mag.
Nothing stays standard with me. My first mod was to ditch the silver wheels and fit dark grey Challenge wheels (as seen in the pictures above).
I've been playing with the engine as well. Had some exhaust manifolds made up (the OEM ones are really restrictive and can damage the engine). I also turned up the engine. It's now running 540bhp (I have a spare engine in case it goes pop!).
It came with the steel brakes from the 360 which were no good for me. I managed to source a set of brand new brakes from the 430 Challenge race car. Made a set of centre bells from titanium and they just squeezed in under a set of wheels from the Scuderia.
This is how the car looks now:
This pic was taken on the day I bought the car, a little over 9 years ago. This is the longest I've owned a single car.
I've had some really good adventures with it over the years. Plenty of Euro trips and even had it featured in a mag.
Nothing stays standard with me. My first mod was to ditch the silver wheels and fit dark grey Challenge wheels (as seen in the pictures above).
I've been playing with the engine as well. Had some exhaust manifolds made up (the OEM ones are really restrictive and can damage the engine). I also turned up the engine. It's now running 540bhp (I have a spare engine in case it goes pop!).
It came with the steel brakes from the 360 which were no good for me. I managed to source a set of brand new brakes from the 430 Challenge race car. Made a set of centre bells from titanium and they just squeezed in under a set of wheels from the Scuderia.
This is how the car looks now:
I've got some big plans for the car this winter. My aforementioned business has taken up a lot of my time over the last 6 years and I've not had any time to drive or work on the car. I've created some really great cars for clients over that time though and have always wanted to do something for myself. I've accumulated a number of parts that will be going on - my plan is to create the ultimate regular F430. I know I could buy a Scuderia but where's the fun in that?
Watch this space....
Watch this space....
voicey said:
I've got some big plans for the car this winter. My aforementioned business has taken up a lot of my time over the last 6 years and I've not had any time to drive or work on the car. I've created some really great cars for clients over that time though and have always wanted to do something for myself. I've accumulated a number of parts that will be going on - my plan is to create the ultimate regular F430. I know I could buy a Scuderia but where's the fun in that?
Watch this space....
When I read this, I was about to reply something along the lines of: 'this is going be awesome, I expect this to be as good a read as mwstewart's topic(s)' and then the man himself turns up as well.Watch this space....
Very curious to see where this goes!
FastNLoud said:
Looks great in that colour, I think they suit darker colours.
I quite fancy one of these just like yours myself, would you recommend an f430 as a first supercar? Are they reasonably reliable?
The F430 is certainly a good shout for a first supercar. It still looks relatively up to date and the performance is adequate compared to modern offerings. The price point is also very attractive when compared with newer tipos.I quite fancy one of these just like yours myself, would you recommend an f430 as a first supercar? Are they reasonably reliable?
As with any car at this level, it is going to cost to keep in tip top mechanical condition. When assessing a car for sale, the first thing I you should do is to look at the service invoices for at least the last 5 years. What you are looking for is work done over and above the actual service. These cars wear stuff out like you wouldn't believe and if things are not kept on top of then the list of deferred maintenance builds up.
It can be very common for someone to buy a car like this and then be hit with a £10k bill to bring it up to scratch. Either the previous owner(s) has scrimped or the prior servicing agents have been negligent/lazy.
There also are a few common items that can fail that are widely publicised and really should have been addressed in the past.
If you have a car inspected prior to buying by someone who knows what they're doing then you're ownership experience is highly likely to be very pleasant. If you buy blind and cross your fingers then it's likely you'll be putting your hand in your pocket a lot.
Final thing to say is that it is usually better to pay more for a better example than less for a car that needs work even if the cost of the work is factored in. A car that has been left to slip into poor mechanical condition is likely to be hiding a few surpirses that an inspection wont rveal.
Managed to get some time on the car this week.
First step - strip the interior. Left the drivers seat in for now but both seats will be replaced with something much nicer in time.
They it was the turn of the engine bay. Gearbox needs to come off for this project...
We won't be needing this where we're going:
First step - strip the interior. Left the drivers seat in for now but both seats will be replaced with something much nicer in time.
They it was the turn of the engine bay. Gearbox needs to come off for this project...
We won't be needing this where we're going:
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