A Hot Rod Lusso
Dear Mr. Sheehan: I’ve got a Lusso I’d like to hot-rod. At Ferrari track days, I’m tired of watching ungainly, four-headlight 330 GTs pull away from me. Can you tell me your thoughts on the cost/benefit ratio of a) installing a 6-carb setup, b) hotter cams, and/or c) a more efficient exhaust system? Are there […]
Replica’s ‘R Us
There’s really not much difference between buying a knock-off Louis Vuitton handbag in Times Square for $20, and picking up a replica (read that as fake) Ferrari 250 TR for $150,000 at an auction. The dollar amounts may be different, but the percentage of savings is the same. However, just as your repli-bag might be […]
The $15K Side Market Lights
I was recently asked why it should cost $7,000 to paint a garden-variety Ferrari 308 when a Mercedes 450SL can be resprayed for under $2,500. Before I answer, let me say that I was in the body and paint business from 1972 to 1996, specializing in Ferraris, and painting the occasional Mercedes, Porsche or Lamborghini. […]
Your Basic Million-Dollar Toy
Most Americans think the Mille Miglia Storica is a grueling event; in fact it is a tiring, lengthy 1,000-mile parade where your greatest danger (in an open car) is having the top of your head bruised by all the Italian fanatics who like to give you a pat as you inch along in traffic. By […]
An $11,000 Ferrari Fender Bender
In the June issue of SCM we compared the cost of painting a Mercedes 450SL with a Ferrari 308 (“The $7,000 Paint Job,” page 61). Here, we take a look at the work involved and the cost differences for crash repairs to a 360 Ferrari versus a Porsche 996. Let’s assume both cars are near […]
The Best Ferrari Vintage Racer
“What’s the best way to race in the Ferrari Historic Challenge?” the caller asked. The American version of the very successful European Ferrari Historic challenge is sponsored in part by Ferrari of North America and features the best of America’s vintage Ferrari racecars and their drivers in a “Ferrari only” series. “Best way to race” […]
The $7,000 Paint Job
I was recently asked why it should cost $7,000 to paint a garden-variety Ferrari 308 when a Mercedes 450SL can be resprayed for under $2,500. Before I answer, let me say that I was in the body and paint business from 1972 to 1996, specializing in Ferraris, and painting the occasional Mercedes, Porsche or Lamborghini. […]
The 250 LM: Fast but Nasty
Perhaps the best-known Ferrari street/race cars of the ’60s are the 250 GTO and the 250 LM. Although they were built in similarly small numbers, the value of 250 LMs has always languished far behind that of the GTO. There are many reasons for this. The 250 GTO, equipped with a predictable solid rear axle, […]
Vector, Another Fantasy Flop
The Vector was created by Gerald “Jerry” Wiegart as an American challenge to the European Supercars of the 1970s. A non-running prototype was first shown at the Los Angeles Auto Expo in 1972. Projected selling price was then an unrealistically low $7,500. The first running prototype , now called the W2 with the “W” for […]
F50 GT, A Very Exclusive Club
F50 GT S/N 003 was the feature car at the RM Classic Car Auction at Scottsdale, Arizona, on January 23, 2000. With standard F40s selling in the $250,000–300,000 range, and production F50s bringing $600,000–650,000, the F50 GT’s selling price of $1,430,000 had the Ferrari world buzzing. The F50 GT is one of the great “what […]