[Future Ferrari Owner] We Finally Did It!

RQtetto · #1 08-15-2012, 10:10 PM

After years of observing from the sidelines we are finally joining the Ferrari family. Our daughter has successfully survived high school and is now doing well at a prestigious west coast university. Now it's time for Mom and Dad to have some fun!

We just placed our down payment on a beautiful 1988 Rosso Corsa and tan Testarossa. My dream car. After she gets her timing belt and fluid service in a few weeks we're ready to bring her home. Everything about her is perfect except for the stock exhaust, which is far too quiet. I need to hear the engine when I drive and she needs to sing.

So, any ideas? From what I've found on YouTube, the Fuchs exhaust sounds the best to my ear. I'm looking for that melodic Italian race car wail, not a raspy cough. I already have a loud Detroit muscle car and want my Italian twelve cylinder to sound different. I need your help!

Thanks, guys.

**RedFlyer512TR** · #2 08-18-2012, 11:51 PM

Hi, Tim here,

I also just purchased my dream car 512TR in classic red over tan. I started the process this month of August. My car has a Tubi in it. I'll be taking delivery in 3 weeks or less. I hired Horseless Carriage to transport it to where I live in Columbus, OH. I joined FCA and that gives me a 10% discount on shipping which pays for my membership cost nicely. When the Testarossa came out in 1985 and I saw it on a magazine cover, I promised myself I would get one. I am very glad that I kept that promise. It still hasn't hit me yet that I bought this beauty because I bought it sight unseen, no PPI. I know it sounds risky, but life is full of worthwhile risks. The car is so rare that I will get done whatever needs done. I have never seen a 512TR in public, only one in a dealer showroom and I couldn't sit in it. I have never ridden in a Ferrari, my first ride in a Ferrari will be my own car. There are only a handfull of times that I've seen a Testarossa in public and each time it stopped me dead in my tracks. I was looking at a 1990 Testarossa in the showroom at Ferrari of Dublin, MAG, near where I live. The sight of it was so surreal despite all the pictures I looked at over the years. It looked so very special as I always consider a Ferrari to be. I have waited 27 years to be 45 years old to get to this moment and I plan to enjoy every minute of it. I worked very hard to achieve this dream and I will work harder to protect it.

RQtetto · #3 08-19-2012, 03:15 AM

Hi Tim,

I know what you mean. I fell in love with the TR the first time I saw it. It may be over two decades old but the design is timeless. It was beautiful when it was first unveiled and it is no less beautiful today.

The sad thing is that you never see Testarossas driving down the street. Until we went on a Ferrari Owners Club cruise last week, the only TR we had seen in San Diego was on display at the Automotive Museum! Soon we will be driving an identical one. Hard to believe.

Our car still has the stock exhaust, and that is the only thing we plan to change. Otherwise the car is perfect. I really like the sound of the Fuchs exhaust, but Tubis seem to be easier to find. Any chance you can post a video clip of your TR with the Tubis?

Rob

**RedFlyer512TR** · #4 08-19-2012, 07:26 PM

I would be happy to take a video and post it for you. I know I have seen many of those videos on YouTube already. One of my favorite videos shows a Kreissieg Exhaust which is exactly the sound you are thinking of. There are lots of videos for that also.

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

RQtetto · #5 08-20-2012, 07:20 AM

Hi Tim,

Thanks for downloading those clips! The Tubi seems to have a lower pitch and the Kreissieg and Fuchs have a higher, more F1 kind of sound. They all sound great. This will be a tough decision.

Thanks again.

Rob

RQtetto · #6 12-02-2012, 12:16 AM

We've had our TR for a month and a half now. About time for some pix.

The Testarossa we were originally going to buy got pulled from the market by the seller when he sold his yacht. Gary Bobileff got on the phone and called some local TR owners to see if anyone was interested in selling. Luckily for us S/N 78409 soon came onto the market and we grabbed it.

This one has a Tubi exhaust already installed and has all the records, manuals, tools, etc. The 30K major service has just been done. A lot of car for the money and just 20,503 miles on the odometer.

Rob

**RedFlyer512TR** · #7 12-02-2012, 06:58 PM

Hi,

Your Testarossa is obviously very clean and well cared for! Congratulations on such a clean, well documented find! I wish you many trouble free miles driving her. I noticed that the upper dash board edge is still clean and not dinged up. You know how the edge gets bumped by your finger nails when you grab the steering wheel with a lot of effort because you know you don't have power steering. The finger nails dig in to that edge of the dash, but your dash looks to still be smooth and not dinged up. That is a rare sight, most I have seen are chewed up. I clip my nails close before driving because I have large hands and I have hit that edge in my car even though I try to avoid it. I will link to a get together with the Ferrari Owners Club that occurred on my 46th birthday here in Ohio. That was a fabulous time. There was one Testarossa in attendance, and my 512TR.

Here is the link:
http://www.conwaytruckload.us/tims_f...ive/index.html

Here is my attempt to post a photo of my car:
http://www.conwaytruckload.us/tims_f...e/image132.jpg

RQtetto · #8 12-02-2012, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedFlyer512TR

Hi,

Your Testarossa is obviously very clean and well cared for! Congratulations on such a clean, well documented find! I wish you many trouble free miles driving her. I noticed that the upper dash board edge is still clean and not dinged up. You know how the edge gets bumped by your finger nails when you grab the steering wheel with a lot of effort because you know you don't have power steering. The finger nails dig in to that edge of the dash, but your dash looks to still be smooth and not dinged up. That is a rare sight, most I have seen are chewed up. I clip my nails close before driving because I have large hands and I have hit that edge in my car even though I try to avoid it. I will link to a get together with the Ferrari Owners Club that occurred on my 46th birthday here in Ohio. That was a fabulous time. There was one Testarossa in attendance, and my 512TR.

Here is the link:
http://www.conwaytruckload.us/tims_f...ive/index.html

Here is my attempt to post a photo of my car:
http://www.conwaytruckload.us/tims_f...e/image132.jpg

Timothy,

Thanks for the compliment. Your car looks awesome. Perfect paint.

Our car is unusually clean and has clearly been pampered. With just 20,503 miles on the clock and 24 years old, that works out to an average of less than 855 miles per year. It must take tremendous self discipline to look at this car day after day and not grab the keys and a pair of sunglasses and hit the road.

We had been looking at several cars over many months, test driving them, asking questions, doing research, etc. This one came on the market and as soon as I found out about it I was on the phone arranging a test drive. I drove up to the seller's house (well, mansion in a gated compound really...) and we took it for a spin.

But before I could get even get in the seller wanted to instruct me in the proper method of sitting down. He had me practice his technique of placing the right foot on the floor mat, placing one hand on the door sill and lifting the body so it will levitate over the side bolster without scraping it. It was at this point I realized that I really liked this guy and that I wanted his car. I had finally found someone crazier than me!

That's interesting about finger nails hitting the dash. That hasn't happened to me yet. I drive with both hands and handle the wheel the way Nicki Lauda recommends in his Formula One Driving Techniques book that I read years ago. Maybe my fingers are too short.

Rob