Driving Impressions

very well, glad to read, impressions and pics it s just marvellous, a travell
in Ferrari world. Thanks Dr Who.

 

Great writeup. Interesting that for me, the fun factor is reversed. I find my 456 to be a fantastic machine for travelling, or daily driving, or just about any sort of transportation. It's lots of fun, but...

My 365, with all it's quirks and noises and strange ergonomics, now that's FUN!

 

Exactly, perhaps the good Dr should try a Honda next, seems more suitable for his style

 

LOL! "Fun" is of course entirely up to the tastes of the individual.

I think everyone will agree that one simply cannot drive a 40 year old car with the same degree of flexibility as a modern car - the tires alone will betray you. Old cars have limits which can be reached by mere mortals, and that's what makes them fun to me. New cars have limits which far exceed most people's driving ability.

I would however agree with the statement that the transaxle cars are prone to understeer followed by oversteer, but handled remarkably well when compared to their contemporaries.

 

Dale,

Good thread idea!

PM Yale so that he posts his write-ups on various 330s here.

RE: Maranello vs. 330GTC - tough to compare, Maranello is a brilliant modern car; GTC is a brilliant vintage car. If you want the best performance possible, go with a Maranello. If you want the best performance then the Maranello is the way to go. If you want the most memorable/enjoyable driving experience then go vintage. My M3 outperforms my 330 2+2. However, have a lot more fun in the Ferrari.

Regards,

Art S.

 

Delightfully written, and accurate. Could the GTC need front-end bushings? Clutch adjustment? I much prefer a 250SWB both for its handling and its gearbox. If you want a real eye-opener, try something like a Boano which has you sliding off the seat at each bend in the road, and requires both feet on the brake pedal! Cheers.

 

First of all, Synchro, don't be unkind to the good Dr. (Who, that is)!

I happen to be the above mentioned "buddy" (as in running) and know Dr. Who to be a man of good taste fully deserving of his opinions. That said, I disagree with him as well. The older cars have a sense of involvement, that sound, a texture to their feel, the smell of red paint and gasoline,.....(please feel free to fill in your personal eroticism here).

Please note the relative number of posts of Dr. Who and myself. He posts while I am either under or elbow-deep in the innards of the cars (notice the that beautiful 330 gauge shot and those exemplary readings). So the Doc and I have a symbiosis thing going, he likes to drive, I like to fettle. Our arrangement works even better because we've managed to convince our wives that it's the other fella's wife who will be forced to work for a living after we've died because of our car habit.

As for technology, it's amazing that the suspensions of the two are so remarkably similar in layout. It's as if the 550 is a modern replica of the 330. But the difference in performance and feel is profound. the 550 just sails along while the poor 330 driver is using all his skills just to keep the Maranello in view. We also have a '77 308GTB, a neat car restored by Francois Sicard with michelotto cams, Tubi, 16' P-zeros, euro airdam & bumpers, fiberglass decklid (overall car 300 lbs. lighter than stock). Again, same suspension visually but wholly different feel. I'm sure the P-zeros have something to do with it, not to mention the Pilots on the 550.

That's it!, let's try rack and pinion and 35 series tires on the 330 and maybe I'll get to drive the 550 more.

 

I think Yale E said it best, either here or on Tom Y's site, awhile back; "driving a vintage Ferrari is an event; anything else is just transportation."

 

I think the overall driving experience between the 456 and the 550 is very similar, hence my point. I happen to own a 456 and a 365 2+2, which are a close comparison to the 550/330GTC in feel, and I get to regularly drive them back to back.

My brother and I sometimes take the two cars out to work, and he was astonished at how much work it was trying to keep up with the 456 in the 365. In contrast, the 456 felt like it was loafing.

To each his own!

 

Thank you for this thread, Dale. I've never driven a 550 or 575, but I do own a 330GTC, so I'll limit my comments to that model.

First, I bought this Ferrari late in life, after nearly forty years of owning many different Porsches of all eras. I decided to get the front engine, V12, vintage Ferrari experience while I was physically able, and before prices started to get away from me. I decided on the GTC after doing a lot of research, much of which was done on this site. The other "affordable" V12s didn't appeal to me for various reasons, and the others that *did* appeal to me (SWB, Lusso, 275GTB) were long since past my budget constraints. So, I kissed a lot of pigs, stupidly passed up a couple of sweethearts, spent a lot of money on travel and PPIs, and bought what I consider to be the best GTC available at the time.

I haven't regretted it for a second. The car is used on tours, usually in the mountains. The first full day of driving it I had cramps in my forearms! I haven't noticed anything except neutral steering response, but that could be for a number of reasons: I'm used to rear engined cars; I may not be pushing the car hard enough to uncover handling quirks; the suspension was set up very precisely by a very experienced chassis technician as soon as I took delivery.


The gearbox in my car likes to be warm before going into second without protest, but after a few miles it's fine. I've never noticed a problem changing down.

The car (and the experience) has been everything I hoped and expected it would be. I've read a lot of good things about the GTC and agree with those who say it is an under appreciated car. I can't imagine parting with it. My only regret is that I didn't get interested in Ferraris earlier...I might have ended up with that Lusso, 275GTB or even SWB (but I don't think any of them would deliver any more satisfaction-per-dollar than the GTC does).

Jack

 

It would be interesting to compare the GTC to a well set up GT. Some of the impressions regarding the transition from massive understeer to hanging out the rear end a bit do not correspond to my impressions of the GT. But I have not tracked a GTC.
Assuming there is no slop in the bushings, I would think it had more to do with the difference in rear suspension - the GTC with IRS, and the GT with a (well located) solid axle.

Cheers
Warren

 

I'm with Warren.
Every time I drive my 330 GT, I'm amazed by how well the solid axle is suspended.
Every time I drive it hard, I love the predictability of a solid axle.
But I also haven't driven a GTC hard, and I have never driven a 250 SWB, so I really can't compare. I would love to hear from someone who has.

--Matt

 

The above mentioned GTC has new suspension bushings front and rear and minimal free play in the steering. The clutch is fine, I re-did the hydraulics when I got the car.

I first saw a GTC in Car and Driver Magazine in 1967 (Red/Black, Wire Wheels, just like this car) when I was 13 years old. Someone with more skills than me on the computer should post the road test. It may help explain our lack of cold objectivity when we regard these cars.

 

This anthropomorphic fit is my most important criteria along with headroom. I am similarly sized to our good narrator and can tell you a 330 GTC is indeed a good fit for folks our size, although perhaps a bit lateally narrow for my shoulders. as opposed to say a 250 Lusso or 348/328 with no headroom for me. The steering wheel as well position in some Ferraris is low, and actually prevent me from comfortably sitting in the car.

In fact, it was a combination of these factors that first led me to a Mondial. It is huge inside with a lot of headroom, lateral room and an adjustable sterring wheel - extremely comfortable compared to most every other Ferrari I have been in - certainly all of the mid engine cars.

I think this thread is a great idea, and hope that each car description will mention cabin room

 

This thread IS a great idea.

One note on the cabin space in a 330 GT: There's plenty of headroom, a vestigial reminder of when men still wore hats daily. I actually machined some risers to lift both front seats in order to take advantage of that room. The seating position is now perfect for me (I'm a hair under 6'), and I can see the hood and fenders much better for driving the car. And there's still plenty of headroom left.

I should also add that the seats are extremely comfortable.

 

Dale, very colorful account. In particular, this is good:

I'll add: Getting home and shutting it down with everything still working as it should, priceless.

The great thing about driving a vintage V12 is that it never lets you forget that you are driving, or what you are driving...it's total immersion from the moment you crank it up until you put it away in the garage...and then the smell of gasoline remains.

I've never had the extended opportunity to drive my 330 2+2 as you did the GTC, but the experience would probably be very similar, with the GTC getting the edge in acceleration and agility.

 

A great thread and a delightful read. Thank you Dr.Who!

My GTC does exhibit understeer on entry and oversteer on exit, but nothing like the dramatic effect Dr. Who describes. It is subtle, perfectly controlable, and very rarely requires counter-steering. It could of course be unagressive or incompetent driving on my part, but at this time Spain is still pretty tolerant on speed limits, and my drives from Madrid to the north (450 km) can be very spirited. The car is set up beautifully and the tires are new.

Last week I was cruising in the right lane of the Madrid to Burgos highway. Not a car in sight, and the Colombo purring along pushing me in a perfectly relaxed fashion at about 140 km/h.

Then a red streak passed on my left, a bright red uncovered 360 cab. Ferraris are unfortunately relatively rare in Spain, so I went for him. I managed to keep up, and fifteen minutes later we mercifully stopped at a gas station. The speed had flirted with 220 km/h during the whole time, and I was ecstatic, but also somewhat exhausted and terrified. The gentleman, on the other hand, had evidently not batted an eyelid. He was of course not giving it all, and he told me the main reason he let me stick with him was to hear my engine.

And whatever the undeniable competence of the modern Ferrari, the noise always dissapoints me. Just listen to a GTC, or any Colombo! For me, the noise my Ferrari makes is a big part of the fun. Childish perhaps.

To return to the handling of the GTC, I cannot compare it to a modern, but I do drive it back to back with my Dino. The Dino is of course the lighter and better handler, with understeer and oversteer usually replaced by perfectsteer, but for me the GTC just requires a little more care. Again, nothing dramatic. If you are driving below the limit or you are not attentive, you might not even notice. The car will ultimately punish you, but you have to push it very far.

Cheers,

Julio

 

I don't think its a fair comparison, the GTC was never a pure performance Ferrari, compare a Maranello to a 275GTb or Daytona or even a SWB or GTO would be more appropriate.