When I purchased my 355 there I got a cool tour of the entire place. Hidden in the back was a 250gto and a 288gto. That was pretty amazing to see those two special cars in person. I actually had my 355 coolant flushed right next to the 250gto before I picked it up. It was only my 2nd time driving the 355 and was still getting used to the pedals/clutch, it was pretty nerve-wracking sliding in next to the 250, I had visions of my foot slipping off the cultch pedal and careening into it.
I received the grand tour as well there when I bought my first Ferrari, a 360 spider. Philip Jones showed me every corner of the building, all the amazing cars, hung out with me. I've walked through with Franklyn several times since.
Which 250GTO was that? The only real one that has ever been to FoW was s/n 3445 back when Charlie Arnott owned it - blue w/ yellow stripe.
Yep, I saw the real one at an FOW Party in March 2004. Fuzzy pic I took of it here: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=137241087#post137241087 The 250 GTO that was probably seen at FOW recently is the red replica/recreation. It is a very well done replica - one of what they call a "tribute car" - but still a replica. Beautiful car. I think it is based on a 330 GT. Even as a recreation, it is worth more than 2 or 3 times the price of my 458. Here's a pic of the red tribute car at FOW: Image Unavailable, Please Login
Yes, and I believe that car was wrecked later... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/12/most-expensive-car-crash-christopher-cox-ferrari-30-million_n_1668119.html
I also remember walking through the shop and watching and speaking with Richard, especially when he was working on some older models. He would slowly explain to me what he was doing and why. Funny, same thing still happens, although now at Competizione. Rob
Yes that was the red 250 I mentioned. I remember they mentioned it was a tribute or something, and a lot of the parts are from other 250s, or something like that, so it is practically a real 250 gto, if that makes any sense.
No disrespect, but saying "its practically a real GTO" is like saying a kit car Ferrari is "practically a Ferrari". If memory serves me right the car is based on a 250GTE 2+2, a far cry from a 250GTO. No disrespect to the car, but it is what it is... A tribute car GTE not a GTO.
Folks I know who work(ed) there called it the "250 GT-Faux". Even they said it was a VERY WELL DONE replica. FWIW. gp
Side note: I believe that 360GT was one of the cars Road and Track featured in a fantastic 360 vs 360 Challenge vs 360GT comparison about 10 years ago.
Yes, it certainly was. And if memory serves, Cort Wagner - driver of the 360GT - was also the hot shoe who did the comparison driving. I believe (again, relying on an aging memory here...) that the comparison article was shot up at Mont Tremblant following one of our races there..... I'd have to go back and look to be sure, though. gp
Oh ok. The guy showing it to me might have mentioned it was a GTE. But I was far too excited to get delivery of my 355 to pay attention to specifics.
Yes, yes it is. It must be one of the ten best 250 GTO recreations ever. Here are a few more pics I took of the engine and interior. . Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
You are correct, sir. Great article that is worth a read. I was hoping R&T would do an update at some point with either the F430 or 458 but no go.
It was made from a Series 1 250 PF Coupe, s/n 1273. One of 353 PF Coupes made by Ferrari. A PF Coupe. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Turns out, nope, not for life... I was the proud owner for an F430 Spider -- I loved the vehicle, but, due to the treatment and attitude of FoW I sold it and vowed to never again buy a Ferrari... The whole incident still makes me annoyed. To avoid reliving it I'll mainly be copying from a post I made on the Aston Martin Owner Club (AMOC) forum (so, some of the below explains things that Ferrari folk already know, like what an SD2 / SD3 is. For context: This was part of a thread where someone was trying to decide between a California and an Aston -- Aston folk were claiming all Ferrari owners are short, balding and wear gold chains...) -------------------------------- I had an '08 Ferrari F430 Spider (that I bought used), and loved dearly (and while I am short and balding I do not own any gold chains, wear white open necked shirts, etc ). Was a wonderful machine, huge fun to drive, made a great sound and (to me at least!) was beautiful. Then I took it in to Ferrari of Washington for an oil-change / annual service. Anyway after they start they find some oil around the valve cover gasket, and so recommend that I get that changed. I go ahead (simple, cheap job (<$500), so why not?) -- once the valve covers are off they discover that there is a tiny bit of oil in the variator solenoid connectors, might as well get those replaced as have already paid the labor to get the valve covers off, only ~$720 each (x4!), etc. I figure "Hmm, OK... guess so....". Then they discover that the (combination) oil and water pump has a tiny bit of oil in the weep hole -- much dire warnings about if the oil pump is starting to seep oil it might suddenly fail catastrophically at which point the engine gets no oil, and seizes... This is (AFAIR) ~$6,000 job. Starting to get annoyed, this is now 3+ weeks and ~$9,000 but in a penny, in for.... Fine, now everything is all done, only thing left to do is flush the F1 system. This is where the trouble really starts... They flush the F1 system, and then do the clutch relearn procedure. This involves hooking it up to an SD2 or SD3 (Ferrari computer thingie) and telling it to recalibrate. Runs, starts drawing a pretty graph -- and then aborts / fails... 'twas all working fine when I took it in, but much explanations about "well, when we drain it sometimes the gunk built up around the clutch release bearing gasket loosens and then the bearing starts to leak, and the F1 system won't hold pressure. You'll have to replace the clutch bearing... This requires dropping the transmission, removing the clutch, most of the cost is labor, you might as well replace the clutch, it's only got 68% life left, etc..." As this point I'm really annoyed, but vehicle isn't drivable to take anywhere else, and anyway, they *are* the dealership, etc... so I agree and they go ahead.... Their price for the clutch and flywheel was much much higher than Ricambi, and I wanted a Hill Engineering bearing (which they couldn't source), so I ended up purchasing the clutch and bearing from Ricambi (~$2,530) myself and delivering it to them... After they install the bearing and clutch and reassemble everything. I go along to watch... They hook up the SD3 and tell it to relearn... and it starts calibration... and then dies in *exactly* the same place. Much surprise, confusion, etc. Turns out that the F1 ECU unit had some issue (which they verify by "borrowing" an ECU from some other customers vehicle!) --- and there was nothing wrong with the bearing or gasket, the system hadn't been losing pressure, I hadn't needed to get the clutch changed, etc... They make a big production about how magnanimous they are, and aren't going to charge me for the ECU... but I still need to pay for the clutch replacement labor. Ended up costing me >$20,000 for everything... and I felt as though I had been taken advantage of / ripped of... Completely fell out of love with the vehicle - instead of having a huge grin every time I saw it I just felt violated... and so I sold it and bought an Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster instead. While this wasn't (IMO) an issue with the vehicle itself, but rather just a bad dealership I've sworn to never touch Ferrari again. -------- Just to make the story even better, when FoW first presented me with the bill it was ~$23,000. I made grumpyface, and after much huffing and "well, we don't usually do this, but as a big favor we can give you a break on the labor" attitude they gave me something like $1,535 off... Then, a few week later I get an invoice claiming I sill owe $1,535. I go talk to them -- they apologize, bookkeeping error, billing cycle started before the discount was applied, we'll take care of it, etc. Then, 2 or 3 months later (after I had already sold the vehicle) I get another invoice (bizarrely enough, I think from directly from FNA) claiming that my account is past-due in the amount of $1,535 and that they will be sending it to a collections agency.... (FoW did eventually take care of this, but not before it appeared on my credit report -- yay!). So, I am really enjoying the Aston Martin, but am planning on sometime getting something with more excitement. If it were not for the treatment by FoW I would be considering a 458 Spider, instead I'll probably get a Murcielago Roadster or (if I can stretch the budget and get used to the odd back and instrument panel) eventually an Aventador...
I heard really bad things about FOW... I use Competizione great guys and close to my house... Anyway, the Dealer problem... I had problems with a Chevy dealer when getting a ZO6, and right now I have my Porsche Turbo that I send just to do regular maintenance into something like it... I receive a call about the battery need replacement , never had any problem myself, and next day... another call to replace the charcoal canister, quoted over $1100. What I want to say is... Doesn't matter the brand, they will all squeeze you. (few exceptions)
Agree, but the bill amount wkumari paid out is a bit extreme. I took my car to FOW for an annual service and did not have any issues with surprise charges or "other needed items", this was about 6 months ago. I did fork over the $4400 for the power normal coverage for 1 additional year on my 2008 F430 coupe. I will certainly get estimates and watch them closely when my car is being serviced. About 2 months ago I had a CEL light pop up on my F430. I pulled in FOW with no appt. and they looked at the car right away, fixed it at no charge. I have never had a reason to question or doubt FOW's service. I have heard the horror stories online about them which worries me, but, until they burn me I will continue to use them. Perhaps me purchasing the warranty has earned some "good will". Either way, they are decent people to me.