Today, November 8th, is 41 years that I've owned my GTC. Truly a delight to own and drive and at nearly 184,000 miles, it's still great as an everyday driver. Bob Z.
Congratulations. That's awesome! Hopefully mine will be in my family that long, but I'd be 95, so it may be up to my kids. My daughter seems to especially like the idea of possibly owning a 100 year old Ferrari one day (she's 15, so that's possible).
So Cool, Bob! Thanks for sharing your milestone with us. 184k is just awesome. So you bought it in '75? would love to hear more about your ownership experience.
Congatulatios Bob. I have had mine for just short of 36years and have covered a mere 60K miles - I'm humbled! It's interesting just how many GTCs have been in long term ownership and several former owners, who 'upgraded' to a Berlinetta, have confided that they actually preferred the GTC as a drivers' car. John
I just happened upon a 1967 Maranello Concessionaires brochure in my files. At that time, the GTC, GTS. 275 GTB 4 and 330 GT were all offered at GBP 6516 including sales tax! How things have changed! As a point of interest, the same brochure offers the 365 California at GBP 9220. John
Congratulations!!! How many rebuilds, rebores, piston/rings and camshafts has the engine needed in 184000 miles?
When I bought the car in 1975, it had around 40,000 miles. I am the second owner. The engine had recently been rebuilt by ALGAR. I painted it myself in 1976. I drove it regularly to around 161,000 miles and on Memorial Day weekend in 2012, I decided to remove the engine and do a major rebuild. Here is the thread I started documenting some of the work: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/vintage-thru-365-gtc4-sponsored-vintage-driving-machines/325485-fun-330-gtc-memorial-day-weekend.html Except for the valve work and the small-end rod bushings, I did every bit of the work by myself, including the re-installation. Before installing it, I test ran it on a homemade engine stand. The work was finished and the engine re-installed in September. I drove it for around 4,000 miles and entered it in the Hilton Head Car Club Jamboree in 2013 and it was awarded Best in Show! We entered it in the same show in 2015 and it was AGAIN awarded Best in Show. I might add thats its the only car to ever be awarded that honor twice. The photo shows the car with the award on the windshield. I drive it everywhere local shopping, model airplane contests and even camping. And YES, I drive it in the rain! BUT, I do not leave it out overnight just a bit of paranoia on my part! It now has just under 184,000 miles. I should mention that I have found a number of tricks to make the car more user-friendly. If anyone is interested, I will post them as they can apply to just about any early Ferrari. To answer some questions: The car has all its unmodified internal parts pistons, crankshaft, rods, cams etc. For the rebuild, I replaced all seals, gaskets, bearings, rings, points, timing chain and associated bearings, plugs, valves and guides, clutch, throw out bearing and engine mounts. I also installed an oil pressure warning light. Thats about it. Further questions and comments are most welcome. Bob Z. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Beautiful! Looks great in Giallo Fly, too! (Not usually a favourite colour of mine). I'd love to hear your insider tips for making an old Ferrari more user friendly. Please post them!
I truly appreciate all the fine replies. Answering some comments: The color is actually not Giallo Fly. It's Corvette Bright Yellow! Here are a few of the improvements I made. Remove the Lucas alternator. It would not keep up with the power demands when running with lights, AC and wipers. I installed a universal GM type single wire internal regulator version. Remove the Lucas cooling fans and install Hayden fans - Much more efficient. Install Bosche Blue coils. Hotter spark, internal ballast. Use ONLY NGK plugs. BP5ES or BP6ES. Gap them to .035 and this will minimize chances of fouling. Balance the carbs OFF the car. Much quicker and easier if you use my vacuum adapter. This is especially good for side-to-side balancing. Use only Baldwin B-253 oil filters. I will NEVER use Fram. Replace the original electric fuel pump with a Facet Posi-Flow pump (# 60301 from Aircraft Spruce). I located it in the trunk - very reliable and accessible. These are mods I made to my own car. While not original, they really increase the overall driveability of the GTC. And, every mod is reversible. Bob Z.
Funny I've done many of those things as well. One more thing that really helps you not get stranded on the side of the road, high torque starter. Ask me how I know, as they say.
