swapped out the tr for the bbi last night. pics to follow. but must say that in houston, it is slightly scary to drive the 512bbi around. it is small, fragile, and a 'heavy' drive. i have been taking it gingerly, but i am stressed.
I think that the Boxer is a joy to drive. Why do you say that it’s scary? Lots of power and I feel in complete control at speed. Very planted and secure in my opinion.
the 512bbi still gets looks too Well, it would, being one of the most beautiful cars ever made. A real dream car.
I cannot tell you how relieved I am to hear this from someone else! I picked up my BBi in Houston, and I almost had a nervous breakdown. Four near-collisions due to people pulling out in front of me, and a huge turning radius in tight rush hour traffic left my nerves frayed.
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well part of the problem right this minute is that the turn signal stalk was broken off somewhere in transit, and we only noticed it yesterday. i found the stalk and will be getting it repaired when i give it back to driver source on monday. so i am running around in the smallest fast car on the road, with no bumpers, no power anything, and just ok brakes, nobody can see me, and i have no turn signal.....yes thats scary. besides that, although i have had this car for 10 years, i only owned this car while living in geneva, a place with narrower roads but smaller overall vehicle size and very controlled traffic, vs the free-for-all demolition derby that is houston. if you have not driven here, you have no idea what i am talking about. (btw, i have driven this specific car all over the place and in plenty of cities - all over switzerland, germany, france, italy - including palermo! so its not like i am some shrinking violet driver !)
i have 3 sets of wheels for this car. - the originals, shod with the original tires with air from modena.... - a set of campagnolos from a daytona that i need to put new balloons on - and this set on it right now which are Image wheels shod with some sticky Kumhos as soon as the campagnolos get new rubber, they will be going on. but in the meantime, this is what its wearing.
Link here in full size: https://www.flickr.com/photos/92009354@N00/39516891772 Probably not your car. Can't see the studs on the wheels in your pics.
no that is not my car. fyi, my car has only been with me in the usa for about a month, and this is the second day it has been on the road.
OK. Thanks. Fantastic cars Boxers. One of my very favourite cars of all time. Congratulations! I'm sure you appreciate what an absolutely beautiful car it is.
Actually that is the Ferrari I'm most comfortable driving. I've had mine since I was 17. It was my everyday car for years. But I totally get what your saying.
no power windows? when driving a BB/ BBi you feel always the car how it is working - with powersteering and other power useless things and also with electronics like today you just can sit at a playstation. the BB I like much more to drive than the TR, smaller and better handling as I once have written in an other thread: the power from my koenig competition in a BB must be so great
Back to back driving it and the TR shows the development from one car to the next, the only BB issue is scraping the underside of the nose, the front overhang is significant. With fresh bushings, Konis, XWXs, it is a comfortable, albeit somewhat rubbery and tall feeling car with a great soundtrack (I have a carb version). With a fresh engine (and slightly higher compression than stock), my BB feels about as quick as my TR; the carb cars have cams which makes it feel more exotic than the TR (but less ‘cammy’ than a Countach, which has even more cam overlap than the BB). Both are great for long drives; I would happily take either for a long Sunday drive (which is the point) but at vintage car speeds. Enjoy.
I understand the feeling of vulnerability. Esp in a part of the world with people driving trucks and suvs while otherwise distracted by kids phone etc. You need to treat the traffic as moving obstacles and move through them faster. Its like riding a motorcycle, you have heightened awareness and also get into a groove.
Having personally driven in both Europe and Houston, I can appreciate the differences between the two. The bigger problem that you will have is the heat in Houston. Depending upon what part of town you are in, I would reserve your time behind the wheel to early mornings outside the city to better enjoy the driving. Driving a Boxer in Houston heat and traffic won’t be fun at all.
i hear you ! as i was sitting in 5pm traffic on I-10 this week, i was pleasantly surprised that my water temp was not exceeding 90, and my oil temp was not exceeding about 100 or so, AND my AC was working within passable parameters....it was a bloody miracle ! however, i think that i will have to change out the fuse panel soon, otherwise it will be fried.