Sold - Formula One Brabham | Page 3 | FerrariChat

Sold Formula One Brabham

Discussion in 'Other Cars' started by wkagan, May 28, 2020.

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  1. wkagan

    wkagan Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 23, 2004
    86
    SF, CA and SLC, UT
    Full Name:
    Walt
    Abilliet, sadly I had to sell my 550 when I encountered some unexpected financial challenges. It was my all time favorite Ferrari. Powerful, composed, elegant, great for cross country drives. I have been very fortunate to have owned a 67 330GT 2+2, 78 308GTS, 82 512BB, 85 TR, 90 TR, 95 456GT, 2000 550 and 2002 575 F1. The 550 was my favorite but I am not complaining since the 575 I have now is very close.
     
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  2. abilliet

    abilliet Formula Junior

    Dec 5, 2006
    398
    Sydney
    Full Name:
    Antony Billiet
    Yes ! My sentiments too ! I must admit I like Luca di M’s era of cars. The 456 is a great grand tourer too. I wish you many happy miles in your 575 !


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
     
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  3. wkagan

    wkagan Karting
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    Sep 23, 2004
    86
    SF, CA and SLC, UT
    Full Name:
    Walt
    Thanks, we have been doing just that; enjoying many miles in the 575. I found the car last year in Houston, arranged for a PPI, flew from SF to Houston to pick it up and had a lovely drive home with my wife stopping to visit friends along the way. We put 2000 miles on the car in the first 4 days of ownership. That was more than multiple previous owners had driven it in the previous 5 years. What went wrong with an 18 year old Ferrari on the trip? Nothing! These cars were built to be driven and the GT versions are perfect for long distance trips. Fortunately my wife packs light on trips.
     
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  4. Jeoka

    Jeoka Rookie

    Oct 26, 2009
    20
    North Carolina
    "Do one thing every day that scares you" - Baz Luhrmann ("Wear Sunscreen" song).

    What wonderful stories you have, Sir! Things some of us can only dream of! Thank you for sharing!
     
  5. zipperkarting

    zipperkarting Formula Junior
    BANNED

    Jun 10, 2014
    256
    Jersey & France
    Full Name:
    paul troalic
     
  6. 308GTS2B

    308GTS2B Rookie

    Aug 13, 2019
    45
    OC, CA
    Full Name:
    Allen Safari
    Sage advice!
    I’m trying to teach that to my 17 year old now. Having raced spec Miatas and learning to squeeze every ounce out of them has taught me a lot.
     
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  7. wkagan

    wkagan Karting
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    Sep 23, 2004
    86
    SF, CA and SLC, UT
    Full Name:
    Walt
    I had a chance to review some of the in-car video we made in this car at Miller Motorsports Park and thought I would share it for your entertainment. Don't forget to turn up your audio!
    The first video shows me 1) entering the hairpin before the main straight at much too low revs, 2) doing an OK upshift, 3) doing a ham fisted downshift at the end of the straight that upsets the balance of the car which combined with 4) my lack of finesse braking causes a slide and flat spotted tires. I told you I am an amateur.

    The second video shows my "baby" brother in the car. I had hoped to show you a video of him spinning into the gravel but sadly the GoPro was not installed on that run so instead you will have to watch him pretend to be Ayrton.

    I hope you enjoy.
     
  8. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 28, 2003
    75,396
    Texas!
    Damn. That’s all I gotta say is, damn.


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
     
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  9. Ards25

    Ards25 Rookie

    Apr 22, 2013
    19
    Now THAT's a track day car.
     
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  10. Jedi

    Jedi Moderator
    Moderator Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Mar 18, 2008
    31,528
    Seattle Area
    Full Name:
    Dave
    Most amazing "for sale" ad I've ever seen on F-Chat :)

    Jedi
     
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  11. Thecadster

    Thecadster F1 Veteran
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 27, 2017
    6,705
    How much just to watch you hot lap it? Asking for a friend.
     
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  12. wkagan

    wkagan Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 23, 2004
    86
    SF, CA and SLC, UT
    Full Name:
    Walt
    Well Thecadster, since your friend is my friend it would have been my pleasure to host your friend at a track day.
    However, the reason for this For Sale ad is best explained by the Kenny Rogers song;
    "You've got to know when to hold 'em
    Know when to fold 'em
    Know when to walk away"
    Having fully reached senior citizen status (70) I have decided that my own personal CPU is running too slow and my own personal video camera has too low resolution to drive an F1 car at speed. I am fortunate indeed to have several other wonderful automotive toys which can be enjoyed at legal road speeds (or slightly above) so it is now time for another caretaker to enjoy this car the way it was meant to be enjoyed.
     
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  13. DinoSteven

    DinoSteven Rookie

    Apr 30, 2006
    40
    Orlando, FL
    Full Name:
    Steven Piantieri
    #63 DinoSteven, Jul 12, 2020
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 13, 2020
    I can race my 1965 GT350 and slide it across the bumpy tarmac at Sebring chasing old Porsche and E-Types but I can't figure out how to contact the seller, 'wkagen'. Could you please ask hm to call me or email me.
    Thanks,
     
  14. #64 EarlyCat, Jul 12, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2020
    lol. Click on his user name, then hit "Start a Conversation".
     
  15. wkagan

    wkagan Karting
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    Sep 23, 2004
    86
    SF, CA and SLC, UT
    Full Name:
    Walt
    Hello Fchatters. I apologize that the website describing my F1 Brabham collection ( f1brabhams.com ) has been down for the last week or so. The technical reasons are way beyond my understanding but thanks to my genius nephew and resourceful wife it has been fixed and it is now up and running again. As a point of clarification, everything in the collection has been sold except for the ex Damon Hill BT60B-04. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks, W
     
    Texas Forever likes this.
  16. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 28, 2003
    75,396
    Texas!
    This has been one of the best threads ever. It's too bad you can't post it in the F1 section. I always smile when I read those Monday morning experts criticize the backmarker drivers. These cars are incredibly hard to drive and damn near impossible to drive fast. Just keeping the car on the tract for one lap is an accomplishment. Kudos to you, sir.
     
  17. DanNE

    DanNE Formula Junior

    Jun 7, 2013
    596
    This is amazing! Just to clarify there is only the BT60B-04 car and no spares, documents, etc?
     
  18. wkagan

    wkagan Karting
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    Sep 23, 2004
    86
    SF, CA and SLC, UT
    Full Name:
    Walt
    Thanks for the kind words. I think folks on the F1 forum would enjoy the discussion, photos and videos but I did not think it is appropriate for me to place an ad there. Watching qualifying in Hungary this morning brought back a flood of memories. Keeping the car on the track is certainly a challenge. Not only do you have to conquer or more accurately control your fear, you need to exercise finesse with all inputs to the car. Apply too much throttle too soon in the corner exit can be very exciting! I was never happy with my braking technique. You try every lap to brake later but the later I braked the more I stomped on the pedal rather than squeezed it as instructed by my mechanic/coach. What true F1 pilots are able to do is absolutely amazing!
     
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  19. wkagan

    wkagan Karting
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    Sep 23, 2004
    86
    SF, CA and SLC, UT
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    Walt
    BT60B-04 does have a few spares, extra wheels and tires as well as all of the equipment needed to run it such as starter, fueling, engine heater, tire warmers, etc. It is 100% ready to run.
    The large spares package and document collection was purchased by the gentleman who purchased BT60Y-03 since he will need everything to restore the car to running condition. It will be a huge project, I know from my experience with BT59-05!
     
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  20. wkagan

    wkagan Karting
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    Sep 23, 2004
    86
    SF, CA and SLC, UT
    Full Name:
    Walt
    Watching today’s British Grand Prix reminded me that it was at this event in 1992 that Damon Hill started his first F1 race in this very car, BT60B-04. He had failed to qualify at the previous 5 races in Spain, San Marino, Monaco, Canada, and France but finally made it into his home GP and finished 16th. Four years later he became the F1 world champion demonstrating that perseverance in the face of adversity is a characteristic of many champions.
     
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  21. Ards25

    Ards25 Rookie

    Apr 22, 2013
    19
    What are running costs like? Do you need a special team who can maintain the car and come to track days to help you run it?
     
  22. wkagan

    wkagan Karting
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    Sep 23, 2004
    86
    SF, CA and SLC, UT
    Full Name:
    Walt
    Ards25, running costs would be determined very much by what your intended use would be. As I mentioned at the beginning of my post, my chief mechanic was the key factor in making all of this possible. He had previous F1, Lemans, and other professional racing experience as well as experience restoring F1 cars and Pebble Beach winning vintage Ferraris. His hourly labor rate is less than what my local Ferrari dealer charges for routine service! He works alone except for employing one helper during track sessions. I was incredibly lucky to have been introduced to him. Since he is now the world’s expert on 90s F1 Brabhams I would strongly recommend to the next caretaker of this car to have him continue to maintain it.
    Examples of specific parts costs; $2500 for a set of tires (once a season for me), I think a full engine rebuild back at the Judd factory in England costs around $40,000 (I have not needed this). My use of this car was only for occasional private track day special experiences. I used a low 10-11,000 rpm shift limit (max is 13,000 rpm), only 20-30 min long sessions and there was no risk of “racing incidents”. I was fortunate to have a couple of much less expensive race cars (Chevron Formula Continental and Shelby CanAm) that I used for 95% of my track time. As I reflect back on my time with BT60B-04 it is remarkable to say that not one thing ever broke! My operating costs were less than a major service at the Ferrari dealer!
    If on the other hand you plan a full season of vintage racing the costs will be much, much higher. Many components in a vintage F1 car were made just for that car and can not be purchased but need to be recreated. I had lots of this kind of experience during the restoration of BT59-05 which was very much incomplete when I purchased it. You can not buy a stock off the shelf fuel cell for a 20 year old F1 car. You can have one made but it is very expensive! I seem to remember something around $5000 for a fuel cell. Break something in the gearbox and you will need to recreate it. Break many things in a racing incident and the costs multiply.
    Hope this gives you some insight into the issue of costs. The advice often given here on Fchat regarding buying older Ferraris is quite appropriate; it is much less expensive to buy a complete, previously restored and fully serviced car than one that has had deferred service or is a project.
     
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  23. E60 M5

    E60 M5 Moderator
    Moderator Owner

    Jan 2, 2006
    8,061
    Wash DC area
    Full Name:
    Robert
    What a great thread!
    Thanks for all the videos and the reminder of what a proper F1 car should sound like!!
     
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  24. wkagan

    wkagan Karting
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    Sep 23, 2004
    86
    SF, CA and SLC, UT
    Full Name:
    Walt
    Thanks E60M5. The sound of the V10 is indeed delicious and very different from current F1 engines. I still remember the first time I heard it run. Major goosebumps! There have been a number of inquiries and offers but this amazing car is still available if an Fchatter or one of your friends is interested. One major advantage of F1 cars from this era is that a computer is not needed at all to run it. If for some reason one wanted to change the map in the ECU you would need a laptop but we have never needed to do that with this engine. It runs beautifully every time. The second advantage is that you only need one experienced mechanic and a helper to prepare and support it at track days. It is a very different story with F1 cars from the mid to late 90s and beyond.
     
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  25. normv

    normv F1 Rookie
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    May 3, 2005
    2,763
    Mishawaka In
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    Norm
    Here's a nice video on the Judd V10 GLWS
     
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