Recommendations for a 308 PPi in Vegas | FerrariChat

Recommendations for a 308 PPi in Vegas

Discussion in '308/328' started by JC Andruet, Apr 12, 2021.

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  1. JC Andruet

    JC Andruet Karting

    Jan 16, 2013
    192
    Preferably a good independent specialist shop rather than Towbin Ferrari Maserati (us Brits have little faith in most large franchised dealerships abilities when it comes to inspecting classic cars) so a recommendation from someone that's used and experienced good service from a specialist independent shop would be really useful.

    These guys are Porsche specilists, but also advertise as European specialists :

    https://trophylv.com/

    I'd choose them over Towbin Ferrari Maserati, but would really prefer a dedicated Ferrari repair shop. Has anyone used Donnie Callaway ? Would he travel to Vegas to inspect a car ?
     
  2. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

    Jun 14, 2008
    6,685
    Full Name:
    Mike 996
    I used these guys in Vegas when I bought my 328 https://italyservice.com

    They were superb and they asked me if I wanted to to be in the shop with the tech as he performed the PPI. Of course I accepted that and he pointed out various service/maintenance "quirks" of these cars as he went through the service. This included being under the car when it was up on the lift; most shops don't allow customers in the shop area at all. TBF, this was some years ago so they may have been forced by insurance to prohibit customers there now. I bought the car the same day I first saw it (after the PPI) and drove it out of Las Vegas to Chester, Maryland (2700 miles) two days later.

    Good Luck!!
     
    375+ likes this.
  3. JC Andruet

    JC Andruet Karting

    Jan 16, 2013
    192
    Many thanks for that Mike, it's much appreciated.
    2700 miles two days after purchase, now that's a great way to bond with a new car !!
     
  4. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

    Jun 14, 2008
    6,685
    Full Name:
    Mike 996
    Not pertinent to the thread but FWIW:

    It was a fun 3 day (two overnights) drive in August - across Hoover Dam - before the new bridge was open. I hit 145+MPH (indicated) in places in the NV/AZ desert. I'm not saying that's smart; but I have never claimed to be! ;) Almost hit a deer before sunrise, just after leaving the motel after the first night (in NM). I guess he figured he could amble across the highway because there were no cars on the road. I figured I could hit 100+ because there were no cars on the road. We scared the heck out of each other but we both escaped unscathed! :eek: He probably didn't see me until barely-in-time because the stock headlights are...well, placeholders for headlights. I didn't see him until barely-in-time for the same reason. :oops:

    Good trip UNTIL turning north on I-95 where it turned into a heavy-traffic slog. :mad: Car ran flawlessly.

    Bad points - AC was not working very well - what a shock! :) So Aug temps made the cabin much warmer than I prefer. Also, exhaust noise (stock exhaust) made earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones mandatory. IMO, if you had a Tubi or whatever and did a trip like that without ear protection, the hearing you had before the trip would never return. Even stock is too loud for such extended stints behind the wheel - first two days was around 16 hours each; third was 10-11.
     
    rob likes this.
  5. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

    Jun 14, 2008
    6,685
    Full Name:
    Mike 996
    Oh...forgot to add: no cruise control is a real PITA (PIT leg, actually) for such trips! Had to operate the accelerator cross-legged (left foot) for periods to give my right leg/ankle a break!
     
    Kidasters likes this.
  6. JC Andruet

    JC Andruet Karting

    Jan 16, 2013
    192
    That sounds fun Mike !! Though perhaps not so much the lack of decent aircon and the noisy exhaust.

    I too had the "deer encounter" scenario, it didn't end well though ...

    You can just see the car here :

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    And here it is in all its gory detail :

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    And less than a week earlier :

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    I'd been warned about deer wandering around in the road at dusk the evening before when I arrived in Scotland, I should've heeded that local knowledge better.

    I got off lightly with two fractured ribs (the car was written off) I considered myself lucky, as twelve months previously a young waitress and her boyfried lost their lives when their car left the same section of road and ended up drowning in the Loch that borders the road.

    I estimate my speed to have been between 70-80mph when I left the road backwards in the dark ...
    The tree stopped the car rather brutally, the bulkhead that separates the engine bay from the cabin took the brunt of the impact and was horrendously buckled, hence the bodyshell was beyond repair and the car written off.

    A harsh lesson learnt.
     
  7. Kidasters

    Kidasters Formula Junior

    Oct 4, 2013
    546
    Houston, Tx
    Full Name:
    Ken
    I drove from Montana to Louisiana and back in a 1970 Dodge Coronet with no A/C. In August. At one point, I was pouring water on my head so I wouldn't melt.

    I had taken off my shoes because my feet were hot, but I had to rest my feet on top of my shoes because the floorboard was the same temp as the road surface. and I had to do the left foot acc pedal in order to give my right a break.

    Good times......
     

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