EAG, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

My only agenda is to see preservation of passion and fun within our little V12 community.

 

I see Francorchamps billed $4500 for “center console.” Not exactly sure what that entails, but it appears to be noticeably different from the custom center console the car had when it left EAG. The carbon console actually looked decent and well-made although not an original Ferrari design. The plain weave carbon is laid out at a 45 degree pattern, which is seen often in modern Ferrari interiors.



https://ferraris-online.com/cars/2007-ferrari-599-gtb-6-speed-conversion-151605/

Fast forward to when the car was put up for sale post Francorchamps, the carbon center console is now different. Looks to be shoddy carbon work imo. The carbon is no longer laid at 45 degrees, crooked in some areas, and bubbly. The most important to note, the design is now different. It is a bit wider to the left indicating the shifter must’ve needed to be moved to the left with the new parts.

So Francorchamps either designed a new carbon or modified the EAG carbon console and did a poor carbon carbon overlay job. The design trim around the emergency button also looks different.

 

Carbon center console when it left EAG



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Carbon center console after Francorchamps


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OE Ferrari center console:


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If Francorchamps felt the need to move the shifter gate left to align everything with the newly ordered OE Ferrari shift rods that should tell you how complex this conversion is.

My guess… EAG ultimately decided to go with shifter cables as it offers more flexibility vs shift rods so alignment becomes less of an issue. Plus, they already made a commitment to a carbon center console design so the gated shifter position needs to be where they designated it to be.


Unless someone was able to source a 599 manual OE Ferrari carbon center console along with the corresponding leather console which makes up the bottom half of it (all I presume to be unobtanium), this manual conversion attempt with all OE parts was never going to work.

 

My advice … because this is EAG’s unique shifter cable design, stick with them until they can work out the kinks of this ongoing 599 project. Nomad or Francorchamps cannot help you. They can put a bandaid on the issue, that’s about it.

Personally, there’s no way I would send in a car without knowing/seeing what the final outcome would be. Customization shops over promise and under deliver all the time. That is simply the nature when venturing into uncharted territory. If you send the car in before seeing proven results, this is what you’ve signed up for.

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/DR9l6m__9zk?feature=share


I am going to assume this is a 599 cable shifter manual conversion using EAG parts. Notice how much nicer the carbon console is compared to Francorchamps’.

If this is EAG’s conversion, they are almost there if not there already.

 

Just noticed. Car left EAG with a 575 looking gate where the reverse position angles in as opposed to going straight up as seen in an OE manual 599.

Nomad appears to have changed it to 599 spec during their supposed fix.



EAG’s current version of gate has the reverse going straight up.
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Upon further review I noticed the Nomad CAD drawing of an actuator plate, that I included in a previous post, is for a cable system, not a shifter rod.

Also, the Ferraris Online guys are named Sheehan, not Shaugnessy.

I guess it’s best to let the second cup of coffee to hit before posting in the morning.

 

Well. I guess that explains everything doesn’t it?


1. Pre-covid, owner of sub 1k mi 599 had the bright idea of converting his car to manual using ONLY Ferrari parts. He most likely figured this would substantially increase the value of his already museum worthy 599. A 599 which did not use OE parts, he realized, would not fetch nearly as much.

2. EAG enters into an agreement (Jan 2020) with said owner figuring this would be the best way to jump start 599 manual conversions. A customer was willing to front funds to acquire OE 599 parts ($50k worth), which they could then analyze and reverse engineer, while using said paying customer’s car as a guinea pig. Great deal for both parties involved right??

3. Covid comes along and destroys supply chains worldwide. However, I believe if these parts were truly available, they would’ve have already been on the shelves somewhere (ex. Maranello Classics). I don’t believe they were obtainable… at least not all of it. Especially, the carbon center console and corresponding lower leather console.

4. At some stage, EAG realizes reverse engineering OE parts isn’t going to work if they want to scale this 599 conversion. The Nomad guys who were contracted designed a cable system, which is understandable because that is what they are most familiar/comfortable with due to success with F430 conversions. Whether the 599 owner was informed of this decision… who knows?? I have a hunch he wasn’t told or if told, the project was already underway with most parts already installed.

5. I find it silly if indeed the Nomad guys were contracted to do the 599 conversion, parted ways with EAG, then critiqued the car because they are essentially criticizing their own work. While taking credit for resolving the issue.

6. 599 owner most likely was unsatisfied with the fact this was a non-OE conversion. EAG gave him an unfinished car. He most likely took it to Nomad so they could at least finish it and be somewhat drivable. Nomad claims they successfully finished the car.


7. 599 owner decides to contact Francorchamps in a last ditch effort to convert the car with OE Ferrari parts. It appears they could still order OE rods and proceed with the conversion… but they probably could not source the OE carbon console, which is probably why they had to modify EAG’s console as the shift gate needed to be moved left. If one pays very close attention to an OE 599 manual, the shifter is indeed positioned a bit closer to the driver.



Whether the car now drives well or not… few know, but the visual appeal is gone. It does not look OE. The gated shifter sits slightly crooked, the carbon work is crooked and bubbly. The hazard button is way out there. The “open” button is completely sunken in. The ashtray is now off center. I mean… this area is supposed to be the highlight of the interior. I can see why the owner decided to sell it immediately. Problem is… who wants to pay $475k for that??



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OE 599 manual. Notice how much more left (towards driver) it is positioned compared to EAG’s conversion.


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EAG positioning.


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That 599 with only 1k miles in that spec was probably worth more as an all original F1 599 than an ugly mess of a manual frankenstien hodge-podged ugly manual conversion. Shrugs.

The saying “just because you could doesn’t mean you should” comes to mind.

 

Normal Guy Supercar posted up another EAG-related YouTube video today, consisting of NGS Dan talking to CEO Chris (aka @TheNewEAG):



Chris says 32 Ferraris were in EAG's hands as of the (undisclosed) date of the taping: 3 360s, 1 "CS," 2 "Scuds," 4 430s, 5 575s, 14 599s, and 3 612s. They also say any new arrivals would be completed in October.

 

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2007-ferrari-599-gtb-fiorano-46/

 

no reserve, seems like a risk, especially since it smells like a flip.
In the comments seller says only 30 manuals made, which is a common quoted number. However in the 599 forum, from what I recall there are around 100 documented oem manuals in the registry

 

The funny thing is 599 sticks from the factory don't drive well. They don't feel like they were sorted. 430 sticks feel better but it still doesn't feel as well sorted as a 360 stick

 

Is it a fully working conversion? That’s the million dollar question.

 

The current one on bat is. A friend is on it.

 

Are you sure it isn't just a cable adjustment being off? The parts are pretty much the same.


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There is a lot more that goes into a conversion than just a cable adjustment. It may seem simple from the outside, but there is so much more on the inside to makes it work properly.

 

I'm well aware. I did one and made a lot of the parts for it. A cable being a couple threads off can completely change how it feels. I was saying from a parts stand point that the 430/360 manual parts are damn near identical, so I don't know why they would shift very differently.

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I bought one of the early conversion kits in 2020 and i´ve been satisfied as i mentioned earlier. I didn´t get the covers for the paddle holes on the steering column shrouds and i spoke to Art on multiple occasions but the covers never came (despite him promising them every time). I contacted the new crew a couple of days ago and mentioned my early kit and that Art also told me that the gate has been updated since with larger gates. In a couple of hours i had a scheduled FedEx shipment with a new gate and the covers. Free of charge and all i have to do i return my old gate. They are also going to discuss if there´s anything else that´s been updated and that i would need. For me, that´s big and shows care for the customers even if further business is not guaranteed.

 

I discovered that EAG was a topic of discussion on this forum and I wanted to come on here and let others know about my experience thus far with my 599. I brought my car to them about a year and a half ago, with promises for it to be done in two months. The salesperson, Andrei, was quick to take my money for a deposit. I was then continually lied to over the next few months "it will be ready soon", "we have some issues to work out", "only a couple more weeks", and on and on. Getting fed up, I spoke with a lawyer on next steps to get my car and money back. They advised that I threaten legal action, which I did, and of course more promises that never happened. I then saw a video by the NG guys and Dan that they were stepping in to help, which was encouraging so I left it alone. Now they have gone dark on me again. I have a friend who was/is getting a 430 Scuderia converted there who is having the same problems. Nothing has changed. This place is an absolute joke and I have no idea how they are still in business. It seems to be that nobody really knows what is going on down there and nobody knows who is in charge. As great as is sounds to have your car converted, I don't think it is worth the gamble that is sending your car to EAG. Avoid this place like the plague. If they finish my car and I get it back I would be very surprised, but if I do I will update this post.