Modernising a classic Ferrari - purists look away

I have been praying for a day when 308's become hot-rod fodder and people will mod and tune them like muscle cars.

 

Well, for one thing there's a huge parts market for upgrades for British cars (because they were hugely unreliable), and not really any for the italian car market. Also, Jag E-type have to have some sort of cooling ugrades or their motors would melt. Have you seen the original cooling fan for a Jag E-type. It looks like a lawn mower blade.
A 275GTB doesn't need any upgrades. Why would you want to devalue a $275k or more car? Because you want a navigation system in it?
There's a difference between ferrari's and jags. If you upgrade a jag it usually increases the value of the car. If you upgrade a ferrari, it devalues it.

 

SATNAV is a must have in a DB5 to me at least LOL makes those 007 fantasies come true

I'm upgrading my F40 w F50 brakes, new seats, bigger intercoolers, & a roll bar & lastly a stereo because when you are on a highway it can get boring w no tunes but I told the installer to ensure that there was no drilling in the carbon. It'll be a system that can be easily removed & the car will look untouched

If you do a ton of upgrades on a 308 it sort of becomes a GTO or F40 contender in performance at least

On a 275 I wouldnt do a whole lot of mods, brakes, cooling & electrics. The cars run pretty well stock

 

I'd upgrade a classic to make it more streetable, but not for performance or looks. Modern ignition, upgraded cooling fans, fusebox, etc. all are really nice on a 30+ year old car that you actually want to drive, and these things are non-obtrusive.

I have a problem with a big ole wing and coffee can exhaust on a 275.

Ken

 

I think if you bring a car back from the dead, like I did w my 512TR, then you can do whatever you want with it.

Afterall FNA if I hadn't rebuilt it it would still be lying in a junkyard rotting away
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

No problem from my point of view:

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=135025243&postcount=73
http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=135025418#post135025418

 

I've added an auxiliary thermostatic radiator fan which, here in Texas, is insurance against deadly overheating and lets me drive in summer. Have also talked to Norwood Performance here about electronic ignition -- it's expensive because they recommend rebuilding the distributors but also totally reversible if you decide to go back to original ignition configuration. Not a priority now, because my original ignition setup is working fine, but could be a future consideration. I also added a simple $20 twist-key ignition switch to replace the old push-twist one, which gave out on me. It's safely boxed away for a future rebuild.

The way I see it, as long as it doesn't compromise major visible originality, there's nothing wrong with modernization work that will keep that V12 healthy.

 

Gerald Rousch of the Ferrari Market Letter told me that he was doing a rally with the 1st ever Ferrari. The owner had to install a modern radiator fan to do the rally

 

That and also the existance of British Motor Heritage. Which is a UK government- sponsored enterprise for ensuring parts and support for owners of British cars. They have been remarkably effective in ensuring that original-spec parts are available. For example, they located and restored all but a dozen out of approximately 1100 MGB manufacturing jigs/bucks and it is possible to buy entire new bodyshells and pretty-much every part on the car. They even hired back some of the original factory workers.

I don't know if the Italians are that motivated, organized, and proud of their automotive tradition. The biggest force in getting the UK Heritage program going was the intense interest and open wallets of the US enthusiast community.

 

Errr no its not,

British Motor Heritage Limited was established in 1975 to support owners and the marketplace by putting genuine components for classic British cars back into manufacture, using original tools wherever possible. Since 2001, when the company was acquired from BMW, it has been owned by the present directors who collectively have over 100 years experience in the Motor Industry.
The jigs and moulds used are the original Items donated by the car makers, its actually quite a profitable venture soley due to the volume of MG's Minis and other mass produced cars,

Ferrari couldnt do this as profitable as they have always been produced in relatively small numbers

For further information on the B.M.H http://www.bmh-ltd.com

 

I think what you say is true about old Jaguars, to a point. I just got done restoring an XKE roadster this past spring. Did a number of upgrades to the car to make it more drivable, like aluminum radiator, new fans and fan blades (modern design), changed old 2 Stromberg carbs to Triple SU's, stainless steel exhaust, modern suspension bushings and shocks, stainless steel tubeless wire wheels with larger Pirelli radial tires, modern CD/stereo, new top with zip-out rear window. From the pictures, you can see that the car looks essentially unchanged from original (the trained eye will see one major design change, but I think it makes the car look better, not worse).

IMHO, the car, with it's "modern" upgrades is more valuable than a non-concours "stock" restoration. I drove the car on a 200+ mile trip last Friday in 95 deg. heat and it ran perfectly, running temp. stayed right where it should be, and on the road it is a pleasure to drive. This is my 5th Jaguar, all older ones. Take it from me -- all that crap about Lucas electrics is just that, crap. All of my cars have run well and no problems other than what you'd expect in 30+ year old cars.

I don't know that I entirely agree about older Ferraris, however. Certainly, modifying an old concours car of historic value would not enhance the value. It would probably make it worth much less. But the same would be true of any old car on a concours level, even old Jaguar XKE's, 120's, 140's, Austin Healey's, etc. But take a 308 or a Mondial, a driver like mine, and do some upgrades or improvements, I don't think it would kill the value of the car. Just the opposite. Some improvements might make them more valuable. All depends what you do and how well it is done.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I don't think going as far as SATNAV, but I'm certainly considering modernising my 308 with ECU-controlled FI (DCNF-style throttle bodies from TWM) and ignition.

It'd make it more user-friendly, less downtime fooling around with carbs and old-school ignition and of course, give me that much more opportunity to drive it more, especially on a daily basis.

As for degrading the value, what has more value: not driving it as much to save it for the next guy, or driving it and enjoying it all for yourself the way you want it to be? Keep all of the old parts and make sure the mods don't permanently alter the car (so it can be reversed if the new owner cares to do so). Nothing wrong with that.

 

I believe if it's your car, you can do whatever you want to it. Who cares what somebody else thinks? Especially someone else on the internet you don't even know.

 

Short, sweet, to the point. Well said, Doc.

 

I had no qualms modernizing my 308 with new 550 type wheels, MP3 player, GPS and the like. After all it is only a classic and many of its kind have been produced.

I would take issue if somebody would do the same thing to a vintage Ferrari. If you're lucky enough to own a 275, you somehow have an obligation to posterity to keep it stock.

So modern and classic Ferraris IMHO are free game (or even encouraged to mod), but vintage cars ought to be kept the way they came from the factory. Whether such a distinction makes any sense is another question. It's just how I feel about it.

 

With classic Fcars, I would (and on #24451, actually DO) absolutely mod them. TRs, 3x8s, Mondials..some variants were made in large enough numbers that collectibility isn't an issue for me.

That being said, if I had a super original glass 308 in immaculate condition, I'd think twice about things like direct coil ignition or hyper flow cats and 16 inchers.