F40 F50 360CS Enzo, 430 Not so much.

 

For whatever rhyme or reason, the F40 is one of those cars that never loses its appeal to me. The F50, again, just subjectively, is an unpleasant thing to look at, though it might be the superior car in other respects. The 360CS was simply bettered by the F430 and the Scuderia is far superior in every respect, though I wish both cars offered the manual gearbox, which I think makes for a timeless Ferrari while the F1 robotics are always being superceded and become impossibly expensive to maintain in a depreciating vehicle. Ferrari has fallen foul of the global economic climate change -- they've run the risks of overproducing and now it's game over on their famous resale value. While I have the deposit in with one of the two local dealers to order a car, I doubt I'll follow through -- it will be "cheaper" and more rewarding if I find a fire sale F40 than to eat depreciation on a new F430 or Scuderia (yes, they're already losing ground on the secondary market ... maybe they'll come back into their own when the buyers thaw.)

I think I need some sort of rewiring, but somehow the Enzo has never won me over. I know: that's insane. I can't explain it, but the car doesn't do it for me. Side by side, the 360 is the more appealing while the Enzo reminds me of the "kit car" details that kept me away from buying my first Ferrari which would have been a fibreglass-bodied 308 in the late 80's. So it goes. I also missed the boat on an F40 as prices came under a seemingly bargain basement $200K (circa 2000) and now, well, that was then and this is now. Find $400K and you're still not going to buy a clean F40, but maybe these hard times will bring Carrera GT and F40 prices into reach. What's that expression about ones reach exceeding ones' grasp?

 

CGT,
I've always loved the 328 shape due to its beautiful proportions and the F40 is muscular and beautiful (if you can call brutal beautiful this is it).
The reason why you and I do not like the F50 and the Enzo is the ugly aesthetics - not that I can afford the Enzo (let alone F40). The reason I do not hanker after the Scuderia or the 360CS is the fact the F1 shift is forced upon you. I will always prefer manuals - I don't care for the quicker shifts, to me the experience of swopping gears, heel-toeing perfectly is much more pleasurable. I am a dinosaur and will remain that way til I die. F40 is one car I would love to drive in this lifetime (I'd rather buy this than a bigger house but my wife will disagree...).

Harry

 

Hopefully our fellow thread-followers will indulge me in another F-post. : )

I feel like the 308 thru 355 were heading in the right direction and when I look at the GTO in that lineage, I think Ferrari was within inches of brilliance. The F40, to me at the time totally captured by the 993 and GT1 (and ever since) the F40 suggested that Ferrari really had a special vision. There's no denying that if you spend some time with an Enzo, you don't walk away disappointed, but if I were an owner, well, I'd certainly much rather pursue a Carrera GT for pennies on the dollar or an F1 and really get my money's worth.

Looking at the Scuderia, it's in a line of cars that are superceded, so I don't mind dipping into the river, playig with the last and greatest street F1 shift before Ferrari moves to double-clutch boxes for all their cars. If the dealer offered me an order today (finally!) I'd likely take it knowing full well it would not be with me long. Conversely, if I can get a new car order on an F430 with a 6spd and CCBs, it's a car that might stay in the garage a long time. I think Ferrari pricing is moving out of (my) reach and I think the F430 (especially with the Scuderia face-lift) is a gorgeous machine and rewarding to the enthusiast driver.

Anyhoot, I had my chance in (relatively) richer days when I could have taken a pristine F40 or any number of interesting 911's, but I simply didn't know which way was up at the time. Now I find myself simply accepting the fact of the market that there are few cars and many wealthy buyers willing to pay absurd dollars for something like a '73 RS (when 25% of the market value would build a far superior and no less "period correct" car that could be honestly driven and enjoyed instead of merely owned.) The same is not true for the F40. Build your own "correct" F40? Impossible. And by the same token, buy one for a number that can be expressed as a big fraction of a million dollars -- not that a million clams goes as far as it used to -- and you're in a wealthy walk of life if you can genuinely afford to drive it in earnest. On paper or on the track, there are modern day cars that can better even the hot rod F40 GT or upgraded examples, but very few cars can compare.

I wrap up my Ferrari reflections with a Porsche salute to say that I'm lucky to have a 993 Turbo in GT2 spec and I have a 997 GT3 for occasional track days, so I'm not wanting for a key to an enjoyable drive.

 

I'll take Harry's RS over all of em

 

Thank you Cactus Great avatar you've got

Harry

 

That's what happens when I look at a real RS or GT2!

 

Carrera GT - Great posts. Enjoyed reading through those. There's truly a wealth of knowledge on this forum.

As a side note, this Audi RS blue / VW Jazz blue color is just SOO beautiful on RS/GT Porsches.. I've got to build myself a clone in that color down the road..

 

Hmmm. Some of these pics depict GT2s with the simple, open front brake ducts (a la Better Bodies). Is it safe to assume that this is an actual Porsche part? While the ducts I have look fine, they took a crap-load of prep work before I could even paint, and had no provisions for fitting correctly out of the box.








Andreas