| Author | Message | ||
| Ton Visser (Lion315)
Junior Member Username: Lion315 Post Number: 233 Registered: 12-2002 |
James, I already thought of something like that but it is nice to hear it from an expert. Thanks, Ton | ||
| James Glickenhaus (Napolis)
Member Username: Napolis Post Number: 683 Registered: 10-2002 |
James In the closest LeMans finish ever 69 Jacky Ixes (SP?) did the same thing. He said it was a safety issue and indeed they changed to a rolling start soon thereafter. I wonder as the race got down to the final seconds whether the P cars wished he had taken even more time to buckle up... Best Jim | ||
| James Selevan (Jselevan)
Member Username: Jselevan Post Number: 419 Registered: 6-2002 |
James - your reference to the LeMans start reminds me of an interview I saw (in 1965) with Graham Hill after the LeMans race. Films revealed that, at the start, he walked across the track (while everyone ran) and he waited for all of the cars to pull out before he got under way. The interviewer asked him why he took so long. His reply, in typical British wit, was (paraphrasing), Why rush into your car, risking that you break something, getting your foot caught in the steering wheel, or getting the racing harness on incorrectly. This is a 24 hour race, and a few seconds is not going to make a difference. Take your time, get set, do things correctly, and don't break a clutch or anything else rushing to get underway. Besides, there are 60 cars out there skidding and jockeying for a position. Real easy to have a shunt. Experience brings wisdom. | ||
| Bill Sawyer (Wsawyer)
Member Username: Wsawyer Post Number: 705 Registered: 2-2002 |
Jens: It's called old age.  | ||
| James Glickenhaus (Napolis)
Member Username: Napolis Post Number: 678 Registered: 10-2002 |
If you study race cars you find that as they evolve they are modified to make them work better. To this day P cars still have the ignition keys on the left. That way you could run accross the track at LeMans, jump in, start the car with your left hand, shift into gear with your right, and get away a second sooner. If you snaged the key with your knee and shut down on the track you learned to bend the large top of the key out of the way or use a smaller key. My P4 uses a smaller headed key on the dash where it can't be snagged. ( It's also slighty lighter and every bit of lightening adds up) I suspect test driver sometimes snagged the key on these models, my TR had one of these keys and they used a racing solution. Best Jim | ||
| Jens Haller (Jh280774)
Member Username: Jh280774 Post Number: 288 Registered: 9-2001 |
James, Wow! How do you know these details? Would never got to this answer myself. Con saluti cordialissimi, Jens Haller | ||
| James Glickenhaus (Napolis)
Member Username: Napolis Post Number: 675 Registered: 10-2002 |
The bending key goes back to the days when Gentlemen drove their cars to the track, raced them and drove them home. The large head of the ignition key could snag the baggy race suits that were used in those days as the race went on and the brakes began to go and you had to press the pedal closer to the floor. At somepoint your knee could accidently shut of the ignition. The factory cars had smaller headed keys and concours judges in the know can tell simply by looking at the key whether or not a car was a factory or customer racer. | ||
| Ton Visser (Lion315)
Junior Member Username: Lion315 Post Number: 229 Registered: 12-2002 |
Funny to see that nobody seems to know why the key bends! I would have expected that one of the notorious Ferrari experts on this board could tell me why! Ton | ||
| Jay S. Morris (J_saber)
Junior Member Username: J_saber Post Number: 64 Registered: 12-2002 |
I don't know but I have a Mondial and mine bends also. I think it's cool, but maybe I'm just an F-Car nerd.  | ||
| Daniel B Reese MD (Dbr328gtb)
Junior Member Username: Dbr328gtb Post Number: 148 Registered: 5-2001 |
My guess is that the key has a joint so when you hit it with your knee while the key is in ignition, the key wont break (?) | ||
| Peter Vasiliadis (Rhodosp)
New member Username: Rhodosp Post Number: 1 Registered: 3-2003 |
Hi Can you recoment me a company for new-used accesories and parts for my 87 testarossa? in Europe or in Usa I thing that I will need soon a clutch... Please recoment me any good sites... Thank you... | ||
| Jens Haller (Jh280774)
Member Username: Jh280774 Post Number: 285 Registered: 9-2001 |
Ton, Indeed a very good question! As you know I don�t know as well. Why can you actually break the ignition key of a 348 90 degrees to the left or the right side? There doesn�t seem to be any sense in that with me? Does anybody know why Ferrari has built these ignition keys wich can actually be bend 90 degrees to the left or right side? Con saluti cordialissimi, Jens Haller | ||
| Ton Visser (Lion315)
Junior Member Username: Lion315 Post Number: 226 Registered: 12-2002 |
Hi, Can anyone tell me why the ignition keys of my 328 have a part that bends? Ton |