What type of Ferrari Fan/Owner are you?

I don't see my type of future owner among your choices.

I plan to own several, take superb care of them, show them publicly like fine works of art should be shown, do very little cosmetic "modding", and drive the hell out of them everyday.

I don't view anything that is manufactured as an "investment."

Is that #7?

 

"Owner Enthusiast" definitely describes me best... Shocker!

 

I voted for Hot rodder.

Only because I'm willing to look at other than factory options for repair and maintanence.

I live so freakin' far away from any real "shop" that I just need things to work...

I respect you guys who are OEM all the way though!

I'm the same way with my corvettes, mostly because it's easy to find repo or OEM parts. Where I live forget it for the ferrari... NAPA fuel hose works just fine for me on the 308.

 

Been my dream since a kid and now very privelege to own 2.
Love to read books about it and collect those small models.

 

i'm stuck between normal purist and owner enthusiast...maybe there's a happy medium?

john

 

Well, I chose 5 & 6, but I dislike the 'casual approach to maintenance' comment. My 328's not original, and it's not polished, but it's damn sure not unsafe or ill-maintained, and everyone gets to drive it.

 

Hmm, I think i've got be with Zertec on this one and a number 6, i'm converting my mondy for trackdays etc.. and i'm stripping it out replacing what I can with Cf.
Saying that I would like to get a 60's ferrari one day and keep it just as it came out of the box, so that will make me a 1 & 6 ;-)

 

You missed one: nerd engineer.

The first rule of engineering: Don't fix it if it ain't broke.

The original designers turned out pretty good results. Don't mess with "perfection" ... without a durned good reason.

But it's made to be used. If I ain't drivin' it, why own it?

While I respect the choices of the original designers, I can see where compromises were made. (For example, K-Jet on US models in the '80s wasn't a choice, it was a lack of options.) I'd be willing to make changes if it (a) produced a notable improvement in performance (better throttle response), (b) was operationally superior (self diagnostics), and (c) could be completely reverted back to stock.

Another example: A bit of google searching located the original aircon thermostat part from the 328: on a GE Industrial web page.

It originally came from a Coke machine. (Seriously: the application is for "drinks machines".)

Enzo had his priorities.

(If you read the application notes for the 3ART5 series thermostats, they recommend not installing the unit with the capillary tube mounted vertically. But if you look at how they're installed in the 328s --- you can see why the aircon doesn't work all that well.)

So what you see is what happens when a "purist" is a nerd: Nerds just can't stop themselves from fiddling.

 

This poll will be more interesting if it can be compared with Porsche owners to their cars...

 

I definitely fit in the owner enthuisiast mold you describe. But don't paint me with just a single brush stroke. Well, I have to go carve a khopha from a piece of beechwood I have out back right now. It is next to the pile of Bolivian wormwood that I think works well with the old timbers that were salvaged from an old Seaman's chapel in Nantucket....

BT

 

Im the "Normal purist " .

I dont like garage queens but i dont like all the bling stuff being added lately on them..

 

Yeah, um, no, I don't fit any of those categories. Not actually an owner, I'm the guy who hammers at his owner father to take proper care of the car. But that doesn't mean taking it to the dealer for service, or buying all the parts from the dealer. Actually, I think I have finally got through to him on this one, as I have not been able to do on lesser cars. Me, I dote on my old VWs and even my wife's Tercel. Take care of the machine and it will take care of you.

I like the "enginerd" classification above: that's me all over. Any machine can be improved, it's a matter of how much time, care, effort, and money you are willing to spend. Ferraris are no different than any other car: a conglomeration of compromises. That said, I would never try to "improve" a classic 1950s or 1960s vintage car. They are rare enough that preserving them in original condition has a value in itself. But modern, relatively mass-produced cars are not sacred cows. Install a Tubi, or whatever. I may not agree with your choices but I won't accuse you of sacrilege.

Bottom line: take care of it, make it as good as or better than original, and by better I mean FASTER. Or more reliable Preferably both.

 

ACK i voted incorrectly. i shoulda been #6. Screw originality, make it better, race the living cr@p out of it

 

I have different positions based on the car. Some I drive, others I pamper, others I use regularly.

 

Depends on what car it is, if its for racing number 6 for conkers number 1 personal preference is somewhere in the middle

 

#3, except I am probably more obsessive than some. I do want things to be "perfect" to my own vision. Which may mean a few non-Ferrari parts that I think are better (hyperflow cats and tubi, maybe some interior trim pieces). That may offend the true purist, but to me the car will be better when I am done with it than when I started with it. I can't see replacing a poorly engineered part with something that is destined for the same eventual fate.

 

I think that a lot of us are a combination.
I am very much an enthusiast for all Ferraris and their history, and I really like them the most for their design, MECHANICAL* elegance and personality. Much like Bugattis, they are amazing machines to ponder the subtle aesthetic and mechanical beauty.
I've modified mine a little, but I try to do it in an OEM way if possible, unrestrict the Ferrari personality where restricted and make more reliable and DIY friendly. I find working on mine very enjoyable. I guess I am a Carlo Abarth wannabe.

I will also come out and say it: folks that work on their own cars and drive them as designed, even a little, have a much different appreciation of Ferraris than those who do not.

I have been around just long enough to watch Ferrari culture change. I remember in the 70s going to FAF - the biggest bunch of homespun gearhead enthusiasts you could meet in a building behind some silos next to a railroad siding - no airs, liked for you to get in the cars, look at the mechanicals, walk around the shop and just stay a while and share the passion, even with young bug-eyed guys like me who drove from 5 hours Alabama just to SEE a Ferrari. This is my group.
Try that at FoA today.



*there is nothing elegant about anything electrical in any Ferrari

 

Oh, I don't know. There's nothing inherently "bad" about relays -- they tolerate the harsh automotive environment better than silicon.

The biggest problem with Ferrari electricals that I've seen is that nobody told Enzo that connectors have current ratings -- and that you shouldn't exceed them.

 

Clive,
What about the type of owner who deeply loves the car for what it is (original), wants to keep it as perfect as possible (without selling mother or wife ) but, because of the simple pleasure of driving it, uses his (her) Ferrari as daily driver?
THAT IS ME !!
Ciao
Eugenio

 

I'll second Eugenio. Wishy washy about keeping it original but drive it every day, for the sheer fun.

John