Did you drive your Dino today? I did!

fred i'm a little behind you , will be 66 next month and bought 05954 36 years ago, so i've had it well over 1/2 my life. many years ago sidney a ferrari mechanic (tech these days ) here in seattle (grand prix motors ) in reference to some quality/ mechanical issue commented that it wasn't expected these cars would last so long - years later a somewhat weary sid told me dan "these cars will outlive us " . dan z.

 

Dan, It's funny that you should include the above quote. The guy who did a bare-metal repaint on my former Dino, 03964, told me many times during the project, "These cars were never meant to last this long", by way of explaining some of the less than stellar build practices. After the work was completed, he stated: "This car will outlive us both." These cars have some pretty powerful karma, wouldn't you say?! Fred

 

Fred, Mark, Geoff, Dan, so many years with a Dino! I am envious of you. My Dino has been with me only ten years. But this last March 19 marked my 30th years with the Stratos. I brought it home then, reveling in its mechanical sound, and what an exciting day it was. I was sleepless the night before. Not a Dino, but at least a Dino motor, so perhaps you will pardon its inclusion here. We took this phone photo this afternoon to post here.

My Dino would come almost a full 20 years after.

I am 67 and will turn 68 in a few months. That puts me in good company.

Andres
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Just lovely!

 

Congratulations, Andres, on your 30th anniversary of Stratos ownership. I've always lusted after them, and only have seen two in my lifetime: one at an FCA event at Watkins Glen, and one in Italy. By the way, you bought your Stratos on my 38th birthday! I turned 68 on the 19th, and wish you a happy 68th in advance! Isn't it wonderful how these cars make friends for us? Best, Fred

 

Hi Dino lovers every where ......... I've been enjoying this thread for some time and it's a pleasure to contribute, my Austrian Ski trip was totally unplanned and was spontaneous .......... I was convinced that my Ski season was done until I received multiple texts, E mails and calls of abuse from friends telling me how good the snow conditions were in the European Alps ......... at 7.05 pm I found my passport and at 8.50 I had packed and had driven 95 miles to the Eurotunnel making it with a minute to spare .......... oh yeh, I had a ten pound note and debit cards and an old map ( no Sat Nav ) and as Roy Orbison sang " I drove all night " 800 miles to surprise my wife and Daughter on the slopes, happy Daze and just what Dino ownership should be about, cheers all or Prost as we say in Austria / Germany, Kev.
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well done Kevin...
I`m looking forward to meet you and your Dino at the Baltic Sea in June

 

Hi, Andres,

Great photo. Magnificent vehicle. A justifiably radiant smile.

Suggestion. (And there may already be a thread for this, so I beg everyone’s pardon if there is.) Many of us owners have had our Dinos for a long time. Some, for just a blink. But we all have at least one experience in common: we became owners. I'll bet there are stories to tell about how that ownership emerged.

Here's mine: 1976. I'd moved from the East Coast and had been living in Los Angeles for about a year-and-a-half. My then girlfriend (now my wife of 39 years) spotted an ad for a used Dino in The Times. We drove out to Pasadena in my Chevy Vega (my Big Healey had died back in Massachusetts, and I'd sold it for $150 -- but that's another, infinitely sadder, story). I was nervous, and I was skeptical. After all, the asking price was reasonable. Something had to be wrong.

When I saw the Dino, my knees went weak, but I knew I had to be a grownup, so I insisted on a test drive. The owner shook his head. A test drive wouldn't do. Insufficient time with the car. Why not take it for the weekend, and then we'd talk on Monday? Um. Okay. He tossed me the keys (I'm not even sure he took down my contact information), and off I went.

On Monday, I returned, starry-eyed, and gave the man his money. In July, I’ll be celebrating 40 years of ownership, still thankful that one man’s trust overcame another’s cynicism. At least, on that occasion.

 

Very cool! Sounds like fun and great pics.

 

All-

I find that I cannot stop grinning as I read each personal history. I feel like we would have many great stories to swap over a good dinner!

Thank you each for sharing-


Andres-- I came very close to selling my Dino to buy the Stratos. It's brutal beauty pulled me--- but I could not let my Dino go. To own one I would have to own both- as you also concluded. Could never make the asking each time I located one. Must be wicked driving them back to back.

 

Two good friends - one long since gone - were born, and several good things happened to me, on a March 19, Fred. That’s a special day. A belated happy birthday. My best wishes,

Andres

 

Hello, Nemo4. That is a good idea; perhaps you should start a therad on that topic. It will be quite interesting to read, as was your story.

I have a newer Ferrari as well and so browse through the modern car forums on Ferrari Chat. One member there just wrote that he has had four 458s and now has sold the last one, awaiting eagerly for his newly ordered 488. They must be as surprised with our long relationships with our cars as I am with their oh so brief affairs with theirs. They seem to have no attachment at all to their cars. Or have a very different one from ours.

Andres

 

Thanks Matthais, l'm delighted to say that my Austrian trip has acted as a great shake down for your Baltic rally , Dino behaved impeccably in the mountains and both Rob and myself are looking forward to meeting up In Germany 😀,Kindest regards,Kev
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That story about driving the Dino to the Alps is a great one. I wish it were a dozen times longer and accompanied by many photographs! A spontaneous road trip in a 40 year old car takes ... attachments; I think that's the Brit word!

 

Fantastic, Kevin. And inspiring!

Andres

 

Thanks mate . Hope you're well .

 

Thanks so much, Andres. By the way, I did NOT drive my Dino today, as wind-blown snow and low visibility would not be an auspicious accompaniment to the sound of a revving Dino V-6! Maybe by June......? Best, Fred

 

Grabbed a quick lunch in woodside, California. So fortunate to find a shady and large spot to park. Took 9 minutes to drive there and about 45 minutes to get back. As always, I got "lost" on the way home.


CC

 

The mountains along the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC are just starting to green up. I live nine miles away so I am on it often. Parkway is just starting to have traffic so now is a great time to spend hours rolling.

Over 42 years of ownership-- no other ride like it!
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The end of a nice drive through the Santa Cruz mountains...
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took a shirt drive today .. planning to take it in for a fluid service /carb rebuild and service to get my power windows to work a little better ... THere is a great shop not far from my house that can do a great job will make the car run great ....although she ran pretty good today...

 

Hi David, I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed hearing about my Dino trip to the Alps ....... on my way across Germany I had planned to call my family to let them know I was on route; in the event I called when I was 15 minutes away and told them to put the kettle on for some tea, the outcome was that my wife decided it was madness for me to drive home after just one days skiing and so she insisted that I stay the week, my wife then joined me for the return journey which was at a more leisurely pace stopping over at a very nice French Hotel where I declined the Frogs' Legs and Boiled Pigs feet ......... all in all, a wonderful trip, my Dino ran beautifully up in the mountains thanks to the fuel injection and the added heat and sound deadening we had recently installed worked a treat, happily when ever we stopped we were quizzed by interested bystanders and the car gathered only good vibes with fellow travellers coming alongside to video and give a thumbs up, can't wait for our next serious trip which will be to Matthias's trip by The Baltic in June, keep on Dino'ing, cheers Kev. ps, I'll shortly post some new photos ........

 

"FUEL INJECTION"? We need more pics and details...PLEASE!!!

Manny

 

Here you go Manny, two engine photos showing the fuel injection as you requested. As you will see I popped a Ferrari 328 motor into my Dino Gts and fitted Ferrari 355 throttle bodies ........ we use a DTA ecu and power is 298 BHP with a nice flat torque curve ( My Dynoman felt there was maybe another 10 BHP to come on that set up but I'm not chasing vanity here, just driveability ) we have since used Motech ecu's on other projects and they are far more sophisticated and give much better results so I guess that will be our next job on this rolling project. Starting the engine is instant hot or cold regardless of temperature or altitude and it is possible to fire up the engine from cold and leave her to warm up or one can just start her and drive away instantly ( just like a real car, not something I ever risked with my 246 engine. The second photo shows a Clashiced 246 Gts which we recently converted to EFI, this engine gives 227 BHP ( up from an indicated 160 BHP ) with matching torque so good you can idle around a mini roundabout in 4th gear and cleanly pull away, I assure you it'll make you smile all day and you won't want to get out of her ........ all this work is completely reversible, I hope this info helps, cheers and kindest regards, Kev.
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Kev,

I just sent you a pm.