Dino destoyed near Naples FL

Birdman. I did want you to know that I so strongly agree with your statement Quote "the fault here lies with the person who pulled out right in front of him, until a judge decides differently. The length of the skid marks, and the number of times he changed lanes are irrelevent IMO."
I don't want to sound as if every news reporter is legit, but most are trying to do a good job. Being a member of the press who strives to communicate the truth ALWAYS, I have trouble when people jump on the press without thinking of the great things in our lives they do. We would know nothing about the injustice of war , dirty politicians , child molestors, crooked businessmen or for that matter the people that do good things in life like those helping the poor, sick, and needy.
I hope we still share the brotherhood of the mighty 308 religion.

 

Art

While I don't disagree with:

"4. Counter to Bryan P.'s comments: if the Jeep pulled out just feet in front of the Dino, even today's most current technology would not have significantly altered the situation (Note: I general I agree with Bryan and Jim G.'s statements about driving vintage cars!)."

I must tell you when you step down on the left pedal in P 4/5 and those Ceramic brakes haul down on those larger tires and 400 lbs. less weight than an Enzo I must tell you that the words: "Hand of God" enter your mind.

When you haul down on the middle pedal in 002C after 1100 KLM of Sicilian Mountain driving you often find your self muttering "Oh ****".

It's VERY important to remember which one you're currently driving which you of course noted.

Best

 

Sad news...

Best wishes and a speedy recovery to all involved...

 

I'm sure many have driven RT. 41 which goes from Ft.Myers down
to Naples etc... It has many side access roads and crossovers which
make's it an easy area to have an accident even at the speed limit.
The doctor driving (?) miles an hour over the speed limit increased the
risk, and as mentioned previously the drivers in that area aren't the
best. The mix of higher than normal speeds, some weaving (?), and
poor driving by the other party leads to unfortunately what we've
encountered here! I wish all parties hurt in this accident a speedy
recovery. Thanks!


Mark

 

I really hope you didn't intend this statment to illustrate even and unbiased reporting in the media.

There was a time when the newspapers had a "police desk", a "science desk", a "religion editor", etc --- reporters who specialized in a certain type of story until, with experience, they got to know what the heck they were talking about.

But that was with larger budgets. With TV and radio competing for the advertising budget, newspapers now seem to be all "general assignment" reporters: aka, whoever's at hand. Or "columnists" who do stories about whatever they want.

Now that might work (more or less) for photojouralism -- knowing how to take pictures under specific lighting conditions is independent of the subject, whether it's an SUV wrapped around a tree or a politicians waving from a train. (Although your gear might not be the best choice for portrait or wedding reception photos.)

But four years of classes about how to write loaded adjectives doesn't give someone the ability to choose sides in a scientific debate such as stem cells or global warming.

But the papers insist on pre-digesting the news for the public. Instead of just printing both sides of the debate, they put forward the (often spin-doctored) story that "sounds right" to a reporter (or editor) with zero experience in the field in question.

Or, like some of the people in this thread, they let their own biases interpret the story for them, instead of paying attention to the details.

Now I know that the news is just filler between the store ads in modern newspapers, to the owners. But telling yourselves that you're "informing the public" instead of "you don't have column-inches to tell it right" is letting your ego mask over your frustrations.

Since the '80s or so, every time I've seen the media cover a story I know about, they get it wrong. After the Challenger loss (when *every single paragraph* of the NYT story had a glaring error), I finally realized that there's no reason to think they do any better at any other story. (That's when I dropped the NYT.)

While reporters still may have "good intentions", we have to face that the quality of news reporting has crumbled over the years. Would you let a plumber perform surgery on you because his intentions were good? Knowledge and experience still count in some fields.

After all, if you want to see what newspaper columns were like 200 years ago -- read "The Federalist Papers". Those were newspaper stories, back then ... written by the people who made the news: Madison, Jefferson, Jay.

Come to think of it, individual stories have never been unbiased in the press.
(But the papers also ran the "anti-Federalist" columns too -- both sides of the debate.)

I think the "career reporter" has become a liabilty to the news industry.

But then, "news" has become a liability to the newspaper industry -- look how many all-advertizing tabloids you get in the junk mail each week.
(In my neighborhood, there's a 99% ads newspaper that I can't get them to *stop* delivering. Nobody reads it. All they're doing is marking the houses that are unoccupied during vacations.)

 

We are discussing a car accident here,so please do not enter Vietnam (lost because of the press coverage and inept politicians ,not because of lack of military abilities) or Iraq with similar "press and other media" influence.(thankfully there was marginal media coverage during WW2 ,otherwise we would all speak German now.)

 

Now you're just bragging.

But yes, the Alfa Spider had pretty good brakes in it's day (1979). But after driving the EVO, the Alfa's braking is *scary*, even with modern tires on it. But then, the rubber may be a modern compound, but the size is original.

(Actually, I upgraded the Alfa from 165s to 185s width -- which is still nuthin' compared to the EVO's 235 width. Not to mention the huge rotors and hydraulic area on the EVO. From 60, the EVO stops a foot shorter than a production Enzo. Above 80 is where those ceramic composite brakes make the difference.)

But I do note the difference in braking between the EVO, the 328, and the Alfa (not to mention the different shift patterns).

 

Next thing you know they will search his house and send him to jail for a few years. I hope he will recover soon. Too bad for the dino as well. SAD

 

Hey Paul (Krowbar): what idiot insurance company did you have that decided it was a good idea to tattle to the DMV about your insurance policy being cancelled? I want to be sure to avoid them in the future.....

 

I've yet to speak with him personally, but I'll be calling today for an update on last night's surgery... In a Dino, the only airbag is your face and he apparently used his... I hope that all went well last night and that he's well on his way to recovery...

 

The different shift patterns are an interesting issue as well. 002C is a 5 sp in the center of the car which is right hand drive and you have to shift with your left hand. 1st is up and to the left.

Best

NNO

The lack of air bag is a real issue. In these cars you really want a harness that locks you in place. At least 4 point tightened HARD.

Best 2 U As Well

 

Jim G.,

The P4/5 sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe I'll see it on the road when I'm in your neck of the woods picking up my car from Francois.

That said, if an SUV pulls out so near that you have not time to respond, then even the best brakes will not help.

I think your comment about alertness is the key.

Regards,

Art S.

 

I don`t know how it works in the US, but here, someone driving a vehicule with a suspended license is automatically in the wrong, because he should not have been driving his car under any reason whatsoever, so his car should not have been in an accident.

I know of one case, where someone was going the wrong way down a one way street and had an accident with someone driving without a license. Long story short, guy without license is at fault, because him and his can should never have been there in the first place.

Patrick

 

regardless of insurance of drivers license status, let's face one thing - that doesn't change the drivers ability.

noone has really talked about the dino itself. they are very light and nimble cars. to simply change lanes doesn't indicate reckless driving. generally, i do the same thing to try get away from people that aren't paying attention.

the dino itself is a very fragile car. hell, you can almost break the steering wheel by putting pressure on it. if you look at the accident damage, it clearly indicates that speed of over 100 mph are possible. for reference, when dot crash tests cars, they crash into a solid wall at 35 mph. we all know the type of damage that occurs (which oddly, looks similar to the type of damage done to the dino). however, the dino hit a vehicle moving in the opposite direction, not a solid wall. granted, the car was decellerating at the time, but anyone who has ever driven a dino or any car of this era knows that the brakes will stop you in time, not right now. regardless of the type of tires, the footprint of each tire on the ground is about the same, which means there isn't much to grip the ground and stop the car (remember, these are only 6 1'2" rims). when you consider this, i find it hard to believe that the driver was going anywhere near 100 mph when the event first occurred.

when it comes down to the credibility of any witness, you have to consider there background and ability to judge events. most people not familar with a dino or any ferrari for that matter can easily be fooled that it is going faster than reality due to it's low to the ground stature, appearance and sound. very few people could accurately judge a speed within 5 mph if a car drove by them, why would this be any different.

sadly, this whole event it was scares me the most about driving my dino, people not paying attention. even if you are paying attention, it is very easy to miss a dino in your mirrors , or a 308 for that matter. you add in the evryday distractions we all face and the stupidity of people who don't know how to drive (even though they don't have a suspended license) and you have a recipe for disaster in the making.

i wish zannos the best in his recovery and am sad that the dino is dead. repairs of this sort are no where near $25k. you are talking about a complete rebuild based on unavailable parts. you aren't going to just find a front clip (unless that stupid one on ebay in france is still around) or a chassis (unless that one that was on ebay and the fml is still around ) or a ........

sure, you can find the parts with enough time and money, however who would want to? the costs of rebuilding this car will far exceed the value of the best dino around. on top of that, would you rather use what's left or start from scratch?

dino 04960 RIP

 

PF Coupes switched from drums to discs after s/n 1493.

 

Was #1493 a 59 or a 60 model? The only reason I know anything about this is that I almost brought a 1960 PF coupe, outside plug, disk brakes. Car looked like it had been painted white with a house brush. It was, however, the first Ferrari imported to Japan.

If I recall correctly, Gerry Roberts was offering it at $60k with the tool kit or $50k without. I think the King of the Toasted Ponies ended up with it.

Dale

 

Zannos' surgery was postponed last night, rescheduled for tonight. It wasn't put off because of his condition, but because of other, outside factors. He is doing and looks well. I should have more information tomorrow.

 

Please tell him I said hello and get well soon.

 

Absolutely...!

 

Illinois.

When I got an antique plate for my car, I no longer had to have the smog test. A few months later I changed insurance to Farmers and they ran a check. My license was due to be suspended in less than a week for no smog test! I figured the State Of IL who gave me the antique plate would know I had an antique plate.

So if I hadn't changed insurance, I too would have been driving on a suspended license.

Ken

 

Illinois nazis...
I hate Illinois nazis!

 

No, you aren't a member of the press if you are publishing an agenda (e.g. get out of Vietnam, get out of Iraq). You're just a professional politician or paid political activist who is pretending to be in the press once you push an agenda rather than simply report the news.

 

+1
The press used to be an honorable profession. Now not much more than sensational trash designed to make money for the ones pulling the strings.
The press seems to always have an agenda.
Smacks of Orwell, 1984.

 

To all the press haters that know so damn much and choose to degrade someone they don't even know, I can only reply with why don't you move to a country with no free press and see what a great life you have. You're supposed to be smarter then that. Seperate the good from the bad. Grow up, you sound like the guys who say all cops suck or all lawyers suck. Oh yea until you need one.
I'll bet your professions or businesses you work for only do the right thing.

 

You said as much that we didn't have a free press by claiming that the press was pushing an agenda that got us out of Vietnam.

That's not the free reporting of facts (i.e. "news").

You're just mad that you've been caught. You're busted. You're a hack with an agenda.