Wouldn't a drive in a vintage car be just like a marriage? Everything is fine,....up until the moment it all falls apart in a fiery crash? Maybe you're just a better driver than most JG. But utilizing the vintage aircraft analogy, one could easily make a nice 2 hour DVD movie featuring nothing but the crashes of vintage aircraft that were totally destroyed at air shows. Here at work, I use to have a one hour 3/4" cassette tape of all the crashes that I saved off the various news feeds. I called it my "Crash and Burn" reel. It was quite dramatic. How many vintage cars have been destroyed in various races? From what I've seen here on F-chat, the mere act of filling a gas tank can be quite an adventure on a mere 308. I can't see how the "risk of permanent destruction" of a vintage race car can equal the thrill of driving in one afternoon's race. A thrill is temporary, destruction is permanent. To each his own. But I will still cringe and shake my head when I see the next posting or news story where a wonderfull car meets it's firey end on the race track years after its prime.
Arlie The one's I drive in aren't races. They're 6/10 demos. Most Vintage Racing aren't RACES either. The one's Terry spoke of are closer to real racing and as for those I don't enter them for many reasons some you've covered and some are because after my Son was born I agreed with my wife not to. As for using them the way I do that's IMO much more perserving for them than to let them sit as you avocate.
Jim, it appears that things can be worse than destroying your Ferrari in a race. Imagine having your Ferrari stolen, and you never bother to obtain insurance. Jezzzzz!!!! http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=134714752#post134714752 I hope RL has insurance for his cars, just in case he ends up like Reggie Jackson did many years ago. (His garage filled with hi-dollar hemi Dodges and Chryslers went up in flames. Dozens of burnt out hulks all in a row. Ouch.)
I respectfully disagree. Something that is not used for its intended purpose loses its value. You forget that it's our responsibility as owners and enthusiasts to pass the torch to each following generation- Without using the cars, you're failing to ignite their interest, IMHO. RL's cars can sit in a perfectly undisturbed state for a century and become completely worthless in that time (obviously I'm being extreme to prove a point). The Enola Gay and Spirit of St. Louis are historic items to everyone, not just aircraft enthusiasts. They are not held in private garages, there are not multiple copies with multiple histories and no one expects (or wants) them to fly again. Even if they disappeared tomorrow, their signifigance would continue. Trying to draw a line from over-restored garage queens to aircraft that have changed the course of history is a bit of a stretch, don't you think? -Chris
Not true in my book. For example, there probably hasn't been a 1957 Ferrari Testarossa in the state of Arkansas for 40 years, yet I know what one looks like. I personally have only seen two flying B-17 bombers in Arkansas within the past 30 years, yet there are plenty of people who have an interest in WWII aircraft here in this state. I've never seen Karmen Electra in person, but I still have an interest. You don't have to put them in jeopardy to create an interest. (The Civil War hasn't been around for 140 years, but people still have an interest. One doesn't need to pull original uniforms and rifles out of a museum and run around in a field by a campfire in order to have the interest.) (not my cup of tea though.) How can kids have any interest in dinosaurs? They died out over 150 million years ago and haven't been seen since.
This is exactly where your analogy falls apart. There is no equivalent 2 hours of crash footage showing historic Ferraris being totally destroyed at vintage racing events. If you want to talk planes, take it to Off Topic.
Straws, and you grasping at them. That's all I see right now. I understand the point- cars, planes, people, & things can disappear, but that doesn't mean anyone loses interest. You're right, you don't have to see them in person. BUT there is a reason why thousands of people dress up in period attire and re-enact the Civil War each year. There's a reason why people sit in the desert for months at a time to find a dinosaur bone. There's a reason why people flock to Goodwood & air shows across the country every year. It's because there's nothing quite like seeing & experiencing it with your own eyes. I'd suggest you get out more. -Chris
Last time I checked, he was not a sole proprietor. I think he gave up on that whole concept (courtesy of Goldman Sachs). Still an incredibly successful individual.
Wayne , I saw one he bought back in ---about 87--- that was aparently one that was rarely raced. If I recall it had some cool stuff like a passanger foot rest in it. And there was a 2nd on at Cavalino 3 yrs ago in bare metal that belonged to him.
When RL purchased 3987GT in 1985, it was wearing the Mecom racing colors of blue with a white stripe. A few years ago, the car was stripped of its paint and shown at Cavallino before going back to Paul Russell and Co. for a repaint back to its original Rosso Cina. So, one car, three colors: blue, bare aluminum and red. By the way, this car had a very impressive racing career early in its life at the hands of legendary drivers such as the Rodriguez brothers, Roger Penske and Ritchie Ginther. Its numerous class and over all victories included a 1st in class at Sebring in 1963.
Check this thread out, especially if you want to attend the show with the FCA and enjoy a private reception and curator-directed viewing the event (weather permitting, we'll have a parade down Huntingdon Ave. too). http://70.85.40.84/~ferrari/forum/showthread.php?t=50054 vty, --Dennis
This thread is long dead but it's fascinating so I'm going to chime in anyways. lol. Maybe Ralph over restores his cars and dosent pay them enough attention but at least they arent sitting amongst a 5000 car collection in Brunei or some other forgotten royal garage at the other end of the earth where they wont ever be seen unless the king is overthrown. At that point it's a crap shoot whether or not the cars would even survive. Whether Ralph or Jim have their cars best interest in mind is a matter of oppinion (I admire both of them as car collectors a great deal.) I hope we can all agree that the exotic car hoarding in places like Brunei and UAE is just plain wrong though.
I do want to say that while I think his Ferrari's are a bit over restored that level of restoration is totally appropriate on his other cars and the one Paul Russell did on the SSK he brought to Villa d'Este was spectacular. Image Unavailable, Please Login
It is hard to critisize a man that has owned his cars for twenty years plus and allows them to be displayed in public. I am sure that as an artist/designer he appreciates overall apperance of the car more than "patina". Everyone has their own criteria for their cars and Ralph's sure beats some others.
I agree! This car was my daily driver for a number of years and though it went red before I acquired it, all the racing lights--roof, side and rear--were retained. As I study current photos of 3987, there is no doubt of its beauty but I see it now as a generic GTO absent all the myth, legend and chicanery that befalls a racing car that has been around for awhile. My favorite photos of Hemingway are those taken in his later years which evidence all the joys and concerns he had experienced, not the ones from an earlier time absent life's mark. I feel the same about racing cars. For me, the only question would be which era of the car's history would I want to represent in restoring it. The fresh-out-of-the-oven look is far less interesting to me. Perhaps I'd feel differently about a passenger car restoration.
I agree re: Sutan of Brunei, it is just a waste. I also agree that Paul Russel's restorations are well carried-out. But they are overzealous; the cars rolling ouf of their garages are more like remanufactured pastiches of the real thing, versus the actual car which rolled in months earlier. Pound-for-pound, how much of the metal, leather, glass etc. on those restorations is actually old? I'll shut up again now. Don't mean to offend anyone.
Paul is trying to meet customer expectations. He is given a criteria by them and does a great job of meeting it. Unfortunately many collectors (not restorers) arelooking for jewelry. David
