to race or not to race ...

The 355 I purchased was set up by the dealer w/ track belts and was regularly tracked before I purchased the car.
It was also , interestingly enough, the most mint car I could find.
These cars were meant to be driven hard (not abused) and if driven properly will be stronger for it.
I drove 8 other 355's before I settled on this one. This was the strongest car and had no issues.
It has turned out to be reliable with no valve guide or header failures.
But, you have to look at the overall condition and service history. And make sure you get a compression and leakdown test on any vehicle you are considering purchasing.

I have not regretted the decision.

 

comparing 2 extremes, a garage queen w a few 100 miles or a car that has been tracked often, I would absolutely go for the track car since it will be a much better driver

The garage queen will have to be rebuilt as all the seals are probably dried out

as long as you dont hit anything & keep up on the maintenance tracking a car wont do it any harm

of course each car has its weakeness

308 half shafts snap

TR trans blows up etc

so you need to watch out for that

 

I bought a 348 challenge in '05 with 13K miles. Raced 5 races in the '96 series. It was one of the best 348's on the market at the time. NO Regrets!

Probably one of the fastest 348's as well. It is set up for the track and may be a little stiff for most, but I love it.

 

I have put 5 of the 7 Ferraris I have owned on the track at least twice. I never had any issues related to track driving. The odd thing is that cars always seem to run better after a track day, though it could be all in my head. However, there is a difference between a spirited track day and just plain beating the crap out of a car. For instance, running at redline for a sustained distance is a no no. I would say a 3X8 that was run with slicks a lot needs to have the suspension checked carefully and look for stress cracks here in there like in the shock tower mounts, etc. A few of the cars I bought had a little previous track experience, the rest did not. I certainly would not have been able to tell you which ones had been on a track before except for the info being disclosed to me. In short, it's all about condition and how well a car runs. Previous track time would not enter my decision, but it is no doubt a negative in some people's minds.

Dave

 

Given this reasoning, one could conclude that some of the high mile rental vehicles that are up for sale would be a great deal considering they are usually sold at a relatively low price.
Assuming of course that the rental companies do all the regular maintenance.

Really..... not poking holes, but I am thinking this might be a reasonable way to go.

Wonder then, why are so many people uptight with buying an f-car with more than, say, 3 miles on the clock?!?!?!? There is that whole topic of "high" mile f-cars that you 'just have to be careful about'. Seems contradictory to me.

 

I would guess that there is a BIG difference between someone who rents a car for a weekend, and beats the hell out of it, and an owner who loveingly maintains his car and tracks it. You know the saying " Whats the fastest car in the world? A rental car." We have all been there.




Darrell.

 

"Never seen the track, never been driven in rain"
...the typical lies in the Ferrari world.

Having had a car on the track does not make a difference whatsoever. If you buy a race car (Challenge car) that has been raced and is converted back you should expect it to be a little rougher and adjust value downward but for a car that has seen the track on FCA meet...don't think twice.

The mileage question is a great one. Here is a picture of a 328GTS we have right now. Look at the pictures and tell me if you have ever seen a 328 in such exceptional condition. The car has 99,900 Miles on the odometer.
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some more...
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Yes, you make an interesting point.... and a subtle pitch.

 

...and, ok, I'll bite.
How much for this beauty with only 100k miles?

checked your website and didn't see it. linky?
Digging your '94 348 gts though!!!

 

Track. No doubt. I'll take #0808 please...

For those that don't recognize the telaio:

http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/aug2007/bw2007089_535872.htm?chan=autos_classic+cars+index+page_news+%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3Aarial%3B%22%3E%2B%3C%2Fspan%3E+features

 

$32,500.

I have it on ebay as a no-reserve. May actually bring more. Appears there are people that appreciate condition over what the odometer says. The funny thing, the odometer rolls back to zero in 100 miles. Add another 5000 to this car and everybody will think it is a garage queen.

 

That REALLY is a nice car Martin! After 100k miles was some of the interior replaced? It seems pretty crazy that the seats look THAT great. Great car I am sure to whoever the lucky bidder is.

 

Don't want to hijack this thread, was trying to make a point.

Yes the seats have been recovered with original leather and the fabric for the sides and roof has been replaced with original fabric. The owner was shopping for it for over a year to find the original. The car scored a 93 point at a judged concourse recently. Some deductions were for things like discolored fuel lines (oh well, 99,000 Miles you know...)

 

That's just over 20,000 Euro! I wrote in another thread about 2 severely damaged 328 over here that cost 19,500 Euro. I have to rent a boat and buy a few dozen US 308&328 and make a small fortune.