Exclusive: Texas Man Rebuilds $1.5 Million Ferrari Enzo

I know I said it looked great, which I still think it does, but I think sending it back to the factory to get it repaired would have been a better idea.

 

You don't say.
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Not in this market; prices are plunging too fast to warrant spending retail Factory money on a dinged title. He did it the correct way, given current economics.

If he fetches more than $800k for it, he'll be way ahead of the rest of the market. Remember the adage: when the economy sours, "go ugly early" to come out ahead of everyone else.

 

The panels on the front don't line up correctly. Look at the panel gaps. Where did you fix this car, Tijuana.
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The car looks pretty fine tho..

 

The owner was not able to sell for more than 1 million. He reduced the price to 990,000 and he doesn't publicly discuss the accident it had with Eddie Griffin behind the wheel. See for yourselves. Here is the link

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___Ferrari-ENZO-US-car-avaiable-now_W0QQitemZ190274788736QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item190274788736&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A727|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

 

If you're commenting on the look of the panels that's the unfinished C/F and similar looking pictures of the FXX's exist at Zanasi and F40's on the line. As for the panel fit in that photo it looks reasonable to me.

As for the car itself that's a different story and I think full disclosure on ebay would be a bit less deceptive.

 

You don't get it. The point is that you don't use bondo or filler on an Enzo. You replace the panels. Also, reasonable is okay for a car that costs 30k quid but he is asking a million quid.

 

You're right, not one word about the accident on the Ebay listing. Last time he listed, he said it all over the place thinking maybe it would raise the price, when in fact it decreased it...

 

Just to add my .02 (because I know everyone was waiting with baited breath!)...

The factories that design and build these cars have a unique knowledge of the engineering that went into making them. They understand the loads placed on the various pieces of the car, and they - singularly - have the expertise to repair them to "as new" condition.

I've never heard a car salesman who *didn't* say a repaired car was "better than new", as does this one. But there is no way that this guy has the same knowledge that the original engineers who designed the car have. There is no way he has the tools that the factory has - to be able to analyze carbon fiber and determine if joints that look OK are infact up to engineering design standards.

It is just simply impossible for any aftermarket shop to repair a car like an Enzo to as-delivered specification. Maybe they get lucky and there is nothing wrong with the parts you don't see. Or maybe the buyer gets un-lucky. Will the repair shop stand behind the car the same way the factory would? Do they have the resources to handle a claim that could arise from any errors they made, or any oversights or anything they didn't realize was overstressed or had been pushed beyond engineering limits but the repair shop didn't have the tools to test?

Any car is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. If it were me, I'd want a huge discount on this car. Like 30-40% off an average condition unwrecked car as a start, if not more. Thing is, people who have $1mm to pay for a wrecked-and-repaired one probably also have the means to pay slightly more for one that hasn't been wrecked and repaired by an unqualified shop. Which is why this car has not sold.

Also, the "interesting celebrity-owner history" is a bit of a stretch of the truth. Yeah, it's interesting all right

 

My .02 response (I know everyone is also waiting )

It is a CAR!!! It was designed to be repairable - and I disagree that the factory is the best and only place to repair such a thing. Factories build new - which they are good at, unlike repair shops - which repair cars, and they are good at that . Looking at it from another perspective - multi-million dollar composite aircraft get damaged and repaired - they do not get sent back to the factory for a repair though.

Can't argue with you that a discount is in order - but 30-40% might be a bit of an ask . But it is difficult to value! How many damaged and repaired Enzo's are out there for sale and comparison? If a "perfect" one was $1M, what would a "perfect" one with 7,500m be worth.. $0.9M...$0.8M??? Are there comparables??

It is a true statement... to some. Perhaps "thoughtless-owner history" would be a better reflection

 

You're right, I've never worked with carbon fiber before, I forgot.

 

The "pretty good" guy is trying hard to find that 1m $ sucker

 

I'd say the car is worth now whatever it was worth before repairs. I certainly appreciate all of the work that Matthew put into the car, and I'm sure it would make a fine driver for anyone....who wouldn't love an Enzo. But an automobile of this pedigree will inevitably find it's way back to the factory, or at the very least, back to a restoration shop that has the ability to ADD value....and it's going to be redone, no doubt. Maybe not tomorrow, but eventually. And if that's the case, I don't think the repairs Matthew did add true value, but they don't take any value away. Current market forces being what they are, I think $900,000 is anywhere between 15% and 25% too high (just my .02...don't jump ugly).

 

Factory parts that are simply bolted on don't reduce the engineering capabilities or performance, and don't reduce the car's value.
Parts that are painted might reduce the value if the paint job is not perfect/at the factory level. That is not the case here, it seems.

Aftermarket parts and repair shop work not passed through the same quality control checks as performed at the factory do reduce the value. I see bondo on the hood. That definitely reduces the value, unless the factory finishes off hoods in the same way (not the case. I have seen the prepreg CF hoods at the factory--they just paint them and bolt them on). Don't know what else is not up to the same standard as when it left the factory. But based on just what you can see, this car is worth less than a car with the same mileage that has not had any repair work done.

I would take the price of a similar car (age, mileage, condition), then reduce it by the amount needed to bring ALL parts to 100% factory spec. Then I would reduce it by a further amount for the time and hassle involved. Then a further amount for it no longer being original. Then a further amount for the background that will make it difficult to sell on in the future. I would negotiate from that starting point as being the highest I would be willing to pay. Current economic climate and trends would then be factored in.

The owner is probably better off enjoying this car rather than trying to sell it, unless he can accept the correct market pricing. On the other hand, he only needs to find ONE sucker. Sucker birth rates being what they are, he should let the ad run, while he continues to enjoy the car.

 

Funny you should mention aircraft There are very very strict rules and cross-checks required for repairing aircraft, IMO totally different than Bob the Welder repairing mom's Lincoln after a fender bender. An Enzo is a pretty highly engineered car. The tub is carbon and there are some high-tech epoxies used which have very specific requirements for how they must be used (including temperature, humidity, and lots of other things). A manufacturer like Ferrari has experience with these things far far beyond any repair shop, even the best repair shop. There was a case a while back where a customer racing a corsa clienti car had the front of the car fall off - it was a failure of the epoxy that bonded the nose to the tub. It was a big deal and lots of analysis went into why it happened, especially since Ferrari has a lot at stake in terms of street cars. I think it's a fact that the factory has way more experience, knowledge, equipment, engineering information and access to manufacturers to make determinations of whether a car is "as new" or not.

The corsa clienti car in question looked fine, but it failed anyway. Ferrari has a huge vested interest in making sure the cars are safe, and when an Enzo comes in for repair, Ferrari will let the customer know what it costs to repair. There is no "please keep it within $X budget". When a repair shop is fixing the car for the purpose of resale, there is certainly a motivation to keep the costs down as much as possible. Panels get fixed instead of replaced.

For those reasons - because the repair shop is not as qualified as the factory, and because they have an incentive to keep costs down that the factory doesn't, I would say it's impossible to "know" that the car has been repaired to OEM specs. Only the OEM can certify that, and no way would they endorse an 'aftermarket repair'. My .02. But interestingly, if you check out the details of how Ferrari has fixed other "damaged" Enzos, it's not just bolting on new parts to replace pieces with obvious damage.

I bet a lot of folks wouldn't buy the car at any price, probably evidenced by the fact that it hasn't sold. Thing is, it's reasonable to expect that an Enzo will see hard use. It's a lightweight 600hp car that is going to see more stress on parts than most cars ever would. If you experience a failure of a carbon epoxy joint and get maimed, you'd be suing Ferrari. And Ferrari has a lot at stake... and they have the pockets of Ferrari and Fiat to put the engineering in to make sure the car is safe, and the liability of those deep pockets keeps them honest. What level of liability does some repair shop in TX have? Not to knock the shop, they may be the best out there, but there is no repair shop who has anything like a fraction of the liability or capability to ensure that liability is protected that Ferrari has.

It's like the insurance TV commercials... flooded car is listed as "new interior!". Enzo crashed by a 3-rd rate movie guy is listed as "interesting celebrity history"

 

Where do you see bondo? Are you talking about that little spot on the boot? The panel gaps look just like every other Enzo I've seen.

 

I don't think whoever can afford an Enzo willing to pay $1M for that car

 

Maybe not exactly bondo, but fillers are not uncommon on composite parts. Even my techs have to add fillers to smooth out irregularities on aircraft parts we manufacture.
But no matter what, the right way to fix this car would have been a a factory approved shop, if not shipping it to Italy.

 

http://jalopnik.com/5115128/saga-of-the-eddie-griffin-enzo-continues-murilee-helps-write-its-ebay-description

Pretty much sums it up. To those who know and understand: Thanks and Happy New Year ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5VIwVmtKk8

There you have it. If you have ever driven a real race car then you know what I am talking about. There's nothing quite like it. Car needs a new home. Ferraris are awesome cars but I guess I am just not in the In-Crowd. Ah, politics is everywhere, isn't it? One point: The 'authorized' shops on the West coast that painted this car before... HA... all you 'experts' keep on thinking that they know what they are doing. We'll will keep doing what we do well behind the seen. I will be so glad when this car is gone so I don't have to read about how it's obviously not fixed correctly. I respect people's opinions when they have a clue what it takes to repair a car like this. I wish I didn't have a clue. Oh, according to many on here, I don't. Bring any Enzo in the world and let's park them next to eachother then you can tell me I don't have a clue.

 

Thanks for the details Matt - hope you enjoy the car as much as you can before someone takes it off your hands!!

All the very best for 2009!!

 

Oh the drama.

It's not a matter of putting them next to each other and taking a peek. Body parts made out of paper mache could pass that test.

A proper comparison would be to check both cars' tub and panel deflections under various torsional and longitudinal forces, various surfaces' fatigue levels after being subjected to prolonged vibrations and heat cycles, and then checking to see if both cars shear and distort in the same way and to the same extent after experiencing the same collision forces.

You did replace the seat belts, right? What about the seat mounts? Sorry, you will just have to crash it again to convince us.

 

Matt:

The left image is of course your car under repair, and the right image is of a new Enzo being manufactured for Ferrari SpA by Scaglietti.

You'll note that the original car at Scaglietti has a bit of filler applied, and the panels appear unevenly placed. I must take issue with the fact that in the repair of your car, you have not replicated this. Also, I had hoped that after all this effort, you would have at least taken the trouble to replicate the paint runs, uneven clear-coat, and panels of slightly different shades that Ferrari SpA finished the cars as new. I am disappointed that you have gone way overboard. One of my Ferrari Supercars was assembled by the lads at Scaglietti and its original paint displays all the aforementioned attributes, so I can prove that your repair is far too nice!

The only logical course of action you can take at this point is to remove the car from the market, and keep it for just yourself and your family to enjoy. Not only will you have many stories to tell, but you will have taken many many negatives, and turned them all into a positive!

Happy New Year!!!

Best,
Joe
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The lads at Scaglietti, bolting panels together, applying some filler here, and doing some sanding there...
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The issues with any Enzo are more than skin deep. Anyone buying one should have an authorised dealer do a through PPI.
This will answer whether the gearbox over heated, the engine over reved, clutch and rotor life, etc. It will also confirm recall services needed or done. The rear bars that fix the suspension and are attached to the carbon lip near the rear window should be very carefully inspected at the attachment points especially in a car that has crashed. The rear wing actuator has to be checked for signs of over centering.The front lift is another thing to check very carefully. The cost to repair any of the above is VERY high. If the rear bars let go there is very serious risk of injury.