3X8 Heirarchy - fun thread

judge4re · Mar 7, 2010

Isobel said: ↑

I'll take the Mondial 8 Convertible
Click to expand...

Glad I wasn't the only one that caught that.

End of the day, buy what you can afford and have fun. And if anyone tells you that a Mondial 8 is the slowest Ferrari ever, you can be sure that they've never driven a 166 Inter...

GrigioGuy · Mar 7, 2010

There is no 14...

But there is a single GT4 convertible, for the "kids" guy who wants a "driver"

FF8929 · Mar 7, 2010

Aurum said: ↑

Call me nuts, but this is how I see it...

308 Dino
308 GTB, carb'd
308 GTS QV with the black glass roof (looks like a GTB)
328
348
Mondial (not a hater, just not my favorite)
Click to expand...

Like I said....

FF8929 · Mar 7, 2010

Quote:
Originally Posted by FF8929
I know where my Ferrari is in the hierarchy. (LOL)

Ok, where do you see it?? Put it in the form of a list for all of us to see

Seen by most as Last. But I don't mind. It's the only Ferrari convertable that I could ever afford, and I like my cars open.

FF8929 · Mar 7, 2010

Tony K said: ↑

This idea of this thread is like a dcik swinging contest for people with small dciks, and nothing new to F-Chat. Please, no one take offense to my comments -- I mean this in a fun way!

It's like going to a Nifty-Fifties cruse-in night at the local retro-style diner where there are a bunch of people with hot rods, old Camaros, and '57 Chevies sitting around on lawn chairs, all trying to justify over each other why their car is the most bad-a$$: "Mine's one of only 5738 in 1964 to have the 389 Tri-Power setup, his-hers shifter, and no vinyl top." Good for you. I'm glad that worked out for you.

We all know the real outcome of this thread:

The early Euro carbed cars duke it out for supremacy against the QV, until somebody comes up trumps by saying "fiberglass," meanwhile everyone knows that the 328 is the best of the 308/328 body style hands down, but people who couldn't or wouldn't cough up the extra ten grand use the bumpers or interior switchgear as an excuse, the same way the 2Vi owners justify their purchases based on value/maintenance costs/not enough difference in performance. While all this is happening, the catalyst-carbed owners sit quietly, hoping nobody notices them, but prepared to talk about how much they love induction noise just in case, GT4 owners play the "underappreciated/great drivers car" card, and Mondial owners roll their eyes and shrug.

We all know the hierarchy. Market values define it. So, let me try with a ranking, that should be pretty near dead-nuts accurate:

1. Dry sump Euro fiberglass 308. Boo-yahhhh!!!! The proverbial mine is the largest of 308 ownership! Gold medal!

2. Any other fiberglass 308, except the one on eBay, because it has a later engine or something.

3. 328, despite the protesting of the styling and interior of people with cars further down the list. Doesn't matter whether it's a GTS or GTB, because there are so few GTBs anyway, demand/supply are about equal.

4. Euro GTB QV. Because it's rarerer-er, and we can talk about pure lines and stuff.

5. Euro GTS QV. Because anything "Euro" is always better than anything "American." We're all sofistercated, yer'know! (Otherwise we'd own Corvettes...) Oh, and it has little bumpers and stuff.

6. Early carbureted steel car. Because the raw sound of the webers is music and all that, and they make 240 hp. Or is it 250 hp. Or 255 hp. Or lots more, but Ferrari rated them conservative. Whatever, they're fast. But 308s are all slow, of course, but a pre-catalyst 308 is like a vintage Ferrari, which are all fast enough to peel your face off under acceleration, except, of course, it's not a vintage Ferrari -- it's a mass produced FIAT.

7. American QV. Because carburetors sound better than fuel injection and galvanized steel. It was a close call between #s 4-7. Maybe next month it will be shifted around a bit, kind of like national top law school rankings. We're lumping the GTBs in here, because if any actually exist, there aren't enough of them to be on a list. There are rumored to have been a couple dozen, and there is even some period marketing literature for them, but one has never actually been seen, and people are claiming that Ferrari traveled back in time to photoshop the literature.

8. Other carbureted 308s. These, of course, are the catalyst carb cars. But if you take off the cats, LOOK OUT!!!!! NOW THEY'RE FAST!!!!! Despite anything someone says about cam profiles!!! And webers sound soooo cool, anyone who prefers them is obviously a connoisseur. They are cool, in an old skool, Robert-Redford-driving-a-vintage-911 way. GTB/S doesn't matter here, because all of these cars just ride on the coattails of the non-cat carb cars, and quietly let people keep thinking they're 240/250/255/lots more horsepower.

9. 2-valve GTBi. At the bottom of the Pininfarina list we have the 2-valve injected cars, which, of course, have an actual horsepower output of only 150-160, when the intake scoop is force-fed with a leaf blower on a cool, foggy morning in April. Here is where the "I like the pure lines of the GTB" defense really shines. When you've got nothing else going for you, and you even have the less-popular body style, you can play this card, bolstered by comments from people with more expensive berlinettas (QVs and 328s), touting that they really know their stuff and have good taste. GTBi sneaks an undeserved extra place on the list! [The author of this work owns a GTBi, and is suspected to be showing favoritism, so rankings 9-10 are likewise suspect.]

10. 2-valve GTSi. Here we have the "plain vanilla" Ferrari 308. They're everywhere, in a land where people try to buy the car that no one else has in order to distinguish themselves. Heck, there are times when they're all over eBay and classified ads, outnumbering the more plentiful QV GTS! The easiest to find, cheapest, Pininfarina 308. They have nothing going for them -- not even rarity; one would think a removable roof would count for something here, but when you get this far down the ladder (i.e. the Ferrari nobody wants, the 2vi), When you got nothing else going for you, you play the uniqueness card for justification!

- - - - - - - -

And the list continues (but please note the dotted line above, just to be as divisive as possible, and create a further separation of Pininfarina/2-seat cars from the rest):

11. 308 GT4. Although there are non-cat cars and catalyst cars, and of course Euro models, GT4s get all lumped together (see #8 above). Despite being a "driver's car," and that for the past five years they've been finally getting the respect they deserve, they still rank below all of the Pinninfarina cars. Why? Because the PF car is shaped like supermodel lying on her side, a GT4 is shaped like a shoebox that fell off of the top shelf in the closet onto the hardwood floor. No 12-year-old ever had a poster of a GT4 hanging on his bedroom wall, but when he hit puberty, he did hide the "classy lady" poster with the Pininfarina car under his bed. At the end of the day, when you've finally scraped together the dollars (or took out that home equity loan) to buy your first old, neglected Ferrari, you have to make a choice: driver's car, or poseur's car. The market speaks. We're all a bunch of poseurs. We'll hold out for that extra few grand to have the sexy shape.

12. Mondial 3.2 or QV convertible. Many 308 owners forget (or don't even know) there's a difference between these cars, so we'll just lump them together. If you're going to buy a Mondial, you have some very specific intentions, because you can almost afford a decent 308 for the money you're spending here. But you wouldn't be caught dead in a 2Vi, so you mutter something about "gentleman's grand tourer" or "kids" or "convertible," and drive around on clackety old TRX tires. [The Mondial T doesn't fit into the equation, because it's really a 348, well, sort of (and Luca said 348s suck), and we can't figure out why someone who could afford a 2-seat Ferrari would buy a Mondial. The Mondial T remains an enigma, kind of like the one with the clutchless auto-sort-of-matic gearbox that you heard something about.]

13. Mondial QV or 3.2 coupe. That blue one that was for sale on eBay in Florida last year for about a thousand weeks that couldn't generate a $16k bid reassured the convertible's superiority (if there is such thing in a Mondial). If you're going to buy a slow, heavy, 4-seat Ferrari (which no Ferrari is supposed to be, don't you know?), you can at least use "convertible" (or "kids") as an excuse. Nothing says, "hey, look, I'm really stretching it just so I can say I own a Ferrari" like a red Mondial coupe. Go for blue or silver (just fix the rust by the fuel filler before you try to sell). Admittedly, there is a small, select market for a car like a Mondial coupe of people who aren't in desperation to own a Ferrari, but they're rare, and a breed to themselves, like people who collect transcontinental airline spoons, and far too few to affect the car's rankings. Their cars are not red.

14. Mondial 8 convertible. Did I say something about "just so I can say I own a Ferrari" above? Oops, I meant to put that here! Well, at least it's a convertible! Better make it red!

15. Mondial 8 coupe. Just when you thought prices couldn't get any lower -- which of course translates to "nobody wants it" -- you see a nice, shiny Mondial 8 coupe in better shape than many lower end GTSis, struggling to sell for $12k-$14k. The market has spoken. Mondial 8 owners, hang your heads in humility, and make sure you give respect to the 308 QV owners when they pass you on the street. . . . or smile secretly and quietly to yourself, knowing that you are the only one who paid anything near what these cars are inherently worth!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Not listed / Not ranked:

All of the 2-liter versions of the above listed cars, because we are so ethnocentric, many of us have never even heard of their existence, and if we have, we quickly forget. When reminded, we use the excuse that (despite being a nearly identical car) it's not really a 308, as it's a 2-liter, never mind that with any other manufacturer, a different displacement in the same car doesn't make it a different car. If we had any notion how slow a 2-liter, non-turbo Ferrari was, we'd be speaking praises of 2Vi 308s using the most-syllable words we know, patting 3Vi 308 owners on the shoulder and welcoming them into the 308 country club. . . . but there aren't any in America, so, like a 328 GTB or American GTB QV, it doesn't exist.

So, there you have it. I saw what a fun thread this is, so I just thought I'd add a little fun to it.

- Tony K.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Tony K · Mar 7, 2010

Isobel said: ↑

I'll take the Mondial 8 Convertible
Click to expand...

D'oh! Shows you what I know!

EDIT: I'll use my lack of 2-valve Mondial knowledge as a snobbery-based badge of honor. I amend my reply to read as follows: "Oh, there aren't, well, whatever, they're Mondials."

GrayTA · Mar 7, 2010

Paul_308 said: ↑

This is a malicious p|ssing contest with no merit MODERATOR PLEASE remove it from TECHNICAL forum

STOP THE REPLIES
Click to expand...

Paul, I assure you I meant nothing malicious with this thread. I really intended it to be a fun debate. If it is viewed as a p'ing contest then Moderators by all means move it to where it would be appropriate or delete it entirely. My apologies if it turns/turned into that.

PDG

Tony K · Mar 7, 2010

judge4re said: ↑

As an owner of both a Mondial 8 and a US Spec QV GTS what am I supposed to do based on this comment?
Click to expand...

You need to develop a case of Dissociative Identity Disorder, or possibly Schizophrenia, and you'll be fine from there.

GrigioGuy · Mar 7, 2010

Paul_308 said: ↑

This is a malicious p|ssing contest with no merit MODERATOR PLEASE remove it from TECHNICAL forum

STOP THE REPLIES
Click to expand...

It's not in a technical forum. Might I suggest this?
Image Unavailable, Please Login

Brian Harper · Mar 7, 2010

thecarreaper said: ↑

The Mondial is not part of the 308 series, so why would it be considered, one way or another, in this particular discussion?
Click to expand...

The Mondial 8 shares so much in common with the 308s of the 1980s. How could it not be considered part of the series? It is, admittedly, the farthest reaching family member, but it is way more 308 than the 348/355, for example.

FF8929 · Mar 7, 2010

GrayTA said: ↑

Paul, I assure you I meant nothing malicious with this thread. I really intended it to be a fun debate. If it is viewed as a p'ing contest then Moderators by all means move it to where it would be appropriate or delete it entirely. My apologies if it turns/turned into that.

PDG
Click to expand...

+1. No, it's just for FUN. When any one of our F-cars fails, big time, THAT'S the big equalizer. My Mondial QV can eat valves with the best of the 3x8's.

Tony K · Mar 7, 2010

FF8929 said: ↑

+1. No, it's just for FUN. When any one of our F-cars fails, big time, THAT'S the big equalizer. My Mondial QV can eat valves with the best of the 3x8's.
Click to expand...

LOL, that's one way to look at it!

bergxu · Mar 7, 2010

Tony K said: ↑

This idea of this thread is like a dcik swinging contest for people with small dciks, and nothing new to F-Chat. Please, no one take offense to my comments -- I mean this in a fun way!

It's like going to a Nifty-Fifties cruse-in night at the local retro-style diner where there are a bunch of people with hot rods, old Camaros, and '57 Chevies sitting around on lawn chairs, all trying to justify over each other why their car is the most bad-a$$: "Mine's one of only 5738 in 1964 to have the 389 Tri-Power setup, his-hers shifter, and no vinyl top." Good for you. I'm glad that worked out for you.

We all know the real outcome of this thread:

The early Euro carbed cars duke it out for supremacy against the QV, until somebody comes up trumps by saying "fiberglass," meanwhile everyone knows that the 328 is the best of the 308/328 body style hands down, but people who couldn't or wouldn't cough up the extra ten grand use the bumpers or interior switchgear as an excuse, the same way the 2Vi owners justify their purchases based on value/maintenance costs/not enough difference in performance. While all this is happening, the catalyst-carbed owners sit quietly, hoping nobody notices them, but prepared to talk about how much they love induction noise just in case, GT4 owners play the "underappreciated/great drivers car" card, and Mondial owners roll their eyes and shrug.

We all know the hierarchy. Market values define it. So, let me try with a ranking, that should be pretty near dead-nuts accurate:

1. Dry sump Euro fiberglass 308. Boo-yahhhh!!!! The proverbial mine is the largest of 308 ownership! Gold medal!

2. Any other fiberglass 308, except the one on eBay, because it has a later engine or something.

3. 328, despite the protesting of the styling and interior of people with cars further down the list. Doesn't matter whether it's a GTS or GTB, because there are so few GTBs anyway, demand/supply are about equal.

4. Euro GTB QV. Because it's rarerer-er, and we can talk about pure lines and stuff.

5. Euro GTS QV. Because anything "Euro" is always better than anything "American." We're all sofistercated, yer'know! (Otherwise we'd own Corvettes...) Oh, and it has little bumpers and stuff.

6. Early carbureted steel car. Because the raw sound of the webers is music and all that, and they make 240 hp. Or is it 250 hp. Or 255 hp. Or lots more, but Ferrari rated them conservative. Whatever, they're fast. But 308s are all slow, of course, but a pre-catalyst 308 is like a vintage Ferrari, which are all fast enough to peel your face off under acceleration, except, of course, it's not a vintage Ferrari -- it's a mass produced FIAT.

7. American QV. Because carburetors sound better than fuel injection and galvanized steel. It was a close call between #s 4-7. Maybe next month it will be shifted around a bit, kind of like national top law school rankings. We're lumping the GTBs in here, because if any actually exist, there aren't enough of them to be on a list. There are rumored to have been a couple dozen, and there is even some period marketing literature for them, but one has never actually been seen, and people are claiming that Ferrari traveled back in time to photoshop the literature.

8. Other carbureted 308s. These, of course, are the catalyst carb cars. But if you take off the cats, LOOK OUT!!!!! NOW THEY'RE FAST!!!!! Despite anything someone says about cam profiles!!! And webers sound soooo cool, anyone who prefers them is obviously a connoisseur. They are cool, in an old skool, Robert-Redford-driving-a-vintage-911 way. GTB/S doesn't matter here, because all of these cars just ride on the coattails of the non-cat carb cars, and quietly let people keep thinking they're 240/250/255/lots more horsepower.

9. 2-valve GTBi. At the bottom of the Pininfarina list we have the 2-valve injected cars, which, of course, have an actual horsepower output of only 150-160, when the intake scoop is force-fed with a leaf blower on a cool, foggy morning in April. Here is where the "I like the pure lines of the GTB" defense really shines. When you've got nothing else going for you, and you even have the less-popular body style, you can play this card, bolstered by comments from people with more expensive berlinettas (QVs and 328s), touting that they really know their stuff and have good taste. GTBi sneaks an undeserved extra place on the list! [The author of this work owns a GTBi, and is suspected to be showing favoritism, so rankings 9-10 are likewise suspect.]

10. 2-valve GTSi. Here we have the "plain vanilla" Ferrari 308. They're everywhere, in a land where people try to buy the car that no one else has in order to distinguish themselves. Heck, there are times when they're all over eBay and classified ads, outnumbering the more plentiful QV GTS! The easiest to find, cheapest, Pininfarina 308. They have nothing going for them -- not even rarity; one would think a removable roof would count for something here, but when you get this far down the ladder (i.e. the Ferrari nobody wants, the 2vi), When you got nothing else going for you, you play the uniqueness card for justification!

- - - - - - - -

And the list continues (but please note the dotted line above, just to be as divisive as possible, and create a further separation of Pininfarina/2-seat cars from the rest):

11. 308 GT4. Although there are non-cat cars and catalyst cars, and of course Euro models, GT4s get all lumped together (see #8 above). Despite being a "driver's car," and that for the past five years they've been finally getting the respect they deserve, they still rank below all of the Pinninfarina cars. Why? Because the PF car is shaped like supermodel lying on her side, a GT4 is shaped like a shoebox that fell off of the top shelf in the closet onto the hardwood floor. No 12-year-old ever had a poster of a GT4 hanging on his bedroom wall, but when he hit puberty, he did hide the "classy lady" poster with the Pininfarina car under his bed. At the end of the day, when you've finally scraped together the dollars (or took out that home equity loan) to buy your first old, neglected Ferrari, you have to make a choice: driver's car, or poseur's car. The market speaks. We're all a bunch of poseurs. We'll hold out for that extra few grand to have the sexy shape.

12. Mondial 3.2 or QV convertible. Many 308 owners forget (or don't even know) there's a difference between these cars, so we'll just lump them together. If you're going to buy a Mondial, you have some very specific intentions, because you can almost afford a decent 308 for the money you're spending here. But you wouldn't be caught dead in a 2Vi, so you mutter something about "gentleman's grand tourer" or "kids" or "convertible," and drive around on clackety old TRX tires. [The Mondial T doesn't fit into the equation, because it's really a 348, well, sort of (and Luca said 348s suck), and we can't figure out why someone who could afford a 2-seat Ferrari would buy a Mondial. The Mondial T remains an enigma, kind of like the one with the clutchless auto-sort-of-matic gearbox that you heard something about.]

13. Mondial QV or 3.2 coupe. That blue one that was for sale on eBay in Florida last year for about a thousand weeks that couldn't generate a $16k bid reassured the convertible's superiority (if there is such thing in a Mondial). If you're going to buy a slow, heavy, 4-seat Ferrari (which no Ferrari is supposed to be, don't you know?), you can at least use "convertible" (or "kids") as an excuse. Nothing says, "hey, look, I'm really stretching it just so I can say I own a Ferrari" like a red Mondial coupe. Go for blue or silver (just fix the rust by the fuel filler before you try to sell). Admittedly, there is a small, select market for a car like a Mondial coupe of people who aren't in desperation to own a Ferrari, but they're rare, and a breed to themselves, like people who collect transcontinental airline spoons, and far too few to affect the car's rankings. Their cars are not red.

14. Mondial 8 convertible. Did I say something about "just so I can say I own a Ferrari" above? Oops, I meant to put that here! Well, at least it's a convertible! Better make it red!

15. Mondial 8 coupe. Just when you thought prices couldn't get any lower -- which of course translates to "nobody wants it" -- you see a nice, shiny Mondial 8 coupe in better shape than many lower end GTSis, struggling to sell for $12k-$14k. The market has spoken. Mondial 8 owners, hang your heads in humility, and make sure you give respect to the 308 QV owners when they pass you on the street. . . . or smile secretly and quietly to yourself, knowing that you are the only one who paid anything near what these cars are inherently worth!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Not listed / Not ranked:

All of the 2-liter versions of the above listed cars, because we are so ethnocentric, many of us have never even heard of their existence, and if we have, we quickly forget. When reminded, we use the excuse that (despite being a nearly identical car) it's not really a 308, as it's a 2-liter, never mind that with any other manufacturer, a different displacement in the same car doesn't make it a different car. If we had any notion how slow a 2-liter, non-turbo Ferrari was, we'd be speaking praises of 2Vi 308s using the most-syllable words we know, patting 3Vi 308 owners on the shoulder and welcoming them into the 308 country club. . . . but there aren't any in America, so, like a 328 GTB or American GTB QV, it doesn't exist.

So, there you have it. I saw what a fun thread this is, so I just thought I'd add a little fun to it.

- Tony K.
Click to expand...

Well hell, this should be the Ferrarichat theme song then....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XL-Rr5a-Nk

Please take note and read lyrics throughout entire song

thecarreaper · Mar 8, 2010

Brian Harper said: ↑

The Mondial 8 shares so much in common with the 308s of the 1980s. How could it not be considered part of the series? It is, admittedly, the farthest reaching family member, but it is way more 308 than the 348/355, for example.
Click to expand...

hmmmmmm you also make a very good point. lots of the parts on a GT4 will work on a GTB GTS, where as a Mondial is very different underneath, or so i always thought.

the GT4 came FIRST in the 73-74, the GTB came around in 74-75, and the chassis the GT4 was made on, was shortened for the whole GTB GTS series.

i have always been under the impression that the Mondial, as a series , is a different chassis from the GT4/B/S.

preaching to the choir i suppose, we are all nuts to pay what we pay for the old , slow Italian cars anyway, we could all drive hybrids, and save the planet, or something!!!!

Hans · Mar 8, 2010

Tony, LMAO!!!

Not in complete agreement with you though, obviously.

With my ex girlfriend having a yellow version of her body shape (328 GTS), and my GT4 being of what you call the dropped shoebox shape, I've had the pleasure of driving both of them a lot.

Me being 6'4", I can honestly say that I'd NEVER, EVER want to own a 308/328 GTB/GTS myself, for I am not going to enjoy driving it!! I can't put my legs anywhere, my arms are hitting all kinds of parts that they shouldn't be hitting (like above mentioned ex girlfriend), I can't feel what the car is doing because I need to be reclined in this rediculous way in order to clear the roof, etc, etc. For tall people, that car is rubbish!!!

The GT4 is SOOOOOO much roomier. Not just in length (thanks to that rear bench), but also in width.

My car is dark blue. I've just picked her up this weekend after a bare metal respray - again in dark blue. Driving Ivonne's yellow 328, I've always felt a bit "heeeeeere's Johnny", if you get what I mean. Much too posy. I'm not a poser. I just enjoy DRIVING this car.

And so my absolute #1 is an early Euro GT4, with upgraded suspension, upgraded wheels, upgraded brakes and sorted engine, so that I end up with a car that can pretty much keep up with everything south of a 360.

And I am glad that there are so many posers out that that are not buying all the GT4's out there

Hans

P.S. My #2 would be a 355 spider... (not counting the obvious F40 and GTO)

Hans · Mar 8, 2010

bergxu said: ↑

Well hell, this should be the Ferrarichat theme song then....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XL-Rr5a-Nk

Please take note and read lyrics throughout entire song
Click to expand...

Aaron, what's the deal with the Citroën logo??? After the DS and SM (and maybe the CX), they haven't made any half-decent cars in decades!!!!

Paul308GTSi · Mar 8, 2010

1. 308GTSi (because I have one and went on a drive day yesterday)
2. Other Ferrari
3. Other Ferrari
4. Other Ferrari
25,000,000 + ......... Porsche (any model)

LOL !

( I dont know how hard the Bentley Continental GT was trying but I was finding it incredibly easy pushing / chasing him on a winding mountain road )

David Jarrett · Mar 8, 2010

This is a great thread.

So many ways you can shuffle the pack and come up with a different result.

From my vast experience of owning Ferrari's (1No), drivng Ferrari's (1No) and being in Ferrari's (2No) I think the GT4 is easily the best.

Hans · Mar 8, 2010

David Jarrett said: ↑

This is a great thread.

So many ways you can shuffle the pack and come up with a different result.

From my vast experience of owning Ferrari's (1No), drivng Ferrari's (1No) and being in Ferrari's (2No) I think the GT4 is easily the best.
Click to expand...

I've had my GT4 in the paint shop for 9 months, and my FChat buddies here clearly felt sorry for me. And so I've driven:

Two 328's
A Challenge stradale (to and on Spa Francorchamps)
A 16M (Scuderia spider) (on Spa Francorchamps)
A 330 GTC (a full day, on highways mostly)
A 430 Spider (a full day, highways and back country roads around Valencia, Spain)
A 550 Maranello (highway only)
A 599 with HTwhatever handling package (backcountry roads around Valencia again)

And I can tell, that the GT4 is NOT the best by a fair margin!!!

To ME, it's the best compromise between performance, the need to work hard for what you're getting, looks (yes, indeed, on a GT4), and affordability.

The 16M was by far the best car to drive. WAY better than the 599 in my view. The 599 was much faster, but lacked the transparency of the 430. I didn't feel quite as much in control of the 599 than of the 16M/430 spider.

The 16M to me was also a LOT more fun than the CS. It's equally hard-core, but in comparison, the F1 shifting felt sluggish on the CS, even in sports mode. The 16M felt more composed, and I just LOVE open top driving, which is sadly lacking with the CS.

There wasn't really all that much difference between the 430 spider and the 16M, other than the sledge-hammer gear changes of the latter. Insane! I wonder how long a clutch lasts on either of them. Strangely, it was the clutch on the 430 that was the smelly one of the two.

For gentleman-like driving (and doing so quite swiftly, I might add), the 330 GTC was the clear winner last year. It just oozes with CLASS. Adding the need to double-clutch when that transaxle is still cold (which seems forever), and the mediocre braking only add to the appeal.

The 550 is good for Autobahn-burning, but is outclassed at this by the 599.

The 328.... TO ME wasn't acing at anything. (Sorry 328 owners, like I wrote earlier, my non-Italian height has got a lot to do with this too)

And now the GT4 is back. More pure than the 328, need to work harder than all but the 330. Burping out flames of its exhaust, let the good times roll again!!

Wow, an interesting year it's been indeed!!! (and of course again a BIG thank you to the owners of these magnificent cars!!!)

ace_pilot · Mar 8, 2010

Tony, I'm going to put up your post in my garage. What a well written piece! Funny as anything!

Ace

FF8929 · Mar 8, 2010

Well hell, this should be the Ferrarichat theme song then....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XL-Rr5a-Nk

Please take note and read lyrics throughout entire song

Words fail me.

bergxu · Mar 11, 2010

Hans said: ↑

Aaron, what's the deal with the Citroën logo??? After the DS and SM (and maybe the CX), they haven't made any half-decent cars in decades!!!!
Click to expand...

Hans,

I have a DSuper 5 and yes, I am in total agreement with you

....but my "Goddess" is fantastique!

captwillieb 328gts · Mar 12, 2010

A GTS, cause ....

MarkJ · Mar 12, 2010

Tony K said: ↑

. . . At the bottom of the Pininfarina list we have the 2-valve injected cars, which, of course, have an actual horsepower output of only 150-160, when the intake scoop is force-fed with a leaf blower on a cool, foggy morning in April. Here is where the "I like the pure lines of the GTB" defense really shines.

. . . the PF car is shaped like supermodel lying on her side, a GT4 is shaped like a shoebox that fell off of the top shelf in the closet onto the hardwood floor. No 12-year-old ever had a poster of a GT4 hanging on his bedroom wall, but when he hit puberty, he did hide the "classy lady" poster with the Pininfarina car under his bed.

. . . Nothing says, "hey, look, I'm really stretching it just so I can say I own a Ferrari" like a red Mondial coupe.

. . . Better make it red!

. . . Mondial 8 owners, hang your heads in humility, and make sure you give respect to the 308 QV owners when they pass you on the street. . . . or smile secretly and quietly to yourself, knowing that you are the only one who paid anything near what these cars are inherently worth!

- Tony K.
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Tony, you're hilarious! My wife wanted to know what I was laughing at so I read her your post. She didn't understand.

Tony K · Mar 12, 2010

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

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