Ferrari.com says my car was originally Argento Met... | FerrariChat
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Ferrari.com says my car was originally Argento Met...

Discussion in '308/328' started by etip, Jul 10, 2010.

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  1. etip

    etip Formula 3

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    #1 etip, Jul 10, 2010
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2010
    I have an '80 Gtsi, red/black boxer paint. I've pulled a bit of it apart and can't find any silver anywhere. The owners site say Nero seats and carpet, which is correct, but there is no trace of Agento that I can find.

    Does anyone know any other ways of finding build info or car history?

    I know the car was repainted at some point (and a pretty crappy paint job at that), but I can't imagine it went the full color change route. There's a little over spray on some gaskets and when I pull them back it's red under them.

    I'm going to have the car painted this summer and was thinking that I was gonna go with the red/black boxer or maybe solid red, but this might make me change my mind and go original.

    Any help is GREATLY appreciated.

    etip
     
  2. Jeff Kennedy

    Jeff Kennedy F1 Veteran
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    #2 Jeff Kennedy, Jul 10, 2010
    My vote, if you are asking, is return to original color.

    Jeff
     
  3. etip

    etip Formula 3

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    #3 etip, Jul 10, 2010
    I'm not opposed to that at all; I just want to find a way to verify it's original color.
    Also, there's no paint sticker under the bonnet.
     
  4. AZDoug

    AZDoug Formula 3

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    #4 AZDoug, Jul 10, 2010
    Maybe the VIN doesn't really belong to that car. Jack Legitimate VIN up, slide another car under VIN, lower car. Or, someone did a real good red respray long ago, then it was painted again, and what you see are the remnants of the red respray.

    Doug
     
  5. viper_driver

    viper_driver Formula Junior

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    #5 viper_driver, Jul 10, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    maybe try to look up under the dash. on my car it's all red under there. No way they would have changed that when they did a color change.

    here's a pic to show what I mean.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  6. Ossie

    Ossie Formula Junior
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    #6 Ossie, Jul 10, 2010
    I'd say that was a red car from the start as it would be unusual for someone to have gone to the effort of stripping the whole car for a complete respray, including all the hidden tunnel and footwell areas that your photo shows. Most non-red original cars that were repainted red were done so for a quick sale (the old "resale red").
     
  7. etip

    etip Formula 3

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    #7 etip, Jul 10, 2010
    Hey thanks for the idea; I'll pull up the carpets tonight.
    I'll let ya'll know what I find.
     
  8. etip

    etip Formula 3

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    #8 etip, Jul 11, 2010
    So, I pulled up the carpet and it was black-ish under it. No body color of any sort.
    I also found an area where it was chipping and it was red under the chip. Under the door sills it was red too.

    Is there anywhere on the car that there might be another VIN, not the plate? I could at least verify if the vin was swapped.

    Any chance that Ferrari has it wrong in there system??
     
  9. viper_driver

    viper_driver Formula Junior

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    #9 viper_driver, Jul 11, 2010
    Doesn't Ferrari.com give you the engine and trans numbers as well? You could check those and see if they match.
     
  10. sammyb

    sammyb Formula 3

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    #10 sammyb, Jul 11, 2010
    As many will tell you here, Ferrari isn't always 100 accurate on the colors. I had a discussion with a nice person at Ferrari NA, and they indicated that the color information isn't nearly as complete as many would think.

    That being said, the car could have been resprayed in the late 80s when the market shot up to "resale red". If it was, one would most likely find the original silver somewhere, such as a tiny area or strip behind the dash (which is the only place my friend and I found the original Lime on his red Pantera years ago.)

    The bottom line is to go with what you want. If there's any question about the accuracy of the color cert, then it really doesn't matter. Go with a high-quality respray in a stock color and the value won't change. (Keep in mind that it's easier and cheaper to not change the color!)
     
  11. bigodino

    bigodino F1 World Champ
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    #11 bigodino, Jul 11, 2010
    You might have a look behind a door panel. It's a relatively easy job removing the panel.
     
  12. mwr4440

    mwr4440 Five Time F1 World Champ
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    #12 mwr4440, Jul 11, 2010
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2010
    You can find the VIN, clearly visable, stamped fairly deeply (to help avoid tampering) into the frame in the engine bay on the passenger's side right next to the air-box. You'll find it.

    I think the OM shows where it is located also.
     
  13. don_xvi

    don_xvi F1 Rookie

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    #13 don_xvi, Jul 11, 2010
    Beyond all of the ideas for what you can do to verify the factory color, I'd say make it a color you like & want.

    I'm just that kind of guy.

    But the biggest thing I've gotten from this thread is that you CAN look up your original colors on ferrari.com. I hadn't been on there for years, I don't know if that was included then. Neat!
     
  14. Lars Theunissen

    Lars Theunissen F1 Veteran

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    #14 Lars Theunissen, Jul 11, 2010
    I´d be happy to have a look into my database to see if I have any history on your car, including previous colours. I´d need the VIN for that - can be done by pm if you like.

    Ciao,

    Lars T.
     
  15. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #15 Dr Tommy Cosgrove, Jul 11, 2010
  16. Jdubbya

    Jdubbya The $10 Trillion Man
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    #16 Jdubbya, Jul 11, 2010
    Under the dash should give you a pretty idea. You are pulling it anyway right? If it's red under there I'd say Ferrari has it wrong.

    I agree with others though, paint it what ever color you like. It's only original once and it's past that point now so don't worry about it.
     
  17. etip

    etip Formula 3

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    #17 etip, Jul 11, 2010
    Thanks Mark, I'll look.
     
  18. etip

    etip Formula 3

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    #18 etip, Jul 11, 2010
    PM sent. Thanks Lars.
     
  19. etip

    etip Formula 3

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    #19 etip, Jul 11, 2010
    Hey Doc, cool info. I'll go check for that.
     
  20. etip

    etip Formula 3

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    #20 etip, Jul 11, 2010
    I pulled the door panal; no silver paint back there.
    I hear ya about the originality thing. I'm not up for doing a full color change so it will most likely just go red/black or all red.

    Now I have to decide whether or not to keep the roof spoiler.
     
  21. wazie7262

    wazie7262 Formula 3

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    #21 wazie7262, Jul 11, 2010
    Hi fellers :)

    Where does one find this paint inof on ferrari.com? Also...what does a respray typically cost? Not bare-metal, but just a respray in the original color?

    Thanks :)
     
  22. etip

    etip Formula 3

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    #22 etip, Jul 11, 2010
    OK, I the VIN stamped in the engine compartment is the same as everywhere else, so my car has NOT been "re-VIN-ed"

    The paint flap was removed and painted over black when someone, sometime repainted the engine compartment. I sanded it down, but it's just black.
     
  23. Jdubbya

    Jdubbya The $10 Trillion Man
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    #23 Jdubbya, Jul 12, 2010
    Try this...

    If you haven't registered it's at http://www.ferrari.com/Pages/Country_Selector.aspx Once you register look for "my Ferrari" and you can register your car. I don't remember what it took but I think it's just chassis number. Once it's there it should show on the "my Ferrari" page with a tab that says "my 308 GTS" click on the "go to the section" button and it should come up with a stock photo and the color info on the right.
     
  24. etip

    etip Formula 3

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    #24 etip, Jul 12, 2010
    I'll let you know as soon as I find out!!
    I need to have some metal welded; probably new lower door skins on both doors. I'm gonna re-anodize the trim and have the roof spoiler holes welded up, so a little more than just a paint, But.... it never is "just a paint job", is it....
     
  25. drghamm

    drghamm Karting

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    #25 drghamm, Jul 12, 2010
    I also have an 80 GTSi that was supposed to be Agento according to Ferrari but like you the car has no trace of silver and I have talked to the last owner who knew the orginal owner and he said the car has always been black with red interior. So who knows maybe the Ferrari records are not totally correct.
     

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