hi brudder, good to hear from you too. it's been a while indeed... am alright, barely getting by though . hope all's well with you too. btw, do you guys still hang out at brudder mike's hotel?
Yeah the side strakes remind me of the Testarossa/512 TR when I first saw the pics. The Jota nameplate was used on one Miura that was created to conform to the FIA racing regulations, which has since been destroyed in a fire. So the Jota wasn't a separate model per se.
testa's been gone for a while. tried the porker after that, was quite good actually. am now on your side (if i'm not wrong going by your recent posts)
Agreed. When you think you have the best possible machine money can buy, a new and even better one comes along. That's how it has always been.. Congrats again on your dinghy MP! It looks absolutely majestic! I'm sure it will look even prettier once everything is done up
I think it would be quite difficult to get input on a Cali on the track as most Cali owners would probably have other more track-oriented rides in their garage as well. Personally, I think the 430 would still emerge victorious. Like you said, in Race mode the F1 gearbox would probably be only few tenths of a second slower than the Cali's DCT. The additional bhp and layout of the 430 should be more than enough to overcome that.
I'm sure the Jota will not disappoint with regards to styling. The recent Sesto Elemento concept shows perfectly why Lambo is still king when it comes to visual drama. I would have preferred the GTO to be more differentiated compared to the standard 599 but also toned down slightly compared to the hardcore 599XX.
I would have thought that she would have been sorted out at the home port before shipping to you, no? And you will do the final acceptance test or does the factory send someone to sign her off?
Traditionally, the Jota name was used on the factory tuned "race" version, one step higher than the SVs, Bob Wallace did that Miura & there's also the Diablo version. Don't think Countach had the treatment though. If the factory releases a Jota of the Murcielago, following tradition then that could be the final model rather than a totally new V12 (Current SV owners will be pissed). Anyway, we'll see it soon. I still hope to see a new block that addresses the cooling system & new chassis that's tighter+lighter.
she IS sorted out before being shipped over. what happens is that on the way over on the deck of a ship, minor damage does take place or screws come loose or the twisting/torquing motion pops drawers damaging the closing mechanisms, etc ... nothing major. the dealer here goes through the boat with me with a fine tooth-comb making a comprehensive list of "defects" that need to be fixed. once all jobs are completed, we go through the boat again. warranty begins once i sign off as "received defect free". this is apart from the commissioning of the engines, etc. some things like the AIS need to be programmed locally with the boat's information. if there is ANYTHING that requires personnel from the factory, they WILL come to attend.
Changing to fatter tyres according to Top Gear testing a few years ago actually loss time in track if there are no power increase to make use of the higher grip level. Although California have ceramic brakes, it is a whole 300kg heavier and that will really need more brake power to brake late into the corner. To me, weight to power ratio and mid engine configuration is still two of the most important factor in track timing if using the same driver. Ok I am targeting year 2015 for a low mileage 3yrs old example. Starting to save now! I don't mind driving a Cali leh......maybe some rich lady will buy for me??? ;-)
I am also having the same conclusion. The DCT advantage cannot be that great to negate all the other +points that F430 have over the California. Maybe one day, some mag will do this comparison.
Always know that it is a tedious process to get a luxury yacht to defect free. Not only it is a speed boat with all sort of high tech equipments, it is also a home with all the luxury funiture/fittings, kitchen equipment, bedrooms, entertainment system, water and electricial works to take care of..............thousands and one things to check on. Any estimate how long this work will last before signing off?
Would a Lotus be on the cards for you? I do like their concept of minimising weight although it makes the car not so everyday. As for the Cali, remember that the rich lady is the one that needs your "servicing" rather than the car !
You're right. The biggest advantage of the 430 is its lower weight. 300kg is a lot of weight and lack of it helps everywhere. Road cars in typical 1.3 ton and higher range often suffer from understeer in tight turns (high yaw rate required) because of high yaw inertia due to mass and when you have only so much tire to work with and the need to have controllable broader higher speed turns (high risk on the edge), you cannot crutch the tight turns much at all the expense of those risky areas. There's also a big advantage in mid engine getting more weight over the driven wheels, major masses all close to the CG (yaw inertia has a square relation to the distance of mass from axis). A typical Al V8 engine is a 150-190 kg mass and in this case the difference is multiple inches or entire feet. Also better weight distribution for track application goes to 430 (50 50 is a myth). The Cali doesn't come close, even after applying crutch of transaxle in a front engined car that again hurts yaw inertia. Also, carbon ceramic brakes don't help braking distances a meaningful amount, only rotor life, and braking consistency at track temps and cases of overtemp where coefficient of friction is still maintained (big window for carbon), just wear starts to get bad. A traditional cast iron system properly speced and ducted will go just as quick, and for more laps than other areas of a road car will allow. In any case, in the track context, comparisons will never be about just cars, but always the car and driver combination. The greatest designs and most intelligent gadgetry won't really matter if the driver is 2% off or more. At Sepang, a 430 should be capable of flat or sub 30s. Other exotics in a class nearly identical but slightly beyond 430 have gone 29s, 28s, even with a couple driving errors, and are definitely capable of 27s and 26s. So if Californias are superior on track to 430s, we should be seeing them deep sub 30s at Sepang. That should be interesting, but I'm sure it won't happen. Not just talk but data backed. Cheers
AMsg Thank you for your excellent details input. I totally agree that weight kill everything on track. 200bhp is fast if ur car weight just 800-1000kg. Brake later than others and sprung out of corner faster! Brake suffer very little brake fade even with steel brake system.