having been a member of Chat since '02, I can honestly say this is one of THE most memorable threads, EVER! What a grand experience. What an awesome car! Thanks for sharing the whole experience.
Just want to say what a great thread picked up the beginning of this story when you were at the ordering stage and absolutely loved the ending to this chapter, amazing experience and a privileged one at that. Congratulations on a great car with a complementary combination. Enjoy. She's a keeper
Congratulations! Very beautifully specced F12 tdf! One of the best configurations I have seen on this car so far! Great work!
I'm pretty sure he means the tdf, which has been transported, not driven, to London. Am I right? Tim, the colour looks so right, the perfect mix of blue and grey. But, wait! Blu Ahrabian was that exactly wasn't it? What a shame not to be able to compare both live.
I had the same experience as you Tim - quality of finish on my TDF was leagues ahead of my SpecA which needed so much work the paint thickness gauge was coming out constantly to ensure they did not go too far. My previous Italias also had poor paintwork. The TDF just needed superficial work to get it perfect before the xpel was applied.
Can't wait to see close ups of the paint. One of the few blues that I would consider. I do love the sheepskin seats. Two questions, does the interior have that great smell of leather and why would you say the tdf is the last of the LDM cars?
Tim, I've become a big fan of your passion and enthusiasm for this brand we all love. Your storytelling is fantastic, and you've made us all feel as though we were there with you, so thank you for that. You have managed to do something that I didn't think possible ... You've made the TDF elegant, and that is not a word that I'd ever use to describe this car before now. All of the specs are unique, and all amazing. Thin stripes, thick stripes, lipstick, wild colors ... Some are wild, some aggressive, some outrageous, but you have created something incredibly complex yet stunningly simple. I know how much time and effort you have put into this and my god was it worth it. This is my favorite spec without question. Please do not ever sell her ... Enjoy her to the fullest and then wrap her up and put her in a time capsule so future generations can someday understand why all these moronic men spent countless hours fawning over fossil-fuel burning metal boxes with wheels! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
You have just made my day. So discussion with wife "yes dearest I do need the TM paint on my 812 due to its exceptional quality and guess what I am actually SAVING money as then I wont need to get the normal paint job fixed when the car comes from the factory" I will report back (if I am alive) after that conversation
Congratulations on what is a truly exceptional spec, words escape me... Thank you sharing this with us and, most of all, for letting all of us here live vicariously through you. I have no doubt in my mind it must've been a very momentous experience for you. And now that you've sat in THE chair, why don't you channel your inner Enzo and drive it like you're 18 again...
You could start a whole thread on that. It would actually be a fun one to read. I'm not even sure how much a TM paint cost. A triple layer option is already around 30k, so god knows how much Ferrari is charging to create a brand new paint to your desire. I can easily see why it could raise a wife's eyebrow. Maybe the trick is to name the TM color after your wife. Something like "Hey I just paid <insert amount here> for a paint option, but it's named <insert Italian color> <insert wife's name here>"
hhhmmm thats a loaded question and I will need to get back to you on that one for a good answer. I am just lucky that she does not have expensive "obsessions" that I have otherwise the car fleet would be much smaller - so in a sense yes she is kinda paying for it.
Absolutely, passes closed, so back on the trailer to be collected in London. Again. Well Blu Ahrabian is a very strange colour as I posted before, more a metalflake than anything else, and close up is odd with flakes of purple and red, but i agree it would be interesting although the chances of them ever being side by side are very slim. Believe it or not I am still not sure it is exactly the colour I ordered and hopefully Ferrari will sharpen up TM so you actually walk out with a sample. Ever hopeful.
Appreciated as that was my goal, and you are right, complex but simple-thank you all. Right now I really do feel she will be with me a long while as, aside from my spec, my 50 mins drive told me this car is very special and may well be seen as the high watermark of the LDM era, a truly epic classic stuffed with pure real Ferrari DNA, a car the Old Man himself would have approved of. Whether I could say the same about this new direction represented by the 812.........
Interesting question and I will come back to you as I didn't notice, my senses were overloaded and busy elsewhere, but clearly with so much Alcantara, any smell will be reduced. As my earlier post, yes, I think this was the last of the LDM era cars, a bridge between Pinin and FDC overseen by LDM.
What an amazing adventure Tim, thanks for sharing this with us mate. The TDF is my favourite Ferrari and your car looks absolutely stunning. I can only imagine how amazing it would be seeing it in person. Congrats and enjoy in good health mate.
A final indication of what is possible when you go Tailor Made, black alcantara for the service book, Pecorra for the handbook, both to match the interior. Image Unavailable, Please Login