Surely a pre-sale or pre-purchase validation of Classiche status is a more reliable way forward. Dependent upon time elapsed since the most recent annual check there is still the prospect that important original parts may have been substituted by inferior alternatives. Factory insistence on annual verification seems to me to be a profit-centred proposal. I understand that there are owners who substitute irreplaceable components with reproductions, in order to preserve the originals. Must such measures be reversed annually in order to qualify for factory approval? If the answer is 'yes' then I smell a 'make work scheme'.
"Factory insistence on annual verification seems to me to be a profit-centred proposal." I'd like to rephrase the above sentence from my previous post, as follows... Should the factory wish to offer a verification service to owners of Classiche certified vehicles, perhaps as an additional means of ensuring activities to preserve obsolete products remain viable, then that is their prerogative. Owners, the potential customers for such a service, will presumably remain free to choose whether or not and when to take up the offer.
Steve, thank you for the kind offer, but I do not think my Dino needs to be "Classiched", new verb , as I do not really see an immediate need for it. I am curious, though, how many Dino have been through the process overall? Regards, Alberto
I just got my Dino back from a service visit. While the car was in the shop the Classiche subject came up and we discussed it at length. After much careful consideration I have decided to go ahead with the process.....at whatever point in time I decide to sell the car. I don't see the sense in doing it sooner unless you like spending money or wish to have a conversation piece. ( "This is my Dino. Oh, and by the way, this is my official Ferrari Factory Classiche binder!")
The metallurgical tests are done at the factory. Don't they repaint the parts of the frame there and then that they've removed the paint from?
Will this "new Rule" take effect for still certified cars ? My cars have got the "red book" in 2015. Do I have to let them checked every year too ? Or will this only take effect for certified cars after the 1st of July 2017 ?
Steve: After much thought, both pro and con, my friend decided to begin the certification process. Due to the number of cars, the factory sent a person to us. We had to repaint the chassis areas after the inspection. The process is not complete and we are still waiting on them to let us know what cars passed and what they would require for other cars. We will NOT agree to send cars to Italy for work.
Some collectors prefer to not send their cars to Maranello. Not all metallurgical tests are done at the factory. 250 GTO chassis #3589 GT underwent metallurgical and all other tests not at the factory but at a neutral location. Yes, removed paint has to be repainted. Marcel Massini
I'd be surprised if "the factory" didn't offer "for-a-fee" re-painting the areas they (are forced to?) mess up during in-house inspections. I only wonder whom they would sub-contract such service with and how much "extra" it might cost.
I refer to my post, #5, and here are some additional pix of the new additional booklet with the stamps for renewal every year. Marcel Massini Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
They don't seem to be up to speed on the annual inspection here in the UK. As I posted earlier I called Joe Macari in London and spoke to the Classiche Adviser who said the annual inspection hadn't been confirmed. So she couldn't give me the cost of annual inspection that I was actually calling about on behalf of a person I used to work for who is thinking of getting a Dino and a Boxer attested. Whilst discussing something else she stated a car had to be in the same colours it left the factory to get a Red Book. Hmmm. I called Graypaul in Nottingham to enquire about the cost of the annual inspection but nobody there seemed to know anything about it. When I eventually got through to the Classiche Adviser he said he was quite new to the job so couldn't really help. He gave me the telephone number of Tony Willis who I called but he didn't answer his mobile phone. I then called Maranello in Egham but the Classiche Adviser was in a meeting. I was told I'd be called back that day. I had to call back over 3 days for Chris Knight to call me back. When I asked him about the annual inspection he knew absolutely nothing about it and the cost of it. I told him that Graypaul and Maranello have a multi page spread in Classic & Sportscar in the Summer Edition where the annual inspection is actually referred to. To be fair to him he said he'd been away on a course and hadn't been informed about it so he said he would find out it about and call me back which he did. He has a very helpful attitude to his credit so top marks for that When he called me back he said the annual inspection is done when the car comes in to the Main Dealer that did the Classiche Attestation 12 months later for its annual service and is incorporated into that so is designed that the Classiche attested cars get serviced within the Main Dealer network. He couldn't actually give me a cost. I mentioned that many cars that get Classiche inspected/attested won't necessarily come back to a Ferrari Main Dealer for an annual service and will be maintained outside the network so I asked what happens to those cars. He didn't really have an absolute answer but advised that what he thought would happen is that those cars would be inspected at Maranello in Egham/Graypaul Nottingham and the cost of the inspection alone would be about three or four hours work so about £700 - £800 plus VAT he said.
I met Tony Willis last week in the UK and he verbally confirmed that there will be four (4) Classiche Centres (Officine) in Great Britain in the near future. Joe Macari's is one of them. Marcel Massini
I wonder when will we start seeing fake "Libretto Manutenziones" in circulation, either along with cars for sale, complete with fake dates, stampings, etc or just blanks, sold separately. Has anyone kept track how many fake or un-accompanied "Red Books" may be out there ?
I bought several "red books" on ebay in the past few years. Original ones. Plus a copy one as well (absolutely identical to the original one). One wonders why car sellers do not hand out the red book to the buyer. Is it simply to make an additional few $$$ ? Marcel Massini
Why am I not surprised ? I wouldn't rule out the $$$s. Or perhaps some of these cars were "certified" with "borrowed" or questionable components. Just out of curiosity, are these eBay finds for early (i.e. vintage) or later model cars or both ? I understand if you wish to decline answering.
Marcel, I have a friend in Italy that owns a 50,000 Euro diagnostic machine that will give you a complete metallurgical analysis of any metals in question. Showed me how it works on a 'Peraluman' Alfa Romeo GTA body, and the ally patches that had been 'transplanted' during the many years of hard competition, showed quite clearly in both cases, with and without paint. After that, our conclusion was that there is no need to be 'invasive' in the metallurgical inspection, kind of a 'CAT scan'. If Ferrari does not own one of these analytical tools, well... Regards, Alberto
At this moment a red book for a 599 GTO is for sale on ebay. Regards, Hugo Image Unavailable, Please Login