Lord, how I love to drive!

Yesterday I took the day , accompanied by a car guy friend, to drive my 412 to Ferrari of New England for annual service, fluids, check-up etc, and to pick up my 575M that has just had FNE annual service. 202 miles mostly on the Mass Turnpike and a little under 3 1/2 hours each way, longerf return due to several miles of bumper-to=bumper down to single lane near the Springfield interchange. It wasn't like driving our backroad Adirondack Mt runs and the two cars couldn't be more different to drive. But clear road driving home in the Maranello was simply exhilarating. God, how I LOVE to drive! And how lucky we are, we who are blessed with the guardianship of these cars!
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Gorgeous cars, Seth!!

 

You are correct sir....I'm at around 87k in my 550 love every mile

 

Amen Brother !!

 

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: you have impeccable taste in cars Seth! This is a fabulous combo, I should know!

Glad to hear you’re enjoying in good health - keep at it!

Cheers,

Ruben

 

Sounds like a «OK» day...

Your blue beauties looks amazing. Nothing beats a blue front engine Ferrari V12.

 

trouble is, considering the juxtaposition of the cars, I don't know whether I'm coming or going...............

 

just figured it out: the 412 was headed east while the 575M was westbound. Claro.

P.S. the 412 is looking for a new guardian. As some on the thread may know, I acquired it from Bernard Dalle, Vice-president of the Club Ferrari France. First owner Swiss, the Comtesse Gerlinde di Picciotto, another French owner before Bernard, service records from the beginning, manuals in leather pouch, spare, tools, beautiful French blue car cover with embroidered red cavallino rampante.

Present FNE full service completed and I just bought a brand new stainless steel factory exhaust from FNE's owner who has a 412, was going to install this exhaust but just decided to concours compete with his 412, so going with original factory exhaust. Cost installed about $12,000. though I got a break. If desired, car can be PPI'ed at Ferrari New England.

Anyone interested or if you know someone who might be, PM me and I'll send a bunch of photos and full description of the car and its provenance/history.

 

Barry, didn't think there was another tifoso on the list who even recognized Woody Guthrie's name, let alone his music. Wonderful hearing him - been many years. Thanks

 

You're welcome, Seth. Just as I have my driver heroes, I also have my folk heroes.









Barry

 

Right on, brother. Sorry for the long hiatus (over one year without driving this beast) but now the car is at 103.000km, we drove from Frankfurt to Kaltkirhcen in Germany and then yesterday via Flensburg to Hirtshals in Denmark and took a ferry to Stavanger, Norway. (some pics on Instagram, I'll check if I find some worth posting in here) Or is there a thread about the Nordic meet somewhere?

Cheers!

 

Hi Pekka! Good to hear you took a trip to Norway! Post some pictures. I could not attend, but will take my 550 down to Italy/France next week. Hope everything is good with you and your ride!

Erik

 

Hi,

Yes, ride was excellent, those Norwegians sure have nice and smoooooth roads, at least in comparison to what we have over here in Finland. Thus I now immediately washed and vacuumed the car and fitted the original wheels with less pressure (2.2bar) instead of the Maranello wheels that I had in Germany and on the the trip (Michelin PSS2's with 2.8bars) for the few 280 km/h legs I got to enjoy.

The ride down and back up again from Lysebotn was truly ammazzing:

https://www.google.fi/maps/place/4127+Lysebotn,+Norway

pics to follow (what would be a good thread? Just the general fav photo thread I guess.) some on instagram altready.

 

Hi Erik and guys,

As there is no thread for the Nordic meet nor Nordics in general (but we do of course all have local club pages and forums) I will post some pics in here.

BTW I did not touch nor drive my car for almost 14 months, but everything worked well, the only glitches were the fuel gauge sticking a bit after the second fuel up, the passenger window witnessing the pin problem again and the A/C occasionally not cooling anymore after ca 30 mins, a push of the stop-button on and off would cure it (reboot the AC?).

We drove ca 3000 kms in six day, but on Friday Sept. 6th almost do driving (it was raining heavily and we just needed to drive to the hotel form the ferry and later pick up our 16 yr old son from the airport).

Yes, I do love to drive as well!

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So that is basically form start to finish: all packed in Frankfurt, lunch in Hann. Münden, Germany, overnight in Kaltenkirchen, shipping in Neumünster, ferry port in Hirtshals, Denmark (after a lunch in Ålborg) on the ferry with 4 Danish and 3 Swedish cars, trying to blend in with the lovely interior and at the hotel parking in Sola, Norway.

 

"Shopping" not shipping. (no edit possibility anymore)

Slightly bigger pics I hope.

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It was till a bit rainy in the morning before the start (at 9:00 AM) Great colours BTW, that BB is in "Rosso Rubino" metallic.

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An amazing road, and in such nice condition!

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Down in Lysebotn, Norway, note the powergliders!

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Parking for lunch

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Nice view in the mirror

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On display in Stavanger, Norway

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Stockholm, about to board the ferry to Helsinki

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Back home, 2900 kms later

 

550 wheels look so much better than the standard 456 rims.

 

Looks like you had a good long experience!! Those twisty roads up the mountain is pretty crazy! How was the temp of the engine up there...?

 

Little update from 550 and Autobahn here... Just waking up here at a hotel in Belfort just over the French border after about 1300 kms. yesterday from Malmö Sweden, through Denmark and Germany. Because it is so long since I have driven the Maranello, I decided to skip the ferries, and drive through Denmark to make the trip as long as possible... The Germans drive seriously quick and some Autobahns are better than others. A7 from Flensburg (Danish/german border) to Kircheim (lots of road work). Then A5 yo Frankfurt A.M. and continuing past Mannheim and Karlsruhe and to Mulhouse. This Autobahn was much better and a fantastic drive, very fast and with that bright moonlight (same moonlight AS A7 too ). A Porsche 991 of some kind and a Mercedes GLC did not have a chance in speed against the old V12 Ferrari! Some places it is actually possible to cruise at well over 250 km/t. Pretty unreal. The trip continues to St-Tropez and Cannes Yachting Festival which is this weekend. The Maranello has too much road noise, but the engine sound is 100% perfect. Pic: dirty hard working horse!!

Gas, gas and more gas...

I get about 14 liter per 100 kms. in average. Not bad considdering both high speed and sometimes heavy traffic. Not at the same time of course.

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Hi,

Perfectly normal. It wasn't that warm in Norway, although above +20°C (70-75°F?) the gauge does go to 90-95°C after a run like that, but then cools down again.
Same thing after autobahn at 250-280 km/h and coming to a stand still.

 

Looks really cool, Erik. I got about 13L/100km, also pretty fast driving, same size of wheels as you.

Back in Finland I'm on the original 456 GT wheels, they are quieter and smoother on the bad road surfaces we have over here. And I do like the look of the original wheels although I admit that the 550 wheels look sportier.

 

I prefer the 17 inch wheels on the 456. A Grand Turismo Cruiser! The 456 eat kilometers better than the 550, but the 550 is faster on the long streches of road. From 200 to 280 it just files and the engine sing... can’t get tired of that Since my hotel was just near the big official Peugeot museum, I had a look (don’t tenk anyone)... Very impressive actually!! I try to visit one big car manufacturer museum on every Europe crossing.

The landskape through France is fantastic. Super enjoyable to listen to good music at 130 kph. steady on the cruise control!

Erik



QUOTE="Fennicus, post: 146810109, member: 176938"]Looks really cool, Erik. I got about 13L/100km, also pretty fast driving, same size of wheels as you.

Back in Finland I'm on the original 456 GT wheels, they are quieter and smoother on the bad road surfaces we have over here. And I do like the look of the original wheels although I admit that the 550 wheels look sportier. [/QUOTE]

 

I just had a routine service, full synthetic oil, check and top up all other fluids, check brake rotors and calipers (fine), bleed brakes and replenish fluids, check and rotate tires (not needed. even wear all around) done my 2008 Cadillac CTS. By a splendid unaffiliated local shop (Gary Childs Automotive if anyone is ever in neighborhood). Total bill - $180. At local Cadillac - an excellent store BTW - might have been almost double.

But that's not the story. As I was driving the 7 or 8 miles home on Route 50, very light traffic due to coronavirus, I thought consciously - God, how I love to drive! Mind you, the CTS is a really wonderful car, it's a 2008 with 83,000 miles, comfortable, roomy, more than adequate power even for traffic light G.P. starts with most other cars, nimble and excellent steering response and feel. And I was amazed that it could give me that - God, how I love to drive feeling. But it did.

And Pekka, I want that green (verde Zeltweg?) 330GT2+2.

 

Sweet. How long ago did you get the 412? It reminds me of one at Ferrari of Houston a long time ago.

 

Bought her

Bought her three years ago from Bernard Dalle, Vice-president of the Club Ferrari France. The trans-Atlantic telephone and email back and forth led to a friendship, the Dalles inviting my wife and me for a long weekend at their summer home on Lago Maggiore on our way to Maranello for a factory visit. during which, as we were in the jitney bus to take us to the production area we saw emerging from the HQ offices Sergio Marchione and Piero F. as they entered a Maserati Levante SUV - I said to Judith bet they are on their way to the airport to fly to Monaco for the GP. A year later they visited us in New York City - we spent half a day together on a special guided tour of Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum - I served on her for a year and a half as her legal officer and an OOD underway.

 

Great story!