Can you please private message me regards frank
Yes, as Ken said... Image Unavailable, Please Login You'll also need the rear deck support rod. The two hood shocks won't be able to support the rear deck with a Challenge wing mounted.
Owners with early cars that weren’t originally equipped with the EVO kit may very well remove the wing so that it’s “correct” for its year or as raced in period for Classiche. There also would have been a number of spares for post crash repairs, although I suspect anyone who has em ain’t selling… certainly not without the scarcity premium anyhow.
Yes, my 1995 F355 Challenge raced looking like this... Image Unavailable, Please Login ...Its wing was added in the late 1990s and is still on the car... Image Unavailable, Please Login I like the look of the car without the wing but it serves a useful purpose at high speed tracks like Daytona.
The good ol’ days . Would be easier for an owner looking to Classiche his challenge car to simply get another deck. Removing the wing would still leave holes and the bracing is riveted. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Is that your photograph? I was there at Spa for the 'Ferrari days' when the Challenge ran there. What would that have been, 1996? So I was 9 or 10 years old at the time. That day changed my life...
I'm not sure of Classiche rules but since upgrades were made to the F355 Challenge over the years it was eligible for racing in the Ferrari Challenge Series, having the car inspected in its final iteration as raced might be all that's necessary. It might not be necessary to remove all the upgrades on the car, the wing being just one of many.
Right, Tim. Some of the original parts weren't any good, like the OEM exhaust manifolds. I'm not interested in the Classiche process for my car. As far as I'm concerned, this is all I need to verify my F355 Challenge as being original... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Peter Sachs purchased my car in late 1994 along with the Challenge Kit and Miller Motorcars assembled it and supported it during the 1995 and 1996 North American Ferrari Challenge seasons. I was fortunate to get his autograph and retired the wheel, replacing it with this... Image Unavailable, Please Login
I’m dealing with them now on a few challenge cars. My understanding is you can have it certified how it was delivered or how it was initially raced. With my 355ch evo for example, the car ran the series three years but it’s essentially got to be booked as how it ran in 1998. Kinda annoying because I’ve got to get the original exhaust back in it instead of the open system it was running in Mugello 2001. Same with seats and everything else that was upgraded while it raced. So all of those original period parts that are correct for each year are only going to become more valuable as these cars continue to be restored and appreciated for the contribution they had in Ferrari racing. A lot of the original stuff is already hens teeth… I can’t imagine how hard it’ll be to source anything in ten years when more of these have been restored and what little parts that were available are already on a car.
My wife just said 10 more years of all this crap hanging on the garage walls. Yes I bet a set of orig 95 race seats will be with a small house in 10 years
Joe, So I guess the Classiche rules for race cars are not so lax after all. Remember that Ferrari's Classiche Program gives you the opportunity to have Ferrari reproduce parts not on the vehicle that are no longer available for an owner to put back on the car so it can be Classiched. They'll probably charge an exorbitant amount for that service which will return a vehicle like an F355 Challenge to an inferior state. If you desire a reliquary, then that's the route you should take. If you desire a properly upgraded and dependable race car to track, then don't take the Classiche route. I don't think that having your F355 Challenge Classiched will add to its value. But that's just my opinion. Barry
I think you hit Point #1 Take your challenge car to Ferrari to restore to Classiche condition. Spend 200-600K for them to do it. Now you have a 7 figure car according to Ferrari. Now potentially things start to snowball for all other early CH cars due to every "real" collector needs to have one. 1 mil is nothing theses days to add another cherry on the sundae. Personally I'm confused why it took so long to get this rolling but hey we all got a set back. I've personally seen some insane invoices from Classiche restorations, mindboggling and the customer was promised they did not overspend. Future looks interesting, only if I can remember where I left what car and parts pile where LOL
The Classiche replacement parts have to be insane! I can’t imagine doing a restoration with them but I do believe these cars will justify that level of restoration in the future. For me the pursuit of a book is predominantly about documenting each car. As I searched for each variant for my collection I was somewhat shocked at how many cars had been butchered, or weren’t even challenge cars but conversions of varying success. Having a book from Ferrari removes any question. I also continue to believe that these cars are important for Ferrari racing in how they bridged back to what the brand is really about for me… privateer racing with tremendous brand history. Then consider how many aficionados point at various Ferraris as being rare or limited such as the CS of F40 as being rare with over 1k cars built, or TDFs with 799 cars, 512Ms with 501, 550 barchettas with 448 etc. Compare that to how few 355 challenge cars were built at 108 (even less EVOs), how few 348 challenges at 45 numbered cars in ‘94 plus the converted cars, how few 430s at 142 cars etc. There’s only fractions of these cars as compared to the other limited/production cars plus many of them have engaging and fascinating histories. Having a Classiche book documenting what the car is just makes good sense to me when it’s a rare car like these are and while it doesn’t result in a more dependable race car I think of myself as more of a steward of my cars than a racer. Sure I can go out and have fun on DE days while connecting to the history of the marque, but I don’t run them at the edge and if I really wanted to go fast there are plenty of less important, cheaper, and faster options. Suppose it all comes down to what each owner wants but we’re all sharing the specialness of these cars which is what it’s all about.
Joe, I've seen cars wrecked in novice groups at DE events. It can be a dangerous group to be in with novice drivers all over the track like squirrels. I saw this happen right in front of me the first time I had my Challenge car at WGI... Image Unavailable, Please Login The driver apparently enjoyed driving on Speedy Dry and was lucky on the first two corners he did so. But not so lucky on the third corner. I had my hands full trying to see out my windshield with all that Speedy Dry he was throwing up. Most of us avoid freshly put down Speedy Dry and alter our lines through affected corners. I agree that Challenge cars are rare and as such their values are higher than their road-going counterparts. You seem to have chosen cars that were pretty much in racing spec to begin with. Classiche for your F355 Challenge might not be a very expensive exercise. Challenge silencers can be hard to find, though. During "F355 Challengemania" a few years ago, I saw a few Challenge cars turned into Classiche Reliquaries and left undriven and trailered to concours events. It's a pity on those cars. By the way, over 300 F355 Challenge cars were prepared worldwide for the Challenge Series. I have no idea how many are left. Barry
