As one of the very few that actually has quite a bit of time driving an original manual 599 I disagree.
Jim killed it with the P4/5, just the fact it weighs almost 300kg lighter than the Enzo which was supposedly light and hardcore showed how much improvment there was to be made beyond the factories attempts
No personal experience. Just talked to a couple of old Ferrari guys who were not impressed. From what I recall, the revs fell off very fast between shifts.
Good point. Maybe this is what the ECU updates are doing. Wasn't the F599 the last Ferrari with a manual gearbox option or the F1 for that matter? Didn't Ferrari ditch both and go to the DCT?
Correct. Whats to correct? What happens on any car with a light flywheel when you slam the throttle shut with the clutch in? Are we so devoid of skills we need the machines and computers to help? That what is causing this mess to start with. Since the days of inventing light weight flywheels we adjusted our process shifting. In these days of F1 and DCT transmissions maybe its a lost skill, much like driving a manual trans in any form. I can't be the only one on the planet left who can do it? Sounds like a Phillip K Dick story line. Just one more reason any car I will own has already been made.
Let's look at a non-Ferrari example. I like the NC's Miatas. They are bulletproof and respond well to hot rodding. With 165 hp, they need some hot rodding. Given this, I should be interested in this car because the seller is unlikely to recoup all his hot-rodding costs. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2013-mazda-mx-5-miata-17/ My problem is how do I know if the work is any good? For all I know, and I don't know anything about this specific car, it may be a hand grenade with the pin pulled. The replacement 2.5-liter inline-four was installed under previous ownership and is fitted with a Rotrex supercharger, revised ECU tuning, a tubular exhaust header, a front-mounted intercooler, and a Moroso power steering reservoir and coolant overflow tank. An oil change was completed in 2022. The selling dealer notes that an ACT clutch and flywheel are installed along with a Racing Beat cat-back exhaust and an aftermarket catalytic converter. Additional Kilmat sound-deadening material was applied above the muffler. Frankly, I'd be willing to take the risk on a $25,000 car. I don't think I'd be willing to take the same risk on a $150,000 - $250,000 car.
I agree with your point. I have no interest in any of the new sport cars. Even Porsche is over-the-top. I drive back roads, not the Nuremberg. Phillip K Dick
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz want nanny systems, apparently. I agree with technom3 that there’s a point in time where the older technologies worked well, and a point where nostalgia became the main rationale. Porsche understands this perfectly, offering the GT3 RS track monster and the 911 Sport Classic with neat retro seats, gearbox, etc. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
The restomods tg That's awesome! Glad you are 3nhi78ng your car. I wouldn't be surprised if more time was spent making that work than the factory spent making it work on the factory cars. (that's not a slam on you or your converters etc... )
I'm sorry I was replying to you the other day and then I got busy but the reply was still in my reply box and didn't know. Please disregard
One thing that may be an issue with converted Ferraris is that there are a plethora of various ways to convert them. It's not like one Michelotto type company is doing it. Even EAG, the undisputed big boy here, sold kits and people who installed them weren't watched by EAG nor were there any sort of certifications or inspections required to fit an EAG kit. By now, there are at least four or five different vendors that either sell kits or do the full deal. For instance, did they change the thrust bearing to be compatible with brake fluid? Did they just skip that or did they install a second F1 fluid reservoir for the clutch? Who did the tune? Did they even do a tune? Was it done by a shop or DIY? A lot of variation here. And for cars listed as gated, did they correctly include that it's not OEM? Some listings I've seen are difficult to tell until one looks in the cabin and sees no horsey. There's really only one way to prove the car is OEM and that requires going to the My Ferrari website and claiming the car. Without that direct, online evidence that the car is a factory gated, it's potentially a toss up. With more and more of these conversions being done and the hoped for upside to doing the conversion for a flip vanishes to less than zero, there will be more unscrupulous folks out there trying to pretend they have an OEM gated. All of this sort of tastes bad. Now saying this, I would do a DIY conversion if I could find a high mileage 360 coupe with F1 problems for cheap, maybe a salvage title. It won't matter since the car is being mutilated anyway.
I've done a ton of FCA concours. That's the only kind of concours I enjoy -- where originality and correctness matter -- and where driving is encouraged. I was nothing less than aghast at the Porsche judges recommend I remove the original factory options sticker and create a replacement because of a small stain. We really enjoy the PCA for things like its iRacing Sim Racing League (worth joining for that alone), road rallies, get togethers, autocross, etc -- but I'll need to wait until my car qualifies for preservation class to have any interest in concours. I've also participated in several other general "concours" where they don't open the hood or trunk. That is not a concours in my opinion, but they are what they are I guess.
I wonder how many sellers whether individual or dealers state in ad that it was a conversion. I think OK to hit the "manual" checkbox, hell, most dealers check that box for F1's. To not even mention in description though is unethical. I wonder if any cases someone bought a conversion thinking it was an original? Any recourse?
As it sits in your garage, how different from a factory car is a 100% OEM conversion by the best specialist?
Same can be said for a 1969 Camero fake Z28. Time will tell. If the market follows its pattern on Ferrari it could be a difference in value and the difference will indeed matter. I wish Ferrari had used a VIN identifier for manual transmission cars.
Hopefully the trend continues. I see a manual 612 in my rather distant future. It has back seats, so it MUST be practical.
Define best specialist. Is he going to warrant his work when you sell your car? There's lots of unknowns.