Ferris Bueller Lives!

You are not correct. Roland's car was NOT built to LM specs, not even close. He never had LM blueprints and if you did your research you would know that, (if you read the early posts on Ferrarichat about this car, it is easy to understand your confusion).

I have been on the track with Roland's F40 multiple times and my F40 would out pull it on the straights and certainly out stop it. Rolands F40 is just an unfortunate collaboration that did not go as planned. It is sad that Roland chose to misrepresent the car, the "myth" surrounding this car never seems to end...

Roland's F40 does not have one single part from Michellotto and is not to any "spec" but his and the previous owner who actually started the rebuild after the fire.

FYI, the factory did not build LM's.

 

Whoa, what a little temper tantrum!

I have personally seen Roland's F-40, and have been quite impressed with it. I thought I was told it was built to LM specs, but I do not believe that anyone intentionally misrepresented that information.

Sorry if I unintentionally repeated a misunderstanding on my part.

The only reason I brought it up is to say that I respect Roland's car for what it is, and the work that went into its rescue. To me, it's far more admirable than any Ferrari "replica" or "rebody."

I got my information from the article about it in Forza magazine. I was writing from memory, and take full responsibility for any misrepresentation of the facts on my part.

What I don't understand is that some people hate Roland's car more than they hate any re-body or replica. Your reply has proven my point.

Isn't it enough that you both have F-40s, without the need to say, "Well, mine's better."

 

No offense intended, but I think too many people on here only half read posts, or only the parts they agree with.

I was simply responding to a previous post, where it was stated that it didnt even look like a Ferrari, that it was "just a car".

Secondly, I was not stating I had an issue with replicas, in fact I stated I didnt know how I felt. I stated that if it would stop people from destroying the lesser cars to build the grand masters, I didnt see a problem with it.

But my greatest point, is that THIS replica, clearly represents a Ferrari, and there is NO QUESTION. If you place phony labels on crummy wine bottles and place them to be seen, clearly you would be encouraging people who know wines to believe you have that vintage. Short or either opening one and tasting it, or admitting they are fakes, no one would know. Sorta like you said, until someone starts that V-8. Well, what if someone installed a Jag V-12??? I was trying to ellicit what the "average" car enthusist would think of this at a passing glance, and I stand on my opinion they would call it a Ferrari before they could call it anything else.

But the greatest obstacle to overcome is Ferrari themselves. They have a clear precedence in stopping people from making fake copies of thier products, all over the world, including the USA, and I dont think they have lost a case yet.

 

I did read your entire post, although I'm only quoting part of it.

As for you stating that you don't know how you feel about replicas, I respect that. As for me, I have a problem with anything that is so obviously a copy of a Ferrari being represented as a Ferrari. It isn't, but you stated, "[it] IS a Ferrari." No, it's just clearly intended to look like one. I don't like that. That's how I feel about it.

With regard to my original post regarding Roland Linder's F-40, the article in Forza #45 (May, 2003) said, "Ferrari sond 13 F40 LM automobiles from the factory, and private collectors produced an additional six or seven more."

The article goes on to say that the car was burned so badly that only the gearbox was unscathed. "Linder shipped the wreckage to an East Coast restorer, where the stripdown revealed an untouched gearbox and a salvageable frame."

Further in the article, it states, "Linder decided to build his dream car, an 'Evoluzione' LM. 'I call my car an F40 LM Evoluzione because it was not part of the first 19 made at Michelotto...and of course the car would cost too much to build as a 100% original, concours F40.'"

Elsewhere in the article, it states, "The frame was salvaged and partly rebuilt using Michelotto's blueprints."

Okay, if I didn't quote the article entirely accurately, that's my fault. But I don't see where Roland represented his car as anything other than what it was: A one-of-a-kind F40. I think that the work he put into getting a nearly destroyed F40 back on the road is commendable, and I do not understand the venom that some have directed at him.

I like Roland. I like his car. What I don't like is non-Ferrari cars that are obvious copies of Ferraris, Fieros made to look like 308s, or even 250 or 288 GTO replicas on Ferrari bodies.

 

Sorry if you thought I was angry, I am not.

I have known Roland for a very long time, I have known his F40 since inception. Roland initially represented the car as the phoenix it is, and I loved that story and the passion he had for that car.

Roland's F40 was in Forza twice, the first time was in December 1993 when Forza did a special on my F40. I hauled Roland's F40 out to California when we did the track testing and photo shoot with my friend Tim Gendreau's F40's and Peter Brock and the staff from Forza.

But things changed, he started representing the car as a "true" LM. Then he started claiming he had raced at Le Mans, both of which is not true. When he started charging for public apperances and taking advantage of FCA members and events, I became very disapointed in my friend.

It bothers me that he felt the need to misrepresent the car when I thought the truth was so much more interesting.

My statement regarding how his "LM" performed against a F40 that was not bulit to "LM" specs was an attempt to show that Rolands car was not built or performing to LM specs and did not have over 650hp he had claimed. It is a very nicely prepared track car, and without Roland's passion and I am not sure if this car would have ever been completed.

I think Aaron White had alot to do with Roland's situation. I think Aaron loved to hype Roland and Aaron and Roland where frends until Aaron alledgedly stole from Roland.

My point has beeen consistent for years, the truth is more interesting than the fiction surrounding this car.

I am sorry if I offended you, it was not my intention to do that, I just prefer that this car always be represented as it really is...

 

Okay, no hard feelings. My first reply was harsh; I apologize.

I honestly believed that the car was built to LM specs.

It does appear, from what I can gather from the Forza article, that Roland represented the car for what it is at that time. What he told me, IF I REMEMBER correctly, is that it was built to Lemans spec. The Forza article did state that he used Micheloto blueprints.

On that matter, I personally don't care one way or the other; I agree with your statement that the "Phoenix" is a great story and I admire Roland's passion and dedication to the car. I didn't know that Roland ever claimed it was a "true" LM, and can't imagine why he would have felt the need to exaggerate an already amazing story. What he told ME was that he had had it re-built. I don't recall whether he said anything about HP.

I have seen on other threads that Roland offended some people by claiming that he raced at LeMans. I don't know whether he actually said this or not. I had heard that he had, and assumed it was true, but I never heard this claim directly from Roland. If Roland did say this, it's a preposterous thing to lie about, as the information can be verified or discredited quite easily.

I never met this Aaron White character, but it's obvious that some other chatters have some very strong opinions about him. I heard about Roland's stolen (?) F40, its remarkable recovery, and some speculation about White's current whereabouts second- and thirdhand from other people in the FCA and by reading about it on this board. I hesitate to speculate, since I don't have direct information about the matter, but it sounds as if some of Roland's claims came about by someone attempting to exploit him.

Both the history of Roland's car - the true and untrue parts - and the story of its theft and recovery, are the stuff of novels and movies.

At some point, I'd love to see Roland set the record straight about both the construction of the car and his loss/recovery of it. Since he moved to FL, I haven't been in contact with him.

 

Well this an emotional issue, I truly care about Roland, so it is simply my disapointment that all of this occured. It is unfortunate that I have heard all this first hand from Roland at different events as his "fans" stood by and listened.

Any way no need to apologize... Thanks for writing back...

Chris Parr

 

Here is more information with pictures :

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=95741

Enjoy


Tom Geer in Tennessee

 

Ferris lives!
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Trivia: The Modena repop cars were given away as prizes on Wheel of Fortune years ago.

 

Well I built my Daytona Spyder almost 20 years ago and still enjoy it to this day. I attend many exotic car events where I live and have no problem telling people what it is: A heavily modified Corvette with Italian lines. I kept the interior pretty stock for years but thanks to friends I'm redoing the interior with authetic gauges. Is if a Ferrari - NO. It's my love for the marque and my homage to it. I will probably never afford my Ferrari, yea I can buy a lower value model but not the models I adore - Daytona and Calif Spyder. So I put up with the remarks from some from both the Corvette and Ferrari worlds and enjoy my ride. Most people admire the car and think it's pretty cool that I built it and I'm not in the trades. So see you cruising!

 

Actually, it's not. The CalSpyder is an original design by Mark Goyette. No molds were ever taken from a Ferrari, and no body panels match a Ferrari. The cars look similar, but they are distinct. The CalSpyder design definitely draws it's inspiration from Ferraris and Maseratis of the day, but it is not a fake of anything. And, if I recall correctly Ferrari lost their cease-and-desist suit against the former manufacturer of the CalSpyder. The Corvette based Daytonas are another matter; they do constitute design infringement because the manufacturer spashed molds from an original Daytona.

And, as others have already mentioned, I'd love to have a CalSpyder and drive the hell out of it without fear of breaking something made from unobtanium!

 

Agreed- Can't afford a 3 million dollar car but I would like to drive something with as much class and grace as the old classics. I would not try and pass it off as an original - thats for people with small pee pees

 

Your first post is to zomb a two year old thread? What's your agenda?