Erik, Thanks for the nice response! I hope you and your wonderful family are well. I'm at the shore most weekends so let's get together! You have to meet the latest 328, after all . Your dad still have the 355?
As I write this, my car's nether realms are still ticking as it cools outside, and I'm having a beer because I need to relax. Today was one hell of a day, and I have a lot to process. You know what it's like when you get a new car. I am starting this post immediately because I need to get it down, so bare with me. But first, let me start where we left off... This past September I was settling back in to ownership of my most recent 328 GTS, #78668. I had made a short-lived deal on a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera convertible in August, and I was planning on trading the Ferrari in on that car. I had second thoughts though. The deal with my buddy Tim on the 911 was mutually unwound and the 328 came back home again to stay. I was getting comfortable with the idea of the Nero '88 being my "forever" 328. Then I got a phone call. It was my friend Steve McCarthy, from Virginia. We started chatting and Steve got me up to speed on things in his neck of the woods. We had a typically pleasant conversation, and then he knocked me on my ear! He started to explain to me, in a perfectly Steve manner (anyone that knows Steve knows that he is not trite), that he had decided to sell #81641 back to me. "It was time," he said. #81641. That's right. My first Ferrari. My Azzurro car. My absolute muse, my genesis in this Ferrari fantasy that I've been living these past 11 years. The car that I thought I would never get back. I was in total shock but I naturally agreed in all of about 3.28 seconds! Sorry, that was cheesy. Anyway, we set a date for November 1st and I hastily got the gears in motion to make this unbelievably exciting purchase happen. I made a few calls, talked to a few friends in the Ferrari world, and soon my black 88.5 GTS had a new home. The car went back to Ft. Lauderdale, where it was sold 26 years ago at Shelton Ferrari. She's now in the possession of a small independent dealer, so if anybody is interested in the car they can PM me and I'll provide the contact. After weeks of much anticipation, arranging the funds, etc, the weekend of Nov 1st finally arrived. Steve and his family invited my wife Josie and I down to their home for the weekend to complete the transaction. We've been there before on a few occasions and they've always been wonderful hosts. They did not disappoint. We arrived by train on Saturday night and they gave us a great welcome and got us settled in. Steve modestly said that we would be staying in the guest room in the basement. This room would put most luxury hotel suites to shame! We were completely pampered, and it turned out that there was even more in store. During the weeks after we originally made the deal on the phone, Steve started planning and organizing a special brunch with many of his fellow Ferrari-minded friends from around the Richmond area. It took place at a fantastic little restaurant called Portico, near where Steve lives. The owner of Portico is a Ferrari enthusiast as well, and he set aside a beautiful section of his parking lot for the Ferrari brigade that arrived. And what a brigade. I mean, a Daytona Spyder showed up, for goodness sake!! Did I mention that Steve does nothing half-ass? We had a wonderful brunch, with great food and speeches, and fun conversations with our new friends. After that we took a ride through the campus of the University of Richmond (Steve's alma mater) before we went back to his house to seal the deal. As if all of this was not enough, Steve insisted on taking Josie and I out for a fantastic French dinner at a place called Can Can Brasserie, which was awesome. I'm truly sorry if this post is causing any jealousy, but we were absolutely spoiled with just a spectacular weekend. Steve and his wife Andrea, and their sons Marc & Jack were always so warm and generous to us over the ten years that we've known each other. I'm so grateful of the fact that Steve decided to find me (from my service records) when he was interested in my car at a dealer back in '04. Just yesterday their son Marc asked me if he could call me uncle and I just about died. These are good people. We've become great friends and I couldn't have asked for a better way to get reacquainted with my beloved Azzurro "Isabella." Steve, I know we agreed on a selling price, but I will never be able to repay you for the sheer opportunity to get this car back. It is special to me beyond words. I know this decision was not easy for you. How could it be?? But I couldn't be happier you made it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. -Augustine Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Well I am excited to see the story come full circle. What a great set of circumstances. Congratulations to you both. Love the car. Now Augustine, if you feel the need to sell this car... There will be an angry mob of f-chatters with torches and pitch forks coming to your door. Robb
Gus, I cannot believe it, this is the car!!!!! Long time no talk, but now we have to get together since the original is back!! I've seen a lot of Ferrari's over the years and this one is still on the tops of my list. Erik
When I first met you it was at the Ferretti Christmas party in Paramus where I saw your gorgeous 328. And that night I met your Josie - draped over the hood of the 328. I thought how lucky - a simply gorgeous car and a (then g/f?) who helps him indulge. somewhere I have some pics. Congrats.
That is cool story! Having the original back in the family! I've had my 308 14 years now. And like a crazy but super hot girlfriend we have our moments. (She'll do something stupid and raid my wallet to fix the mess. I'll get mad, consider trading her to someone else, then she flashes her t&%s and then I'm back in love). At my first Ferrari club gathering I was ogling the 360's and at the time the single new 430 that was there. Everyone single owner who had a 308/328 and moved on regretted it. From the guy with the new 430, to the elderly gentleman who told me about taking an early morning flight in 1978 and picking up his Daytona and driving it back to Atlanta...they all missed their 308/328. They do get under your skin like nothing else.
Fantastic story. Worthy of Cavallino. It's an advanced car guy's dream: get car of youthful lust. Then, after a long departure and in reminiscences of how great it was, get it back. I mean, that really is a dream. Gives me hope of my old Dino!
Yep +1000 ....... This happened to me a few weeks ago. Some fuel regulation and injector issue that required a tow to the repairers. She was gone, ad was written up and after 7 years I was going to move on. Perfectly fixed and a $1000 later, the ad went into the delete file! I'm back in love again! Bob.
Augustine, with me able to do only 1-finger typing, I'll let you explain why your wallet will not need to be raided, and why every other 328 owner should be envious of you. -Steve
Ah yes, Steve. How can I forget to mention that?? If you guys thought this was too good to be true already, you're in for another surprise. Steve noticed a few years back that the car seemed to be a bit down on power. He booked it in to F-Chat sponsors Competizione & Sports Cars in Maryland to have it checked out. They confirmed that there was significant leakage in the cylinders and so Steve bit the bullet and had the engine entirely rebuilt from the ground up. It was literally torn down to the bare block and EVERYTHING was replaced! It is now essentially a brand new 328 engine (with the original matching numbers block) and this was done just 4 years and 3,000 miles ago! To say that I have been blessed by the fact that Steve owned it for the last 10 years is a gross understatement. He took better care of her than I could have, and I am grateful for everything he did to keep it in top physical and mechanical condition. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
You guys asked for some more photos so here you go. I took these this afternoon on a cruise around the shore. Steve, the Ocean City pics are for you! Enjoy! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Just stumbled onto this thread. What a great story Augustine about the the car, and the friendship that developed as a result. Kudos to Steve!
Josie wouldn't let me sell it even if I wanted to. She's given me crap for the last 10 years for doing it the first time!
