I have zero interest in shields on a standard car. In better times only race and special cars did have them...
Well I have no problem that you prefer shields on your cars. You are a member of a great majority nowadays
I don't want you to think I don't appreciate the old purist view, because I do. Shields were originally a race car thing, and I get that. But since the 550, I think they look very nice with the right colors. I don't think the V8's need them, so my 360 doesn't have them. But I thought my 456M was very impressive looking with the shields and Barchetta wheels. Image Unavailable, Please Login
You can't go wrong with silver and black on any Ferrari. Very tasteful car. My 308 is silver and black. And no shields! Image Unavailable, Please Login
TdF blue....with shields. Didn't really have a choice whether there were shields or not. Manuals are hard to come by and to find it in TdF with Daytona seats, well, shields or no shields, there you have it.... Image Unavailable, Please Login
The pic had the aftermarket wheels. I now have the stock wheels on the car Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
There are several cars newly on the market. Most are GTA's. Price ranges from 48,000 to 115,000 Dollars. It varies by the day with the exchange rate for the European cars. I'm not a shield kind of guy either but I do understand most people prefer them.
George- Photos come up fine in Edge and link works fine. Your computer is over thinking it. No shields on mine and I like it better that way. None on my old Daytona, either.
V12's before the 550 didn't have shields from the factory, correct? For me, personally, something is missing on V12's after the 550 if they don't have shields. I found a very nice 612 last fall that had everything I was looking for but no shields. I just couldn't get past that. Also, cars tend to choose their own color for me. I think the 308 GTS is best in silver and black due to the bumpers and t-top being black and the wheels being silver. The 456M had to be RC, but that doesn't work on the 612 for me, I think because it needs a metallic paint to bring out the cove. Rosso Fiorano or Rosso Maranello seems to work best to my eyes. Example below. Two of my three browsers have Adblock plus. Some sites don't work perfectly with that. Worth the tradeoff for me. Image Unavailable, Please Login This is the 612 I'm looking for. Yellow calipers to match the shields. Not wild about the Crema interior, though. Needs to be tan. Good thing everyone here has different taste, or we would all be after the same car!
George- Affirmative, one model of the 348 (Competizione) and the 5.2 F355 had them first on regular production Ferraris, 550 next after the Schedoni options were introduced in the 97/98 timeframe. I am highly ambivalent about shields on GTs and 2+2s, but everybody has different tastes. I surely would not have turned down a Ferrari I otherwise liked because of shields.
I would also add this anecdote: In all the five plus years I owned a Rosso Corsa 456M with shields, the most memorable people who ask if they could photograph it did shield closeups. With cameras, not phones. For some of us, the historical racing mystique embodied by the shields is magical. Even if it has a silly element to it on a sedate 2+2 cruiser with an automatic.
I don't really see shields as a deal breaker either way. My car has shields but if it didn't I would have gladly bought it anyway and enjoyed it just as much. I can certainly appreciate the clean look w/o shields. The shields do seem to say "boy racer" and on a 2+2 GT car seem near to over the top. The folks who know what a Ferrari is don't need the shields to recognize one and the ones who don't usually ask what the car is even looking at the rear of the car with the Ferrari badge.
In the 43 years I have owned Ferraris, nobody photographing them has cared about shields. Good thing, too, since none of them had shields. Seems they were more interested in the lines of the car.
So here's a question that's been bugging me. What's to keep me from buying a 456M GTA for 32k, which is on sale right now in Illinois,( Dark blue over Tan) and converting it to a manual? I know, it's a lot of work for little gain, but is it that difficult/expensive.? What would be the considerations?
I like the way they look, that is enough. And I'm no boy racer, I'm 60 years old. Plus, if I make it to July 4th without a ticket, it will be twenty years since I've gotten one. Some opinions you should keep to yourself, understand?
I'm sure it could be done if you had all the donor parts although much like trying to sell a 355 or 360 that started out as an F1 and was converted into a manual, it'll be a tough sell if you ever wanted to unload it. Is the 456 you speak of the one at the Acura dealer? Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
because it is beyond a lot of work. not the same as converting the other cars which in most cases have the same transmissions. i have already looked into it.
George- Affirmative on the opinions. Jay- There were very large changes made to put the GM modified transaxle into the 456, unlike the F1 cars, where the transaxles were the same and shifter and clutch mechanisms bolted on to the same transaxle. The 456 GT has a different torque tube and you would probably need to buy the entire manual transaxle, pedal set, shifter, rear removable cross-member, etc to make the shift. Can it be done, sure, with a 456 GT donor car and enough money. Seems like there are a couple on the market right now.
Well thats one opinion. I guess next time I post my opinion I will be sure to check with you first to see if it meets your approval.