'89 US 328 GTS, time capsule of the day: 900 miles on the odo

They are mechanically undriveable in so far as everything being original.

For example, 31 year old fuel hoses that someone has been letting that ethanol gas just sit in. LOL. I'll just stop there.

 

As I stated previously, all of those items (hoses, gaskets, etc.) are easily replaced. They are common maintenance elements that any car that age would have done. I would take a pristine time capsule over a car with tens if thousands of miles of wear and tear (both needing the aforementioned items replaced) any day.

 

At this point it is not a car, it is art.

comparing it to running vehicles doesn’t make sense to me.

If you like this kind of art, buy it. It’s not like they can make another one.

 

But you are missing the point of paying a premium for a 900 mile example.

Pay 4X the market value of a very very nice well maintained good driver example, put a minimum of $10,000 in it to be able to use it (and I will stand by that VERY conservative number until the day I die), start driving it and watch that extra $100,000 you spent for a car you actually want to use go straight down the ****hole.

Hey, it's your money.

 

Not missing the point at all. You said you can't drive it. Of course you can drive it. And, again, you're equating a car like this to a neglected barn find, which clearly it isn't. I can't say if it's road ready or not, but it seems to be have had very regular maintenance and in very good shape. There are many that would prize a car like this - obviously, because they sell for a premium. On the other hand, if one wants to drive a 328 regularly, and perfection isn't a priority to them, than they should by something else.

 

Hey, I was very clear. If you want to blow 100 large destroying the one feature on these things that make them special, that's your business.

Godspeed.

 

I never said I was bidding on the car. I already have my 328 that I’m very happy with. I do think this car looks like a special buy for some lucky owner. Hope to see it at a great concours in the future.

 

A good buy for Brewster's Millions (classic movie reference)

 

Impeccable documentation (as always).

Do you have a similar list for cars built prior to Mr. Ferrari’s passing away? Particularly, I am curious if there are 308s that meet your criteria. I have never heard of any.

 

I look at these undriven time capsules and often see the original 30 year old tyres on the car. They often advertise the original date stamped Goodyear Eagles on it... and right there is the problem.

You will pay a significant premium for a time capsule but if you wanted to actually drive it and use it the first thing you would have to do is throw those hard, cracked tyres in the bin thus reducing it's originality.

Then replacing all the date stamped rubber hoses to 2020 stamped versions... more originality gone.

More and more components get changed as you restore parts of the car damaged not by neglect but lack of use.

Before you know it, it's no longer a miraculous, period correct museum reference piece that you paid all that money for, but it's been relegated back to a mere moral, lovely example 328.

 

That is why I said these cars have to be pushed around and looked at only. Never driven. From a practical and investment viewpoint there in no logic in ever buying one unless you just have THAT much money to spend and lose and don't care.

 

This is a fun discussion. If you go back and look at the photographs, this car is certainly not in immaculate concours condition. So the idea is basically that someone will pay a $100,000 or $125,000 premium for low mileage, not pristine condition. When I mentioned that I sold a 1959 car in 2012 with 125,000 miles on it in "immaculate" condition, that was questioned. The engine was totally rebuilt in 1969 at 75,000 miles and the seats and carpets were redone and the car was repainted in 1975. The remainder of the interior was original and pristine and overall, the car was in equal or better condition than the 328 offered for sale and, in addition, was in excellent running condition with fresh "period" rubber. I did not mention it, but the broker offered it as "a time capsule," the buyer paid a premium and, eight years later, he is still very pleased with his purchase. It was just a well used car in magnificent condition. We know that some people buy cars for investment and some people buy them to drive and/or work on. I'm a great believer in people choosing their own course and buying what appeals to them. (I once bid a ridiculous amount of money on a 1967 Triumph Bonneville, still new in the crate. Fortunately, I did not win the auction.) Many, many years ago I learned automobile mechanics from an owner of an SJ Duesenberg. It was in great condition, but he drove it, a lot, including to shows. It was always interesting to see the Duesenbergs which were trailered to shows and some that were never removed from the trailer. You had to go inside to view them. Each to his/her own.

 

You raise some good points. Very often I see these time capsules with extremely low miles with varying degree of damage. Stone chips on cars with less then 500 miles, wear and tear on 1,000 mile examples is not uncommon.
My 18,000 km car has less wear on it then most of the time capsules I have seen. I can't understand these extremely low mileage cars sometimes !!??!!

 

If a vehicles look doesn't fit the claimed mileage (stone chips, seat wear etc.) is it really a time capsule or a car with a disconnected odometer?

 

I think that's exactly right. Either a disconnected odometer or one that's been wound back would explain the inconsistent damage and/ or wear.

 

Regarding the '89 - it looks nice, but with all those pretty pictures, none of the underside??? I once made a tentative deal to buy a 360 in similar condition - until we put it on a lift for the pre-purchase inspection.

 

Movie spoiler alert!!

In the movie Brewster's Millions, he buys a postage stamp and has to somehow make it worthless. What's he do? Mails it.

If I had oodles of $$ I'd buy this car and drive it like it was meant to be driven. Simultaneously making large groups happy and sad.

 

Not too sure what this red light is for (alarm possibly) but needs to be removed to restore back to factory correct spec- time capsule or not.

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Bruno,
books are available ? Tolls are complete ? Serice history before 2020 ?
I think that serious buyer would like to know more about it before biding, no ?

 

It has to be for an alarm system.