in deference to the owner of the real 90969 on this site, perhaps the thread should be called F40 85397 ?
Spot on. To illustrate how strict Customs is on this I remember a Nissan GTR R32 that came from Japan to run in Targa Tasmania in the mid 1990's. During the event the car caught fire and as it was miles from anywhere at the time it completely burnt to the ground before significant help arrived. After the event the unfortunate owner had to pay for a pile of twisted steel and melted aluminium to be flown out of the country. Otherwise he would have had to pay the full taxes on the car that would have applied on the day it flew into the country. If it suffers diminished value once it arrives Customs doesn't care. In normal circumstances the remains of this GTR would have ended up in the tip.
This is the problem for so many cars ending up as clones, that car is officially is still in the UK as it was not properly exported, otherwise it would show an export marker. That cars ID could be cloned onto another one and the UK registration documents simply applied for, then 4 weeks later its now paperwork legal and the clone could be shipped anywhere in the world and registered, and we have this current scenario all over again with another pair of F40s
Yes officially a carnet should have been used to get the cannonball car into Aus, however many people did the work around I mentioned previously for such events. Its an assumption it came into Aus the correct way, just like all the other assumptions we are making, its an evolving story. Was the cannonball a legitimate event for which carnets would have been approved? I believe it was a very sketchy set up at best.
Catching back up on this thread. I had placed a deposit on the car. Kaaimans planned to have the car serviced and while it was at Ferrari, I had a PPI lined up along with time to perform all the due diligence necessary. I never made it that far as this thread popped up and saved me all of that hassle. Out of respect to the owner, I'd prefer to let them run their fact finding mission and let them report back to us. A beautiful car, I hope we see it again some day.
I was initially attracted by the color and uniqueness. I've got a purple Pista so I love the different colors. As I looked at it more, knowing the work had been performed by Zanasi and the mechanical condition added confidence. Confidence that I could drive and enjoy the car as much and as hard as I wanted. Classiche didn't mean much to me - it had been done so long ago and things had changed and I've heard the stories questioning it's real value. There was another party looking at the car, so putting down a deposit locked the car up long enough for me to perform my due diligence. Never made it that far... Thanks to this group!
There is no way the car could have entered the country in one piece without proper credentials and a guarantee of taxes and duties being paid if it didn't leave again by a certain date.
btw, after reading the recent thread in the TR section about the fellow whose car was kept at Zanasi for the last decades, and what happened to it, i am not so sure the Zanasi name is any endorsement of quality or responsible work....
"Ferrari"? Ferrari UK? Or at Ferrari Classiche in Maranello, Italy? Or with some official dealer in the UK? Marcel Massini
What if it actually entered in the guise of a car that was already registered and taxes paid in Australia is the point I am making (a clone or a car already legally in the country) We have two chassis with the same VIN, what is that actually happened prior to the Cannonball, not after it.
Do you think a car entering the country with a chassis number of a car that's already here and hasn't left would go unnoticed? You must think we're very disorganised! LOL
Yes I do, are you that naive to think these things do not happen? especially when large sums of money are involved. You have already indicated that people were openly flouting the rules with F40s in Australia years ago. If there is a work around then certain types will exploit it. Someone has created two F40s from one legit one, that's a fact... why? well we are all throwing ideas into the ring as to why that was. One such thing we were made aware of was when we correctly took a cosworth into Australia back in the mid 90s was to ship a car less engine in one container, and the engine in another, only classed as spare parts so much lesser duties, then re unite them once in the country. Its been shown in recent posts that an F40 that recently entered Aus is still actually officially in the UK! How did that happen then? If you think I am Aussie bashing then that is not the case, I was brought up in Adelaide and a big chunk of my family are still there.
Apart from this tread, the cars shady history and the case of very questionable identity, by all accounts this is mechanically a cracking F40, in top cosmetic condition albeit in a non-original colour (which I have no problem with and rather like). Such a shame, and a disaster for all parties related to it. Just glad you didn't get dragged into the circus and came out financially unscathed! Power to FerrariChat
It's certainly a car I'd consider buying at a price that won't cause pain when I sell. I don't know what that number would be.
the problem is now that this thread exists and what we know of the story so far, is only a Google search away. What side of the law would you be on buying this car as it stands right now? You would somehow have to prove provenance? Would that mean you have to get it back to the Ferrari factory in Italy, take the chance that they can trace the proper identity of what is should be, replace the chassis tags with Classiche approved replacements - that is not a cheap process! All the time you have to hope its not a stolen car or a complete parts bin put together. It could be crushed, confiscated by some law enforcement agency on any continent in the world, or you are constantly hounded by an old insurance company, a theft investigation, an original owner etc etc etc I honestly don't know how you price that.
Yes. I think it’s still owned by that guy and he’s also selling his matching LaF Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Totally agree. I hope we see it again, but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets berried in the corner of a warehouse for years to come.