Very interesting car with special external and internal features originally owned by Gianni Agnelli's younger brother, Umberto. Sold by RM Sotheby's at the Leggenda e Passione auction in September, 2017. Said to be matching engine and gearbox numbers in RM Sotheby's description here. Classiche Certification was also applied for then.
Second owner Phil Baumgarten was a dear friend although he sold this car before we became acquainted in the late 1970s. He may have had it at his Michigan home. He retired to Florida and became a partner (with Bob Cressman) in the Ferrari dealership which is now Ferrari Maserati Ft. Lauderdale. Phil had some very nice Ferraris and Maseratis in a fairly eclectic collection which included several antique fire engines.
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YES, very much so, but are you sure it really needs a full restoration at the moment or even in the near future ? Or is she mechanically well enough to drive "as is", at least for a couple of years (or more) ? Just curious.
Well said. +1 restorations are the enemy of driving. After spending so much money, driving only makes things worse.
In the business world, we say, "Perfection is the enemy of progress." I can see how this might apply in the vintage car world.
This ^^ reminds me of a phrase I was taught/told by a friend “in the vintage car world”, referring to efforts or extents I go to while working on them, “(trying to make things) better is the enemy of good enough”. Or a story I heard long ago about a composer (E.W. Korngold, IIRC ?), back in the day, working in Hollywood, on some film score when some studio production exec. comes by and asks him how is it coming along, to which said composer replies something like “Well, I’m having difficulties making this one part perfect” and the exec. says something like “Listen, we don't want it perfect, we want it by Tuesday".
This message is for Marcel Massini. I would want to commission a report on my car but do not understand if it is even still possible to do so and what is the process if it is. Thank you in advance for your help with this inquiry.
Very simple. I started buying Ferrari recently and this one is my first Ferrari. That’s that. Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Thank you so much Mr Massini. I am honored that you would answer ! For quick reference my chassis is #13181
Some time in the 1990's I sold this car to an American living in HK who also bought what is now John Vardanian's 250PF coupe. The cabrio ended up in UK at our MHT Ferrari Dealership in Gloucestershire. Lots of unpaid bills and an unpleasant parting of the ways. Nice to see that it survives today looking pretty much as it did then. I have some print photos filed away which I will scan and post.
The tendency has been for the committee to approve original color combinations. If a non-original color is used, an applicant is still in pretty good shape and should be approved so long as the color(s) was available in period. That said - I have experienced some cases where the color used was technically available in period but seldom if ever used on the example in question. That met with extreme push-back and certification took nearly two years. The chemical make up of the coating products used has had no role to play. It's on us as restorers to educate our clients towards making decisions which yield and authentic product (single stage versus base/ clear).
Hello to all. I wanted to share my recent experience with you: I contacted the Ferrari classiche department and had a fantastic conversation with the sales manager who explained to me that they are improving the certification process a lot compared to what was done in the past, improving communication and reducing costs and times. Even with regard to the restoration of the cars, today things work in a very different way from what happened in the past, reducing times and above all costs, that are aligned with the best body shops and offering a better, transparent and engaging service for the owner of the car. I am sure that if I have any needs regarding my classic cars, this and the next ones that I will buy, I will call Ferrari Classiche first and their sales manager. Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Prancing Horse #112, Third Quarter, 1994 says, in addition to owning 1381GT and 1779GT, W.C. also owned 1777GT which was turned into a Nembo Spyder. john
I have had 2 Classiche Certs done in the past 2 years (58 Ellena and 67 GTC) and both have resulted in positive results, good timeframes etc. I don't have comparison on prices, but they do publish a price list for various models as to the Cert Process cost. Most importantly for me was the use of John Amette, who came out from Newport Beach Ferrari and did all the legwork and pics required to submit the package to Italy. Johns longtime experience in certifications in my opinion is key to the process. He knows what to look for, what is required and what pics/quality of pic is critical.