It's been fun

After nearly 20 years of ownership I no longer own my 348.

I named it Roxanne after the song made famous by the musical group The Police. Let's just say my 348 had a hard life before I got it, so the name was fitting. When I bought Roxanne I had never ever worked on a Ferrari before. After having paid multiple thousands of dollars to have someone else work on it, I decided I wanted to learn to fix and maintain it myself. Be careful of what you wish for because you just might get it. I also decided that I would share what I learned with this wonderful little community I had found on the internet called FerrariChat.

Back in 2001 we all know what happened on 9/11. I was so EXTREMELY mad, I had to stop watching and listening to the news. Coming home from an outing one evening I noticed a Diablo parked in front of a neighbors house. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know, not a Ferrari. Anyway, I went to have a look at it when out stepped the driver who was visiting my neighbor. After a brief chat about the Lambo and he asked me if I wanted to for a ride. "HECK YEAH I'll go for a ride!" After a very spirited ride that was IT, I was going to finally pull the trigger and look for my boyhood dream, a Ferrari. It would help keep my mind off the awful event that took place a couple of days earlier. After a few days of searching I found my 348. Booked plane ticket and flew with my brother to pick up Roxanne. He and I drove it all the way home laughing and having a great time. After all it was the many years of watching Magnum P.I., and especially Miami Vice, that we dreamed of driving a Ferrari, and now we were in MY Ferrari! During my research for my 348 I came across Ferrarichat. Back in 2001 there was only around 1200-1400 members. Man has this place grown! Thanks to Rob creating this site it enabled me to meet and make friends with so many wonderful people all across the world.

One of the very first Fchat members I made friends with was fatbillybob. He was the only owner I met that had actually done an engine out major on a 348, and he was more than happy to share what he knew with me. A tip of the hat goes to Nick, of Nick's Forza Ferrari. Nick was kind enough to let me pick his brain when I was getting ready to do my first engine out, and happily took my many calls. Nick also got me in touch with an old school mechanic by the name of Joseph Theiler (rest in Peace). Theiler's mechanical resume was very impressive, and he was happy to share his vast knowledge with me. Between having Theiler, some advice from Eugenio, another long time Ferrari mechanic named Bill, plus fatbillybob's help I tackled the engine out major. Thanks for all your guidance fellas. After that O'l Chubbalard and where friends and still friends to this day. A few years later the gearbox needed a rebuild, and off to fatboy's house it was. Well one weekend during the rebuild Plugzit decided to turn up and help. The antics, laughing, and balls busting that went on was great. We had so much fun hanging out and turning wrenches. I have to give a shout out to Danial-San, of Ricambi America, he helped me source difficult to find parts we needed for the rebuild, and has always been a delight to deal with. One weekend on my way to billybob's, I asked if he had called Plugzit, and if it would be the "Three Stooges" working on the gearbox again? That was it, The Stooges were formed. Thanks Chubba for sharing what you know, and Plugzit for the heckling. Because of the inspiration and help I got, I made it my mission to pay it forward. I was determined to take the fear out of owning a Ferrari, and in particular a 348. So started my documentation of virtually everything I did on the car from that point forward, and posting it here for the world to see.

As I said I've made so many friend because of owning a Ferrari, and because of FerrariChat. Some in I know in person and some still to meet in person. In addition to those already mentioned, in no particular order, and please for give me if I forget you name:
vvasallo, gothspeed, angelis, Andy hls, anunakki, nightlife, FSM348, AceMaster, Darth550, sherpa, Rob'Z, Sevminasyan, steved033, TheOnlyest, 2NA, jetfuel79, Steve Maxwell, ag997, SoCal1, tf308, tommygunct, billyboyeuro, JSinNOLA, Brent Latchett, time, 3forty8, m5guy, guss23, jgoodman, darkkaangel, Jon Von Bon, lndshrk, jferrante, JoeTeC, Ferraripilot, whyte, phrogs, bradwilliams, WilliamH, Surfari, mandaracing, yelcab, porphy, bushwhacker (RIP), PAP 348, LouB747, Kaivball, Monteman, copterjon, dahveedem, 285ferrari, jm348, ryalex, Ferrarium, Texas Forever, No Doubt, mwr4440, wrs, GTHill, energy88, ross, Napolis, JohnnyS, donv, beachbum, FerMaz, fmaderi, JM280z, guss23, and more I'm sure I'm forgetting. Again please forgive me if I forgot to mention your name.

Owning the "redheaded stepchild" of the Ferrari world was an education. When I bought it I wanted to learn how to work on my Ferrari myself. Be careful of what you wish for because you just may get it. I basically got a "degree" in mechanics working on that 348. Knowing what I know now I wouldn't have bought it when I did. However, had I not bought Roxanne I wouldn't know what I now know. So it has been vastly more of a blessing than a burden. The 348 is actually a fairly simple car to work on once you've cut your teeth. Like every car it has it's idiosyncrasies, it's plus' and minus'. One of the minus' is it's lack of power from the factory. Well then I began all the modifications, the testing, the money, the time, to extract out as much as I could from the three decade old technology. A bit sadly for me that journey has come to an end. I have always said the 348 is a diamond in the rough. Performance wise from the factory it is nothing special at all compared to modern cars. I am fully convinced Ferrari intentionally restricted the F119's power potential via the VERY restrictive intake system. Because had it made the power I have seen it make it would have embarrassed it's big brother, the Testarossa, on the track. Now we can't have lil' bro showing up big bro. So they suffocated the engine. The F119 is a potent little engine, and is fully capable of make 400+hp with modern upgrades, and I have witnessed it first hand. The handling is another area it doesn't shine with the factory settings. Get the suspension and brakes setup just right and it has go-kart like handling. I hope others will pick up the torch and continue the modification process to show what a hidden gem the 348 is. The best kept lil' secret in the Ferrari world.

After having owned a Ferrari for roughly two decades, it feels a bit weird not having one in my garage. Kind of like not having your wedding ring on your hand for the first time, a bit of a naked feeling. Anyway, the new owner is kerrhill. I officially welcomed him to the 348 Brotherhood, and to his first time of Ferrari ownership. He is the right type of owner to take over my long time project, and I know Roxanne will be in good hands. Please welcome him, help him, and show him what the 348 Brotherhood is all about.
On that note.

It's been fun.

Ernie

 

We bought a Granturismo Sport a few years ago. Wonderful car. The engine was developed by Ferrari, and was initially based on the same engine in the F430. Though the F430 has a flat crank and the GT a cross crank. Maserati had the engineer who was head of engine development for Ferrari’s F1 team, during to dominate Schumacher days, head the updates to the engine, starting in model year 2013, one of which was punching it out to 4.7L. It’s a handsome car on the outside, elegant on the inside, sounds fantastic, and has plenty of point a squirt power. Not the fastest car on the road but still plenty fast, as it’s meant to be a gentleman’s grand touring car. The British tv show Top Gear, tested the performance model (MC Stradale) and it went around the Top Gear track only 0.2 of a second slower than the F430. Maserati hit the nail on the head with the GT. So enough though I won’t have a Ferrari in the garage I still have a fantastic Italian car to taking it’s place, it’s “cousin” if you will.
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Hahahaa!

Funny boy Mitchell

 

Thank you guys for the kind words.

 

I'll hit you up next time I'm headed over.