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Timo: Good point on the exhaust systems and insulation. However, a 275 GTB has NO bumper supports as part of the chassis framing. The bumpers just bolt straight to the body, or to thin tubes welded to body support framing. 275 GTB bumpers and their brackets weigh very little. They are adornments, not a protective device.
The Daytona bumpers are just like Dino, strictly decorative, no weight savings at all. Get some ultralight seats, kevlar, upholster a la Daytona, leave the spare tire at home, no tools, or jack. Mirrors? Who needs them, as everyone is in your wake. If you really use your AC, wrong car, remove compressor. Get a super lightweight battery. leave the wipers and water bottle, do you spritz your car? Ashtray? Handbrake assy. no need unless in SFO hills, and even then. Airbox, out, make an ally replica. That thing weighs a ton. Gear reduction starter, save at least 10 lbs. Go on a diet, good for you and Daytona Regards, Alberto
If you want to reduce significant weight it as to be done in the design phase as was done with the 275 Long nose lightweights or the 288. Coming back later with a sawzall and a hole saw never gets you there. The Prodrive 550's worked at it real hard and the cars were still too heavy. On pit stops the brakes were so hot they turned fire extinguishers on them to keep them from setting fire to the car from radiated heat.
Daytona seats are not that heavy, only +/-30 lbs each. Personally though, I like a full weight Daytona as is and gear reduction starter in one (or any similar or older vintage car) just sounds so wrong, like cranking a modern daily driver. Eeewww !
I agree fully with you Timo, yet as the question was asked on how to shed weight... I think a Daytona is perfect AS IS. No changes, no substitutions, a thoroughbred bombshell Regards, Alberto
Rob Lay; This thread must hold the record for longest time elapsed between posts...over 17 years..??... I have lusted Daytona multiple decades; now own #14029. Thrilling to my soul each time drive. Thank you Enzo. Hope to see few of you Cavallino soon? Best, Jack
Rob, I never made it to Arkansas. I still have both cars, the 275 got a freshening in 2013, 4 time platinum car now. I have driven the daytona 110,000 miles in the 20 years I have owned it. Malcolm
wow, love your history with them! I made it back to Arkansas 2021 for first time in 6-7 years. The F12 will love it, but some vintage cars show up too. Has been a Lusso, GTE, Dino, and few others.
I owned a Daytona for over 15 years and it did not have any power steering. Neither did the 275. At a track event at Bridgehampton, I was able to sway a few laps with a 275 owner. Because of the lighter weight, it was easier to drive at low speeds, but when we were both moving at 40 plus, it felt pretty much the same. As to the relative racing history, the factory stopped sponsoring GT cars after 1966, so the 365GTB was left out . There were many private entrants. Clint Eastwood and Paul Newman rode one in some events.
Here are some comparative comments from the other Ferrari forum. User 212 Export First driving impressions with the Daytona Besides my wife which drove it for around 50 km, I have driven the Daytona already a couple of hundred kilometers. Approaching the Daytona from the back side is the most sensual experience shape wise one may experience. Those fat 9' Comodoras with the rounded, but agressiv back gives you the first impression of "this is strong stuff". Looking allong the sidelines forward, the sensual changes from that "bold fatness" in the back part into the flatter line of the front is fantastic. This shape needs to grow on you (at least it had wih me). As with the F50, the Daytona in reality looks much more spectacular than 2 dimensional pictures may show. Going to the door and clicking that fine, small metall to open the door is like opening a special parfum bottle by removing a beautiful, creative top on it. Next, the incredible lightness of the door comes to attention. The smell of the leather curles the nose and there it is again.....that special taste of leather combined with a sublim smell of...gazoline, yes the probable unburned gazoline when the carburators where not sucking all in it when the ignition was activated firstly and secondly. This is a classic car. Something no modern car will enable to experience. Next the seating in the car is very different to my standart seating position. I'm used to sit in a "rallyie drivers" kind of position, straight up back and steering wheel only half a meter (20 inches) from my chest...not so in the Daytona, seats are very comfortable, but for me its like lying down in my sofa, arms straight forward one line. Incredible how they drove in the 70's, reminds me at the flower power times, when, besides others "chilled out" pop stars where driving these machines:crowngrin: Opposite to Jimmy impression on his cars, the clutch is strong and needs pressure, much more than on my previously owned 275 GTB and 330 GTC. But no problem with that. After some time we are getting adapted. Next the Daytona needs longer to warm up. Oil and water need at least 20 - 30 km's to be readily warmed up. Steering at low speeds is very heavy (as written in so many commentaries in the past) but gets quickly lightened up when approaching more than 50km/h. For the warm up I do not exceed 2'500 rpm's until oil is at 70 - 80 degress celsius. Approaching the Autobahn and driving 120 - 140km's in 5th gear. the car feels extremely stable, no hubbling, no sidemovement of the front axle..nothing. Much more stable on higher speeds than the 275 GTB (short nose that is). Then the long high speed bends on the autobahn give the same high stability feeling. Once the car's suspension is loaded on one side while driving the curve, there is stability like with a modern car. The Daytona seems not to like fast weight shifting manoveries as the high weight shows its forces but when known, this should not produce problems. On the Autobahn the Daytona fulfills all its promises to be a spectacula (classic) Gran Tourer. The power seems endless.....and the real music starts at 5'000rpm. from there the car jumps literally thru the rpm levels. The accompanying "shriek" is fantastic and truly. I have never driven a car labeled as classic with such a powerband and ability to accelerate from high speed to higher speed. Yes, the 275 is lighter, more nimble, finer probably like the arabian horse, the Daytona is the full blood English horse, big and strong and fast. Although much heavier, very high speeds are reached much quicker than with what I drove classical wise so far. No question, on a curvy track many classics would be faster, but I assume thats not the purpose for the Daytona. I just wonder,why it has taken me so long to encounter that experience with the Daytona, as I have seen and heard similar experiences by many enthusiasts before. A couple of weeks ago, I have driven a Jaguar E-type 3.8 flat floor, beautiful shape, great heritage, but belief me, after driving the Daytona the (clearly older) Jag feels engine wise like a Triumph Spitfire in comparison. When putting the car in Garage again, the immediate wish to travel all along Europe with this car comes to mind. When opening the back trunk and looking at the huge space for luggage (together with the space behind the seats) that wish could be easily fulfilled. All in all a fantastic classic Ferrari experience so far. Present: 365 GTB/4, Scud Past: 250 GTE, 250 PF (2), 275 GTBsn, 330 GTC, 456GT, 550, 360Stradale, 430Scuderia, F40, F50
Hard to say they both great since both are in collection i take care of- Image Unavailable, Please Login
As I remember it from my Daytona comp , the clutch is activated by a cable. At beginning the pressure on the clutch was so heavy that after 10 laps at Castellet I would end up with cramps. We checked it and replaced the cable with a Teflon coated one. Totally different, normal pressure to declutch and much more pleasure to drive/ race. I had also a road version before that, a Plexi one , but for high speed nothing is better than a well prepared comp engine ( mine was prepared by Roelofs and had 486 hp at bench). On the straight at Castellet you could block the rpm at 8500-8750 and car still pulling well above 250. One of the safest car to race, even if not one of the fastest and certainly not one to win with …but no original Ferrari can win today in historic races , they are way too valuable and cannot compete vs a 650hp replica Lola Mk3! But they are elegant even if brutal and can be driven on the road as well!
Dino has the same / similar mechanical clutch cable. Not very hard, yet I suspect might benefit from a Teflon one. Do you have a source, or you simply sprayed Teflon in the inside of the sleeve? The cable(s), being of similar design (only guessing), I have a difficult time comprehending the Teflon aspect. I have heard of an hydraulic conversion for Daytona, but nothing 100%. Saw a video of the "Swedish Daytona", reminiscent of old Ferrari F1 sound, of course not as revvy due to huge weight diff. Regards, Alberto