'classiche' ?

That is exactly what the IAC/PFA is all about and they are trying to get the various regions of the FCA up to speed so at least club wide those problems are dealt with. At this point Cavallino and the FCA Nationals (for the most part) is where that is being done.

 

My problem with the Classiche program was not with the dealership technicians who inspected my 308, it was with the Classiche people at Ferrari SpA & FNA who could not correctly interrupt the photographs and did not know the variations between a GTS, GTSi & QV models.

 

That is just insane.

And those are the easiest, really.

 

Sorry I misunderstood.


Not surprised. At least at FNA, last I knew of there was only one guy left who was around back then. At SpA, maybe none. They don't have records and they don't have the institutional knowledge yet they are held up to be the Ne Plus Ultra in restorations. Cars of that period are a bit of an information black hole, at least as far as documentation or records goes. Far more is known about the earlier cars.
Lets not forget, until 10 or 15 years ago they didn't care about older cars until someone figured out there was money to be made.

 

I don't know that it would be fair to expect any manufacturer to be significantly vested in products they sold decades ago without some form of revenue to justify the activity. It could also be fairly stated that many owners might not care about history, originality, etc. unless there was money to be made. I guess that I don't consider this to be one of the more legitimate gripes with the program.

 

The only reason it is a gripe is that suddenly, with few records, no experience in restoring them and little in house knowledge or expertise they are suddenly the worlds foremost authority.

When I was there for 360 school in 1999 there was a 250TR sitting out in the anteroom on display. We were being told all about the various needs of servicing an aluminum car. I pointed out that some of us had significant experience working on aluminum cars much like the 250TR out front. When we went to lunch I saw several of the Ferrari SpA employees using a pocket magnet on it as we all walked by to confirm my claim. They had no idea it was aluminum.

Also, if the vintage cars are as important to them as they claim, why did they round up all the owners manuals, parts books and service manuals they had in stock for vintage cars and destroy them in the early 2000's? Why were they about to do the same with a cache of parts for the same cars when someone discovered the plan and bought it all at the last minute?

Mercedes and Porsche have always had a vastly different attitude.

 

Well I couldn't argue with you there, those points do sound legitimate. Although I would expect Ferrari to make money . . . they should not sell themselves as the foremost authority whey they can't back it up. Seems a common problem these days – when endeavors become business objectives, marketing takes hold and distorts the objective.

 

BMW has also been very good at keeping available parts for vintage cars. They built a "new" 1972 BMW 2002tii from parts a few years ago to advertise the availability and completeness of their parts inventory. BMW Mobile Tradition - 1972 BMW 2002 tii

I was lucky enough to visit the car while it was under construction in Munich. Very cool.

 

I don't expect them to do anything for nothing, just very tired of their superior attitude at the expense of others when in fact those others are the true authorities in many cases.

 

You would recommend going through the process Rob even if keeping the car?

 

In my opinion whatever value it has is more for a prospective owner than a current one. If you are grooming a car for sale that would be the time.

 

A few of us with platinum 3x8 cars considered it this year as a group and we all decided to pass. While I do think Classiche is more thorough than a national concours judging, I just don't see the value. After all, if you have a platinum car, it's published and it's not that much of a different time stamp then Classiche. I must admit the book is pretty nice and I'd like to have one but I can spend almost $4k on a lot of other nice stuff too.

 

I totally agree with you here. Ferrari SpA & FNA took on a project without the proper in-house knowledge available at that time. They relied on field technicians' expertise and in the end "we" got it right because I am a hands on owner who knows his 308 and was willing to argue its case and was supported by the technicians. Again, I had my 308 certified in 2006 and I am sure SpA and FNA have gained a lot of knowledge since then.

Secondarily, I have gained my knowledge from 20 + years of working side by side with Algar technicians and having my 308 judged. I also agree that that the Classiche program and concors judging are similar but they are also very different. The Classic program is a in-depth mechanical component inspection while concours judging is a "wear & tear" and replacement with factory original parts inspection.

I also agree with Jim that IAC/PFA can be inconsistent and subjective. I say this because judges are human and we all pay attention to different things and no one is perfect. I also say that because my work up to Monterey included the 2015 Cavallino Classic and the 2014 FCA Annual Meet. All three were IAC/PFA judged and all three judging sheets reflect very different issues. I accept the results and truly believe the judges did the best they could. I also enjoy the process and I keep coming back. Over the past 20 years, my 308 has been judged at 8 FCA Annual Meets and 3 Cavallino Classics with 7 platinum awards, 4 coppa awards, 3 preservation awards, 2 gold, 1 silver award and 2 DNP to show for it. Totally inconsistent and fun!

So Bigred, yes it was worth it and I would do it again. Using the two processes, I can prove my 308 is original,

And the best part was I got to park next to Jim in Monterey
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Tommy. Who at FNA did you write in order to get all of your car's information? Can you provide contact information please?

 

Don't remember, that was back in about 2001. I think it was just an internet search.

 

I see. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I need contact information at FNA to inquire about my car's origins.

 

This is close to the data that was available from the factory for free 20 years ago - certificate of authenticity or something - with the advent of Classiche this is no longer given away - sometimes if you register your car in the app some data appears eventually and one or two have reported getting similar basic data from the customer service link at ferrari.com - not FNA

 

What car do you have? Year, model, chassis number?

 

A 1995 US spec Canna di Fucile F355 berlinetta manual with tan interior. It is a very early production car (July 1994). VIN ZFFPR41A4S0100156