David Carte RIP

I knew David was ill and fighting a tough battle, but this is sad news. David was one of the "good" guys in the Ferrari hobby and restoration business. We go back about 40 plus years in our friendship and mutual enjoyment of the cars. His work was first class, but he was not too proud to admit he did not know all the answers and we shared good times learning from each other.

 

throughout many years, david and i corresponded via emails. his ferrari knowledge of the most mundane was impressive. i met him at a couple of the big shows, he was a quiet man and generous with his time.
rip

 

On top of his talent David was a very quality individual and was widely respected for that. During my time on the IAC/PFA board his knowledge of the topic never failed to impress me and it was by no means limited to vintage Ferraris.

Rest in Peace David.

 

Rest in peace good friend.

 

Very sad news. My sincere condolences to his family.

 

I heard the news of David's passing this morning. While I am sad at the news, I am glad he is no longer suffering from the pain.
I've known him for 30 years. He was extremely knowlegeable and willing to share it and his time. He was a humble man with a great sense of humor.
Many of our phone calls and e-mails usually started or ended with jokes. He was truly one of the good guys in the Ferrari world and I will miss him terribly.
My sincere condolences to his family and friends. We lost a great one today.

 

Great picture Marcel. Thank you for posting it.

 

very sad news. He, and others of course, gave me friendly advice when I was restoring my 275 even though it wasn't his project.
RIP David.

 

RIP - always available for a call and advice over the years.....remarkable kind person...

Very sad day for sure...

 

I never met him, and only knew him by his brilliant reputation. My only connection to him was that he refinished some parts on my car when it was undergoing some major work over the last year. Some of the parts I installed myself…and I feel lucky to have those parts since I know they were done 100% correctly. May he rest in peace.

 

Same here. I only knew him casually from having met him a few times at pre-Cavallino parties. But I knew his work through the Ferraris he restored for a friend of mine, and based on my friend’s stories I wish I’d known him better.

 

Dear Dinosaurs,

As much as we did not want this day to happen, the inevitable came to pass and the seemingly endless rounds of debilitating chemo have come to an end. Over the past forty three years David and I have become close friends and his relentless pursuit of perfection proved invaluable as we worked together in the eight year major conservation project on (as he called it ) “the Lil Blue Car”. Under judging at different venues by the IAC/PFA rules it garnered six 100 point results including the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance where it also earned the Enzo Trophy for being the best Ferrari on the field as awarded by Piero Ferrari and Jean Todt. It earned Best of Show Comp car at Cavallino in 2009, Best of Show and five other trophies at the FCA National in 2010. The majority of the credit for these excellent results were because of David’s insistence on originality and attention to detail, and I will be forever grateful for his guidance and friendship. His experience and expertise on the early Ferrari cars was unparalleled, the exemplary results for the Lil Blue Car are just one example of his remarkable talents.

The Phillips Family sends our condolences to Bernice, Crissey and grandson Eli, it was our privilege to have known and worked with him, and he will be sorely missed.

RIP dear friend!

Best regards,

Robert


David are you sure it will fit?
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Early misty morning at Pebble Beach 2008
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PB 2008 Ist Place Comp Ferrari and Enzo Trophies
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Thank you for those pictures Admiral.

 

David's untimely passing is a stark reminder to all of us of a certain age to get a colonoscopy. I scheduled mine yesterday.

 

Easiest way, do it as a Birthday present. You will never forget, as you should do all the other fun tests at that time.

It is still great to be around

Never had the pleasure of meeting David, too bad.

My regrets to the family and ALL hid friends.

Regards, Alberto

 

Because i'm a pathologist, i recommend it very strongly.

 

its never too early for the scope. caught early its curable. unfortunately for David it was too late.

 

I believe one of David's early endeavors was my late father's 250 GT, s/n 1245 restoration. My dad purchased the car in 1988. It was a rolling chassis that Algar had rebuilt engine and drivetrain. The rest was literally in baskets and boxes. David was instrumental in restoring the car to its ultimate grandeur in 1992. At the Pebble Beach Concours in 1993 David's beautiful work won the car and my dad a best in class award. Somewhere I have a picture of my Dad and Mom being handed a trophy on the stage by Sergio Pininfarina.

I never had the pleasure of meeting David. But my Dad was very happy with not only David's work but also the experience in working with him to re-build the 250 from scratch.

May he rest in peace......

 

I’ve read with great interest the comments about my dear friend, David Carte. He was one-of-a-kind. The most knowledgeable man in the Ferrari restoration community and with a heart as big as anyone can imagine. Extreme knowledge, dedication, kindness, ethics and moral fiber unmatched in the industry. I’ve also read the comments regarding the wisdom of getting colonoscopies. I am very familiar with David’s medical background, and you should all be aware that David was extremely proactive in getting colonoscopies and other tests over the years. In the last three decades, it was his practice to get a colonoscopy every 3 to 5 years, whereas the recommendation is once every 10 years. So he was doing MORE than what the medical community recommends. Furthermore, David had just gotten a “clean“ colonoscopy report only 23 months before he was diagnosed with cancer. So getting regular colonoscopies, while a prudent thing, is not a guarantee that you’re going to get early enough notice or “beat cancer“. To suggest that David was negligent in not doing that is an affront to his memory. David fought like no one I’ve ever seen to conquer this disease, and he did everything he could in the last decades of his life to make sure it did not afflict him. Despite his best efforts, and going over and above what the medical community was recommending, the disease eventually conquered him. It is a true tragedy. He leaves a loving wife, Bernice, one of the nicest persons you could ever imagine, and three beautiful daughters, plus five wonderful grandchildren. RIP my great friend. - Dennis Garrity

 

Family and friends have asked me to correct some misinformation about DC's condition. David did have colonoscopies since he was 40. He had them as prescribed. I am sure he and his family were shocked to learn 23 months after his last colonoscopy that he had stage four cancer.

 

I am well aware of David's condition and was not suggesting that he was in any way negligent. It was merely an opportunity to recommend that folks get a colonoscopy--advice that David offered to others frequently.

 

I first met David in person on the show field after he had helped me with some details on my Dino restoration. He was a gentleman and incredibly kind. I have always found that the very BEST people in the restoration world are the ones who are comfortable enough with their abilities to be able to compliment the work of others. On that day he was really enthralled with my project and later on I would get the occasional call from him asking how to do this or that. It meant the world to me that I was able to help him out as he did me and from the messages shared here, I was not alone in my reverence for David. So sorry to hear of his passing and wishing his family strength during this difficult time.

 

https://www.echovita.com/us/obituaries/va/edinburg/david-steven-carte-16433403