EAG, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The ratio of owners who have re-converted their 36/430 back to F1 is about zero. If you are a manual guy, you want what you want. The market price for an EAG conversion on BAT shows its value.

 

I agree with your assessment of battery replacement (which is also an issue with the McLaren P1) for my soon to be delivered 296. The electronics and battery issue worries me when the car goes out of warranty, but with technology advances being what they are, someone will inevitably come up with replacements which may be smaller, lighter and better. Keep fingers crossed, and in the meantime- pedal to the metal (or carbon fiber as the case may be).

 

From what I've seen, the market price for a conversion doesn't cover the cost, especially with the 360. Right now, there are zero conversions back but in 20 years, that will be different. The conversion business is limited and I question the business case of investing millions in a market that will absolutely dry up to zero in a short time.

 

How are you so sure it will dry up? A lot of these cars go through a lot of owners and aren't held onto for a significant length of time. In 20 years it will be mostly my generation with them and most of my generation wants a manual car.

I've never had a single person say anything negative about my car being manual, besides F1 owners. When it was F1 I heard all sorts of negative comments.

While I personally enjoy the F1 system as opposed to the dual clutch due to how much more mechanical it feels, most people don't. They either want the mechanical feel of a manual or the performance of a dual clutch. Very few want a compromise.

When I did my conversion, I figured the people that would annoy me the most are the people that base their personality around driving a manual car. Quite to the contrary, I've gotten a lot of flack from F1 owners. While people are generally civil about it on here, and i enjoy how we have these discussions, I've had some F1 owners go on about how I ruined my car, bastardized Ferrari's vision for my car, and will total it because I won't have both hands on the wheel "the way Ferrari intended" which is beyond dumb.

I have a couple questions I'd like to pose to the F1 owners who seem bothered with these conversions as i am curious. Do you dislike people converting their cars because Ferraris are special and shouldn't be altered? Why did you buy an F1?



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"and will total it because I won't have both hands on the wheel "the way Ferrari intended"
****
Still haven't totaled my manual 575 after 107k miles!!!.. My general feeling is to keep a Ferrari "stock" unless correcting an original parts problem. Porsches, on the other hand, are meant to be modded!

 

The 488 and F8 are not hybrid models and have nothing more than a standard car battery.

And I wouldn't be too worried about availability for the high voltage systems. Case in point, McLaren P1 owners (very similar battery system to LaFerrari with 150k replacement cost) will soon have a third-party option for replacements. That new battery is smaller, lighter, and actually more powerful. Technology evolves, and considering EVERY P1/LaFerrari will need that replacement, there is a guarenteed market for these third-parties.

 

Not to mention how metal 3d printers are literally a thing now too. Making parts is easier than ever.

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For the sake of all that is holy, and your pocket book, please hand onto the original parts. I don’t understand people who sell their original exhaust system after changing it out.


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Bold move to personally come onto this thread and clarify a process of rectification of the backlog, and time scales.

No going back on that from here on, now it is fully in the public domain.

Fingers crossed for all those owners they are soon to eventually be enjoying their cars in manual mode.

I hope for everyone involved the saga is coming to a close, and the the future is bright for manual conversions.

 

I've got a spare 360 exhaust. Lol

 

They make phenomenal boat anchors, although with how heavy they are they are a bit overkill for most boats.

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I was going to get a few more and build an indestructible table out of them... Or maybe hold up a bridge.

 

I'll borrow you mine as long as we build a tank and take over a 3rd world country with it.

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So like Detroit or San Francisco?

 

More like a Chicago, but not quite a Gary.

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Also noticed this with the F1-owners. In many cases i think it also has something to do with the price of the conversion. 360/430 F1 are entry level F-cars and a minimum of 20-35k is a lot for the most owners to spend on a conversion. So they might as well praise what they have. I stopped counting on all the neglected 360/430s i´ve seen and most owners seem to do a minimum of maintenance. To spend a fortune on a conversion is unheard of. That´s also why conversions are non existent in Europe.

 

My front engined manual Enzo in an elegant GT’s body is home. Landed in Austin Thurs, test drove her and even got to meet the Jedi behind the incredible software work, then headed to Palm Springs Friday morning and arrived before sunrise this morning. When I’m not so punchy and awe struck will share more. To any EAG doubters left; I’m afraid you’ll need a new hobby. My 18.5 hr test drive was flawless. Was over 100F the entire way, she didn’t care. But woah she is thirsty.
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I followed @mrp by one day in Austin to inspect my own completed 599 at EAG.I am super impressed with the high quality of the milled manual conversion components and the fit and finish of the gated shifter, pedals and console. The car now shifts and drives through the gate like the proper Ferrari V12 GT it is supposed to be. The folks at EAG, including Art and Dave, have fine tuned the operation to complete the conversions in a short time frame. The facilities are well organized . Their professionalism and dedication to deliver a proper gated product shows through. Ferrari tuning/ECU guru @Trev360 was visiting the shop for the first time. I learned a great deal about his years of work on the ECU mapping on the 360's, 430's and 599's. He created a dedicated file for my car. Trev's wizardry unlocked the beast in the Enzo derived engine. EAG/Trev's ECU mapping transformed the throttle response, including the low end torque and horsepower delivery to suit my driving and shifting style. I look forward to rowing through the gears for many miles. If the experience of the current converts is not sufficient inducement, then I highly recommend that anyone with doubts contemplating a manual conversion simply travel to Austin to get a demonstration. I believe that you will be impressed. The 599 is the last front engine Ferrari that can truly be converted from F1 to manual. I for one am glad I took the plunge. YOLO.

 

I bought a gated manual converted F430 from a friend in Hawaii that had EAG manually swap the car a couple of years back. There were a few hiccups that arose a couple of years later and EAG stood behind me as I worked through them here in California. Otto in particular was fantastic and really helped me along the way. I am in sales and completely understand that things happen. The issues were minor, but they were a nuisance. Otto communicated extremely well with me and my mechanic here to make sure we were on the right track with the car. They also fulfilled their promise of getting me the new shiftbox for the ultimate gated manual experience free of charge. They did what they said they were going to do and were very transparent with me on what I should do/needed to do to make the car perfect. I really appreciate them taking care of me and would recommend them to anyone in the Ferrari world/looking for a manual swap.
It feels good to be a very satisfied customer. Thank you, EAG! Thank you, Otto!

 

Thank you Paul! we are super happy to have crossed the finish line with the updates. Also Helmuth in Cali did a great job. He made helped make the process smooth. Anyone needs any work in the southern Cali area we recommend him.
OTTO

 

Which shop is Helmuth in or what's the contact info?

 

Art from EAG posted three kind of strange videos on YouTube today. Sounds like his business partner(s) and a couple employees took off with all his equipment or something????

I’m sure there are two sides to the story. One thing for certain, ALWAYS drama at EAG.




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Pay for the conversion, and the entertainment is free. win-win.

 

Geez, I’d hate to have a car at EAG in pieces. I wonder if the owners insurance covers replacing or finishing the cars?

more so, how is this an issue for EAG? Their insurance would cover theft, unless they didn’t have any insurance, or there is something else going on…

 

Hello all,

In 2023, under new management and staff, EAG delivered the entire backlog accumulated in Austin from 2021-2022 after receiving favorable reporting in an industry publication (separate from San Antonio operations during 2020 and before at now defunct entity)

The newly formed team executed flawlessly while facing pressure of time and making good on old promises. Many customer disputes were resolved - before becoming lawsuits - and all client cars were either completed or returned unfinished.

Significant capital was consumed to complete old jobs where customer deposits were misappropriated anddepleted. Facilities were also renovated to streamline assembly line and reduce turnaround times

Throughout the year, certain claims began to accumulate regarding past contracts not honored. While heading into the new year, large debts to previously undisclosed customers and vendors came to light.

Unfortunately, the solvency of EAG has been called into question at this point. The founders have now misled three different sets of investors. Lack of financial transparency and inconsistent reporting has alsorecently drawn government scrutiny resulting in financial levies.

The core team of mechanics, designers as well as administrators who delivered on all unfinished cars in 2023 has now departed EAG. They still believe in the current product which was actually heavily reengineered by them.

They have new designs and are preparing for the next act. Please be patient during this time of transition. Where sensible they intend on covering warranty on their work and installations.

There are legal actions being taken to secure company assets and that is all. It is not personal matter.

We will not engage in an instagram parade of slander.

Thank you all, we will answer questions in DM.