CLASSICHE

I am sending my 1986 328 GTS to Ferrari of Philadelphia for some service, they are certified to do Classiche Certifying…does updating the stereo make the process invalid or can it still be done? Is it worth having this done?


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How much does this increase the value?



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Increase in car value is hard to tell but It will certainly drain you bank account

Best, Peter

 

If you plan to have Classiche done I’d put the original head unit back in if you still have it.

As far as the process is concerned I had my 330GTC done about 12 years ago before the prices went up. It almost certainly won’t add value to your car but if the money doesn’t matter then do it. The book, etc., are nice to have. I’d have my 308GT4 done but the emission equipment was discarded by some prior owner and I’m not about to commit the dollars and brain damage to search for and pay for that junk which, as I understand it, is required for certification.

 

Radio was a dealer installed issue. No problems leaving whatever is in there now or update it with whatever you wish.

 

Than you all so much for the help with this, talking to the dealership and they are checking with certifier there to see if it can stay of if a blank has to put in


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I was only suggesting the possible removal of the head unit as a way of enhancing the pictures of the car that will appear in the presentation book. I agree with Tommy that it probably won’t disqualify the car for certification…..but if it’s too modern it would look out of place. If you have the correct blanking plate I’d consider putting that in temporarily.

 

The radio is the last thing you should be concerned about. The factory would have no earthly idea what was put in the car after it left there.

 

Good day Jack,

Just a heads up... and to save you some "brain damage" ... I have a lot of the original 308GT4 emission gear in my 308 parts boxes. I had acquired a complete spare 308GT4 engine, etc during the time I had my 308GT4 (early 80's) and these pieces were included. If you are interested, send me a PM and I can go through what I have.

Cheers,

Sam

 

So I looked into having my car done, and three conclusions that I came to were:
1) "Standards/policies" have changed over the years, and it is very possible that a car that would have gotten a Red Book many years ago could very easily be given a hard time today.
2) The folks at Ferrari are not one-thousand-percent knowledgeable about every model, and it is perfectly possible to find oneself in an argument with them.
3) The ease of getting a Red Book can be a little dependent on who (both at the dealer, and at the factory) happens to be handling the process, and the relationships between the various parties involved.

I've seen a car that was given a Book within the last 5 years, that was nicely restored, but incorrect in a variety of ways; some of the issues were not caught at all, and some were just listed as "non-original" and not viewed as being disqualifying.

I've also seen a car that has been held-up by issues "for years" that to my eyes was close to a "Preservation" candidate car; not fully restored, but seemingly well maintained and lots of unusual original bits that are not common; certainly nothing as glaring as what I saw in the car that got its Book. Claim was that the owner had already spent a lot of money replacing various things to get past disqualifications, and was trying to decide whether to keep going, or cut their losses.

My final conclusion was that it was important to find a dealer that would champion the car, rather than just follow whatever the factory said.

 

So have you found a dealer willing yo champion the car?

 

#2 is certainly an issue. You probably have someone looking at you 328 that wasn't born when it was. They have NO idea.

 

My personal opinion is this process just isn't worth it for something after about 1980 unless you are very wealthy and just want to do it for the experience.

I completely understand it if you have, say, a LWB Spider California that has been raced, owned by 15 different people and "restored" multiple times with various color changes and even then you need to send the car to Maranello for it to be done properly.

 

The other thing about certification: Some people think it enhances resale value, and it does….until it doesn’t. By that I mean, the longer the gap between certification and sale date, the less meaningful the certification becomes, simply because things could have happened to the car that would change the value.

As to the comment about a dealer championing a car….very valid. For my GTC, the mechanic who led the process had continuously worked on Ferraris for the same dealership since the late 1960s. And the dealership is consistently one of the highest volume producers in the country. Maybe that shouldn’t matter but I’m pretty sure it does.

 

Waste of time and money. I have an insane audio system in my car, and I love it. I also have done other customization to my 89 328. like adding another targa roof to the car which is painted the color of the car. This classiche bull **** is just another gimmick so Ferrari can take more of you dumb asses money !! lol . I also do not have the factory wheels, I have Compomotives and another complete set off of a later Ferrari, which are also 17 s . One should spend more time and money on making your 328 as road worthy as possible. I have done so much to make my 328 a better road car, and a better looking car, inside and out, I know to each his own . My 89 is mechanically sound, and it has 105 K miles on it. Not only have I replaced the motor mounts, but I had the entire suspension rebuilt and replaced all the gauges and switches as to make my interior as good as new. I have a Tubi and Larini set up, my car will out run and out look your classiche every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Good grief Charlie Brown.

G

 

No. I only spoke to a few, but the body language pretty consistently said they were only interested in selling their own cars, and not so interested in business associated with vintage ones.

If I ever find myself buying a new-ish Ferrari out of a dealership, as soon as I take possession, I might try and see if I suddenly deserve some attention in their eyes...

 

I have found that the salesman at Ferrari dealerships, number 1, dont drive a Ferrari themselves, and 2 dont know a ****ing thing about Ferraris history and or lineage, ****ing joke , its that simple. Forget this classiche bull ****, give your 328 whatever it needs, and drive it.

G

 

I got my 1989 328 GTS done back in 2017 as a gift to myself after winning Best in Show at the Ferrari National Concorso.

Glad I did as the price of Classiche has now gone up and I enjoy looking over the book every now and then.

It's a nice item to complement the car.

 

Just to be clear, I would like to get a Red Book for my car.

The main thing is that Classiche is the only way to get a confirmation of "matching numbers" that your average buyer will accept without any hesitation...

 

Sounds more like the average Corvette buyer.

"Matching numbers" doesn't apply to a 308. Not even a little bit.

 

Note that *I* put the term in quotes, I do realize that the numbers don’t actually match; I just meant that the block and trans case are original.

Regardless, the car I was talking about was not a 308, and such things do matter for a lot of older cars.

I do also have a 308, and I think the day will come when it does matter even there; admittedly, probably does not matter in my life-time (for now, people still just write-off 308s, rather than do a lot of swaps).

 

The engine number and transmission number are not on their build sheets or anywhere else in their folder on the Classiche shelf.
I have no idea why but IF Ferrari has record of it on a 3X8/Mondial etc, they keep it somewhere else which makes no sense to me.

Which is why I just roll my eyes when I read "number matching" in a 308 listing.

 

Hmmm... that is an interesting assertion.

Does anyone have a Red Book for a 308? If so, what does it say about engine and trans? Just "original type", or does it assert "originally fitted"?

Not that one necessarily should trust the Book's language to conform to exact technical semantics...

 

Ferrari does maintain a record of what car had what engine and trans number. They always have.

Kept at the factory and FNA.