My new Stradale survived!!!

I don't doubt more solid engine mounts... but I haven't felt any more engine vibration.

 

Just realized I forgot one of my interior pics...
somewhat appropriately I guess, as its an oft-forgotten option...

I decided to pay to add a red Alcantara headliner... thought it would balance the colors a bit... and make sure the view from low angles would still give me that "heart of red" that I'm looking for from the interior...

 

To darn rainy this morning to take the car for a drive... but I needed to do something with it... so, I went and took pictures. Started with one of the most artistic elements... an element most marques forget... the engine bay. What a beautiful engine bay this is! Probably 90% of the people who walk over to the car pause with a "Wow!" when they first spy the engine bay through the glass. The 360 brought similar wows... but the Stradale adds a number of extra touches in addition to the carbon fiber which has so much more texture than the 360 flat black. I love it how it looks... not quite as much as how it sounds... but its just gorgeous...

 

Its interesting that they changed the intake plenum to a light grey color... I wonder how much cooler that keeps it versus the black it used to be?

 

And while you're standing back there gazing at that engine, its hard to miss the huge wing they put back there... and without uglifying the car one bit (since its down in the venturis). Its easy to see how they get 50% more downforce... but more important, that wing will keep working even under heavy braking, where the nose dive had a tendency to break the suction of the venturis to the road... at just the wrong time. It'll be interesting to see if trail braking is now more consistent... if so, I'm going to love this add... 'cause I love trail braking...

 

Here's some interior shots... after removing all those ugly warning stickers...

 

Brian-

Not to nitpick, because I think you have a wonderful car...

But what aliens are trying to pull you over in the CS?



You may want to level it out. The V1 needs to be level to accurately detect front and rear Ka and laser radar. Right now you're detecting your engine pretty well!

 

Yeah, the Stradale leaves a bit less room than the 360 did... I need to order a newer V1... they're skinnier now and thus a new one will fit better. However, the V1 is not too sensitive to that angle... it detects fine like that... though probably not ideally. In both my 360 and my M3 it rides at somewhat of an angle... and haven't had an issue in years of use. Even at the angle it is now, it seems to be working okay. But like I said, I do plan to fix that.

 

Brian-

I used to have the thicker V1. It detected perfectly. I now have the newer one- it doesn't seem to be as directionally sensitive and tends to randomly light up the arrows. I will send it in to be checked out, but then I'll be without a V1...

FYI with the old one, for the two One Lap of Americas that I participated in, the V1 consistently had about 50% more range when level and mounted high...

Monkie-

You're missing the entire point of a Ferrari- at least in my humble opinion. Ferraris don't need more "bling"- it's a Ferrari for goodness sakes! Save the "bling" wheels for cars with less panache.

As for taking cars to the track, I'm right there with Brian on that one. Three track days in four weeks of ownership so far, 2800 miles, brake and suspension system being upgraded/installed this week. I average over 30 track days a year, not including the enduro kart national series I'm attending this year- and I live in the great white north. So to beat a guy like me you'll have to do significantly more events- like every weekend... Good luck!

 

Great to see your baby in the "Flesh"
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the proud poppa and the adopted uncles
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Brian, do you know what the cost of a brake overhaul is? If v-e-r-y expensive, would it be worth changing the brakes out for a good set of steel brembos? Casino

 

Holy mother of god... I must've stared at those pics for a good 15 minutes.
Look at clouds reflecting off that paint! I've never seen anything like it.

Thanks for the pictures writerguy, and once again, kudos to you Brian... wow

 

I knew it! Jim's photos came out better than anyone's at last Thursdays gathering.

 

those are definelty some awesome photos. i love the way the clouds are reflected off of the car. it may be cloudy but it still looks great.

 

I haven't gotten a good price on that... AFAIK its not yet been an issue yet for anyone in the world. As for whether it would be worth changing to steel, that all depends upon when they wear out. If I am dealing with this at 100,000 miles... then hell no, I'll keep the awesome carbon brakes. If I am dealing with it at 10,000 miles, then in all likelihood steel's going to be the way to go... depending upon the price.

So far, the brakes don't squeal... just a bit of sand paper sound... they are sometimes a bit touchy when warming up, but once warm they are perfect. They produce minimal dust... nearly none. And their light weight probably is a notable part of how awesome the handling and ride feel. Next test will be their track behavior and heat handling. And then finally, how long they last. Only time will tell on the latter... and hopefully its a really long time... because I'd hate to not have them.

 

i saw the following post from brian (bjc138) regarding stradale brake life:

The F3000 guy has a Stradale and the price that he's been quoted for rotor+pad replacement is a shade under US$30k! Ferrari have said that they have tracked Stradales to 40,000km and not needed to change the rotors. I hope they're right...

 

Fabulous-looking car! My belated congratulations to you, Mr. Stradale.

 

Brian,

awsome car, i love the color. one question though, have you used the launch control yet? and if you have, how have you found it to work?

ummm....do u have any clue what type of people are on this board and what kinds of cars their own? this is not a highschool chat room with a bunch of teenie boppers talking about cars that they would like to own. a ton of the guys here race all sorts of cars and know so much about their machines and racing that it is unbelieveable. if you come here with an arrogant attitude and a naivity that you think you know more than 80% of the people here then you will never learn anything and youll just be annoying and frustrating to talk to. judging by what you have said, it doesnt seem like you know too much about ferraris, so be open, and maybe you can learn a thing or two. these cars are not drag cars....they are perfectly balanced machines in every aspect (especially the later models).

 

Remember it is easy to take a great picture of a beautiful woman....

Taking a Great picture of his car is easy It is stunning

 

You're missing the real reason GTR. Brian is an avid birdwatcher, and as such he's always interested the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow. That's why the detector is pointed towards the sky!

 

African or European?

 

I don't know....


WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

 

Congratulations Brian! The car is beautiful & well worth the wait. You should start a showroom thread with all the pics - They are gorgeous. Great exterior color & I love the interior. Good move on the red headliner.

Congrats!!!!!