$116,000 for an engine block?

The online version of SCM does not offer a link to Mike Sheehan's article - anyone care to offer a digest of his comments?

This situation is interesting in light of what Roberto Vaglietti, speaking on behalf of Ferrari Classiche, has said on more than one occasion over the past year or more. To paraphrase, I believe he cited an instance where Classiche was able to provide a (presumably complete) "certified" repro 275 (probably two-cam) motor for less than what the car's owner was being quoted to reunite the car with the original motor. I've recently been told by someone who should know, that the asking price for the original 275 motor was $80k. Meaning that Classiche apparently beat the asking price for the original motor. The car's owner went with the replacement motor - understandable since it was a more common road car. This apparently happened more than a year ago, so adjust for current market values.

I've also been told recently, by someone else who would know, that Ferrari is not in fact casting these parts under their own roof. It's being farmed out to a local vendor, although Classiche has made a big deal out of using the original foundry molds. Does that make a difference to anyone other than me?

I've inquired as to the cost of a replacement 128F (the most common 250-tipo) block from Classiche as recently as last winiter, with $21,000 being the number, but I wonder what sort of warranty comes with it.

 

If you live in the states, why would you want to send a vintage car to Italy for a mechanical restoration? We have the best mechanics and resources here, plus you are able to develope a relationship with your mechanic. The guy who sent his 275 gtb to Italy should have purchased the original motor if it was available, and had it rebuilt here. It would have been easier, cheaper, and the car would have been sold by now. It has been for sale for over a year. Who knows, maybe is smokes, leaks, and runs bad. And if it does, who do you call?.....(ring, ring, ring, Hello Mr. Ottis, I have a 275 gtb motor with about 100 miles on it that was rebuilt at the factory but it smokes real bad and just dosen't run right. Can you help me?)

 

All interesting thoughts.

 

I fail to see why so many car owners are upset that Ferrari is now doing restorations. Personally, I'm happy that Ferrari has opened a restoration facility, and is remanufacturing engine blocks. In the case of a run-of-the-mill 275 GTB (with all due respect to their owners), there's really little historical significance to most of those cars, so the #1 important thing to me is to keep as many of them running as possible. And the more options we have to restore them, the better.

30 years from now historians may still be upset that their toes are being stepped on by Ferrari, those of us who own and maintain cars will be happy that there is still a place we can have our cars delivered to to get fixed when our local mechanics retire. I can only hope Ferrari is still running it's restoration facility at that time.

 

I agree! It may also reduce the number of 2+2s that are being broken up.

Regards,

Art S.

 

Whaa???


How do you figure that it will stop someone paying 30-40,000 for a "donor" 330 to end up with a chassis, drive train, and other salable parts to make a GTO or ?? and be able to sell the new car for 300 - 400,000? Do you mean they will instead be able to contact Ferrari and get the parts they need to build a faux GTO?

Or do you mean the 330 owner, like yourself, would go to Ferrari and buy parts he needs? I don't see it. I watch people, who we both know, say they want to save one of these cars or resuscitate their own car but they never actually spend the money. The parts from the Ferrari factory are still going to cost more then going to the breaker upper folks.

Best,

Yale

 

does that still happen ?
most threads about this sort of thing say its very very rare these days.

 

While in this time sits someone in a darkened in San Clemente basement fillled with all those motors......

 

Yup. Talked to a fellow at the Nationals who has "created" about 30 GTO's since the mid '80's along with TR's and others and also cars that have bodies by Nembo etc. And he's still at it. TS is still sending them off as well. It's a quiet but active corner of this world and I guess will continue until the cars are no longer around, to chop up that is. Yale

 

Nick,

It still happens regularly.


Yale,

My thought was that if more engines become available from Ferrari then the value of said engines might go down. Though probobly not enough...

Regards,

Art S.

 

Just as a note per some of the earlier comments, blocks or complete engines from Classiche are apparently not numbered in order to match a particular chassis. As I recall their statements to date, they stamp the casting with the Classiche emblem and the letters O.P. for "original parts", the last two digits of the calendar year, and the next number in the sequence for the particular model.