1989 348 challenge on ebay ?

Looks a bit worn. What kind of race history? I would be careful.

 

I say false. The factory "challenge" cars didn't come out until 1994. It MAY have raced in the challenge series, but it isn't a factroy challenge.

 

It is a dealer conversion raced in the North American Challenge by a couple of friends of Martin's. Originally yellow.

 

The interior and engine bay look shoddy - I think the description sums it up quite well:

"This is a rear opportunity to have a Ferrari at a fraction of it worth! the glossy red exterior has full luster the interior has carbine fibber seats..."

 

Wow! That chassis # is earlier than mine!! The car looks rough at best. Thise are 355 sport seats in that car. It may have raced in the Challenge series....but who knows. Its missing the front grill. The carpets look weak. The seats are from the wrong car. Depending how long those seats have been with the car, I would question the milage. It definitely looks like a project.

 

ANY 348 could have been converted to race in challenge series. That one may have raced as stated. I would be careful.

Those look like very worn 348 SS seats.

True "factory" challenge cars were made ONLY in '94 with s/n between 97869 - 98906.

For race car I would want all the challenge kit along with it. This appears to have very little included.

 

It's up to 18 bids. Top bid $18K. Maybe a good deal at 18K?

 

Extremely good deal at 18k-probably worth $25+ IMHO

 

So it appears that soemone on this website knows a little more about the car than the guys selling it on ebay are saying. For those of us looking for a cheap 348, what´s the story on this one? Tracked? Wrecked? Ttiled in California and now in Mass?

 

Ah, the power of the internet...

Note the title: Owner Byron Cheng

Apparently founder of the "Ferrari Drivers Club". They rent Ferraris to track. Found this on the internet:

Make of this what you will .

Club Revolutionizes How Car Enthusiasts Experience Driving the World's Most Desirable Automobiles
BOSTON--April 5, 2006--Scott Speed's Squadra Piloti is a national club that provides car enthusiasts with access to virtually any car that they want to drive. By connecting local car enthusiasts with each other, the club makes it convenient, affordable and hassle-free for its members to routinely drive a variety of exciting cars. Squadra Piloti, which is Italian for "Team of Drivers," launched its service in April 2006 and is rapidly becoming a favorite destination for the millions of car enthusiasts across the country.


Scott Speed, who is making his Formula One debut in 2006 racing for Scuderia Toro Rosso, is the first American driver in Formula One since Michael Andretti drove for McLaren in 1993. Like many professional race car drivers, Scott's enthusiasm for driving extends beyond the track to include a passion for driving some of the world's most desirable automobiles. Speed, a California native, says, "Squadra Piloti is a phenomenal club - when I'm off the track, it allows me to drive a variety of exceptional cars by connecting with local, reputable car enthusiasts like myself."

Squadra Piloti gives members access to their dream cars by creating a new online marketplace that allows members to connect with other local car enthusiasts in one of two ways. The first way permits two members to trade driving time on high-end cars that they already own. For example, if you are a Porsche owner who has a craving to drive the latest model Ferrari, Squadra Piloti will connect you with a nearby member who not only owns the latest model Ferrari, but who also wants to drive the Porsche that you own. The club arranges the details of a temporary car exchange that is a win-win for both members. The second way that Squadra Piloti connects members is by facilitating a transaction in which one member pays cash to acquire driving time in another member's car. The club makes it easy for anyone to drive their favorite cars: new members simply provide their location and indicate all of the cars they want to drive, and Squadra Piloti handles the rest.

The club, which is the first of its kind, offers car enthusiasts several advantages over existing alternatives. Unlike daily exotic car rental agencies, which need to charge high prices because their cars are typically driven only a few days each month, Squadra Piloti allows members to drive the same exotic cars at a significantly lower cost. While there are a handful of European car clubs based on a timeshare concept, their American counterparts currently exist in only a few select cities. Unlike such timeshare clubs, Squadra Piloti is national in scope, charges no initiation fee and offers free ongoing membership.

Squadra Piloti is rapidly gaining wide appeal among car enthusiasts, with the automobiles owned by club members already constituting the largest network of high-end cars in the country. Byron Cheng, a co-founder of Ferrari Driving Club, says, "Squadra Piloti is a true drivers' club. Our club members love Squadra Piloti because it makes it easy to connect with other like-minded car enthusiasts that they can trust." Cheng's friend and co-founder of Ferrari Driving Club, Jean-Louis Michel, added, "It doesn't matter how many cars you've driven, the real enthusiasts always want to drive one more - and Squadra Piloti can make that happen!"

While Squadra Piloti does have an established following among drivers of exotic cars, you don't need to own a sleek Italian automobile to become a member. So who should check out the new club? According to Scott Speed, "Any true car aficionado who loves to drive should be a member of Squadra Piloti."

About Squadra Piloti, LLC

Scott Speed's Squadra Piloti is a national club that provides car enthusiasts with access to virtually any car that they want to drive. The automobiles owned by Squadra Piloti members constitute the largest network of high-end cars in the country. Squadra Piloti brings together and connects like-minded automobile aficionados in all areas of the United States for the purpose of facilitating car exchanges that allow its members to build their repertoire of driving experiences, while having fun and getting to know other local enthusiasts. Any car enthusiast can become a member of Scott Speed's Squadra Piloti free of charge through the club's website located at http://www.squadrapiloti.com

 

That is the earliest 348 VIN I have ever heard of. The interior is a bit beat up but could be a good track car. There were no 89 348 challenge cars made. The seat shells look nice, but I would assume spending around $2k to get the seats looking good, and another $2-5k to bring the rest of the interior up to speed. The engine needs a detailing, but other than that the exterior looks pretty clean. I have an early 89 348 and am pleased with it mechanically.

BT

 

Come on, guys. Are your memories really that short? That was Byron's car that fell off the tow truck. Martin of Cavallino Motors, a member here and true stand up guy, bought it back from Byron and sold it again. Now it looks like someone else is selling it. If you are seriously interested, ask Martin about it. He knows all the stories on this car and he's just about the most honest guy I know in the car business. He'll give you the straight poop.

But jeez, I can't believe that this thread has been around this long and no one remembers the car.

 

Apparently every one has been "hooked" on that tow truck story!

 

I remember that car...and Byron...and Jean-Louis...

There may still be pics of it under the "sold" section of Martin's website...

 

That's not what the FDC does. They are a group of enthusiasts who do things like go on group drives to raise money for charity.

 

Hi everyone
I am sure that Byron might chime in Shortly.
Yes it does appear to be Byron's old car.
Byron had bought it from Martin and at one point Martin had bought it back from someone else who owned it.
Byron and I are founders of the Ferrari Driving Club.
We organize events in Southern California.
We do not provide cars for people to drive- we only organize the people and places.
Squadra Piloti is a sponser of this site. We believe in what they are trying to do and think that it is great trying to put fellow enthusiasts together.

Hope that clears up some info on the subject.

BTW. Chris at Valence did a wonderful job on my carbon fiber center consul for my 348. Hopefully I can post a picture shortly.

 

If that's Byron's old car then it did race.

 

this car is for sure not a challenge car. it has an emblem on the back, but nothing else that shows this as a challenge series raced car.

#1 - don`t know why the vin plate is mounted like this

#2 - where is the roll cage or even the mountings?

#3 - not even close to a factory challenge or SS seat.


this is not even a proper conversion in my opinion. It may be a nice 89 348 b but not much more than that.
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It appears to be the same one that Martin had sold. Minus the black challenge wheels.

If "old guy" says it was raced, it was raced and it was yellow. I think Scott Neuman raced a yellow 348 in the challenge series.

 

also, in the ebay listing nowhere is it said that it was a challenge car. I have seen all of the cars in the series and I do not recall seeing this one.

Wasn`t newmans car the yellow "land shark racing" challenge car? If it was, that car I believe was a 92.


regards, Jim

 

I don't know what year Neuman's was. I think it was yellow though. It does have mountings for safety harness which would indicate part of challenge kit. You can also see the carpet is cut at bottum of harness where roll cage would have been mounted.

Again I would take it on very reliable info from "Old Guy" that it was a yellow challenge car. Converted no less, and not a "factory" challenge.
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There were not that many 89 challenge cars do to the disadvantage they had with the 2.5 motronic injection. Maybe if the car was put back together for street, Maybe the reason the interior looks so shabby. Can always check with FNA to verify If it ran in the series.

regards, Jim