Forgot to attach the drawing. Can anyone please tell me what 11 though 26 means in english? Thank you. FGM Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Frank, I am trying to translate: #11: switch (electric pull switch) to activate the fan for exhausting warm air from the engine bay #12: ignition lock #13: switch for wiper #14: switch for the fog lights #15: switch for the low-beam light #16: cigarette lighter #17: power window switch passenger side #18: yellow lamp when the fan (#24) is on #19: yellow lamp when the fan (#25) is on #20: reading lamp #21: choke #22: glove box #23: ventilation flap legroom #24: fan for cold air in the legroom (lamp #18 is on) #25: central fan - warm air for the heating (lamp #19 is on) #26: lever to start/stop warm air from the radiator - this is no electric switch it is a mechanical bowden cable But I have also seen other cabelings on other Vignales - my car had the same functions as described (above) in the manual. hope this helps Alfred
Driving 1121 in 92 degree desert heat after the installation of a new 79 degree thermostat and auxiliary fan installed in front of the radiator. The fan is operated by a toggle switch wired to a red warning light. Shown here on Interstate 10 heading West from Indio to Palm Desert. Before getting on the freeway I took the car on a 8 mile run hitting all the traffic lights, in heavy stop and go traffic with no problems. She passed the hot climate test with flying colors. The speedo kinda jumps around a little, but I can get that sent out for service. Ciao FGM Image Unavailable, Please Login
The car is running fantastic! Sounds great drives great, shifts like butter, but has one big problem. The seating position is made for a short Italian guy and I just can't get comfortable driving my Vignale for anything but a short spin. What good is a car if you can't drive it and experience it. No garage queens for me. The answer is to install two smaller seats that can be positioned back to add 3 or 4 inches of leg room and also recline for those long drives. I found two small seats that were fitted to a Zenn, a small electric car made in Canada. They fit perfectly by first mounting them on a sheet of Aluminum and then mounting the sheet to the existing bolt holes in the floors. I can remove these seats and install the originals in about 8 minutes or less and now I enjoy driving this car. I intend to take it on several long road tours and enjoy what the car was made for. Oddly enough, the seats look like they belong there. The scale is just right. The question now is should I re-leather them or leave them black to match the dash and carpet? Ciao, FGM Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hello Frank... If you are looking for opinions, I would recommend you re-leather them!!! They seem to detract from the elegance of the rest of the interior.. Perhaps, also do something with the holes on top of the seats... Just a friendly opinion... Mike
Can someone please post some photos of what the original Vignale Spyder keys look like? Especially the ignition key. I believe they were Magnetti Marrelli, but not sure. Ciao, FGM
Blue Dog Keys in Florida has Fiat key blanks that work for the Vignale push in ignition switch. The order number is Ilco GT 2 at $7 bucks each. In this way I will at least have a spare until I can find an original Magnetti Marrelli key blank. They were quick and easy to deal with. Ciao, Frank PS I still would like to see what an original key looks like.
Today I drove the Vignale over to Cantrell Motorsports where they mounted new 185 VR16 Pirelli tires. These are the correct tires for the car and gone are the non original Pirelli 215 16's which were too wide and tried to make the car look like something it is not. I bought one of those special tools for removing the 3 ear KO's with out pounding on them with a lead hammer. It worked really well. The car drives much better now and the steering is much lighter. Coming home at 5:30 in rush hour traffic was not a problem. Temp solid, with no overheating. I love driving this car and use it often, It is now working very well and pretty much sorted out. Next week Janet and I will be driving her up to Vancouver for the weekend. Ciao, FGM Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hello Frank... I see the tool being used in the bottom pictures... I have never seen one like this. May, I ask where it can be obtained, and cost? Thanks in advance.. Mike P.S. BEAUTIFUL CAR !!
Contact Maurice Mentens in Los Angeles He imports and sells them. Ciao FGM By using the German spinner tools in my own shop I learned there is NOTHING comparable on the market and wanted to open the American market for them. Sales are now going steady, I noticed once people actually handle these tools they agree they are a class on their own. Yes, these are not cheap but in the end they pay for themselves. Have a look around and just contact me for any questions that might arise. Thank you, Maurice Mentens [email protected] https://grandtouringusa.com
During the road tour organized by the folks at the Forrest Grove Concours there was a well known Calif Spyder also on the Tour. I could not pass up the opportunity to photograph the Vignale Spyder next to a Calif Spyder and here are the results. Surprisingly the two cars have some similar design cues, including the fender line from the rear of the door to the tail lights. The Calif Spyder designed by Pininfarina has a much longer hood line providing ample room to accommodate that glorious V12 and large side vents giving the car a very aggressive look. Also the lack of vent windows and the longer doors really adds to the sporting character of the car. On the other hand the short wheel base of the Giovanni Michelottii designed Vignale looks more nimble and ready for a cruise along the seashore and less meant for a high speed run down the Autostrada to Roma. To be critical the rear treatment of the Calif Spy looks a little cluttered compared to the Michelotti design - did I really say that - Oddly enough they both use the same reflectors. The covered headlights kinda detract from the front where the Maserati appears to have aged better with that full front end oval grill that shouts mid 50's Italian sports car. Both run on Borrani wire wheels with 3 ear knock offs. Finally the Maserati has a very calm less fussy twin plug, 3 Weber, twin cam six with plenty of low end torque coupled to a ZF 5 speed where the Ferrari has that heart pounding magnificent V12. And to think they were built less than 10 miles for one another. The Calif Spyder built in 50 pieces for the LWB and 55 SWB. Maserati built 240 Vignale Spyders beginning in Aug 1959. The above are just my observations and are not meant to say one is better than the other. I am sure you will draw your own conclusions. Ciao, FGM Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Yes I see what you mean with the fender line, very nice. Maybe the front (from headlights to windshield) of the Maserati is more similar to the front of the 275 GTS (1964) than to the front of the 250 LWB.
The drive down to Portland from Seattle last weekend went off with no hits, no runs, and no errors. We put 797 KLM (495 Miles) on the odometer. The 55 year old car performed perfectly, got 19 MPG. When these cars are sorted out they are a lot of fun to drive. Janet and I netted a First in Class and the Farthest Traveled. I would like to see more photos of Vignale Spyders being driven and discussed on this forum. If you have one of these cars I would enjoy hearing from you. Here are some photos taken last weekend starting with loading the trunk with the soft bags and ending at a restaurant along the way home on Interstate 5. I carry a bendix electric fuel pump as the only spare. "If you have it, you won't need it" Ciao, FGM Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
More photos of the weekend. FGM Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi, Has anyone read the new book on the Spyder Vignale by the "German Fountain of all Maserati Knowledge" ?
One is the sensible, has a handsome chiseled look of a man in a fine Italian suite and the other is very gorgeous, sexy but like a high maintenance woman beautifully dressed and seductive as hell.
Interesting project where was this photo taken and what is the serial number? Does it come with all or most of the spare parts? Ciao, FGM
Today was a beautiful day in Seattle. The sun was shining, 77 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, so I fired up the Vignale and let it come up to temp and off I went with the top down of course. I drove over to the city across the floating bridge to an industrial area of town where there is a small 3 man shop that does incredible 5 star sheet metal, assembly and painting work. This car runs so good now, zipping through traffic and through the Mercer Island tunnels. The new tires made a huge difference. We did a couple small punch list items including adjusting the passenger side hood latch and front bumper alignment. But really I just needed an excuse to drive the car. It is now so much fun to drive. For the life of me I do not understand why there aren't more guys driving these really great driving cars and writing about it. The driving season is now. My new QuickSilver under the door muffler arrived yesterday so that will be the next item for Brian to install. I will take the car down on Monday and leave it with him. The car is too loud and needs to be smooth sounding with just the right note, like 708 in my drive by videos, for those of you who have not seen those they are located at this link. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA1lZxq34D8[/ame] I will do some drive by videos of my Vignale after the muffler install. I would like to encourage my fellow Vignale Spyder owners to post detail photos of their cars. Including engine details and interior details, door panel fasteners, dash switches, seats etc etc. The photos will be very helpful in understanding our cars. Come on guys I know there are 30 to 50 cars out there that are in running condition. Ciao, FGM
Taking the Vignale now named Maria (the original purchaser of my Vignale) out to the Kenmore Air Harbor on a warm summer evening is one of my favorite drives because of the beautiful winding 10 mile drive along the lake shore. Once there I fill up a 5 gal can of aviation fuel @ $4,25 per gal. With the setting sun and the parking lights on the car purrs along, gulping in the cool summer air. I engage the heater valve and allow the warm air to fill the cabin. I normally mix the high octane fuel 2/3 to 1/3 and the cars love it. The webers stay cleaner, and the mix is very stable during the winter months of storage. Ciao, FGM Image Unavailable, Please Login
I drove the car down to my favorite sheet metal shop today to have the new QuickSilver exhaust installed. I am only replacing the under driver door muffler as the rear one seems to be in good shape. I look forward to hearing what she sounds like. I requested a muffler in mild steel not stainless. I also requested that they pack it with half as much material so it will be a little louder. Stay tuned, Ciao, FGM Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
