458 Challenge Car

current Forza mag has a buyers guide for all the challenge models

Universal motorsports on long island seems to have experience with them

Good luck

 

With the dollar strength great deals abroad .. Easy to get on plane and inspect ..! Or get inspected

 

The most important thing(s)

1) have, in hand, the history of the car, including maintenance and repairs. sounds standard, but race cars seem to have everything (if run by a team) or nothing (if run by a private owner)

2) have the car actually inspected by someone who KNOWS race cars, in particular the 458C. Most current Challenge teams can help you; in fact, the "community" is small enough that someone will know the car.

3)some Challenge cars are beat up; however, cars run by a top-rate team are likely better to buy since they've been properly inspected, maintained, set up, repaired and supported. Example - I test drove a 458C that was bought privately and rarely run as a favor; the car was a basket case as it had never been serviced or setup properly. I think I did one lap, half-speed.

4) "cosmetic" damage is nothing to worry about IMHO, as long as it was repaired properly. Bent tub or crap repairs, stay away - if they went cheap on the bodywork, likely they went cheap somewhere else

5) some people do "DIY" the cars. However, these cars are maintenance intensive compared to any street car (though are quite reliable and durable). Find a competent team to support you, or be prepared for a few hours of nut-and-bolt work after each weekend.

There are a lot of good used non-Evo cars around, and a growing number of Evo cars. Kilometers, brake rotor life remaining, good dampers, control arms, etc - lots of items on the "PPI" list beyond a street car.

I would connect with a few of the Challenge teams as they either have, or will shortly have, cars for sale (ours does).

Karl (post above) has what appears to be a very nice car with some non-OEM tweaks, might be worth a look.

Last comment/sanity check - "used Ferrari race car" is among the more dangerous collection of words out there. Get a good car, get someone competent to take care of it, and be careful. These cars are missiles and can get you in trouble faster than you think.

hope this helps/good luck

 

congratulations!

I know that car, and Jeff and Pete are good guys to work with

have fun

 

Are you planning running pirellis? The camber setup is very different from pirellis to Hoosiers that have a much stiffer sidewall. Talk to Dave at fcf to help you with the car setup. You can run 4.5 front and 3.5 in the rear in pirellis at Sebring. Are you getting two sets of springs? I'd run the softer springs at Sebring for sure. From there getting the rake set right and ride height is hugely critical. The car is extremely pitch sensitive and because the ediff royally sucks you have to set the car up to turn in quickly to drive around it, so it will feel a little loose in the rear. At your experience level you're not likely ready to go there but if you get quick and understand suspension and aero changes it will be.

I'll be at Sebring with chin in October in my 360 ch and then have my 458 back down after the last race of the season for the rest of the winter so feel free to stop by my trailer with questions.

 

Well starting out in the car on slicks with ur limited experience is a certain recipe for disaster so I'd recommend some street tires to start out but couldn't steer you in the right direction there. There is going to be a big change in performance in the car on a dot tire but maybe you could try some Hoosier r6 tires as ur next step after chewing up a set of street tires, then move up to slicks after 5 or 6 weekends in the car.

Just be patient and take your time with feeling out the car. It will feel nothing like ur italia and the jump to slicks will bite you if you're not used to catching the car quickly when it steps out.

The best thing you can do is get hooked up with a race team and coach that can help you get used to the car and help you set it up. I run with Wisko Racing and have a coach that can help you. You don't need to be racing to have a team, they can be very helpful with making setup changes and just dealing with little headaches that pop up.

I support my cars myself during the winter but leave with the team during the race season, so it can be done, but I've spent many a day in the Florida sun fixing my car instead of driving it, which sucks and I enjoy working on the cars.

 

I have ridden in Jeff's car several times. I know the history of the car, and that it has always been maintained to a very high standard. You are on a good path...just take your time and get comfortable with the dynamics of a race car.
Rotary is an excellent driver, and can offer tips to get you "in the groove" quicker and safely.