after a LONG wait, i finally got my 512TR. many thanks to adams for letting go of it from everything i read in the past, i was expecting the worse and the drive to be like a truck. but i was so surprised. the car is very NICE and quite comfortable and easy to drive. the clutch is soft (for an exotic), the steering has nice weight and becomes very easy to turn with the car slightly rolling (no need of power steering IMO), the engine pulls nice and strong with a fantastic sound coming out of the flat 12 with tubi, and it rides well considering the bad roads we have in the philippines. i'm very pleased. i was expecting it would be worse than my '89 930. but on the contrary, it's so much easier to drive. honestly, it's like a modern day car, circa 2002 and above. my only issue now is the a/c is not functioning properly. prior to loading the car, the expansion valve was replace and freon recharged. my friend who had the car says the aircon was blowing very cold and no problems at all. 4 months later, it's all hot air.
Man what a great car. Nothing and I mean nothing sounds, runs, drives like a well tuned 512TR. Took so long to get to you, but glad it's finally there, and in great hands.
Wow! Very impressive! Enjoy the ride! The last time I was in the Phillipines, I only saw motorcycles, decorated busses and wannabe Asian tuner cars. How many other people do you know drive a real Ferrari?
I just got the a/c checked and the tech said there is freon and the compressor is working properly and gets cold. But only heat comes out the vents. What could it be? The tech said there's probably a flap that needs to close so not to let hot air but we don't know where to look. Would appreciate suggestions. Thanks.
There's quite a number of ferraris, certainly in the hundreds by now. We already have a ferrari dealership and lambo. Porsches are quite common. But these cars are usually evening and sunday cars only given our bad roads and traffic.
FINALLY someone such as myself that DOESN'T complain about the "effort" required to steer a Testasrossa at low speeds....Must be ALLOT of Testasrossa owners that need to "Man Up" & "Hit the gym"....OHHHH my arms hurt from driving my Testarossa!!!....take off Ur Panties & put your "Big Boy pants ON"!!!....Mark
"1" upgrade I would consider a MUST!!!, especially considering the climate you will be driving in..."HOT with the A/C running"!!!...is the Dave Helms fuse panel upgrade. Make SURE to INSPECT!!! your fuse panel for burnt connectors!!!...you will thank me later & I will surely be on your Christmas card mailing list!!!...Mark
Big congrats to you! Definitely gotta get the A/C fixed considering you are in PHL. I'm just amazed how nice cars doesn't get dinged up given all the motorcycles/mopeds on the street.
Congratulations and a warm welcome to this fabulous flat-twelve community ! Enjoy your 512TR to the max
i believe it has it already together of the Gold Connectors courtesy of Adams. once we figure out what's going on with the a/c and why the cold air isn't coming to the cabin, the car is all set. just need the give a good detail and clear window tint, it's done. those complaining about stiff clutches and hard steering wheel should drive a Porsche 930 or a 997 GT3 RS -much more difficult.
At the moment I'm in search of a "Factory" 930S "Slantnose"....I can deal with a "Stiff Clutch"!!...Pleased to know any fuse box issues have already been addresed. I'm curious to know...What's the highest octane rated gasoline in the Philippines?!...Enjoy your TR with much joy & saftey!!....Mark
Just came from the workshop. Seems like when the engine is cold I can feel some cool air coming in the cabin. When the engine warms, the hot air takes over completely. We were looking at the workshop manual and there is a warm water solenoid connected to the hvac system and we are thinking this may have failed and doesn't close and keeps letting hot water in the system. Any thoughts on this theory? We are thinking of bypassing the heater core completely since I don't need any heat here anyway, at least to troubleshoot the problem. Re: octane. We have an advertised 100ron but i don't think it is as claimed. Still it should be comparable to 91-93 aki. Good enough for the cars to run properly
workshop just called. a/c is working already. the wire to power the solenoid valve came loose. all is well now. can't wait to collect it tonight and run around with it.
Quite true, both posts. I did every single gold connector on the engine side of car, plus ECUs, painstakingly by my own personally involved hands. I have the largest crimping muscles of anyone I know. Additionally, the front fuse box was removed, shipped off and correctly upgraded, plus I did the relocation kit that isolates the fans, compressor. In addition, "OEM Ferrari" vents are subtly mounted on the fuse box door to exhaust the unwanted heat that builds, giving much needed circulation to this crucible of otherwised contained heat. The only connections I could not reach (and for future notes) were the TDC triggers on the front of the motor. (At least thats what I think they were, but there were two connections at the firewall side that I couldn't have reached or seen with 4 wrists per hand and a lighted boroscope mounted on my eyeballs.) I would say that 'electrically', this car is quite ready for prime time. So if anything fails, it's all Dave Helms fault! For those who don't know, I am completely kidding, as he is a veritable National Treasure in Ferrari land, and designed every component I just mentioned. Enjoy that car!
finally got to drive the 512TR and stretch its legs. beautiful car and very nostalgic. no hiccups whatsoever. took it all the way to redline numerous times and 110mph to hear the glorious flat 12. it's more than i expected. really happy with it. fantastic buy and addition to the garage. a great comfortable cruiser.
