550 as a daily driver?

I'm sure it will look "showroom." Onno. What needs to be done with your interior?

Here in this part of the world, I'm fortunate to have Classic Coach, a Factory-authorized coachwork repair facility, nearby. They service my car too. Daily driving (and frequent tracking) takes its toll. My car can become "showroom" at any time (only to get a rash all over again):
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Mine too. I leave the knobs on "aut," set the temperature and forget it. When the sun hits the sensor on top of the dash, the cold airflow increases noticeably.

 

Are those stone chips?

You should consider installing a 3M clear-bra on the front bumper..

 

Dig it, like battle scars!
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Those are stone chips and bug chips. Slamming into bugs, especially those with hard exoskeletons, on the track has the same effect as stones.
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Adds character!

 

It's a well-known fact that with Ferraris, the first stone chip you get after installation of a clear bra is 1 inch beyond its margin.

 

...but maybe the second one won't be

 

If it isn't already, this stone chip pic should be posted in Jim's drive them thread. It's a great pic.

 

Is that Bart's old 550? His looked like that at 60K miles.

 

No, Tillman. Previous owner is from New Jersey too.....President New Jersey Chapter ~ Penn-Jersey Region FCA. That's what Watkins Glen, Limerock and Pocono does to a car. He tracked it extensively. It was resprayed before I purchased it but is now starting to collect road rash all over again at track events.

 

Will do. I've tracked my GTB too.....
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Ahh...Still such a pretty shape.

I had a '77 308GTB years ago. Great little handler but ran hot and was heavy. Kudos to you for keeping her in the twisties.

ketel

 

It's timeless and still required reading at schools of automotive design.

 

The leather is getting grubby. Particularly the driver's seat is starting to darken quite a bit - the disadvantage of tan leather.


Onno

 

Onno, if you were to do it over again, would you stay with tan or consider other (darker) shades?

ketel

 

Growing up in FL, we had lovebugs that would reach plague-esque levels in the summers and were very acidic (or at least that was the story) -- they would, however, eat straight through your paint if you left the carcasses on there for any length of time...

 

I can believe it! That's why I wash my car when I get home from the track. That's the fun part....you can drive the 550 to and from the track.

Barry

 

I'll answer that, ketel, as Onno and I have the same interior. I have not experienced any significant discoloration or changes in my beige leather over my car's >64,000 miles. The previous owner caused some tearing of the blue piping on the driver's seat bolster, but that was repaired by Classic Coach's upholsterer, before my purchase, by using the existing piping and bringing the undamaged leather out and tucking the damaged part in and then restitching. You can't tell anything ever happened. I try to be very careful getting in and out of the car as the bolsters are prominent and very supportive. The seat surfaces should be wiped with a damp rag after use on those hot summer days. Twice a year, the seats should be treated with a light application of a fine leather cleaner/preservative. Doing this will insure the light colored leather staying nice. But expect some patina. That's what happens to leather. Get the interior color you like and take reasonable care of it and it will stay looking nice.

Barry
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I second Barry's comments. I would absolutely go with the tan, it just looks spectacular with the dark exterior colour. The leather has not discoloured much (you can see it has a little bit if you compare bits that are outside of direct light with the rest). The grubbiness I was talking about is on the seats themselves. It just needs some decent cleaning and I'm sure it will look great again.

Too bad I'm 4,000 miles from my car, otherwise I could have posted some pics.


Onno

 

Onno,

It sounds like you have your car and its interior in capable hands. You'll be pleased with the results, I'm sure.

Barry

 

I use mine as an (almost) daily driver. The only occations I do not use it is when I use my Testarossa instead, or in the winter. I drive the 550 approximately 8000-10000km per year with no problems whatsoever. Before I bought the 550, my Testarossa was my daily driver, and my experience is that it too is reliable and good for daily use. The important thing is to keep the cars running on a regular basis, as it is storage and infrequent use that is the big threat to most ferraris.

Lars