A Stitch in Time!

During my recent trip to Italy, I left one of my Dinos at the restoration shop that does most of my work these days. I instructed them to have their upholsterer do a few things, including replace a stitch on one of the passenger seat leather ribs. My painter told me, upon my return, and before picking up the car, that the upholsterer had said to him: "I don't know the gentleman, but if he intends to keep the car, I would suggest replacing all of the foam rubber in the cushions." The painter informed him that keeping the car was not an issue with me. He also told me that he had taken the liberty of giving the upholsterer the go-ahead. I picked up the car on Saturday. They had ordered corrugated foam, and the upholsterer tightened up the straps on both seats, unstitched all of the seat cushion ribs, installed the new foam, and restitched everything. The seats are now reborn, and even though they didn't look bad before the work, one look at the old foam was proof enough that it was time to replace everything. Just another small "home improvement" that will keep the old boy charging onward into the future (I refuse to refer to a car named "Dino" as a "she"!). Fred

 

Sorry, no pics, Uro (I have not yet replaced my stolen digital camera). As for "old boy", I'd venture a guess that, by automotive standards, a 37-year-old is at least middle-aged. I can't allow myself to consider the Dinos as ladies or girls. Just as, in earlier days, a man in Italy would not think of allowing himself to be driven by a woman, I cannot sanction a Dino sex-change into a "she." Would we also call an Enzo "she"? I don't believe that the "Old Man" would approve! But then, he'd probably bristle at having a Ferrari named after him in the first place. However, maybe I'm in the minority, in that I often refer to my Dinos as "the boys." Fred

 

Uro, methinks we're mixing metaphors here! Having said that, your descriptive remarks are beginning to etch themselves into my brain. Maybe I'll switch to saying "the guys." What say you? Fred

 

Our favorite car of all time, a transvestite! The mind boggles! I do have to agree with your assessment of the Dino's appearance. Nothing before or since can come close to its nearly perfect design. Only the P4, which is only driven on the street by people named Jim, can eclipse the Dino's design excellence. Dina, anyone? Fred

 

Mikey, The Dino is definitely young at heart, and mine are aging along with me. I am past middle age, since, at age 61, I don't have any prospects of living to 122! Agreed, the Dino is immeasurably beautiful, but Enzo has left us the paradox of a beautiful object carrying the name of his beloved lost son. I have a hard time contemplating a Dino without seeing Dino's face, familiar from a Ferrari book that I've had for over 35 years. I don't know the true answer to this, now that Uro has put a new (and disturbing!) image into my head. Fred