This is long but it may bring back a few memories for some of you. Today, June 15th, 2023, will be 42 years since I bought my Dino from my best friend, David. We are still best friends. It seems like it was just ……. 42 years ago. It also seems like it was my birthday. First there was darkness, and then there was light. That is what the purchase of my Dino meant to me. My interest in cars was because of David’s interest in cars. He was, and is, a true renaissance man with impeccable taste, and skill. He is a few years older than me, so he had more knowledge and resources to buy cars than I did. He was constantly buying and selling cars and each car was well bought. He could make a deal even when there was no deal to be made. Back in the day we would always go out cruising in his latest exciting acquisition. Over the years he had four 356s, including a cabriolet, about five 911s, a couple of XK 120s, a trio of MR2s, 2 Isettas, a Goggomobil, a Facel Vega (I can still smell that leather to this day), a Lotus Europa and a Lotus Elan (I still remember that freeway onramp where the 56 Chevy spun out trying to keep up with us. What was the Chevy driver thinking?). He also had a Brabham BT28, an Aztec Mk4, a Lotus 7, and a PBS. Unfortunately, these didn't have enough seats for him to take me for a ride, but I was able to cheer him on while he was winning several SCCA championships in the 1970s. Yes, he did not just buy cars, he also raced them. He has more testosterone than the defensive lineup of the Dallas Cowboys. I will not go into his aerobatic airplane flying in his Cap-10 or his multiple high-performance motorcycles. I bought my 65 MGB (he had owned 3) and my Opel from him. I also bought my go kart with a Guazzoni engine, (it previously had a Villiers engine. How many of you remember those engines?). I also bought an absolutely beautiful Bottechia bicycle (blue over chrome). I should never have sold it. It was a work of art. But it is the Dino that I bought from him and held onto. I traded him my 1980 RX-7 with BBS wheels and some cash for the Dino. Every car he owned was in pristine condition….the Dino still is. To this day I playfully rib him about all the cars he should never have sold. Except, of course, The Dino. For that, I thank him for selling it…..to me. Sorry for the long intro and the trip down memory lane with the provenance of my Dino, but finally to the story about the wind wing latch. My friend recently turned 75 and I couldn't decide what to get him. Over the years there have been many threads on FerrariChat about detached wind wing latches. Every time one of these threads would appear I would talk to David about it and we would reminisce. He first instructed me about the wind wing latches 44 years ago when he first bought the Dino. I’m not sure where he learned about the latches, but he made sure I knew about it. "Don't touch the wind wing latch". "Don't touch the wind wing latch". Over and over every time he took me for a ride. We lived across the street from each other and at the end of the day, when we were done goofing around, he would stand on his porch and yell "Don't touch the wind wing latch". I would go to sleep and dream, " Don't touch .......". By the time I bought the Dino from him I wouldn't even look at the latch, let alone touch it. Needless to say, I let everyone know, who is even within eyeshot of the Dino, "Don't .........". You get the idea. To this day my latches are still untouched and still attached with original Ferrari factory installed glue. I owe it all to his advice. He and I may be falling apart, but the wind wing latches are doing great. So what did I get him as a reminder of our friendship and his sage advice over these many years? ........... He loved it!!!!!! Image Unavailable, Please Login
So….what was the very first thing my wife did in her very first Dino ride? So….now she won’t even ride in the car.
