I actually don't agree. There's something about the color black that sort of swallows up a Ferrari's lines. For that reason, I feel that black on Ferraris hides the car's contours, detracting from the overall look. That's my feeling, anyway.
I would say it's a matter of how it's lit... I think black CAN look very nice on a ferrari and add a lot to the lines it has. For instance the attached picture of my 328 or my profile pic. Seeing Willis's 360 in person it is gorgeous. Having said that - I'll never buy another black car again... until i'm retired and have infinite free time to detail it. Black is beautiful but hard to impossible to keep clean.
WOW!!!!! That looks simply incredible. I can't decide if the stripe adds to the car or takes away from it. On a red or silver car I would get it no question. Paul
I think black looks great on almost all F-cars, especially 360's, 550's and Enzo's... it exudes stealth and subdued power - like I COULD be all flashy and yellow bling-bling (don't get me wrong, I like fly yellow too!), but instead it's like being all 'humble' and 'modest' about the swooping curves, until 4000rpm when you KNOW who the boss is. Black on bordeaux is the ultimate stylin' combo. Agree with Dave though, you need an extra $100+ a month to have the thing pro detailed to keep it clean.
Dave and ryalex I bet the Black paint on the new F-cars are much easier to keep looking good compared to our older Ferraris. At the F-gatherings I look at the new F-cars and see a much tougher shell/clear-coat and a deeper depth. It takes a lot of work and time for me to get my paint looking like that. I look forward to the day I pick-up my "New" Ferrari with the new paint technology and Black will still be an option for me. That black is so "Kick Ass" on the new F-cars.
Dan, I'm in Morgan Hill. I'd love to join in on your drives. I'll keep an eye on the Nor-Cal section and keep me posted. Any Stadales join in on the drives yet?
Allen - I've had a black 1998 Ford Mustang, my 1987 Ferrari 328GTS was repainted (factory approved, Standox, with clear coat, in year 2000, pricey ... i.e. > $12k), my 2003 MINI Cooper S's roof is black. Modern paint, old paint, it just doesn't matter. Black is black is black. Black always has and always will (IMHO) look better than any other car out there... until you get a drop of rain on it, until you look at it in just the wrong light, until you touch it, until pollen/dirt falls onto it.... usually this or something similar happens within 10 minutes of you finishing the detailng of the car. I drive 328 in a lot of rain in Seattle and I've just learned to live with only having hte car looking gorgeous for the couple shows I go to per year. -dq
I also saw this new car along side a new red one, the stripe seems weird until you see it in person, it is so well done, it blends right into the paint, same height, its perfect as far as I can see and outrageousness of it makes it a must have in my opinion. It looks like so much work to do that I doubt its profitable for Ferrari even at $5k. You need to see it in person. The other really nice things are the exhaust system, its a mini version of the normal muffler, it sounds loud, it must be right up on the edge of legal. The engine compartment fire walls are now carbon, the hydraulic fluid radiant heat shield is done very well compared to the standard 360, it also has carbon intakes, and carbon plate for a chrome horse that goes on the intakes, a small touch, but it looks great. The carbon rear window trim for the heat grills is very nice as well. The mouse fir dash looks much better than I thought, even the radio add on looks very nice, the only weird thing in my opinion is no carpeting, just painted floors and some rubber mats. Seems like they are trying a little too hard with no carpets. Is it worth another $35k over a standard 360? YES, its outrageous.
I love black cars, but it is a nightmare to clean them because less than one hour after your work it comes dirty. That is why some weeks ago I looked for any way to keep my car clean and shiny for more time. I have the solution : a teflon-like treatment based on fluoresin, a chemical application who is a mix of different molecoles ( http://www.swissguard.ch/en-us/defaut/paintprotector.html ). The result is fantastic : I clean my car in less than 1 hour, every 2 weeks. I clean the car with standard soap and a sponge, I rinse it with a lot of water. In 3 or 4 steps. Then I dry it with a special silicon scraper and a microfibre towel (the water is very hard here -calcium- the drying must be done quickly). Then even the car is shiny for many days, even if it rain. The part who come dirty firstly if the back of the car because there is less wind friction. Less than $500, no more wax, more time for driving (or for my wife/kids), shiny black car, happy face! PS: this black 360 CS should be my next car... jack
