bye F1, hello 6-speed! My second 360 has arrived! (with pics)

As some of you may know, I had been looking to upgrade from my 360 F1 to a Titanium CS for a little while. After not being able to get one and giving up on my search, I got rid of my own dream car and my first Ferrari ever, my Giallo Modena 360 F1. After a brief stint with a new GT3, I wanted to get back into a 360 right away. I was lucky enough to find a perfect TDF Blue 360 very quickly, and this time with the standard 6-speed manual transmission I intended to get the first time around! It also didn't hurt that it had my favourite exhaust already installed, the Capristo stage 2.

This car was originally purchased by Gary(SF). My previous 360 was originally ordered and owned by Jack(LA). Coincidentally, these are the two board members I modeled my own screen name after. Go figure!

I will post more driving impressions and comparisons of the F1 and 6-speed later. I've never driven the 6-speed before this car, and I've only driven about 160 miles so far. It's fun being able to compare both versions of the car. The short answer is this car is way better off the line in first gear and gives a better sense of feel and control over the car. In any gear other than first, it's not as good as the F1 (because I'm not as good). At the track, with me driving both cars, the F1 would destroy this car. But I think it is more fun overall for street driving, and I'm happy I'm getting my 6-speed experience instead of jumping immediately to a CS (or F430, which I would get in F1). I also have a bit more peace of mind knowing it has less potential for costly issues than the F1.

The only downside? I found out that getting your first Ferrari is probably the only one that feels like a dream come true.

I want to give a huge thanks to Kirby, Gary, Mike, and Hog Haulers for all their help.

By the way, I really have to give it up to Hog Haulers, they were amazing. I researched shipping on this site, and no one mentioned them when talking about shipping cars, but they should. They ship primarily cars, and they use lift trucks (no ramps). It took them just ONE DAY from the time I called them to the time they picked it up and had it on the truck, and it took them only FIVE DAYS to deliver it to my door (2,500 miles away). I have used Intercity before, and they are absolutely excellent. But this time I saved 10-15% and saved NINE days in transport & waiting time. The co-owner, Debbie, called me every other day with status updates too.

I attached some pictures, enjoy.
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Mike - The TDF blue is growing on me more each day. The metallic flake in it is amazing in direct light. I will try to post some pics of the car in direct light soon. Thanks again for your insight on this car. It showed up absolutely perfect.

I bought this car sight unseen, based on the amazing reputation of the owner and the cars history, along with the valuable opinions of F-chat members that had inspected the car.

 

The fact that it had a fat ugly horse in the middle of it's shield instead of a prancing horse. Actually the GT3 is a fine car. It drove really well and impressed me, but I'm just not a Porsche person. German cars seem similar to me. They are fast, but lack personality or style. Also the price is too high and the GT3 will depreciate rapidly. For GT3 money, I could have an M3, a 335i, and a Vette. I don't think it holds much value. But a Ferrari is a Ferrari.

Amazing pic in your profile. BTW, did we talk on the phone recently?

 

Thanks everyone for your comments!

Robert - that is actually the trip meter, not the mileage. The car is an 04. Forgot to mention, my previous 360 was a first year model, so it had only one catalytic converter instead of two, and perhaps more aggressive fuel mapping with the older version of Bosch Motronic. I feel it made a tad more power than the 04 does. Of course the new Capristo exhaust makes up for a lot of that feel.

Here are some pictures of the TDF Blue alongside a friend's CS under direct light. It was cloudy when the other pictures were taken. The color looks very different under different lighting conditions. At dusk, it even has a slight purple tinge to it.

I also included some comparison shots of the CS vs. 360 engine bay and steering wheel. Enjoy!
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David - Hopefully I'll be installing a challenge grill soon. I am considering yellow calipers too, we'll see.

 

Some type of open-wheel racer. Maybe a formula ford or an older Indy car, not quite sure. It was pretty cool to see it on the truck though.

When I got my last 360, the Alpine BMW X5 was next to it on the truck:

http://www.motortrend.com/features/mobile_electronics/112_0508_alpine_bmw_x5/
http://www.caraudiomag.com/v_features/0505cae_alpine_bmw_x5/

It had AV jacks of every imaginable type underneath the car, right next to the chassis!