Ferrari to Offer Official Coach Building Service!

As I understand it, at the Present time, Official Ferrari Coachbuilts for road use have to be built on the 430 and 612 and be ordered through Ferrari who may work with various coach builders for design. I have also heard that Ferrari is making 3 new FXX's that may or may not have special body work depending on who you talk to but that these will not be road legal unless you own the country you wish to drive them in so to speak.

Anyone has the legal right to modify any car they own so long as it is done within the applicable DOT/EPA/EURO standards if they wish to run it on the road. If it is for off road/racing use you can pretty much do as you please. If you modify an existing Ferrari you do not have the right to imply that the car is Officially Sanctioned by Ferrari unless it is. That said if you want you could take an F 50 and hire a coachbuilder to make it look any way you want to so long as you complied with the above.

 

So basically you buy a U.S. model 430 or 612 and have it modified. Could
Ferrari modify it before they sold it without having to re test to see that it passes DOT/EPA standards?? If they cant then this would be limited to one offs for a specific owner unless they got permission to copy it from the owner?

I love the idea. We might see some very nice Ferrari's soon. The P4/5 is
maybe the best looking Ferrari in 20 years.

TT/SD

 

And I would agree with you if taste were a universal attribute, but we all know, one way or another, that it isn't.

My personal hell would be lambo doors on a "Gumballi" 512TR, etc.

 

Pity the Cappo di Scuderia Ferrari had no deeper insight.

As long as they must be I'm with you on the painted vs cloisonne.

How's that 208 compare to the 328?

 

You guys act like this is something new? Are we forgetting history? Are we abject revisionists bereft of a sense of automotive history here?

Back in the early years of automobiles, not just in Italy but everywhere, you bought the chassis and then found a coachbuilder to finish the car. Coachbuilding derived from the building of, yes, horse-carriages....the nicer one's were enclosed. Henry Ford would be the one to begin to change this with cars for the masses, but custom coachbuilding continued unabated, especially with higher end clients.

In fact, Jean Battista "Pinin" Farina worked in his older brother Giovanni Farina's "Carrrozzeria Farina" in Turin, which did both coaches and cars. Young "Pinin" (Italian colloquial for 'smallest' or 'runt' because he was a short kid) started his own effort focusing on cars. That's what gave us Pinninfarina, and the relationship with Ferrari started in the 50's when Sergio was assigned that account exclusively by his father. The last name wasn't changed to Pinninfarina until the 60's. Also, Pinnin' wasn't the first or only coachbuilder to be associated with Ferrari. As he began to make more road cars, he wanted something that "looked like a Ferrari." He turned to Vignale, not Farina, to design outstanding early examples like the 340 Mexico. He did, however, develop the relationship with Farina that still lasts until this day. Pinnin' has been the main design firm and builder, but again, not the only one. Sergio Scaglietti was the actual constructor of many of the Ferraris of the 60's and particularly 70's. The 512 BB is a prime example. When the 512 BBi went out of production in '84, it was the last of an era, because the Scaglietti constructed cars were all hand made, the panels being beaten by hand. The 412i was Scaglietti's last car that he actually built for Ferrari, design provided by Pinninfarina. The 612 is dedicated to him, and Mr. Scaglietti is still alive to this day. He made his pile when Fiat acquired Ferrari after Ferrari "acquired" Scaglietti works in the late 60's. The old man then turns to Fiat and says "you have to buy both companies." Scaglietti's response to the old man presenting this offer to him was quick...."Where do I sign??!"

There were, and are, many many coachbuilders that still exist in Italy and they are likely the undisputed masters of this art. But alas.....the wonderful experience of a custom built car comes at a premium, just as it did in those days. We act like it's something weird.....it's just a grand tradition we've lost touch with. Never think that it's something bad.....it's something very very good.

 

Jesse's 208 is ex Vacarella gift of Enzo and is wonderful. We're heading over to the historic targa to drive it there now.

These will be done as was P 4/5 that will keep them street legal.

I'm glad coachbuilding is returning.

 

To be considered a period special coachbuilt car the car's chassis cannot be older than 10 years.

More info about what is to be considered a coachbuilt car here: http://www.coachbuild.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=83&Itemid=69

 

Michiel were you thinking of joining this programme? I can imagine how difficult it can be but I don't have to convince anybody about the benefits...

 

I think it wouldn't be up to me to decide.
Yes, there are some benefits, but also a lot of restrictions...

We've never asked Ferrari if we could join for several reasons.
I'd rather focus on building our car and see what happens.

 

Why would anyone give Ferrari credit for the cars that Pininfarina, Zagato, Scaglietti designed AND built. Is I have said countless times, I would take it seriously if PF came up with a Classiche department, not Ferrari. As far as I understand it, Ferrari put there engine, trans, and axle on a Gilco chassis and had a body builder design and build the car.

 

I have to wonder why it's taken so long for one of the ultra-luxury/exotic manufacturers to develop this sort of program. With major manufacturers like Chevrolet and Nissan, and you might even consider Porsche, producing sports cars featuring sporting performance on par with Ferrari and Lamborghini, the exotic brands need to take it a step further to distance themselves from the pack again. Hopefully these "factory" coachbuilds are as thorough and comprehensive as the Napolis P4/5. Ultimately, I'd like to see Rolls or Bentley, and especially Bugatti, develop their own coachbuild programs.

 

What is there to develop?
It has allways been there.

 

Is there a way to coach build a Ferrari to look just like Alpha 8C? That car is simply perfect.

 

Historically speaking.....if there were no Alfa Romeo, there would be no Ferrari. The 8C shows that Alfa Romeo
still knows how to design sports cars...oh pardon.....Italian Supercars. The first 8C 2300 of 1932 was designed by
Jean Battista "Pinin" Farina, engine by Vittorio Jano. This car was a great leap for Alfa as it was their first racer with front and read independent suspension, following the Germans (Auto Union and Mercedes). This was the same year that Enzo Ferrari first headed up Alfa's racing effort, and that car contributed to it's success, that and having Tazio Nuvolari mopping up the competition. It's also historically noteworthy that the 8C was the first car ever to be adorned with the prancing horse logo. Enzo later left Alfa in 1937 depending on who you read, and Nuvolari went to drive for Auto Union.

I wonder if Alfa is doing this on purpose and decided to build this ultra exotic just to show Ferrari what it coulda or shoulda done with their new model instead of this California thing......one wonders how much intentional intrigue went into this. The 8C really should be the new Ferrari, or, being a Ferrari it should be better.

Is anyone starting to get the feeling that the term "purist" is applying less to Ferrari as the cars get more and more technologically sophisticated or is this just a ripple in the stream that has the appearances of a shift in thinking?

 

^ Great post. ^__^

Maybe we should ask FIA to build more 8C's badged as Ferraris... I'd take one over any other Ferrari on the lot in a heart beat.

 

Here's the 8C complete with painted shields
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and here's the new 8C in the foreground with the Nuvolari 8C in the background
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May I ask where those pic's were taken at or if it was an event of some sort?

 

Righini Castle.

Here's the wonderful thread started by 410SA: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=198569
Lots of great pics!!

 

I was referring more to it as being "Factory Sanctioned" to some extent. Whereas in first half of the 20th century, it was almost status quo to have a custom coachbuilt body on your Deusy/Bug/Rolls, now it has become the opposite in that most manufacturers don't approve of modification of their automobiles. To hear that Ferrari will support such activity (in what manner they will support it is unknown so far) is refreshing and I maintain that it would be fantastic for other exotic and ultra-luxury manufacturers to follow suit.

 

does anyone else think that ferrari offering more publicly to do this now, may effect the price on the actual cars...

for example say they build 50 custom cars over the next few years... they arent going to be as "special" as if they only do 2-3 of them... ala p4/5.
while they might end up being really nice designs etc.. i can see them being just another rebodied ferrari. same way making 6000 of 1 model per year will dilute the effect

 

Who's James Glickenhaus?

 

This is more good news. It continues Ferraris history of providing very special cars for very lucky people.

Do you think they will do something bespoke?

 

Some guy east coast with a couple of really old 10 speed bikes.

 

Yer Funny!

On the subject of 'limits', I dunno how many of you have seen the Station Wagon fashioned by Chinetti Jr. from a Daytona.....beauty is in the eye of the beer-holder as they say.