Were Daytona wheels painted gold(ish), ever offered as standard color for a street GTB/4? Back in that era, Cromodora offered the five spoke wheel in both silver and gold. I'm 100% on this, because I bought a set in the gold for an Alfa in '73. I think they look really cool, better than silver, but then, it is just an opinion... Regards, Alberto
I have seen gold anodized wheels on some race cars. I don't believe they were ever a normal street option. But then with enough money...
I wholly agree Tom, as they say, it's your car after all... Dinos had yellow wheels and others with blue, I think silver is almost everywhere, so why not gold? Regards, Alberto
It certainly was an upgrade that owners did, in period. I've seen old photo's of Daytona's with gold wheels. But Keith Bluemel's book certainly makes no mention of gold wheels fitted at the factory. Onno
For a time back in the eighties, when my now-metallic red Dino was metallic blue, I had the Campagnolo wheels painted gold metallic. They really looked good with the blue. Now, they're back to silver, and all is well with the world. Fred
Have you thought of painting the wheels pink, with green spots? That would be very very cool. Alternatively, light blue with mauve accents might just be the ticket. I mean, it's just a Daytona anyway. They made more than 600 of them! Never forget that if you paid for something, you can do whatever you want with it. Originality and conservation are just for snobs. An added benefit of gold wheels is that you would feel right at home next to all the gold plated rollses and bentleys that our sophisticated friends from the Persian Gulf so much appreciate.
Pues si, Alberto! Sorpresas te da la vida! Tienes un Dino en El Salvador? Que interesante! No conozco aun tu pais pero tengo muchas ganas de visitarlo. Que tal las carreteras ahi para conducir el Dino? Cordialmente, Julio
I know where there is a set of gold ones inc 15x9 rears for sale, they are not mine, and are in the UK ,in good condition or so i was told, he also has some racing style campi's, that are very rare, but he siad he would not trust them on the road! Here's a pic of some gold wheels. Grant Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sorry, Salman........Julio doesn't normally "toss them out" like that......my apologies on his behalf!
Gold is indeed a 'period correct' paint treatment and alludes to the racing heritage of the car...... Let's see if we can find some track photos from 24 Hours of Daytona....and of course it's not a 'plating' in that sense at all.........it's paint, man. Just paint!!!
Big Tex, I think Julio is able enough to do his own apologizing, no? I thought that on f-chat we do not criticize religion, creeds, or peoples in a derisive manner. His riposte to a simple, no allegations or intent, question that asked about a color of some wheels, does not automatically make you a defiler of Ferrari automobiles, or someone of "bad taste"? By that assumption, does it more or less make you a bank robber just because you made inquiries about what time the bank opens? Furthermore, making suggestions that an option would be to paint in absurd colors, is also a bad call, derisive, and in bad taste. Board meetings are a success when members attack ideas not people. Regards, Alberto
I have sent a PM to Alberto, apologizing for the unappropriate tone in my response to his neutral question. Bigtex, thank you for the measured tone of your comment. But... "It's period correct", "The racing cars used it", "It's just paint", "It alludes to the racing heritage", "Napolis did it on his one-offs". I think that that kind of consideration is what has led to the streets of Monte Carlo being crowded with "Rosso Corsa" 612's with oversized shields, the repainting in red of more than 50 % (Yes!) of Vintage Ferraris when less than 5% of them were originally painted so, or the afixing of racing shields on anything than has a horse and moves, even if it's a large 60's 2+2 Grand Tourer. The fact is that Ferrari never produced a STREET Daytona (the subject of the OP) with gold wheels, painted or plated or whatever. Is a street Daytona not a sufficiently awesome car (on my radar for the past 6 months!) for us to not respect its original color configuration by dressing it up as a racer? I will agree, however, that a removable coat of paint is not a mortal sin. "It's your car", "You can do what you want with it", "Screw what people think", "It's your money". Yes. Nobody can sue you. No state, federal, or national legal code forbids transforming your possession to your heart's content. If you consider that in life you have a right to do anything that is not legally forbidden, there is nothing more to say. Keep on irreversibly chopping up 250 PF's and 250 GTE's to make fake racers, dressing up GTC's with fiber GTO bodies, or even break one up to show the world that you can do better than Pininfarina. I mean, it's your car, right? I don't share that point of view. I try every day to teach my children precisely the opposite: Life is full of moral responsibilities and obligations that should effectively limit our rights, regardless of legal limitations. And we should allways show great respect for those things of value which we are fortunate to possess or enjoy, which often hold a strong meaning for those around us who are not privileged enough to be able to afford them. There is a wonderful ad campaign for a Swiss watch (Patek Philippe, IIRC) that shows a father and his son with the title: "You never own a Patek Philippe, you just take care of it for the next generation" (again, IIRC). I believe it fully applies to vintage Ferraris. Patek Philippes are great watches, but they are currently in production, and the history they carry is just the one you make for them. A vintage Ferrari is much, much more than that. It's a rare icon, a monument of automotive history that can never be created again. In my view our obligation to take care of Daytonas for "the next generations" is undisputable, and the statement "It's mine, I can do what I want with it", when applied to a Daytona, is wrong on all levels except the only one that in my view is not really important. On the other hand, Alberto was just asking about a coat of paint: It's not that big a deal! Please forgive my vehemence: the whole subject hits a very raw nerve with me right now, because I own a car with an original color that I very much dislike (bright white), and I am caught between my taste (metallic blue) and my principles. The principles are winning, but my mood has not improved... My wife tells me that I should repaint it in any color I want (It's your car! Paint it the color you like!), and I snap back with philosophical arguments such as the ones I have just made, which are understandably getting on her nerves... Not a good situation! I feel like Hamlet... Cheers to all! Julio
Julio, Everyone is a bit individualistic when it comes to our ownership of these cars. Some make their vintage cars better than new and bring them out for the shows to have every fastener scruitinized. I enjoy seeing them on the lawn at Cavallino. But that is not the way I will treat my cars. To me the fun is the drive and just enjoying the car the way I want it. My GTC is not an original color, but it's the color I like. And I think if you go back to the history of older Ferraris you will find many were repainted to the owner's tastes. Certainly I understand the very rare and one-off versions being more cherished having been sympathetically restored or preserved as they were when they left the factory. A 250 California or SA might fit into this category. However my GTC and Dino were just Ferrari's production cars. It's easier to be comfortable flogging them around knowing they are just that..........great sports cars to enjoy. And if I had a Daytona in the stable and I liked gold wheels [I don't] I would have no problem making the car suit me. Again the Daytona is not exactly a rare car in the Ferrari world. Of course this is just one man's humble opinion. You know what I would do if I had your dilemma of paint color. Life is too short to not personalize your car the way you want.
Interesting. Don't know what your white car is, but looking at the ones in your avatar, I guess I wish I had your problem. By the way, isn't there a famous collector who painted all his ferrari's white... I would say repainting it is not contrary to your principles that much, if it is not the factory layer of paint. It is something which can be reversed fairly easily by the next generation, if they wish to do so. My much less historic 328 is in its original rosso corsa, love it but prefer blue. If I do decide one day to change the colour, my argument not to go with the original colour will be that it compensates for all the resale red Ferrari's. Saludo,
Thank you for your perspective. The white car is a 250 PF. 328's look gorgeous in dark metalic blues! Saluti,
