Grigio Alloy 360 Modena

After years of watching FChat and learning so much from the community... I feel obligated to post pics of my new-to-me 2000 Euro Spec Grigio Alloy 360 Modena

Story for those who care:

After watching FChat and the 360/430 market from the sidelines for years, I've finally been able to join the party with the purchase of my first Ferrari. Like many, I came from a Porsche 911. And, like many, I thought everything in the modern Porsche lineup, except the GT3s, is too soft and too heavy so I owned an older car with "more soul". I happen to come from a lightweight and fast 1986 911 turbo. It was basically a "Ruf Yellowbird" inspired 911 turbo with 450ish hp and everything was upgraded from the motor to suspension to interior. It is a very fun but serious machine and it now resides next to a Testarossa and Countach in the garage of a very nice enthusiast with a lot of toys.

My point is that I like to evolve my cars to suit my tastes so mods don't scare me... in fact I don't mind buying cars with some aftermarket modifications so long as they are tastefully and properly executed. The 360 I just bought has some cool factory options, and a number of (IMHO, tastefully done) modifications. I know that puts me in a different camp than some who are more of the mindset that the factory knew what they wanted to do... and Ferrari's don't need any modifications at all. That debate has been going on for ages, and I imagine it will forever with this unique brand and community of owners/enthusiasts.

Of course, there's no "right" answer for everyone and that conversation (among all the others) is what makes us a community. For the record, I'm definitely one who loves to personalize my cars to enhance or upgrade the experience. I like to think my cars all look unique but never "offensive", and perform better than they did when they left the factory. I guess on some levels I'll always be that teenager who liked to put on exhausts, wheels, suspensions and other go-fast parts. For my Ferrari shopping experience that meant I was open to cars with tasteful upgrades, but in all honestly I was really looking for a perfect "factory" car as I'd much rather start my project from scratch.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I fell in love with a car that had a lot of mods, but none that I thought killed the deal for me. More than anything I wanted to find a solid and clean car as a starting point.

I was only looking at 6 speeds. One of my friends has a 458 italia and the car is ridiculously good. The F1 is amazing and the speed is more than I would need on the streets. That said, it is very modern and computerized. I wasn't shopping for a $300K car but I'm coming from an old 4-speed 930 and I still wanted a clutch pedal... and I just HAD to have the gated shifter experience for my first Ferrari.

The only colors I DIDN't want were red, black, yellow or some "off" color. Basically I was looking for any of the silvers or blues. I wanted something a little more subtle as I plan to put a lot of miles on this car. (hey, someone should drive this thing... right!?!?) The car I bought is Grigio Alloy, which is exactly that... silver AND blue. I have always been on the fence about this color and would only consider it on a car that was otherwise perfect-for-me.

I actually saw this exact car the last time it was on the market a few years ago. I was intrigued by the seats and interior, and the other mods looked like they were quality parts and well installed. Plus the mileage was right, roughly 12,500 miles at the time. The only thing I didn't just LOVE was the exterior color, and I wasn't really looking for BLUE interior. In fact, I kinda HATE blue interiors. I was thinking something like TDF and Cuoio. This car checked all the boxes for me but I wasn't crazy about the colors so I passed.

I ended up staying put with my 930 at the time. I never forgot that car and watched many cars come and go over the past couple of years. I got pretty close on a few cars this year but never even got to a proper PPI because every car I looked at was either too rough or more than I wanted to spend. (sub 90K for me, at that point I think it makes sense to spring for the 430) When this car popped up on the market again I knew I wanted to investigate it closer.

Everything checked out with the car. It had all the history, manuals and documentation. The only things it didn't have was extra keys (only 1 black key/fob) or the original parts replaced/upgraded. I was able to negotiate a deal and again the only thing that was holding me back was the color. As I said elsewhere on the forum, I didn't want a "Baby Blue Ferrari". Enough people convinced me that it was much different (and better) in person. In fact I had not even SEEN a Grigio Alloy in person but I was so impressed with everything else I had to decide if I wanted to fly across the county to check it out or just pull the trigger and get on with it. Ultimately I had a PPI done at the local Ferrari dealership and then had it shipped to me... sight unseen.

Of course, I'm glad I did. It was the cleanest car I saw by miles. Only 13,500 miles and a number of nice touches that make this a unique car that I'm happy to own. I heard from the seller and the dealership that the car was tight, clean, barely broken in, and two things they said are what I keep hearing from others: 1) the color combination is very nice in person 2) the exhaust makes this car sound like few others. I'm also happy to report I agree with those assessments.

Unfortunately I'm not in the position to have a "stable" of sports cars. (And yes, I'd love to have a big variety of sports cars one day, but I'm not there... yet ) For me that one car that's not used as a daily driver for me or the wife, I want that "experience" you can only get from special cars. As everyone knows, Ferrari's are all about that experience. There are others out there as well for sure, but I've been an F1 nut for decades so it was only a matter of time until I replaced my Porsche with a Ferrari.

I'm not sure what the future holds for this car, but I'm excited to continue the journey started by the previous owners. Initially I was planning to do a 6-speed "CS Tribute". I'd love to build a car like 360Trev (yeah, right...) or Anxpert's CS Spider. For those that have done something like that, you know it is a process that is both time consuming and expensive. This car is nearly FLAWLESS and therefore I’d hate to start taking it apart already. There is hardly a scratch on it and it looks like it just rolled off the floor. Very hard to believe it has 14K miles and for now I'm going to try to take great care of it... without being afraid to actually drive it "in anger"... as our F1 commentators here in the US like to say.

At this point, I’m really glad I "gambled" on the color and I'm getting to know the car and already quite happy with the mods already on it. I’m sure I will figure out a direction and start making some changes… but in the meantime, I’m going to make sure I keep putting on the miles learning its character and limits.

I want to thank the previous owners… they spec'd, built and maintained a beautiful vehicle. I love the color combo and I’ve put on more miles in a month than the rest of the owners averaged for a year. I’ve already put scratches under the nose and the engine bay is a little dirty. They kept the car in perfect condition and I appreciate that, but I feel like I’m going to be the one who is going to really get to enjoy it.

The Details:

2000 Euro-Spec 360 Modena
Grigio Alloy exterior
Navy Blue interior (don't know the "official" color)
Carbon Fiber Sport Seats with contrasting "Daytona" stitching (has anyone see this before?)
Challenge Grills front/rear

Aftermarket:
Tubi muffler
Straight Pipes (catless)
Braided Lines and Hoses
"CS Style" rear spoiler
cheap Shields (will either debadge or replace with Yoshi or equivalent)
19" F 20" R wheels/PZero's (can anyone id the wheel make?)
Reus Audio system (big aftermarket stereo that sounds great, minus for sub in trunk)
Built-in K40
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Thanks for the warm welcome, gents!

 

I don't really have any good pics. The head unit is factory so you can barely tell if you don't know what you're looking for. They put a false floor in the trunk to hide the amps and the installation is really first class. I've had a lot of audio work done to my cars over the years and I'm extremely impressed with this setup. Here's a pic and a link to their website:

http://www.reusaudio.com
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I think you're RIGHT. Lucky me! Thanks, that has bothered me since I bought the car.

 

Thanks, see below for a few more shots of the rear. The Challenge Grill wasn't a "deal killer" for me one way or the other... but I am glad I have it and believe it helps dissipate the heat, which is substantial with this car and I guess anything helps.
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Outstanding... thanks for the head's up!