I have a dream (comprehensive Ferrari registry)!

You just crack me up.

 

Years ago I used my "S/N" book the way Tom S. does now: a starting point for diggin em out of the barn. Now, I wouldn't mind sharing info, especially on cars that I actually owned and have personal knowledge of. On those cars, my perception of truth will be reasonably close to the real thing!

It would,as all have pointed out, be a very time-consuming effort, and that's my concern now. I still have to make a living, as do most of us. I have a LOT of data. And how does sharing all this impact the book that I hope to do?

I'll keep watching to see how this plays out Good luck!

 

I for one would be very happy to have a website that had decent information on Ferrari’s. Even more so, if it had historical information. But this would be exhaustive. We, the Ferrari Chat fans, are very lucky to have people such as Napolis share there time and energy with us, even if all of us don’t always agree with him. But what about:
A collector: someone like Mr McCaw or Mr. Lauren, they can only lose by sharing there info and time with us. By which I am referring to the possibililty of us disagreeing with, or even worse, finding info disproving the “claimed history” of their car.
An expert: I know everything about A certain model or car but I am not going to tell because “one day I will publish a book”. Well get on and do it !
A dealer: I have a Ferrari for sale say a early GP with a possible racing history. What do I have to gain by putting out info. For PUBLIC scrutiny. I can recall a 1950’s ex. Gonzales Ferrari – Chevrolet special bandied about by Duncan Hamilton/ Coys etc about 2 years ago. I seem to recall their was nothing Ferrari about this car and it has sunk from trace. I am sure if we “dissed the car” they would not be very happy and yet who would be right.
A Ferrari fan: My self I think the perfect site in my eyes was/ is Barchetta.
So how would you balance the interest of all three groups?. What would you do if a dealer or owner wanted you to put information up on your site about the cars in their collection. They might say “My Ferrari was driven by Nuvolari, Enzo told me personally” And you think hmmmm. That’s the 1 millionth Ferrari driven by Nuvolari?. What about you publish it and everyone criticises you for putting up something obviously false. Who makes those decisions.? What about you get your Ass sued ??.
To avoid going down the Barchetta route where I sue you, you sue me, I sue you back, you see where this is going. How about you publish it somewhere overseas where they don’t have libel laws, where the copyright laws don’t exist. Where you cant get sued for saying what you think. Or is all of this JUST GETTING A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY. I MEAN IT IS LIKE HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY “TRYING TO ANSWER THE EVERYTHING” WHICH OF COURSE WAS 42
I think I will go now and have a good stiff drink and try and forget the headache that just thinking about the answer has given me.

 

I have been thinking this for a long time and think I have a sort of an answer: sharing with everyone might make it go flat, but sharing with right people will probably sort out many problems, mix-ups and typos. It will provide new leads which every now and then will lead in discovering many new things. The problem is how to find these people; they must be real enthusiasts and get so excited that they do have a proper look and contribute what they know. Sharing too early with people who will have a look and say "great stuff, good luck with it!" is not a way to go; they can buy the book!

I believe that even sharing "the big picture" with everyone (keeping back many smaller details) might have a results of:

1) The work load of putting it all together getting much lighter (now this is a real problem: I have maybe 5.000 pages of Ferrari related data: even if I did want to share it all, the work needed would take years!!!)
2) Those who want to know more will contact you to ask questions, discuss details and make corrections and additions.

It will then be much easier to get all the small details sorted and problems ironed out. It seems I am going to put up a website using this approach.

Best wishes, Kare

 

I'm just worried Wayne is going to try to pass off the GTE as a rebodied Interim berlinetta done when the owner had a family and needed a rear seat.
And does Tom S really have a shed full of Daytona tops rescued from Straman?
Where are all the Queen Mary bodies from the cars converted into GTO's, SWB's, and Cal's?? Hmmmm, Wayne just...no, it couldn't be

Seriously, someone needs to do the database, and get the Factory to license it if they pursue the authentication schema proposed recently. No free laundry in the Ferrari world. Although FSpA probably will claim it as proprietary

 

Treat it the way the scientific community treats data.

Publish with peer review.

See who challenges you and you can see if there are other motives involved.

 

Originally posted by KARE
"The problem is how to find these people; they must be real enthusiasts and get so excited that they do have a proper look and contribute what they know. Sharing too early with people who will have a look and say "great stuff, good luck with it!" is not a way to go; they can buy the book!"

I would think part of the problem is that the people with the info. want to either write a book or SELL that info. I mean some people do make a living out of their info. How do you/we get around that can they be encouraged to share or is that "never gonna happen" ??

And further, I totally agree with judge4re I think having all info Peer revued is the perfect solution, I mean then we could all give our view and knowledge on Ferrari History. I mean we dont want a repeat of, say the "Olczyk" experience do we, whereby someone unilaterally decides what is and what isnt real ??. And further we dont want to sanitise it, I mean where 2 people both own parts of the same car, we should be able to debate/ discuss that.

 

One observation about Dr. Marvin's "history" books: owners were invited to contribute the histories of their own cars during a period when values and prices were starting to really rise. ANY claim of unusual modifications done by the factory, famous previous owners, etc. which cannot be independently verifired, have to be disregarded.

I know of several entries which deserve awards for creative writing.

O.G.

 

Analog trolls??

 

This seems the best way to proceed, If indeed anything is prceeding ???

I personally would not want to contribute anything for nothing...

Argento

 

I have the better part of a file drawer full of correspondence with Ferrari people, not organized by car, generated in the 60s through 80s. It would make fascinating (and educational, I think) reading. But who has the time? Much of it was a result of doing what Tom S. does now: beating the bushes for hidden treasures. If you guys ever put together a "foundation", maybe that's where my files should go. Of course, I also have a full file drawer of files on cars I have owned (or brokered), by S/N. Feel free to let me know if anything is put together. Sounds like a monumental undertaking that would consume all the time and energy of more than one person. Good luck!