"New" car...what have I done this time :)

After a bit of searching (of the soul and the For Sale ads), moral support and encouragement from fellow Fchatters and an agonising couple of weeks waiting for inspections to come back and for me to get a slot to pick it up, I've finally done it!

Apologise profusely for the crap photography. I've just driven it 200 miles, my arms and legs are aching (wussy power steering on the 355 has spoilt me), my ears are ringing (sticking my head out of the window at speed isn't wise, but that noise! Ah!) and I wanted to get a few quick snaps! I'll do some better ones soon and will be taking it to Auto Italia.

I'm not sure what else to say at the minute. They simply don't make cars like this any more, more's the pity, and my brain (what's left of it) is still trying to assimilate all the sensations.

More when I've calmed down (2017 should do it).
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Thanks chaps. To say I'm dead chuffed would be an understatement And it will be at Auto Italia on Sunday (acts of god notwithstanding).

Ruby - it looks to have used just over half a tank of Optimax. And the book (and delivery invoice!) reckons it takes 26 gallons. Having just checked the odo I've only done 158 miles too. Ooops.

I'm therefore going to re-christen it the Exxon Valdez, both for the amount of oil based products it can carry and the environmentally friendliness of it

Incidentally, big thanks to DKE. Professional outfit and quality work. And it's worth buying stuff from there just to see the other kit they have in!

 

LWR - your garage isn't too shabby anyway is it 550s/575s have really grown on me of late. But I wanted something older this time through. Be interesting to compare the two though.

Cheers Barabus - I've been scouring the net for a while. Always good to get more reading matter I also have a very fat history file to read through which is superb, and may hopefully be able to get in touch with past owners (if any happen to be on here, please mail me!).

Jonny - prices are a bit all over the place here in the UK at the moment IMO, and look to be on the rise elsewhere. I'm aware of cars that have sold for as "little" as 44k or so, but also of cars up for 130k+. This car was between the two, and further from the 44k ones than my wallet would have preferred.

I did a fair bit of looking round and can say that the cheaper cars tend to be in need of a bit of TLC. Parts for 35yr old cars are not exactly dripping off the shelves, and the skills for fixing them up as they deserve are not cheap. So a cheaper car to be as good as I think this one is would be pricey.

That said, a usable car is probably going to set you back 60-70k. Very nice ones a fair bit more.

I doubt they'll depreciate, and there's so much more character in the older stuff. The down side being that they're quite a bit more draining to drive (in a good way!), and things are likely to go wrong (if I say this enough, hopefully nothing will. Or I'll be ready for it mentally ).

Jaz - I was going to talk to you about that

Boba - not sure what wax was used this time, but I have a plan

Everyone else - thanks very, very much. It's always nice sharing these cars with enthusiasts, and hope to meet a number of you on Sunday!

 

As per most reports you read, the car comes alive at speed (anything over 40mph really, but the faster you go, the more it goads you). And it can pick up speed with surprising alacrity for an old dear.

The steering's only *truly* heavy at parking speeds, but in relative terms (to modern kit) it's bloody heavy all the time I quite like this though, and I'm convinced it helps the cars stable feeling at speed.

Noise - very, very different to the modern cars as you'd probably expect. Much more in common with WWII fighter planes than race cars. And you'd have a job to tell what speed the engine's doing without looking at the rev counter. A real silky growl all the way round.

The brakes are a bit...less capable than the engine shall we say. But it's early days and I have an inkling I just have to push harder and have a bit more faith. Not something I wanted to check out fully today!

As you've always had a thing about them, why not get one You won't be disappointed I'm sure.

 

Sell the 360 Spider and you're in. At least for a coupe...