Purist driving Fcar? (Not to open a can of worms but)

This isn't my first post, but I had to re-register..

I'm wondering what the concenus will be, and love hearing ALL input on the topic!
(Fchat is by far the nicest/best forum I've ever be on btw)

I was just at a car show and a 250 (I'm not sure the specific kind but definitely a 250! {which won people's choice btw}) drove off in front of me, and I couldn't help but think it's that the "purist?"

Yes, I know that's a somewhat subjective term. While drooling all over myself, following it down the road, is when the question sprung in my mind. Being of that vintage, manual everything, Electronic lights, spark, and as far as I know nothing more! Hell even low profile and wide (maybe 215 was REALLY wide then?) wasn't what it is now.

My Ferrari background: I test drove a '90 348, rode in my friends' 91 Testarossa {exhaust cut outs open; If you were to ask me the meaning of life I would say Ferrari has something to do with it} and the F40 is my first (I was conscious of it at age 4) soul-mate

I'm about to sell my house (well, resulting in) my first Fcar. I'd snag a Testarossa in a heartbeat, but am I overlooking a 250? A Daytona? A fiberglass 308? {future reference here, but hold off for a Dino?}
But then Does a 430 or 458 'feel' just as pure?

There's something about trying to tune 6carbs, with that chrome shifter, that will easily win my vote currently...

What is your take? Thank you all in advance! 👍

 

I would go for the oldest/best condition you can easily afford to buy + maintain, starting from around 1947 up until say 1986 ish. if you want a daily driver then best to go much more modern of course unless you are handy with tools etc.

Quite a wide choice but your budget should narrow it down a lot for starters,including whether 6 8 or 12 cyl.

Yep agree gated/carbs is the way to go ! I am slightly biased though..

My own personal favourite would be a 275 GTB,that is not going to happen unless the Donald declares war on N Korea or Mexico etc lol..

Oh hang on if i sold the house maybe? Damn you got me thinking again now! i got seriously close to doing that in 1987 for a F40.i managed to talk myself out of it thank god.

 

Definitely re-test drive a 348 and see what you think.
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Modern day pure...... A front engine, bullet proof V-12, mechanical throttle, 3 pedals, no cruise control, no cup holder, naturally aspirated, tons of torque and 200 mph. 550 Maranello.

 

Purest is subjective.

Having driven a couple of 250 series cars ( SWB & Lusso ) they are not what most people think of... they demand concentration, clutch, brakes and throttle & steering are all much heavier than anticipated and you really have to work at it - especially the shift & down shift... but it is a pure driving experience - you feel it all, and when you get it right you feel you have accomplished something.

when driving someone elses $1M + car it also adds a level of anxiety to not damage anything either!

the 80's Ferrari's are some what the same but smoother and lighter, but same mechanics to drive smoothly... but compared to a 250 -they seem uber easy. and then you move to modern F-1 style cars... they are another level of easy to drive... but 10X faster!

 

I haven't fiddled much with the most current Ferraris, but I'd say that the "purity" of the drive depends on the driver more than the car.

Yes, it'd be a blast to flog a boat bodied 250TR around -- if it weren't for the terror of dinging the paint on a car that's worth more than my home.

But the real limit of the "purity" of driving a modern car is the realities: You need to put a modern vehicle on a well built race track to get it up to the velocities where speed becomes "pure" -- e.g. near the limits.

Many years back, a mechanic asked why I kept the old Alfa Spider, since I had a Ferrari.
The answer was "refresher training". I couldn't get either the 328 nor the rally ricer near the limits anywhere in Eastern MA ... except in snow.
The Alfa would point out any bad habits I'd fallen into, by squealing tires before hurling me into the foliage.

(I figured out that need after a few years with the Alfa in storage, when I nearly lost the ricer in the snow, and then realized all the ways I'd taken the turn wrong.)

(By contrast, I haven't yet found the limits on my EVO X --- and I'm not going to, on public roads. I've pushed it as far as I'm willing, and the torque vectoring just ate it up.)

 

WOW! That car POPS!

 

Cheers Paul, I absolutely love it!
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I'm going to add "Barchetta" to that. I think the 550 Barchetta is the purist modern Ferrari period.

 

Honestly drive a few different cars and then start to hone it in. Ultimately only you can decide this. The 60s cars are beautiful but when you drive a car of that vintage you realize just how much modern cars have progressed. Yes many/most modern cars lack a certain feel and connection that those vintage ones have but there is a middle ground.

For me the sweet spot is the 90s to the mid 2000s; it's the perfect combination of performance, driving feel and reliability. Any older and the scales swing one way; any newer and they go the other way.

 

If you have the budget for a 250 just buy them all and decide later.

 

Must be a nice house he selling to be considering buying a Ferrari 250 of some sort.

 

I would suggest you go for a Dino 246. GT or GTS.

It's a lot cheaper than a 250, 275, 330, or a 365 (if you ignore some of the 2+2s).

It'll cost you less than a 206 and is a bit more powerful.

It's smaller, lighter and more nimble than pretty much any other car Ferrari ever built.

It's handling is a sheer delight.

Unlike most modern Ferraris, and a lot of older ones, it doesn't need to be driven at wildly illegal speeds (or on a track) to be enjoyed to the full.

In fact, IMO, it's the best real world car Ferrari (or anyone else, for that matter) ever built. As well as the most beautiful.

You could say I am biased, of course. I would say that these are the several good reasons why I own a Dino.
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I'd agree with you. any of the very late 60's Ferrari's to the last of the 328's are cars that you can actually exploit the performance without killing your self or others... or landing in jail for too long. I'd say a 365GTC4 is about the ideal... big, heavy but comfy, powerful, but not over the top, and has styling that is cool without screaming Ferrari.... or a carb'd 308 with the lighter clutch spring update.

Any of the 250/ 275/330 models will feel pick up truck like... until you get them moving at about 50-100MPH.. any higher they are scary - brakes that are slow and spongy .... Big side walls so lots of lean... very stiff notchy gear changes and clutches that are just plain heavy ... especially in traffic or on hill starts... these are not cars that like traffic or big city living ... unless they are modified to cope... even then its just difficult ... pot holes that can literally eat a wheel...

but = you will never replicate the sound, smell and feel with that big wood rimmed wheel, wiggling and the sound of the engine and carbs... smell of gas, oil and leather ... very few cars can provide that feel of a classic sports car ... that is truly a thinly disguised racing car.

As Ferris Buhler says " if you have the means - I highly recommend you get one"

 

Bingo, a future classic. Better snatch them up now.

 

not well versed in 250's but aren't those upwards of a few millions? in other words, the 458 cost does not cover the sales tax for the 250's. Kinda like cross shopping an used Miata vs an used Speciale A.

 

I love your Dino man, it's beautiful.

Too late!

Well, here in Australia at least.

 

Well, 355 has 8 throttle bodies, 5 valves per cylinder, gated shifter and sound to die for. It was a return to the race car for the street ethos of the earlier cars. It's the last of the small, nimble cars and a return to the 100+hp per liter motors not seen since the 60's. I cross shopped the 3x8's, tr and 512tr, but the looks and allure of 8750rpm in a light, nimble car that was usable made the choice fairly easy. No regrets yet (though if I ever planned to sell the 512tr would have been a better investment at the time).

 

Thanks, Pap. I'm pretty struck with it myself, as you can imagine. Your 348 looks good, too.

Plenty of 550s available here in the UK just now - I guess you could have one sent mail order down under

 

Thanks mate, I appreciate the kind words.

Plenty of 550s for sale alright, but seen their prices?

I was offered a mint condition red/tan UK 550 with full Tubi exhaust for more half the price they are asking for them now. This was around 6 years ago now.

I drove it and was tempted, but it's not what I really wanted. Still an amazing car though.

 

In 2012 they were "affordable". I don't understand the need to bump up such old threads.


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I think you need a nearly rebuilt, A+ condition 1985 308 GTS.

 

You wouldn't just happen to have one for sale would you, Todd?