So this may be a weird question: does your car smell "old?"

Mine smells like old leather and sweet cigars sometimes, depends on the day.

I dig it.

sjd

 

Good question actually.

My 1991 348 smells like a vinyl records and cassette tape shop (one can still find some of these around). Fits the overall analog experience of the car. The only time I smelled the same aroma was when I visited the Wisconsin battle ship in Norfolk - a de-commissioned vessel that fought during WWII. Like smelling a roll of Kodak film.

I wouldn't call it the smell of an "old car". I actually look forward to getting inside the cabin and get a whiff of it: it's a combination of aged leather and tobacco leaves.

 

I guess it depends a lot on how the car is/was treated. I only smell the leather in mine (or leather conditioner). The carpets are clean and I never drive in the rain and keep the car in a reasonably ventilated garage, so there are no mouldy smells. There are no fuel or oil leaks. The canvas top has recently been replaced, so there may be some residual glue smells.

On the other hand, my daily driver is left outside in the rain under trees and had a constant musty smell. After 3 professional treatments (of the airconditioning ducts), the smell has finally gone. The door seals are aging and the carpet got wet in torrential rain, but I quickly vacuumed the carpet dry And I guess this and the synthetic nature of the carpet prevented any lingering smells.

Caveat: I don't smoke but age may be dulling my sense of smell.

 

Mine smells like leather and a faint whiff of gasoline. It's the best!

Probably most old car smells you're used to come from mostly fabric or vinyl interiors. If a Ferrari has been decently taken care off, it's not an issue at all.

 

Yes. Most cars will develop a certain funk over time. My F355 smells like an old leather bag, which I love, it's a good kind of funk. It's kept clean, generally indoors, and is relatively unused.

When I had a F430, it wasn't old enough to have a strong odor, but did have the same Ferrari leather smell.
My friend's 348 had serious funk, and honestly I couldn't be in the car when he bought it. Hopefully he aired it out.

Water is your nemesis. If that sits inside the car and you get some mold growth, you cannot get that out, and is why for my G55 (not Ferrari, I know), I had to strip the entire interior down to metal and replace everything fabric after ozone blasting it failed.

TL;DR - Expect funk. Depending on the smell you can tell the way it was stored and cared for.

 

Well, the car will be near her 25th birthday, treat her to a new interior. Voila! new car smell.
(being a spyder, mine doesn't smell odd. Nor does the 308GTB though she has a new interior)

 

I think the carpet mat and carpet on that are the biggest causes of the musty type smell if one has that.

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Does my particular car smell “old”? No, not at all. The leather smell is a toned-down version of new Ferrari - the car’s 25 years old, after all - but it’s still there.

Its the first thing I notice when I get into the car; I love it.

I’d imagine the experiences the car has had over the years will be the big factor, and for sure not all old Ferraris or old cars in general will be the same.

If it’s a major thing to you, better add a PPS (“Pre-Purchase Sniff”) to your PPI, or at least don’t buy a car without checking it out in person.

 

Sometimes known as the "Pre-Purchase Inhalation

 

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Farrah Fawcett owned my car I like the way it smells

 

Mine smells like leather with a touch of gas and oil. Intoxicating.

 

My wife says mine smells like a gentleman's club from the 90's. I say, I know isn't it awesome.