I also want to thank you for the time and effort you put into the thread. And car. Lol. One question for everyone. The cost and amount of work done on this car and that burnt up F40, wouldn't it be better to start from scratch? In essence you're buying a VIN number and history, right? Forgive my amateur questions. I'm sure there are good reasons why folks are spending the money and time on such projects. I guess its the only way to be able to say its a real, and perfect 275GTB. Please don't mistake my questions as criticism. You're doing a terrific job on both the thread and car! You also seem to take the hidden damage with a grain of salt. (Hope meaning translates.) Is one to expect most 40 year old cars or Ferraris have such hidden problems? I'm thinking of this as I look at all the old cars that sold on R&M auction site and wonder what lurks underneath.
Lets forget about the F40, this thread is about the 275GTB form a different age. I am sorry i really don't quite know how to answer your question, but i am afraid your thinking is totally wrong - from what you see before you how is that just a chassis number and a history, look at the start of the thread? We drove the 275GTB into the workshop the day we started to strip it, it was sitting on the lawn at the Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach a year before I bought it, it had a current MOT (Certificate of Road worthiness in the UK), it was to accepted on the Ferrari Classiche program (jut needed to changed the brakes back to standard). The engine pulled like a train, the gear box was slick, the brakes and steering were sharp. The car was covered in originality, everything except the body work was almost original to the day it left the factory back in 1965 - 46 years ago! I want the car to be perfect so I can use it as much as possible, I will go to the shops in it, I will commute to work in it, I will pick my daughter up from school in it. I am restoring the car for me, for my personal use, to give me pleasure for many years to come, so in another 46 years my son can enjoy it in the same way. All machines over time need maintenance and repair, when something is as beautiful as a 275GTB it deserves much more. Fortunately I am in a position where I can restore the car to its former glory, I have taken this project on as my your duty as the current custodian to preserve the car for a future generations to enjoy. If you want to buy a VIN number and history and create a car, go and get an old Ford Mustang or a Jaguar E type - everything is available off the shelf and you can build a car around a tag - this is not what we are doing here, to be honest I am slightly insulted by the comment, although you say it was not your intention to dish out criticism. Please continue to enjoy the thread and hopefully you will understand what we are doing here, and appreciate the end result. cheers Mark
You deserve a lot of respect for your above statement, you are a real car enthusiast. Cars are there to be driven and enjoyed to the fullest, and not restored to be locked up in a dark garage! Sitting in a garage destroys a car as laziness destroys a human being! And if a car is as beautiful as a Ferrari 275 GTB, then that is reason enough to set it free every day My best regards, Joseph
lets get back to business! Coming up are the last few pictures of the blasted body, before the shell is take to the chassis shop and all the alignments are checked on the steel bed, then its metal cutting time, I promise the cutting section will be fantastic! Below are the floors after being stripped, there are some very amateurish welded patches, bird crap welding as my dad used to call it! They will all be cut out and properly repaired..... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Down to the last 2 pictures of the blasted body - and i have saved my favorite picture to last, don't know why but i love this picture looking down on the stripped car, all the beautiful lines and raw metal work! The second picture shows the original roof panel, a little work and it will be as good as new. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
275: Thanks for your response. I think my perspective is more from the financial standpoint. We all have dreams and this is yours. Best of all you're doing it at the highest standards. When it comes to achieving ones dreams, you can't put a price on it. Wow, I sound like my wife. "Why did you spend so much money on that car?" Seriously, you and your car will go down in history! I should have reworded my posts more carefully. My apologies. Best wishes. Bryon
Mark: first, thanks for posting, very interesting and fun. I have a 275GTB and have avoided even thinking about this effort. If you view the car from the front-is the roofline lower on the right?;ie, not symmetrical? is the nose lower on the left? Many/most/maybe all of the cars I have looked at are not symmetrical.....So then, you know what the BIG question is,right? regards,Malcolm
There are a lot of cars that have just a vin# and a body panel or two left, but this car wasnt one of them, it was a beautiful , running car, and now it willl be brought back to like new condition [maybe better!] Its been a real treat to see this car before, during and ......after this restoration, thanks for letting us watch!
RHS members in the boot floor, are they original? or part of the racing modifications to carry fuel cell type tanks? Just wondering ... Thanks Pete
Hi, I think they are original, but will check. I am sure if the were not original Joe's team would have picked up on this and returned to original spec. The car never had racing fuel cells, just the original large single fuel tank that was fitted at the factory (early short nose car specification), think long nose cars or later cars had a different fuel tank set-up. see below...... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Malcolm, think its just the photos, when looking at the car in the metal it is millimeter perfect (from 10 feet away!). We know the nose cone had a small issue, but even that looked to be perfectly aligned in the metal (or plastic as it turned out) - no longer an issues as you will see soon, the nose gets the chop! cheers Mark
Hi, no problems, thanks for the comments. I imagine give the rise in prices of 275GTB's even after all this work I still think there would be a small profit in the car, if i was to sell when finished - but i have no intention of selling. The main point for me, is i end up with a perfect car, with no hidden nightmares or problems. Plus i enjoy the restoration as much as the drive. cheers Mark
The saga has been an absolute treat to read and brings back memories of my first Ferrari a short nose 275GTB #07485. I did not have the resources and stamina to chase the ravages of the tin worm and ended up trading the car in 1975 for a 365gtb4 #12775. Enjoyed her up until a few years ago when I foolishly sold her to buy a more modern Ferrari. Many wonderful and at time frustrating adventures. The good news is the many memories and I still enjoy my current cars a Stradale-maybe my favorite car yet and a 458 which is too bloody fast for an old man like me. I look forward to the rest of the story.
Great stuff Doctor! good to have you on board as we are about to go down the theatre and start surgery! cheers Mark
Hi,the car is moved to the chassis shop, where it is placed on a perfectly flat steel bed. Every aspect of alignment is checked. All the pick up points are checked for stress cracking, damage and alignment. Every point is cleaned and measured. I have been very fortunate in this department, there are absolutely no problems with the chassis - everything is in perfect condition, perfect alignment and no rot! I guess the Ferrari Gods had to shine on me at some point! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
last tonight: some close-up shots of the awful patches welded on the floor - bird crap welding indeed! I would have got a clip around the ear from my old man if i had produced work like that....... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Big Tex, it is a USA specification Model - Though built to North American specifications, the car was delivered new to Swiss race car driver Willy-Peter Daetwyler, in Italy at the Modena factory. The car spent the early part of its life in Switzerland before moving to California with Daetwyler. cheers Mark
Yes, most 40 year old cars have hidden issues unless/until going through a proper restoration like the one shown here. I'm having a "rust-free" 55-year old Porsche restored now. Par for the course.
What a wonderful thread! The 275 is the car that made me fall in love with the Marque - absolutlely beautiful and the sound is music to my ears. I am so glad you have the means to do the restoration the right way and you will use it as it was meant to be used not kept in a museum. I am sure you will delight many as they see and hear this wonderful car in the wild. Who knows maybe it will inspire some young observer to fall in love with these wonderful cars.
Thanks Guys, great feed back and comments - all greatly appreciated! PLUS - i am one of the "young" ones, or i certainly feel i still am