It only took me three days to something memorable with my 328GTS. When I got the car the tires were old, really old, and hard. They had been sitting for some time. I made a note to myself that they were going to be the first thing I fixed on the car. Of course, I picked up the car on a Friday so I had to bring it to work on Monday, still with the old tires. I took a friend out for her first Ferrari ride and was heading to the big right hand sweeper that is the freeway on-ramp. I figured, hmmm, the tires are old, I better knock 5-10mph off what I take that on-ramp in the 911 at. Like I said, those tires were like rocks, and 50 (instead of 60) was still way too fast, and a mid-engine 328 does not respond like a modern traction controlled 4WD Porsche. Probably didn't help that I had my right foot on the floor with the car in 2nd. So sure enough the back end of the Ferrari starts trying to pass me on the left so I crank in opposite lock and it snaps back the other way, leaving skid marks well into the right hand shoulder, followed by me cranking the wheel back around again until the car finally stops, having now gone around 180 degrees and backed off the shoulder on the left side, with the rear wheels in the dirt. I managed to leave skid marks from one shoulder, across two lanes, the other shoulder and then into the dirt, ending oh, 50-60 yards from where it all started. I somehow managed to not hit anything, but of course killed the engine. After recovering from being hit in the arm about as hard as a woman has ever hit me, I started the car back up and proceeded on my way. Needless to say, I very soon got new tires, and she never rode with me in the Ferrari again.
I can't believe nobody has confessed to trying to downshift into reverse instead of first. Doesn't seem to be as big a problem for me since I got rid of my little truck with a standard shift pattern. I also tried starting the car with it in reverse and almost....I did say almost.... ran the open door into the wall of my garage. This was, by the way, after just getting it back from the body shop for repairs to the same door where the delivery driver DID run the open door into the inside of his truck!!
When I first bought the car, I had a two hour drive home in it. The previous owner had warned me about switching from low beams to high beams, and that you could turn the lights off if you weren't careful. Since I was excited to now be a Ferrari owner or because I was too dumb to listen I forgot which direction turned on high beams. On the interstate at 10pm I had gotten by some traffic, and had some open road. I decided to exercise the car a little bit. I stepped on it once I got past the last car and meaning to hit the brights promptly put my car into headlightless stealth mode, while doing 90 on a completely dark curve on the highway. I realized my mistake, slowed back down to under the speed limit and stayed there for the rest of my drive home.
Try this for dumb. I was due to drive from Switzerland up to the Dutch/Belgian border, about 500 miles, to stay with friends over easter. I bought a giant 3 foot chocolate easter bunny (in a plastic blister pack) for their little boy. I was running late so just threw it in the luggage compartment of the 328 behind the engine and drove the 6/7 hours non stop. That little boy was very disapointed when I arrived. His dad didn't stop laughing for weeks. Amazingly the carpet cleaned up really well.
There seems to be a pattern developing of people who sold their cars discovering they wished they had kept it?
Sold it? I still have my first car that my older brother conned me into buying in 1967 and the next one I bought in 1973......you suppose to sell your old cars? Huh, I knew I was doing something else wrong
Not knowing how to open a 308 door, and having to be released by the dealer. Not ME of, course, uhhh a friend of mine had this happen to him.
Not Ferrari, and only me as a victim- Many years ago, after replacing the brake lines in my porsche 356, I of course then needed to bleed the system. One necessary ingredient for this process is a willing volunteer to pump the brake pedal while you do your thing at the individual brake. At the time, we lived in Miami, and it was August, but my [former] wife did reluctantly agree to do the sitting and pushing of the brake pedal. I sit on the hot driveway under the backend of the car, and work the valves, asking her to push, release, etc, and am alarmed to note, I'm not getting ANY fluid to come out. "PUSH HARDER" I say. She's furiously pumping the pedal- nothing. I go to a different wheel- repeat the process- nothing. Now I'm convinced I have a bad master cylinder or some horrible ailment, and she decides she's done sweating in the car, and abandons the effort. After 45 minutes of screwing around, I can't find anything wrong...I manage to coax her out for one more try. Sitting down at the drivers rear wheel, I open the valve and ask in the nicest possible way for her to push the brake pedal. Nothing. Damn. I say try again. I just happen to glance up into the open door of the car as she angrily begins pumping the pedal... ..the CLUTCH pedal - which she had been using for the last 45 minutes. [full disclosure- yes, she could drive a stick, and had driven this car many times] After using up my cussword vocabulary, she sheepishly tapped the brakes, shooting brake fluid all over me. Bleeding the system after that took all of about 4 minutes.
Hahaha - good one...instant hot chocolate (and SWISS on top of that!)... How did you clean the carpet? - Lock the little boy in the trunk for a few minutes?
Mine works......now. I put a Hill slick-shift gate on it to cure the missing reverse lock out tab!! But speaking of stupid, I sent several emails back and forth with Mr. Hill trying to figure out why the new gate he sent me wouldn't let me shift into reverse. Talk about feeling stupid!! Turns out that the shift lever on mine had not been pressed down for so long it was "stuck" up. After a little lube and some working it finally moved like it was supposed to and I was able to get the car into reverse!
The absolute dumbest thing I ever did involving a ferrari? It's well documented here....... http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=170171 Not quite as dumb as the fiadallic I built in my youth, but it's getting darn close.
I will have to respectfully disagree with this being "stupid". I'm not sure just what word to use just yet? If this thing works as well as I think it will, it will be "inspiring". If on the other hand, you finish the project and on your first test drive it ........we'll, I don't want to jinks it! Good luck Mark...that's the one thread I follow every day. lol
"You buy a Ferrari when you want to be somebody. You buy a Lamborghini when you are somebody." - Frank Sinatra
We were racing at the Monterey Historics the year they introduced the Gallardo...(2005?) They brought one to the track and had a big "unveiling"... So this Flavio Briatore' look-a-like was conducting this production and just before he pulled the cover asked the audience if they knew what "Ferrari" meant in Italian... He then laughingly said "Oh, I wish I could be a Lamborghini...". A few moments later someone's blond trophy wife (ditz) asked what does "Lamborghini" stand for in Italian... Phil Hill was standing 3 feet away from me and turned to his companion and said "Oh, I wish I could win a race". The crowd around him roared.... Rick
Here's one.....I have only owned my 85 308QV for a couple of weeks and while working on it I had the spare tire out along with the hold-down fastener to charge the battery. Being the klutz that I am, I knocked over the tire with the hold down knob and broke it into little pieces! I guess I'll have to pony up a $100 or so to get new one. Great start!
Here's one.....I have only owned my 85 308QV for a couple of weeks and while working on it I had the spare tire out along with the hold-down fastener to charge the battery. Being the klutz that I am, I knocked over the tire with the hold down knob and broke it into little pieces! I guess I'll have to pony up a $100 or so to get new one. Great start!
