My exposure to V12 Ferraris began with the purchase of the esteemed Mr. Bachelor’s classic work entitled ‘Illustrated Buyer’s Guide to Ferrari’. Careful review of this material, combined with current market conditions (this being 1995) led me to focus my interest on the ‘affordable’ later V12 Ferraris, namely the 365GT 2+2, 365 GTC/4, 400, etc.
Not long after that, I moved to sunny south Florida, a ‘mecca’ for east coast Ferrari enthusiasts (as you may well know). I then had an opportunity to view some of this fine machinery first hand. I began to haunt the used exotic joints such as ‘The’ Collection, Auto-Panache, etc, as well as making frequent visits to the wonderful Shelton Ferrari.
The most memorable sighting from that period was a 365 GTC/4 at the Kruse Auction, a nicely restored car ostensibly out of the Mel Blanc collection (as the car had cali tag ‘BLANC’ on it, this story did carry some credibility). I was in awe. This car was exceptional, Red w/Black. I even was so bold as to sit in it, and it fit me like a glove. Alas, the price was too steep. This apparently was one of those cars that Kruse trucks around the country from auction to auction, trying to reel in some sucker with the aid of a few well-placed shills.
I first stumbled onto this (wonderful) web site during the spring of 2000. I had just gotten my first computer (at home) as a result of getting laid off (to aid in the job search). This discovery occurred during one of my many forays into the wonderful world of ‘surfing’ the ‘net’ (when I was supposedly hard at work searching for a job). Being located in TX at the time, there was a decided dearth of local Ferraris, especially of the V12 persuasion (at least compared to FL).
Life intervened, and 2002 found me in OR, without a job AGAIN. As (bad) luck would have it, a promising candidate came up for sale: a 1979 400A, Dk Blue/Cream, offered by the local Jaguar dealer. I planned to view this car after a job interview, so I would at least look the part (shirt, tie, all that jazz). Being in downtown Portland, OR, the dealer had an indoor used car lot. The sound of that V12 resonating in that big old garage instantly had me hooked. In fact, I made Ferrari sounds for a week. The car was in VG condition, the story being that it came out of an estate, and was bought as a toy by the owner of the dealership. As I did not get the job, I did not buy the car, and it sold in a few weeks.
I finally found a job (with a spinoff of my old company, actually). At LONG LAST I was financially, emotionally, spiritually, ready to buy a FERRARI. I even found a great shop for rent, reasonably priced, power included. I was all set. But, as things go, naturally, I could not find a thing. Why does it always seems like there are tons of good ones when you can’t buy, and they just seem to dry up and blow away when you ARE ready to buy?
I looked up all the old links I had saved. Bobileff had a nice looking Steel Blue/Cream S2 400iA, but I prefer an S1, and the price was too steep. I found a good Mocha/Black 365 GT 2+2 in TX, which looked promising, and at $40K may have been a good value, but was still too steep. I requested photos from a nice gentleman in SC advertising a reasonably priced 1981 400i (Black w/Black) in Hemmings, but the pics did not match his description in the ad, etc, etc, etc.
I contacted a party in Long Island, NY, about a 1977 400A, supposedly the show car from the 1976 Paris Salon. This car had been auctioned on ebay, but did not sell (gee I wonder why). Yes he did still have the car. Seemed like an alright guy, but when the talk turned to price, he quickly turned into a dickhead. Being leery, I contracted the services of one Mr. Sicard (with the kind help of our host Mr. T. Yang) to PPI this car for me. Due to inclement weather, and the fact that the seller did not return Francois’ calls, changed phone numbers, etc (like I said, dickhead), after a few weeks, I decided not to waste any more of Francois’ valuable time on this particular selection.
After more calls about outrageously priced cars in TX and ID,
I saw an ad in Hemmings for a low ball 1980 400i in PA. I had seen this
car before, but the price was so low, it sold very quickly. That buyer,
it seems, had backed out. I called the seller the same day the ad came
out. He seemed very knowledgeable about the car, and knew what he was talking
about (or at least knew what I wanted to hear). I sent him a deposit check
the next day (car as advertised in Hemmings, Feb 03, below).
I lieu of a PPI I opted for a ‘commercial’ classic car appraisal.
This came out at the ‘book’ value for fair condition. Fair enough. I decided
to go for it. The asking price was low enough that even if the car needed
considerable work, I would still come out ahead. I will not bore with all
the details of the hassles involved with buying a car from across the country,
suffice to say the gal at my Credit Union went well above and beyond to
make it happen.
I contracted with Fred Koller at Councours Transport www.concourstransport.com to make the haul. All in all, I can say that he provided top-notch, professional service, and I can highly recommend his services. I have had several vehicles transported, and it was always a nightmare. Other than one small hitch (details to follow) things went very smoothly. Apparently Fred hauls Ferraris all around the country, especially up and down the west coast.
After many delays (due to the abysmal weather on the east coast) I finally got a call from the driver (on Sunday, naturally, good thing I went to the bank already). ‘I am in Aurora’ a good 150 miles to the north. Seems he had inadvertently driven right by. He gave me the runaround; had to be in Seattle on Monday am, blah, blah, blah. I told him to contact me when he was planning on delivering the car, thank you.
He called me back after a while and said he would be there in about an hour. A look at the clock showed that Sunday dinner (which I had been cooking all day) was history (sigh). When he called back, (about 6 pm) I set out for the shop. The rain that had held off all day, held off no more, and the heavens let loose with a vengeance (is fiddling with Ferraris on Sunday a sin?).
By this point it had gotten quite dark, and was still pouring
rain. I watched in anticipation as my ‘prize’ was unveiled. Some prize
indeed. The car would barely start. It was filthy. It was running poorly.
The lights were dim. The driver’s window was stuck down and the interior
was getting soaked. The brake ‘idiot’ light came on when I tried to stop,
and the brakes barely worked. I was unsure if the car would even make the
short drive across the street into the shop. Finally, now safely in the
shop, the car would not re-start. I was not pleased (car upon arrival 03/16/03)
Now I have since charged up the battery (which was low from inactivity,
I reckon) and cleaned off the grime (which took most of a day). I think
the car was just tired from its long trip, was cranky about having to go
out in the pouring rain, and was suffering from plain old neglect. After
charging the battery the car started right up, and was eager to go for
its first drive with the new owner. The weather had turned nice, and the
roads were now clear. Once the first few nervous miles were behind us,
the car started coming back to life. I think it likes its new home. The
car does need some work, but did I really expect to get a show car at a
project car price?
This is the car as of 03/28/03. I brought the car to the DMV for
the VIN check, and then brought it by work so the dudes could check it
out. The weather was awesome (clear, sunny, about 70°) and the car
seemed pretty happy about the whole thing (yes, I DID, in fact, drive it
to the DMV with that plate ;)
