Driving the vintage ones

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jcwconsult
Posts: 128
Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2004 11:55 am
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Driving the vintage ones

Post by jcwconsult »

(From a similar thread on F-Chat)

Early this month, we took our Queen Mother for a three day 1,237 mile drive from Ann Arbor to the hills between Columbus and Marietta, Ohio. We used much of the route I set up for some GM engineers 14 years ago for a competitive ride and drive. About 60% of the total mileage was on very pretty minor Ohio two lane highways - tight, twisty, hilly and challenging in any car. (AND, virtually without enforcement.) We always had more power than you could safely use on public roads, the 365 GT 2+2 has most of the creature comforts of newer cars - the A/C, PS, PB, PW, etc., and we had plenty of room for our luggage plus the case of wine we bought at a local winery. (Ohio wines? -- DON"T laugh, try Raven's Glenn for a brilliant but modestly priced Chardonnay if you are in that part of the world.)

Yes, the modern cars will be somewhat faster, but without as much driver involvement as the classics. When it was new, Karl Ludvigsen called the 365 GT 2+2 "The Magnificent GT" in his road test for Sports Car Graphic. I think it still fits. And, it is the last of the classic 1950s-1960s Pininfarina body styles that echo the 500 Superfast. We bought ours to drive, and the Gold in Corning in FCA2007 in the classic 2+2 class was just a bit of lucky icing on the cake. After over 11,000 miles in four years, we are still delighted with our choice of Ferrari.

PS: When we travel with our Ferrari, most of the time we spend $15 or $20 per night for two people, bed and breakfast -with a secure private garage to park our beauty. That was true for this trip, and for the trips to FCA2007 in Corning and FCA2008 in Toronto. Plus you get to meet some very interesting people with this method. PM me if you want to know how to do this.
Jim Walker
365 GT 2+2 #12451
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tyang
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Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: New York
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Re: Driving the vintage ones

Post by tyang »

Hi Jim,

I had the same thoughts when I drove the new Alfa 8C last week. Modern cars are unbelievably powerful and handle better than any of us can drive, and yet in order to get them to perform at their potential, we have to be driving way faster than it's legal or safe. Don't even get me started on how disconnected the F1 transmission makes me feel!

I often say, new Ferraris (or any high performance sports car) make you feel like a better driver than you are, while old Ferraris are constantly reminding you how bad of a driver you actually are! Anyone can drive a new Ferrari fast, but to be able to drive an old Ferrari fast, now that's skill.

Tom
'63 330 America #5053
jcwconsult
Posts: 128
Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2004 11:55 am
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Re: Driving the vintage ones

Post by jcwconsult »

Hi, Tom,

And, as David E. Davis has said many times, what makes you truly fast is to be able to go really fast in a low powered car. Stirling Moss used to challenge himself to average 60 mph on UK "B" roads, without going over 70 mph, and that would have been in late 1950s sedans and sports cars. I have tried it with rental cars, it is HARD to even get close most of the time.
Jim Walker
365 GT 2+2 #12451
donv
Posts: 63
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2002 10:27 am
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Driving the vintage ones

Post by donv »

The mention of David E. Davis reminds me of this passage from an article he wrote in May 1965, about driving a 275/LM from Philadelphia to New York:
Leave the turnpike. Go down through the gears. You have to take them in order because the lock-out on the gate is progressive-- second can't be engaged without going through third, et cetera. Another toll guy-- this one's a lady-- she thinks the Ferrari is some kind of a practical joke and seems reluctant to take the money, lest she fall for whatever gag is being perpetrated.

This is the last chance for any fun before the tunnel and New York City traffic. Mash the throttle in first! Screech away from the other traffic, not to mention reality. 6000 in first, hit second, no graunch, just like you'd been doing it all your life, hit a puddle just as the clutch bites and the exhaust note does its ear-splitting impersonation of a salvo from an automatic 3-inch battery. The tail comes out, stays out, and you fly through a long, sweeping right-hander that feeds you up onto another super-highway. The V-12 winds out just before the corner starts to open.

Slam the lever from second straight back to third, mash it again, another jarring salvo from the four exhaust pipes and then it's time to shut off for the upcoming merge.
Now that's driving a vintage car!
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