Ferrari Mailing List: Re: was TestaRossa now "GT4 La Ferrari è una cosa di bellezza!"

[Fellippe Galletta (fellippe.galletta]

2009/8/25 Robert W. Garven Jr. <rgarven [at] gmail.com>

> All,
>
> Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I love the GT4's design. It has
> perfect 360 degree visibility, no blind spots, upright and comfortable
> seating position, a real trunk, a back seat for soft luggage, and very
> easy engine access. I do all my own work so I appreciate the handmade
> craftsmanship and simplicity of the operating systems including the
> distributors and carburetors. I have a thousand pictures of it from
> many different angles, like many Ferraris some angles do not do it
> justice, however I believe that the design has not only aged well but
> looks very fresh today. Parked next to a 360 or 599 it looks very
> small and delicate.
>
> Niki Lauda helped set up and tune the suspension, Enzo Ferrari took a
> major role in its design, even having a mock-up made where he could
> sit in the car to test different steering, pedals and cockpit seating
> positioning. Remember, he loved his son more than anything on earth,
> he put his name on the cars for a reason. I have one of the rare books
> published on the 100th anniversary of Enzo's birth. It mainly has
> pictures of friends and family and yet one of the only cars in the
> book is him standing next to a GT4. I am an aging rocker, but enjoy
> most new technology, however a Ferrari without a gear lever is more
> like a video game to me. The ability to shift a car correctly is a
> art. I can remember no finer moment of time in my life than my drive
> up PCH through Big Sur, I will remember it as long as I live. The
> sound of the exhaust echoing off the cliffs, sliding through the
> corners shifting the gears, the harmony of man and machine as one, on
> a mission to conquer the road before me.
>
>  From the cockpit the driver sees only the road, although fenders are
> pretty on the outside they block quite a bit of frontal visibility on
> many exotics cars. On a car that sits this low and goes very fast I
> want as much situational awareness as I can get. This car has perfect
> balance and poise. The GT4 was the only 2+2 Ferrari raced with factory
> support. It was the first V8 Ferrari, one of only two production cars
> designed by Bertone. Marcello Gandini who penned the design also
> designed the Lamborghini Muira, Countach and the Lancia Stratos. The
> design not only grows on you but has many very elegant lines that are
> exceptionally pleasant on closer inspection; such as the air intakes
> for the carburetors, the frontal and overhead view. The actual view of
> the instrument cluster is one of Ferrari's finest. I have an
> acquaintance with a 275 GTB4 who once owned a GT4. I caught him
> looking in my car at the instrument cluster at an event. He told me
> that he forgot how beautiful and functional the layout was. The PO of
> my car was at CI in 2004 where I won a silver, he has had very many
> Ferrari's including 275's, Lusso's, etc. He has a standing offer if I
> ever want to sell the car. He said it was one of his favorites of all
> time, and wished he had not sold it.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcello_Gandini
>
> To me this car is a not only a thing of beauty, but a functional tool,
> and like any finely crafted tool, very useful and rewarding in the
> proper hands. My next Ferrari would be a Red/Black 365 GTB4. The sound
> of the front engine V12's is to die for (for me). However I would not
> sell this GT4 for ANY amount of money....I also personally feel that
> once Enzo Ferrari died a line can be drawn in the sand, separating the
> cars he was involved with and those he wasn't. He was like a god to
> me, and my life and house are a shrine to his memory. There are many
> others who feel the same way, they are called Italians!  :-P
>

Rob,

Great passionate write up, thanks!!

The dino 308 whether you love it or hate has a bit of a story behind it more
than many other F cars. The one story I wanted to get to the bottom of is
why Bertone was used instead of Pininfarina for this project??

Don't remember what I heard but definitely conflicting stories on this....

FG