Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Non-Ferrari cars

[Larry T (l02turner]

As a Brit car guy also - I assume there are more posts I haven't gotten to yet - our 1st car was a 59 VW, the 2nd was a 63 Tr Spitfire - I learned a lot about working on cars during that time - working on the VW and Spit and as a apprentice at the local VW/Porsche dealership.  Totally agree with the maintenance comment in general and Lucas maintenance in particular  - I bought a '66 MGB after the Spit - Still have the MG - ended u using the B as a daily driver which I put 350,000 miles on driving it back & forth to work for over 20 years.  In all that time it let me down once when the fuel pump died and I couldn't resuscitate it.  Also had a Lotus Europa during that time which was  a very fast car even though it only had 85 HP in a 1180 # chassis. (all numbers from memory so they may be off) .   I can still feel the acceperation whe I close my eyes and liste to the engine howl, - yes, Renaults can howl when in a Lotus ;-)

Finally got a used 911 which I have now (with the MGB) and still dream of the day I'll have a Ferrari - hopefully a 87 328 GTSi in Red and tan interior.  Yes, I've given it some thought.   I like the 328 because the design is timeless and I "think" I can maintain it.   Time will tell.  One of these days -

Speaking of Jags - had a '59 Jag 3.4 Sedan - bought from a east Texas junk yard but it came with all the parts - put the engine together and it fired up without much help!!   Didn't have a exhaust as it was long since rusted away -   but it was a beautiful grand old lady...

Larry T


On 7/2/2012 8:46 AM, George P. wrote:

Ok gang, here's my take on it (FWIW!).  I still have a Spitfire which I bought right out of college, and my Dad's a dyed-in-the-wool Jag guy (currently owns 4 - 2 vintage, 2 modern).  I also know and have spoken extensively with many, MANY other British car owners (and I suspect Matt Boyd will back me up on this) - a British car is only as good as the maintenance it is given.  Hmmmm, kind of like a Ferrari, yes?
 
Lucas electrics get a lot of blame for British car problems, but in 27 years of British car ownership, the Lucas parts have only let me down twice, and neither were catastrophic or caused a "stranding".
 
I once knew a guy who worked at a Jag dealer, and he showed me a Lucas relay box.  On the box was printed, "Manufactured by Lucas to Jaguar specifications".  Infer from that what you will.
 
On the other end of the spectrum, I was on a drive to Watkins Glen with my Dad's Jag club and one of the guys was having problems getting his XJ-6 (mid-80's vintage) to start.  Being the engineer he was, he looked in the manual for the iginition circuit and, well, I'll put it in his words - "There are 4 relays, 3 Bosch and one Lucas, guess which one I went for?"  Needless to say, the relay was "dodgy", so he popped off the cover and operated it manually to get the car started.
 
SU carbs also get a lot of crap.  When my Dad owned his E-Type back in the mid 60's (one of the first 4.2L cars sold in the US), he set the carbs and never touched them again.  Car ran great for the entire 3 years he owned it (and it was pretty much a daily driver back then).  Ditto with the 4.2L E-Type he owns now (though not a daily driver).  Rarely, if ever, has to fiddle with the carbs.
 
Like one of the other listers who responded to this - I've also owned American, British, German, Italian, and Japanese.  Best bang for the buck (for sports cars) has been our '04 Mazdaspeed Miata.  Starts every time - no fuss no muss, quick as can be (probably as quick as the 308, if not quicker), handles like a go-kart.  For general automotive transportation, the best bang for the buck has been my '04 Jetta TDI wagon.  It's like a "true" SUV - German suspension so it can be driven spiritedly (if that's a word!), but still swallows up a ton (not literally, but close) of cargo.  Not a lot of bells and whistles, but the simple "creature comforts" - power windows/locks/mirrors (even heated sideview mirrors), CD player, nice cold A/C (and nary a recharge as yet with 193K miles), cruise control, and 45-50mpg - what more does one really need?  I once drove from my house (just north of Richmond, VA) up to Elmira, NY, back to my house, and then round trip to Manassas and back - one day, one tank of fuel.  I *LOVE* this car!  Oh, and did I mention that the Jetta is still wearing it's factory original front brakes and clutch???
 
Lashdeep, if you're looking at Lotus' (Lotii??), I'd vote for the Elite.  Such a pretty little car, but beware - as I understand it, it's a fiberglass bodied car, and fiberglass fatigue can cause serious problems.  So be sure you get a very good one that is well sorted.  No doubt you'd do that anyway....  (Frankly, I doubt if I could even fit in one...  ditto the Europa.)
 
Final word - P-cars v. Ferrari.  I like 'em both, but for different reasons.  One of my best friends from college bought a Cayman S (aka "Coxster", according to Top Gear's Clarkson!), which really is a GREAT car!  He forwarded me an email thread from the local P club where he lives, regarding a track event.  Someone asked about the event if the threatening weather turned bad.  Response was, "We're running the event rain or shine - we're not driving Ferrari's here!"  Again, infer from what what you will.
 
:-)
 
gp

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