Ferrari Mailing List: Re: OT - Update on Rick's purchas

[Matt Boyd (ferrari308driver]

Rick,

I'll continue in the slightly OT vein and just say I'm a little
jealous. I'm missing two ingredients that you have right now, and that
is time and money. I'm aiming hard though to emulate your hobby in
another 15 years when I retire, as my current cashflow goes towards
retirement savings, college savings, everyday life, and a monthly
Tesla payment. All that said, everything is set up so that when I turn
about 59, everything will be paid off, I'll be retired, and the kids
will be out of the house. The retirement fund will enable me to
fulfill the hobby just like you are.

We are very alike in our makeup regarding the toy hobby, even if not
exactly the same tastes. I have no allegiances. I've had two Ferraris
(one you know well), a Jag (XJR), two Rolls-Royces (88 Spur and now a
39 Phantom-III with a sweet V12), a Bentley Turbo R (from former
lister Dave Quick), still have my 57 Chevy I bought 28 years ago when
I was 16, the Model S P85 as our daily driver, used to have a 78 MB
450SEL as a backup daily driver up until last year, and then the more
mundane 91 Volvo 940 Turbo I'm still keeping for my son who turns 16
in a few months, the 04 minivan, and George Parker's 04 Jetta TDI
wagon. All have their place. I still have on my list a desire for a
free-flow exhaust American muscle car, a little British sportscar (not
anytime soon so I have plenty time to thnk about what that'll be), and
I could go on...and on...but it'll be several years before I can start
"being like Rick."

Keep us posted.

-Matt
85 euro 308
39 rr p-iii
57 bel air
13 model s p85
91 volvo 940 turbo
04 jetta tdi wagon
04 sienna xle limited awd (SWEEET!)
99 bounder 36s

On Thu, Oct 16, 2014 at 8:50 AM, Rick Lindsay <richardolindsay [at] gmail.com> 
wrote:
> Morning Friends,
>
> I now own 10 cars, 8 of which are of particular interest. They are varied
> marques and styles of cars - a point many marque-specific guys can't seem to
> understand. Point is, I'm not a Ferrari guy, or a Triumph guy, or... I'm a
> machine guy, and old cars top the list of my interests.
>
> A friend on the Triumph TR3 list wrote,
>
>> Rick, don't worry about "the wedge"
>> in the garage...they get along very
>> well with TR's...
>
> Harmony in the garage is very important. Side by side, my two TRs make for
> quite a contrast. That's a Triumph TR3 next to a Testarossa. :-P And
> contrasts keep life interesting.
>
> John went on to write,
>
>> My TR7 "wedge" is very happy next
>> to the TR2, and they are so different,
>> that it makes for  great conversasions.
>
> Personally, I really like the TR7 and TR8. In fact, when I went searching
> for the next late, great project, I started out looking for a Triumph
> 'wedge', of either 7 or 8 fame. Failing in that search, or perhaps because I
> became distracted, my quest turned toward a Lotus Europa. Having previously
> owned an S2 Europa with Renault power, I searched specifically for a
> Lotus-Ford TwinCam powered car. I found either total basket cases with
> damaged fiberglass and broken drivetrains, or overpriced running examples
> ranging from 'drivers' to show cars. CG's response to my frustration was,
> "How about an early Esprit?" That car was not even on my radar.
>
> My quest changed but my budget didn't. I found a quite rare '79 Esprit 'John
> Player Special' in dreadful but complete and undamaged condition. Hadn't
> turned over in decades, but the price was a little steep, considering that
> it needed everything - plus a year or two of work. This isn't my first rodeo
> so I know what a restoration costs, even to 'just usable' status. And that
> cost can double with a limited production exotic! I passed on the JPS but by
> then, I was firmly on the search for an Esprit.
>
> At the outset of the search, I joined the early Esprit e-mail list. That's
> where I found the JPS car, which has since been purchased buy a guy with the
> means to restore it correctly. I have no clue as to what it will be worth
> when he is done, but that's not the point. Of greater importance is that a
> rare car (about 100 made) will be saved from parts-car status, or worse.
>
> Shortly after declining the JPS car, a long-time Lotus owner and expert
> restorer offered to me his restored '78 Esprit. That car too is acceptably
> rare, with only 474 cars (hand) made in 1978. The restoration is about a
> decade old but the work was done expertly and has been treated with TLC ever
> since. What the car needed, and still needs today, is a thorough exterior
> cleaning, polishing and waxing, plus tires and the routine maintenance
> brought up to date. It appears that the PO's interest in the car declined
> and it was left unused in dry storage for over a year. About 6 months ago it
> was driven but performed poorly thanks to quite old fuel and probably a bit
> of gum buildup in the carburetors. At not quite twice the price of the JPS,
> this normally aspirated '78 Esprit S2 is the car that I bought.
>
> So in my immediate future are numerous maintenance steps. None the least of
> these are draining (pumping) any remaining old fuel, flushing the fuel
> lines, and probably rebuilding a pair of Dellorto carburetors. (The Dellorto
> side draught carburettors are quite similar to and interchangable with,
> Weber 45DCOEs, and are of similar quality devices.) They are easily
> rebuildable and ultimately tunable.  Of course, also in the queue are
> replacing all fluids, new hoses and ancillary belts. An A/C recharge, if not
> rebuild, is almost a certainty. Fortunately, Houston's weather has cooled a
> bit so that can wait.
>
> Granted, this note and the whole theme is 'off topic' but that never stopped
> us before. I'll share a few pictures and stories, and hopefully no horror
> stories, all in limited quantity, once the car arrives.
>
> We now rejoin your regularly scheduled program, already in progess.
>
> -rick
>
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