Ferrari Mailing List: Re: VSC, etc.

[Rick Lindsay (richardolindsay]

> Cynical DOUG with a  box of useless cell phones, computer screens,

> and CPU?s ? now let?s go to the garage - - - - - 

LOL! And they're not that old either!

So while in the garage; Let's buy a MAF for a 348 / Mondial T. Oops! That computer input device is NLA. Well, used parts from an old Saab may be retrofitted. We found one for €600 in Europe.

This has been my concern (and soapbox) for some time now. Complexity leads to extinction. Let the 'push to start' computer fail on a Toyota, or any high-volume vehicle, and a replacement is (almost) a short walk away. But what happens with an older limited production super car, when the start button produces...silence? Is that part still available? And if so, for less than the national debt of Greece? Perhaps used from an old Saab...

This is why I don't own a more modern exotic. 'Exotic' seems to have a practical limit. Another issue concerns the future generation of motorheads. Are these cars restorable? I can buy new Weber carburetor parts for my 35-year-old 308GTB, but I can't buy a new MAF for a 25-year-old Mondial T. Why would I think my grandson could restore a 430 or 458 in 25 years? I'd bet he could still buy MG and Weber parts! Point is, I fear that we are approaching the end of the exotic car restoration hobby. 

So I'll stick with my old clunkers while others search for MAFs and push-to-start computers. Simple machines are elegant. Inoperative super cars are not.

Yea, its early. Woke up feeling like I slept in a cement mixer. Damned Lipitor. Writing and Excedrin are physically cathartic. Hurray.

-rick