. . I took pitchers.
What an embarrassment of riches. Well, I wasn't embarrassed, certainly. I would have liked it a whole lot more if I could have driven my choice of any 5 cars. Maybe in the next lifetime.
The
million dollar barn find Ferrari was prominently featured -- it wasn't too far from the gate. I spotted the owner from the newspaper article and asked him if people had been begging him to pop the hood. He was keen to show off the car but didn't seem all that wild about showing the engine, saying, "well I guess so," kind of wearily. Oh well.
I took two photos but for some reason, the first one didn't record, it was a better shot than the one posted here but oh well. He shut the hood pretty quick and I didn't want to ask him again.
I'm not trying to diss the guy, he was cool, answered my questions like we were chewing the fat. He said the reason the original US owner sat it for so many years was a broken rear leaf spring. Amazing. Then again, lucky for us. Might have been wrapped around a tree or over-restored if he hadn't sat it. The new owner decided to keep it as close to 'as is' as possible. He said the engine needed the crank polished and new pistons but that was about it.
The article implied that it sat in the sun for decades after the original covering of some rugs and black plastic was removed. Not to impugn anyone's honesty, but I'm wondering if some of that was journalistic exaggeration. These two shots of the seats don't fit with that:
I wish I'd asked him if he's had the seats recovered but it doesn't look like he did. And if those had sat in the Arizona sun for 10 - 20 years, even 5, I can easily imagine that they'd be serious trash -- the kind of stuff that you rip by sitting on it.
I got there sorta late in the show -- the meet up failed to materialize -- and I was there when he started it and drove away. Damn, it sounded sweet. I'd asked him earlier if he drove it on the streets. He said "all the time." I said, "Brave man," and when he shrugged, I felt a bit sheepish and added, "Well why not -- life is short," to which he gave the sideways head cock, the you-betcha gesture.
That's him holding the spacious boot open.
As you can see, there was a similar model in the hardtop edition, kinda odd looking all in all. Nice, certainly, but I looked the more au natural red one a lot better.
There were over 100 Ferraris there. I saw not only my first 330 GTC (the Ferrari I lust for) but my first three.
