Owning A Ferrari

This is the second of two posts. The first is "Buying A Ferrari" - I suggest reading it before this.
First of all, I must state I never have or likely ever will own a Ferrari. What follows are comments based on observation and deduction. I do own however, a nice low mileage 1972 Datsun 510 two door that, while not extremely valuable, is very precious to me. In a lot of ways, I think a new Ferrari should be treated as I do that car. It is never left unattended in a shopping mall parking lot or taken through an automatic car wash. If there's a chance of rain, the car stays in the garage, under its dust cover. Most outings are for simple driving pleasure, to a car show or other motoring event. I would never dream of using the car to collect groceries or materials for a home project. You must have another "real" car for those day to day purposes.
Servicing and maintaining your Ferrari
Walmart and Canadian Tire aren't going to be any help. Neither is your Mercedes or Ford dealer. During the warranty period you might have to resort to having the car shipped to the closest dealership. An alternative would be to contact me, I'd be happy to drive it from your home to the dealership and back, free of charge! You just pay the gas and the tickets. The cost of the standard service (oil and filter plus regular scheduled maintenance) will be about $2,000.00 per visit. Once the car is past the warranty period, if you're lucky, you'll be able to find a classically trained and Ferrari certified private mechanic, near you. He or she will tell you when and what your car needs for service. Trust them and just pay the bill. I'd suggest you put aside about $5,000 - $10,000 a year for service, maintenance, tires, etc. By the way, I've read that most Ferrari owners figure that a full wash and detail of the car should run about $600.00 (If I hurry I can do my little Smartie at the old Sutherland Avenue hand wash for two toonies!)
It is imperative every bit of service and maintenance ever done on the car is thoroughly documented. In addition, safeguard all the original sales documentation for the car. A detailed history of the car will add thousands to the resale price.
Buy Ferrari's cover for your car
It won't be cheap, but over the years you own your Ferrari, it will pay for itself tenfold! About the only time the cover should be off the car is when you're in it. In the garage, the cover will keep the dust off it. If you have to park the car on the street, a cover will keep the sun, tree sap and other droppings off the glass and paintwork, plus it lessens the chance some moron will decide they need to vandalize it.
Insuring your Ferrari
Let's assume you're married, over 25 years old, have a clean driving record. Your new Ferrari 458 Italia is going to cost $3,000.00 to $5,000.00 a year for insurance. I've seen mention of policies with the deductible ranging from $1,000 to $16,000. Shop around.
Driving Your Ferrari
Let's be realistic, there's no way you'll ever be able to explore the full potential of your car on the street. I recently watched a short video on youtube where they were testing an Italia Speciale, which is the top of the line Italia. The performance is shall we say scintillating... check it out for yourself at http://youtu.be/TmCkdbdCOog  While it's likely you've had other high performance cars before the Ferrari, the jump up to this car is probably a big one. I'd suggest you partake in a Ferrari sponsored "track day" early on in your ownership. It will be a lot of fun and will also give you the skill needed to keep your car shiny side up and out of the weeds.
Be prepared to be treated like a celebrity when you're in your Ferrari. Nearly every time you stop, it will draw a crowd. The questions most often asked are, "How fast is it? What's it cost?" and "Is it good for picking up girls?" Your answers should be... "Plenty," "A Lot!" and "Yup." Remember also to be humble, nobody likes an arrogant celebrity.
Lastly, from what I've read on several Ferrari chat sites, it's reasonable to put about 4,000 kilometres a year on your Ferrari, any more and its resale value will suffer. What they're saying is driving a Ferrari is like drinking fine wine, every glass is to be savoured, never guzzled.

Buying A Ferrari!

So you're at a point in life where you've attained enough wealth to afford admission to the supercar club. If you rule out the ridiculously expensive almost one-off marques like Koenigsegg and Bugatti, the two cars at the top of the list would be Lamborghini and Ferrari.
Ferruccio Lamborghini did well manufacturing tractors. So much so, he could afford several Ferraris. When one of his cars developed a clutch problem, he discovered it was the same as used in his tractors. Lamborghini asked Mr. Ferrari for a better replacement, to which he said Lamborghini was but a tractor maker and could know nothing of sports cars. With typical Italian hot-headed bravado, Lamborghini boasted he could build superior cars. "Prove it!" said Ferrari. That's how Lamborghini got into building supercars. But in my opinion, their latest cars are too over-the-top to be considered, that is unless you're a 17-year-old rock star or a pro hockey player.
Enzo Ferrari was a racing driver/engineer that began his career in the 1920's with Alpha Romeo, another legendary Italian sports car manufacturer. When he went out on his own, his first car, the nimble 125 Sport had a 1.5 litre V-12 engine, that for its size, created scintillating performance along with an addictive sound only a "12" can generate. From the outset, racing was, and still is, the cornerstone of the company's endevours - as a result, their road cars have high performance driving as their primary focus. But over the years, many of their offerings have come to include most of the luxury features their well-heeled clientele expect.
What Colour to Choose?
In the early years of motor racing, each country was designated a specific colour to identify their racing cars. They included: British racing green, German silver and pale blue for the French. American cars were white with a blue chassis - later when the body completely covered the chassis, two blue "racing stripes" were added over the white body. The traditional Italian racing colour was a very deep dark red - Ferrari of course chose to paint his race cars red, but a much brighter shade. You can order your new Ferrari in virtually any colour you want, but the resale value for a red car is always higher.
Which model to pick?
This depends a lot on how thick your wallet is - prices range from $275,000.00 and up. Compared to just a few years ago, the range of models Ferrari offers is quite extensive: including a retractible roof front engined car, the California; a four-seat, front-engined, all wheel drive, hatchback, the FF; the ridiculously fast and costly "F12 Berlinetta" and the mid-engined 458 Italia (their most prolific and least-expensive model). Let's say you've been able to keep your ego reined in just a bit and decided on the Italia. Personally I'd pick the 458 Spider (it's in the middle of the 458 range at $305.000.00).
In Canada, Ferrari has dealerships in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, so if you want to kick some tires and or take one for a test drive, unless you live in one of those four cities, you'll have to get in your jet and go for a ride. Recently, Ferrari has limited the total yearly production to 7500 cars - thus keeping the demand for their product strong. Wait time from the day a car is ordered until it's built is now between 12 to 18 months.
Take Delivery in Italy!
To get "the full-meal deal" you'll want to be in Maranello to watch your car go down the assembly line. You should then take delivery there, and enjoy a nice vacation in Italy with your new car. I suggest arranging a homebase for your holiday and doing little day trips rather than travelling from town to town. You see, the "trunk" in an Italia will barely fit two small soft-sided suitcases. If your lady is even the least bit "high-maintenance" the lack of luggage space will be a serious issue. The sideroads in northern Italy, particularly those in the hills around Lago di Garda were made for spirited driving in a new Ferrari! When it's time to come home, Ferrari will ship your car to Canada.



Stay tuned. The next post is "Owning A Ferrari."

Your first car show!

Maybe your partner is keen and reluctantly you've agreed to go. Even if you're not very interested in cars, I guarantee you'll see examples of amazing craftsmanship and artistry, not to mention the most eclectic mix of people.

There's really only one rule... Never Touch A Car!
A car owner has spent hours waxing the paint and buffing the brightwork to absolute perfection. The last thing they need is a big oily handprint on their pride and joy. Lean in close to get a good look, but be sure you don't have any loose dangly bits (jewellery, cameras, water bottles, etc. that could bang into the car. If you've brought a young child, make sure they know this "No Touching Rule." If they can't abide by it, they don't yet belong at the show. Strollers and baby carriages should be used with great car and consideration - keep them well away from the cars. If you rode your bicycle to the show, bring a lock to secure it and then walk through the show.

Ask Questions:
If a certain car catches your eye, look behind it and you'll often find the owner sitting in a lounge chair. Ask, "Is this your car?" If the answer's yes, then be assured almost all: specialty, vintage, hotrod, custom, or high performance car owners like nothing better than to talk about their project. You don't have to know all kinds of technical data to converse with a car guy or girl. Start off with a question like, "How long have you had the car?" If you're looking at a restored car, maybe ask, "What year is it?" Once you get a conversation started, you'll be amazed at what you find out. In Seattle, I spoke to a fellow in his late eighties who'd been driving his 1915 Maxwell for more than 70 years!

Works In Progress
Not every car on display will be perfectly restored or a $150,000.00 professionally built hot rod. Make a point of looking at some of the less polished examples. Cars can take years to build and an owner may show it at various stages. If you become acquainted with a car and its owner early on, it can be interesting to check their progress over the course of a few years.

Family Affairs
Often a project car will be built by a father and son or daughter team, or perhaps a husband and wife. I know of many such arrangements - often one of the team handles the mechanical part of the project and the other the cosmetic. And don't assume it's always the guy turning the wrenches!

Watch for Photographers
There will be many photographers at a car show. If you see one waiting to get a clear shot of a car, please stop for a moment and let them get their picture. When I'm photographing a car, I like to have people in the shot, I try to get them admiring the car, but not blocking it. Easier said than done sometimes.

It's Nice To Come Early
While it's great to walk into a car show in full swing, Arrive early enough to see the cars drive in, and you're in for a treat. Specialty cars are not only a visual experience, but audio as well. It's impossible to describe in words the sound of a five hundred horsepower V-8. It will be a tad loud, but its deep pulsing rumble will stay with you. At the other end of the audio spectrum is the quaint antique sound of a Model T as it chugs by,

Avoid Sensory Overload
There's a lot to see at a car show, but don't rush, take your time. If you find you're glazing over, take a break. Get a snack and drink and sit for a while. Some shows have hundreds of cars on display and a break will give you a chance to digest what you've seen. Once your batteries are re-charged, carry on - but if you decide you've had enough, that's OK too.

Car shows are meant to be fun, social experience for both car owners and spectators alike. I urge you to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon at one. Who knows you might yourself bitten by the specialty car bug!

Posted from Mainz, Germany

Car Songs

Almost since there were cars, there's been songs about cars. I could go all the way back to the roaring twenties, but I think for this post I'm going to start in the fifties. It's interesting that Rock 'n Roll emerged at the same time as high performance cars and hot rods came to the fore, in post-war USA.

What follows is a short compilation from that era, it is by no means complete, there's hundreds! Click or tap the titles to hear the song.

Ronnie and The Daytonas: Little G.T.O. 
In 1963, Pontiac's chief engineer, John DeLorean led a team of stylists and engineers that took the big Pontiac's 389 cubic inch V-8 and jammed it into the wimpy mid-sized Pontiac Tempest and transformed it into the GTO. Sound familiar?
According to wikipedia, "The name, which was DeLorean's idea, was inspired by the Ferrari 250 GTO, the successful race car. It is an Italian abbreviation for Gran Turismo Omologato, which means officially certified for racing in the Grand Tourer class. The name drew protests from enthusiasts, who considered it close to sacrilege.

Jan and Dean: Dead Man's Curve
Since the song, Little G.T.O. mentions Sting Rays and XKE's this had to be the next song. Yes it's a little sappy, but the message that comes through strongly is street-racing kills. Too bad there's so many that haven't learned that deadly lesson.

The Rip Chords: Hey Little Cobra
When Texan Carroll Shelby arranged for the classically styled little British car, the AC Ace, to have its wheezy straight six replaced by a high performance Ford 289, another legend was born. In subsequent years the Cobra's engine grew to include a ground-pounding 427 cubic inch monster V-8! But the song was about the first Cobra, the one with the little 289 under the hood. Still the my favourite.
When my buddy Jack and I attended the Monterey Historic Auto Races at Laguna Seca a few years ago, the Cobra was the featured marque. We had a nice chat with a fellow who bought one of those first 289 Cobras, brand new. It was his daily driver for many decades and now is still his pride and joy.

Wilson Pickett: Mustang Sally
This song has always been one of my favourites. I've always liked R&B and Motown music, mainly because they often include some nice baritone sax. Mustang Sally has a bari lead-in at the start of each phrase (listen for the two low notes that sound to me like "barrap"). And you wonder why I've stayed playing "bari" all these years – super cool!
The song's inspiration came from singer Della Reece's desire to buy a Mustang. The song was going to be "Mustang Mama" but Aretha Franklin suggested "Mustang Sally" had a better ring to it and songwriter Mack Rice agreed.
In 2015, we'll be celebrating fifty years of Mustang! Back in the early sixties Lee Iacocca, then Vice President of Ford, lead the development of the Mustang, which was based on the dowdy compact Ford Falcon. Lee and his team transformed it into a sporty car that appealed to the masses. It its first year of production, sales were 417,000 units. In fact, on the first day it was available, dealers took 22,000 Mustang orders. Within two years, sales had catapulted to one million – that's a lot of "Pony" cars!

The Beach Boys: Little Deuce Coupe
I was very fortunate to be a teenager when most of these songs about little cars with big engines first became popular. But it was The Beach Boys car songs that really hit home with me. In my time, the car culture came from California. So when a band that also came from California sang about cars, it was a double whammy.

The Beach Boys: 409
So we've had all these songs about little cars with big engines. What does a car company do if they want to soup up a big car? Well if you're Chevy and you want to make the Impala really get up and go, you put a big truck motor in it. Starting in 1961, you could order your Chevy Impala SS with a high-performance 409 cubic inch "big block" V-8. Yahoooooooo!

Rocket 88 by Ike Turner/Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats (1951)
Warning: the video that I've linked to was thought to be a "bit racy" back in the fifties, if you don't want to see a young lady in her skivvies you might want to pass this one by. This song is often called the first Rock 'n Roll song. And it's about the Oldsmobile Rocket 88, which just happens to be the first mid-size car in which a Detroit automaker put the biggest engine they could fit. Could this be the first muscle-car?

Dinah Shore: See The USA In Your Chevrolet
Enough of songs about big engined cars! There's more to life than cubic inches. Back in 1953, General Motors enlisted Dinah Shore to sing the praises of the new Chevy. In this 12 minute long youtube video, Dinah takes us behind the scenes to see how a film commercial is made. Listen how that wonderful two-speed PowerGlide transmission, delivers all of the car's 115 horses for effortless passing! Stick it through to the end and Dinah sings "See The USA In Your Chevrolet" a theme that Chevy used at least until the end of the fifties.

That's just a tiny snippet of the many car songs out there, if you want more, here ya go! Top 100 Car Songs

What is it about dogs and trucks?

Dogs like riding in cars, but they LOVE riding in trucks! Maybe it's their upright seats better suit doggie posteriors. Or it might be that trucks ride higher than cars – they can see more from their perch. They might also be thinking, "If I play my cards right, I'll get to ride in the back!" I recall reading a dog's sense of smell is 10,000 times better than a human's. I can imagine if MY sniffer was that good, I too would like riding in an open-air pickup bed – fast moving air rushing past my nose, would supercharge all those scents. (But remember dogs should never ride loose in the back of a truck!)
Man's best friend, as dogs are often called, like to be with their master, and if that means going for a pickup ride, all the better. I remember Walter, a carpenter, always had his big German shepherd along in his truck. At a jobsite the man would park the truck in a shady spot. He'd get out of the cab and before he could grab his tools and work belt out of the back, the dog would have sidled over to the driver's seat. From this position of authority, he'd patiently supervise the goings-on until it was lunchtime. Walter would come back to the truck and get a big lunchbox and thermos out of the cab, then he and the dog would find a comfortable place to have their lunches and if needed, attend to the call of nature. Lunch over, Walter would go back to work and the dog would again supervise from the cab for the rest of the day.
My friend JD has, as his constant companion, a Cairn terrier named Rory. It's like that dog has only an On/Off switch, he's either asleep or roaring around full blast barking his head off! When JD needs a break from Rory constantly underfoot, he'll take him out to his truck and put him in the cab. Immediately the dog calms down, and will sit patiently, perfectly at ease. JD can now get some real work done without interruption, on whatever project he has underway. I asked, "How long will Rory be happy to stay in the truck?" "He'll sit there for hours," said JD. When I asked why, he replied, "because he knows he's not going to be left behind."
On JD's acreage, he has an old Fargo flatdeck truck that hasn't moved in years. I decided it would be fun to do a digital painting of it – and in honour of Rory's amazing patience, I photoshopped him into the cab. (Note: clicking or tapping on any picture in my blog will enlarge it.)
Here for your amusement is, "Waitin' For A Ride..."

If you'd like to see more of my digital paintings, check out my website at: http://automotiveart.shawwebspace.ca/  or if you have an iPad or a new Mac, go to iTunes/iBooks and have a look at my ebook titled: Digital Automotive Art

An Ode To The Turn Signal

Is there another part of the car more taken for granted than the turn signal? Without giving them a second thought, you push the lever up to signal a right turn and down for left. After your turn, the signal cancels itself – simple and foolproof. Every car has them, and almost all work in the same manner. But I remember an Opel we rented in Germany had a signal lever that worked differently, much to my chagrin. Opel’s better idea was to have the lever pop back to the neutral position after the driver had activated it. If the signal didn’t cancel (which seemed to happen quite regularly), when I tried to manually cancel I would invariably move the lever too far, thus initiating a signal in the opposite direction – then when I tried to cancel THAT, I’d activate an opposite signal. I can just imagine a German driver following behind watching one signal then the other blinking on and off, thinking, “Make up your mind you crazy Canadian!” A surgeon’s touch was needed to get the lever back to the neutral position. 

The First Flashing Electric Signal
According to RLP Engineering’s website, the first application of a flashing electric turn signal was used on the 1938 Buick as a new safety feature. It was advertised by Buick as the “Flash-Way Directional Signal”, and by 1940, they had added a self-cancelling mechanism. That technology more or less has stayed the same for seventy years. But now, RLP have developed a new turn signal system that is quite interesting, check out: http://www.rlpengineering.com/index.htm 

Mechanical Signals 

Going way back, there were mechanical turn signals. As a kid, I often rode with my dad in the old Canadian National Railway delivery truck, it had a pivoting "arm" that swung out from behind the left side of the cab. There was a chain strung into the cab, which when pulled, raised the "arm" to horizontal to indicate a left turn, and up nearly vertical for a right – pretty fancy eh? 

Trafficators 
Some European cars from the forties and fifties had another turn signal idea, which we called “semaphores.” A quick google check revealed the proper name is “Trafficators” – furthermore wikipedia's description of it is quite clear: “Trafficators are semaphore signals which, when operated, protrude from the bodywork of a motor vehicle to indicate its intention to turn in the direction indicated by the pointing signal. Trafficators are often located at the door pillar.”

My 1951 Anglia had these, they were operated by a flip switch mounted above the horn button in the steering wheel hub. Amazingly, the hub didn’t turn with the wheel, so the flip switch stayed upright. Admittedly, my car was pretty old and tired when I got it, but I never got both semaphores to work properly. The one on the left would extend but not light up, the right side wouldn’t extend but you could peek in its slot and see the bulb burning brightly.

Hand Signals 
Everyone who takes “Driver Ed” learns the three standard hand signals: arm straight out is a left, arm bent up at elbow means right, arm bent down at elbow signals slowing or stopping. After passing their driver's test, most people never use them again. When I was little, I remember my mother had a fourth hand signal. Perhaps it was her own invention as I NEVER saw anyone else use it. Kelowna, BC, was then a much smaller town, and it was common for folks driving east on Bernard Avenue (the main street), to make a U-turn at Bertram Street, the end of the business district. Before starting her U-turn, she’d put her arm out, bent down at the elbow and wave her hand in little circles, this meant, at least to her, “Watch out, I’m making a U-turn.” 

The Winnipeg Winter Option 
As a young boy back in the forties, my brother Jim remembers most older cars didn’t have electric signals, so drivers used hand signals extensively. In the harsh Winnipeg winters people would add little oval-shaped plastic “storm windows” to their car's side windows to stop the glass from frosting up. But this meant you couldn’t roll down the window far enough to put your arm out, he claims drivers wanting to signal a left turn would do so by opening their door! “How did they indicate a right turn?” I asked. “They didn’t.” was his reply. 

When I started to write this post, I was thinking I'd have a tough time getting more than a few lines about turn signals – I had no idea there was so much to say on this topic. In closing, I have one more note to pass on: if your signal starts to flash at twice its normal speed, don't ignore it. That's a "signal" one of your signal bulbs has burnt out!