2/20/11
Daytona Spyder
A new
car arrived at the shop this week and I was excited to work on it. It
was a Daytona Spyder, or officially a 365GTS/4. This is a fairly rare
car with about 122 cars made officially from the
factory. Back in the 80s, these cars were selling for double what
Daytona Coupes were getting. Quite a few Coupes had their
roofs
chopped off to reap the premium one would get when selling a
convertible Daytona. Unscrupulous sellers would try to pass a chopped
car for a rare original spyder, so care needed to be taken to
tell the
differences. This car was a legitimate Spyder.
We were asked by
the owner to go through the car and basically do whatever was necessary
to get it into the best condition it could be. He wants to enjoy the
car in the eventual warm weather, so we began the service with a test
drive.
Francois is very fond of Daytonas, and they have always
been on his short list of Favorite Ferraris. He got behind the wheel of
the car and we began our evaluation. We got about a mile from the shop
when the car mysteriously cut out! After 5 minutes at the side of the
road with Francois looking at the fuse panel, I noticed half of the
electrics to be working on the car. I reached behind the ignition
switch, and heard the fuel pump spring back into life. One of the
connectors to the ignition switch had worked itself loose, cutting
power to the coils and the fuel pump. We got the car started, and
headed back to the shop with me holding the loose connectors in place
while Francois drove.
With the connections better secured, we headed back out for the test
drive. After only a few miles we found
this car to be s very nice example. The suspension was set up correctly
with just
enough rebound in the shock settings to make the ride supple and not
too stiff. There were small issues we found on the car and as we
noticed them, I took notes to investigate later. After 20 minutes of
driving, Francois pulled over to give me a chance to drive.
The first Daytona I drove was over 15 years ago when David Letterman
let me
drive his coupe. It was my first experience behind the wheel of a V12
Ferrari, and I have to admit I was a little nervous, but you never
forget your first time. Wrecking
Letterman's car was definitely a factor, but taking control of such a
powerful car was just as intimidating. At approximately 340 horsepower
from 4.4 liters of displacement, this was a brute in her day. It may
not sound like a lot of horsepower compared to 400 plus horsepower in a
modern sport scar, but trust me it's plenty!
After 15 years of
driving other Ferraris and becoming familiar with everything from my
330 America to a client's 275GTB, I was happy to be reacquainted with a
Daytona. I was immediately reminded how heavy the steering was at low
speeds. So much has been written about the steering in this
Ferrari
and how it gets lighter the faster you go that it has become the
Daytona cliche.
Torque and power abound with this car, and it pulls in all gears.
Trying to idle along in 5th gear at 70 mph is near impossible. All she
wants to do is speed up. Every time I get in one of these cars, I
imagine what it must have been like to drive across the US at triple
digit speeds with Brock Yates during the inaugural Cannonball Run!
It
was too cold to drive with the top down in this convertible version of
the Daytona, but I wondered if there was buffeting at high speeds.
Convertibles elicit images of a passenger with her silk scarf gently
waving in the wind, but I'm not sure if this is possible with
6 carburetors feeding this large V-12 engine in this Daytona
Spyder!
These four cam engines are pretty and is even better looking with the
air cleaner removed.
We
did a compression check to establish a baseline on this engine. After
that, I began removing the cam covers, measuring valve lash, and
servicing the carbs.
After
removing the tops of the carburetors, we found a lot of sediment in the
bottom of the fuel bowls. I cleaned out the trash, and made a note to
replace the fuel filter in the back of the car by the gas tank.
One
glaring problem under the car was a sizable hole in one of the exhaust
pipes. The ANSA exhaust looked pretty new, but moisture must have
collected in this one area and rusted through the pipe. The repair was
added to the list!
Reminder: If you have a Ferrari
related project, car, or idea
you'd like to explore, I'd love to talk to you. I can also help if
you're thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I
love to do, share, and how I make a living, so if you'd like to do
something together, let me know. It all begins with an e-mail!
Save the Date! Fourth Annual
Radcliffe/Tomyang.net Spring Car Show on Saturday May 7th 2011. Richard
Garre and I are looking forward to planning this show and more details
will follow here and the Radcliffe
Motorcar Company Website,
but if you want to mark you calendar, the date to remember is May 7th,
2011!
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