I think there is an allure that the Ferrari holds that somehow draws
us in. Maybe its a commercial icon , such as "Rolex", or maybe it's the
fact that you don't see them as often as other cars. Whatever it is, it
got me a couple of years ago.
After losing my young wife to cancer 7 years ago, I kept busy with work
on my Jeep CJ-7, doing an engine swap, etc. But then fell in love with
Hummers, so I sold the Jeep, and bought a 1997 Hummer.(it's my daily driver)
I had to have a car, so I ordered a new C-5 Corvette in 1998, I put 1100
miles on the car and never really liked the high door sills, kind of like
sitting in the bath-tub. I began noticing the used Ferrari's. But, the
Corvette bug still had me, so I sold the C-5 and bought a really nice 1967
L-71 roadster. I worked on that car and went through the drive train, and
built a motorcycle to match it. But I still kept looking at the DuPont
Registry at the Ferrari's. I bought a couple of coffee table type books
on Ferrari's and decided that I wanted a 12 cylinder Ferrari with carbs.
Being a half-way decent mechanic, I looked for the roughest example
I could find and bought it. I chose the Boxer, after never even driving
one, because of what I view as the best value in the present market. I
think they are overlooked. But after driving the car, I was really impressed
with its handling and acceleration from a roll. The low (numeric) gearing,
and the low drag , make for a really fast and stable car. I ran the car
120 in third gear, and then 150 in forth, and was impressed by the inherent
stability. The car had low compression, so I sent it out to Dallas
to Norwood's for a motor and gearbox overhaul. I almost attempted it myself,
but now am glad they did it.
So far, I have run the car about 160 to 170 in top gear, and there seems to be no end to it. I think they will run very close to the published brochure speed of 188 if the car is in proper tune, with 103 octane fuel. Anyway, I think I made the right choice in the Boxer, and intend to keep this car for a long time.
In city traffic, the AC is bearable, but won't win any awards. The steering is heavy in stop and go traffic, but, boy does that little red car draw some kind of attention. I drove an Excalibur for a few years, and the Boxer gets more attention. When you open up both bonnets, and doors, folks jaws just drop.
One pleasant surprise is the fact that the Boxer is actually quite a
large car. The back tires just about hang off the lift, and inside, the
seats are very nice, and I have taken a friend of mine who is 6' 5", and
he fit in the passanger seat OK. I am 6 feet tall and the car fits me perfect.
When starting a cold Boxer, they will smoke a lot, due to the dry sump,
which is full of oil from sitting. They don't run very well until the oil
temp. gets over about 140 degrees, then they are a joy to shift, and the
motor runs very smoothly. I kept the stock exhaust, because I didn't
want a loud car. When standing outside the car at idle, when warmed up,
you can barely hear it running. I like that.
Sorry about the length here, but a word of caution about some of the
Ferrari "experts" that are out there. I have been lucky to run across a
couple of truly informative people, but I have run across a whole lot of
BS. So, be careful. Don't be afraid of a Ferrari, it still is just a car,
and with some hand tools and some elbow grease, they can be very nicely
restored. Yes, they are expensive, but as your project goes, the more you
do, the more you save. If I can be of any help , just let me know.
I just got done removing the doors on the Boxer. There was some previous
crash damage to the drivers door and I had to drill a hole in it to remove
the hinge pin that some body shop had installed and then flush cut. I think,
I will machine an insert for the oval shaped hinge post, so I can use a
stock hinge pin. The door gaps are almost right on, so they will require
just a little pounding. Once fit, I will tig weld a patch in place. The
interior is mostly riveted in place, so it should come out fairly easy.
More pictures on that will follow. Thanks again Tom, David
Update 9/02
I had CoachTrim,LLC. in Stamford , CT. re-cover the dash and pillar
panels, and it looks awsome. The material is black ultra-suede. Johann,
the fellow who did the job, told me that the real mouse hair coverings
are really not available anymore, and that the current replacement coverings
are just not good. I chose the ultra-suede leather because he told me he
had just finished a vintage Maserati using the black ultra-suede, and it
was stunning, and the owner was very happy. Also, Johann told me the ultra-suede
will not pull or shrink from humidity or sun light. And, finally, I wanted
a custom touch to my car, and this is absolutely stunning. By the
way, it isn't easy to find a trim shop willing to do an involved Ferrari
dash. When I called CoachTrim, they said, " yeah, in fact we have already
done 2 Boxer interiors this summer". Say What! That was music to
my ears.