Page 5 of 7 FirstFirst ... 34567 LastLast
Results 61 to 75 of 100

Thread: This is a Safe Place

  1. #61
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    33,489
    I meant in terms of hype. The 250 GTO is so overhyped that its actual merits seem to be irrelevant. For many people the 250 GTO is the Ferrari. That makes me not want to like it (Maybe Kitdy is on to something with hispter choices and all).

    Anyway, despite not being a Ferrari person, it's hard to say no to the classic V12s. They embody what cars are all about: Magnificent engines, classic proportions, high performance, stylish and charismatic. I'd say that even the modern F12 Berlinetta carries some of that heritage.

    PS. How could I forget the Lusso? That's in too.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  2. #62
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    └A & Connecticlump
    Posts
    5,367
    Any car from the 250-Series is somewhat obvious, I'd say. There is a very good reason why they're so loved.
    As far as favorite Ferrari full-stop, the P-cars, with their endless swoopiness rank highest. I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Glickenhaus' at the Lime Rock Concours, and it redoubled my conviction that it is one of the prettiest cars of all time.
    "Kimi, can you improve on your [race] finish?"
    "No. My Finnish is fine; I am from Finland. Do you have any water?"

  3. #63
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    10,227
    Quote Originally Posted by henk4 View Post
    A proper 330 P4 would probably outprice a 250 GTO in the current market, but there are only two that can be considered original, the one owned by the Bardinon family and Lawrence Stroll's car. The third car now owned by Franco Meiners has too much of a history around her to achieve its full value potential.
    I suppose there is that; how often do the Ps go on sale? The market for these very high end cars is much more discrete than continuous for say a large (or larger) run of cars. The two you mention, and other Ps are very rarely sold, and could be sold in private sale to obscure the transaction price.

    The question remains, why the GTO? I've read one or two articles over the past few weeks that also raise this question. I suppose it was a road legal homologation special Colombo V12 FR Ferrari with a racing pedigree, so that's good. Maybe I've partly answered my own question. The car is still not exactly an icon to me. It sorta is, but I think mostly because of what the price has made it become, and how exclusive the owner's club is.

  4. #64
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    6,534
    The thing about the GTO is that it has the right mix of heritage and rarity. It's the the culmination of the 250 series, the 'last of an era' (front-engined racers winning LeMans) and there's enough of them that they come up for auction regularly, so we all know about it. Ironically, the fact that it's a lot less rare than the Ps means that there's more demand for them, as more people know a lot more about them. That someone like Mr. Glickenhaus is responsible for folk like us seeing and knowing more about the P makes a lot of sense, as he's about as hard core as we are into this stuff. He gets it. I'm sure when a P comes up there's a lot of folk saying 'Wow, that's interesting, never heard of that before' but when it's a GTO, we're all experts.

    Basically, when you have a GTO you can have a rare and special Ferrari like everyone else's. When you have a P3/4, you're just about it.
    Life's too short to drive bad cars.

  5. #65
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    33,489
    Moving on.

    Today I was driving the Alfa to Girona. I didn't fancy fast driving and I wanted to see how many miles to the gallon I could get out of it (computer reckons I'm doing 59mpg and that includes a fair bit of city driving, but we'll se when the tank is empty).

    I set the cruise control to 100km/h and off I wanted. There was hardly any traffic, the road were quite and I was driving a diesel front wheel drive car with an automatic.

    And then a thought crossed my mind. I was limiting myself to follow the lanes on the road and I couldn't help thinking that automated driving would very possibly improve the trip.

    Now, I wouldn't give up driving; I enjoy it too much, especially on the right car and roads. But could self-driving cars maybe, just maybe, be a good thing?
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  6. #66
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    10,227
    In certain situations? Sure, maybe. It could make having a more earthen and basic fun car for the weekend more enjoyable.

    Determining the course of the future and technological developments is tremendously difficult, as is predicting how you'd react to hypothetical situations. I think we are only going to know how "we" (as either drivers, commuters, enthusiasts, whatever) feel about automated cars whenever they actually become widely used; and when that will actually happen is very hard to predict.

  7. #67
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    33,489
    What if you can't afford two cars?

    This is something that haunts me. Then you need to compromise, and compromises mean that you are going to have something that may be good but something that you don't enjoy or at least not as much as you could do in something else.

    In a way the same stand for the hybrid A3 I drove some weeks ago. I did really like it, but in the end you would know that it is not what you really want. In Europe though, it's difficult. Diesel's economic advantage is so great that trying to justify getting something else is hard unless you have deep pockets.

    It's even worse if you live in a city and you either commute or have to drive long motorway stretches to the weekend's house. I don't know, I'm slightly confused and annoyed.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  8. #68
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    East Coast of the United States
    Posts
    11,994
    I had an idea once where there was a central system where you could enter in your destination. The central computer would figure out the destinations of other users from other areas and will try to optimize freeway usage by linking your car up with other cars going the same general direction. You'd drive up to the freeway (probably by yourself) and then you'd merge with the predetermined bunch of cars going in that same general direction. The computer controlled system would drive at a constant rate of speed and cars would detach when their destination approaches and you'd be free to do whatever you want. Ideally, the system would probably be able to move very quickly if it was efficient, probably more than the speed limit but you'd have to trust the system.

    I think it would work pretty well with one lane predetermined for this computer system, while other older cars would be able to still use the freeways as they still used to.

    I think this system is very far away, as I'm not sure if I'd trust myself to such a complex system.

  9. #69
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    6,153
    Quote Originally Posted by Ferrer View Post

    Now, I wouldn't give up driving; I enjoy it too much, especially on the right car and roads. But could self-driving cars maybe, just maybe, be a good thing?
    Well its basically personalized “public transport”. So if you are commuting back and forth to work in tedious traffic I guess it would be a fair call. Likewise if you are driving a boring car. When I take my wife’s Mitsubishi Mirage to work I would be just as happy to let it drive me there. On the other hand when I take my Monaro I enjoy driving. Even cruise control gets in the way of the driving experience. As you said “right car on the right roads”.
    "A string is approximately nine long."
    Egg Nogg 02-04-2005, 05:07 AM

  10. #70
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    10,227
    Quote Originally Posted by Ferrer View Post
    What if you can't afford two cars?
    Yes. I do not know. The small light, more manually intensive enthusiast cars might cost a lot as so few are made/wanted, but the lack of technology could drag down prices a bit?

    Maybe all cars will have some form of autonomous capability?

    The more I think about this, the more I refocus on my main problem with driving being boring roads in my locale, and yet, I still love driving, even on a highway. Even down straight residential streets, in an entry level auto Mazda. There's just something about it. When I get into the work force I want to seriously look into autocross, cheap rally, tracking, karting, etc.

  11. #71
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    33,489
    Quote Originally Posted by NSXType-R View Post
    I had an idea once where there was a central system where you could enter in your destination. The central computer would figure out the destinations of other users from other areas and will try to optimize freeway usage by linking your car up with other cars going the same general direction. You'd drive up to the freeway (probably by yourself) and then you'd merge with the predetermined bunch of cars going in that same general direction. The computer controlled system would drive at a constant rate of speed and cars would detach when their destination approaches and you'd be free to do whatever you want. Ideally, the system would probably be able to move very quickly if it was efficient, probably more than the speed limit but you'd have to trust the system.

    I think it would work pretty well with one lane predetermined for this computer system, while other older cars would be able to still use the freeways as they still used to.

    I think this system is very far away, as I'm not sure if I'd trust myself to such a complex system.
    There is some that say that fully automated driving is still decades ago, but automated driving just in motorways/freeways/highways would be easier due to the nature of those roads. So for the most part the car would drive itself but you'd still have to drive on the more complex (best?) parts of the journey.
    Quote Originally Posted by crisis View Post
    Well its basically personalized “public transport”. So if you are commuting back and forth to work in tedious traffic I guess it would be a fair call. Likewise if you are driving a boring car. When I take my wife’s Mitsubishi Mirage to work I would be just as happy to let it drive me there. On the other hand when I take my Monaro I enjoy driving. Even cruise control gets in the way of the driving experience. As you said “right car on the right roads”.
    Indeed it is. I do not like public transport; I do not like sharing my space with people I do not know (and eve sometimes with people I know, but that's another story...). I also do not like the constraints public transport has, such as predetermined routes and time schedules.

    You've got a point in having two drivers at home and therefore two cars. This eases off a little bit the economic pressure of having two cars. This way you can have both the sensible car and the sporty emotional one. I'm considering this option myself.

    However there's a problem, because the really great roads are around my weekend's place and to get there I have to drive long stretches of motorway (there's mountain road option, but it is not feasible to take it "always") so the ideal situation would be to drive there with the sensible car and once there you move around in the sportscar. However this clashes with the idea of having to drivers at home with two car (in the city).
    Quote Originally Posted by Kitdy View Post
    Yes. I do not know. The small light, more manually intensive enthusiast cars might cost a lot as so few are made/wanted, but the lack of technology could drag down prices a bit?

    Maybe all cars will have some form of autonomous capability?

    The more I think about this, the more I refocus on my main problem with driving being boring roads in my locale, and yet, I still love driving, even on a highway. Even down straight residential streets, in an entry level auto Mazda. There's just something about it. When I get into the work force I want to seriously look into autocross, cheap rally, tracking, karting, etc.
    Of course those systems, were they to be implemented should be completely able to be turned off. Despite being slightly boring I still enjoy commanding my car in those circumstances. And even then I'm not sure I would use it very often.

    In my opinion even the worst car in the most boring road in the world is better than no car, no road and no driving whatsoever.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  12. #72
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    6,153
    Quote Originally Posted by Ferrer View Post
    Indeed it is. I do not like public transport; I do not like sharing my space with people I do not know (and eve sometimes with people I know, but that's another story...). I also do not like the constraints public transport has, such as predetermined routes and time schedules.
    I work in public transport and I can give you plenty of reasons I would not use it. ;-)
    "A string is approximately nine long."
    Egg Nogg 02-04-2005, 05:07 AM

  13. #73
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Californian by nature, living in Teggsas.
    Posts
    4,130
    Damn. I still like diesels. I can delete a DPF, not sure about SCRs. And I still loathe sedans, Tudors still look good though, I do rank convertibles as my no. 1 fav body style, followed by wagons, Tudors, hatchbacks, and finally sedans. Bleagh, sedans.

    Alfas are overrated, they have their charms though.

    No super car should ever be a hybrid.

    STis are maybe not silly. Dynamically good but in that mid-priced range, there are a LOT of cars. For the money, I can think of a handful of cars I'd rather have.

    Rotaries? Eh, I'm no fan but like Alfas, they have their charms.
    Last edited by jcp123; 12-24-2014 at 12:11 AM.
    An it harm none, do as ye will

    Approximately 79% of statistics are made up.

  14. #74
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Californian by nature, living in Teggsas.
    Posts
    4,130
    Quote Originally Posted by Ferrer View Post
    I meant in terms of hype. The 250 GTO is so overhyped that its actual merits seem to be irrelevant. For many people the 250 GTO is the Ferrari. That makes me not want to like it (Maybe Kitdy is on to something with hispter choices and all).

    Anyway, despite not being a Ferrari person, it's hard to say no to the classic V12s. They embody what cars are all about: Magnificent engines, classic proportions, high performance, stylish and charismatic. I'd say that even the modern F12 Berlinetta carries some of that heritage.

    PS. How could I forget the Lusso? That's in too.
    I never cared for 250 GTOs to begin with. Lussos are similarly eh. My heart lies with 250GTEs and even better, 330 America 2+2s. Although to put this into perspective, any Colombo V12 Ferrari is phenomenal.
    An it harm none, do as ye will

    Approximately 79% of statistics are made up.

  15. #75
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    33,489
    I was watching yesterday the Sebring 12h and although the racing was good (especially in the GT classes) it would've been so much better if the Americans used the proper racing classes instead of the ones that favour their cars.

    Also the DPs are ugly and have the wrong proportions.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 2 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 2 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Corvette ZR1 with minor mods and a safe tune nets 598rwhp
    By monaroCountry in forum General Automotive
    Replies: 41
    Last Post: 10-05-2008, 11:20 PM
  2. The news of the day
    By drakkie in forum Miscellaneous
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 04-20-2006, 07:21 AM
  3. Richard Burns dies today
    By Mustang in forum Racing forums
    Replies: 46
    Last Post: 12-22-2005, 08:06 AM
  4. Karrmann's place your bets!! week of Sept 19 2004
    By Karrmann in forum Miscellaneous
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 09-19-2004, 04:07 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •