All posts by Graham

Ferrari, Pininfarina

1995 Ferrari 456 GT

3 Comments

We sort of set ourselves up for this one. Last week, while writing up another manual Ferrari 456 GT, this is what we had to say about maintenance on modified Ferraris:

At this juncture, the featured 1995 Ferrari 456 GT could end up with an enthusiastic new owner, who might tint the taillights, lower the suspension on 19" wheels, cut out the mufflers, and add Ferrari shields to the front fenders. That owner might not put aside the cash necessary for routine maintenance - we've seen listings where this has been the case. 


Which brings us today's feature. It's not a high-mileage example, but the owner has modified it almost exactly as we described last week! From the 19" wheels to the (replaced) exhaust to the (partially) tinted taillights to the fender shields, it's what we had in mind. So, was our assumption that a modified Ferrari would have deferred maintenance true? Not even close! While this car might have had some new issues crop up since its PPI in fall of 2019, we would imagine that most issues were corrected by the seller. The car has 400 miles on its most recent belt service - a far cry from the neglect that would have validated our claim from last week.

This doesn't mean that there aren't some neglected examples of modified Ferraris out there, but we'll refrain from generalizing in the future. We ourselves are in no place to pass judgement. After all, our Milano Verde - our favorite car - is lowered on 16" wheels, and has an exhaust, a couple of silly decals, and even has a vanity plate with an Italian word on it, which we are pretty sure gets us made fun of on YouTube by the Italian commenters. We'd say that our Verde is far from neglected. Live and let live.

Continue reading 1995 Ferrari 456 GT →
Bertone, Ferrari, Gandini

1975 Ferrari 308 GT4

We're following yesterday's high-mileage Ferrari 456 GT with a high-mileage Ferrari 308 GT4. To make it interesting, we've featured a 308 GT4 with even less collector appeal; this one has a 3.2L V8 from the later Ferrari 328 swapped in placed of its original 3.0L V8.

This is an interesting buy when compared to, say, a CIS-injected 16-valve 1981-1982 Ferrari 308 GTB with only 202 bhp. Styling is subjective - the GT4 is classic Gandini wedge, while the GTB is TV star cool. The nearly 70 hp advantage of this swapped 308 GT4 would be easy to sense by the seat of the pants, and we have to imagine that the acceleration would be startling for a car of this era.

Continue reading 1975 Ferrari 308 GT4 →
Ferrari, Pininfarina

1995 Ferrari 456 GT

2 Comments

A high-mileage Ferrari possesses a very narrow appeal, and we would say that the potential buyers fall into two camps. The first camp is after the most car they can get for their money - we get that. Misguided, when it comes to buying a car with extraordinarily expensive repair parts, but understandable.

The other camp, we would say, is pained to see something special go to waste. At this juncture, the featured 1995 Ferrari 456 GT could end up with an enthusiastic new owner, who might tint the taillights, lower the suspension on 19" wheels, cut out the mufflers, and add Ferrari shields to the front fenders. That owner might not put aside the cash necessary for routine maintenance - we've seen listings where this has been the case. Those in the preservation camp are the brave souls who would take on a high-mileage Ferrari and fund the routine and unplanned repairs required to keep the car in its present, outstanding condition.

Continue reading 1995 Ferrari 456 GT →
Ferrari, Pininfarina

1986 Ferrari 328 GTS

In case you were curious, this is how we at CICFS would spec our 328. It's a GTS, because finding the rare GTB to have a stiffer chassis and slightly better styling would add too much to the purchase price. It's yellow - and here comes the important part - with a brown interior. No bumblebee theme here. That look will forever remind us of 2012 Camaros with Transformer dreams.

Since this blog was started, these cars have nearly doubled in value. We can tell you this because we spent the past two weeks updating over 900 photos and links to get in compliance with eBay's affiliate link program. In 2012, the concern with a 328 GTS was that the service cost would soon overtake the purchase price. Now, it seems more important to get one now before values go up.

Continue reading 1986 Ferrari 328 GTS →
Alfa Romeo, Pininfarina

1995 Alfa Romeo 164Q

2 Comments

Of all of the 164 models, the 164Q seems to fall victim to the most customization. Here we have a dark window tint, Alfa Romeo script on the rear light bar and at the top of the windshield, a custom exhaust, tinted taillights, and yellow foglights. Oh, and the car, originally black, is wrapped in red vinyl. Fortunately, it's all reversible, and it's hopefully the sign of an owner who enjoyed and cared for his car enough to make a few tweaks here and there.

More notable than the mods is the fact that this example doesn't run. The seller doesn't know the exact reason, but suspects that it has something to do with timing. We'd be cautious with starting a 24V car without confirmation of proper cam timing - as long as the valves aren't bent, it could be a pretty simple fix.

Continue reading 1995 Alfa Romeo 164Q →
Alfa Romeo, Centro Stile Fiat

1999 Alfa Romeo 146 1.6 Twin Spark

With any brand of automobile, we find that there are always certain models that the enthusiasts just can't seem to embrace. Think along the lines of the BMW X4, for example. In the Alfa Romeo lineup, we would offer the 145 as an example of an unloveable model. And yet, while visiting some Alfa Romeo transaxle car enthusiasts in Germany, we were surprised to find that they were fans and owners of the 145, citing its performance as a daily driver.

These 3-door Alfa hatchbacks were the work of American Chris Bangle during his tenure at Centro Stile Fiat. We see what he was going for, but don't expect one of these to garner compliments at the gas pump. This example is painted in a color similar to BMW's Phoenixgelb, and really doubles down when it comes to acquired taste.

Continue reading 1999 Alfa Romeo 146 1.6 Twin Spark →
Alfa Romeo, Bertone

1972 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000

We were fortunate enough to pass by a posse of Alfa Romeos on our daily school bus rides as children. 164s were the most common model in the Alfa Romeo repair shop parking lot, trailed by Spiders of all generations. Our favorite car on the lot was always a Giulia Berlina with a metal roof basket. And, we clearly remember reading the 2000 script on the GTV 2000s.

A 60s design that carried well into the 1970s until Alfa could no longer meet US low-speed impact bumper requirements, the GTV 2000 can be quickly distinguished from earlier models by a few major styling differences. Up front, the horizontal metal grille slats identify the car as a 2000 GTV. Large taillights distinguish it as a later model, as does the lack of step nose up front. Beyond that, you'd have to consult an Alfa expert, as we are sure that many smaller differences exist.

Continue reading 1972 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000 →
Lamborghini

2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera

With 12 years elapsed since the launch of the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, we were certain that we had reached the acceptance stage of grief over the lack of manual transmission for a car that we would never be in the market for to begin with. The advantages of the e-gear automated manual and its paddle shifters seemed to outweigh the enjoyment of a good traditional manual shift lever in the Superleggera's intended environment: the racetrack. In researching for today's post, it's become apparent that we misinterpreted the transmission offerings for the Gallardo Superleggera; e-gear was standard, but a manual transmission was available as a no-cost option. Today's example is an e-gear, but we will look out for a manual version in the future.

So, now that we've established the transmission offerings, let's go over some of the other Superleggera equipment. In the powertrain department, changes to the intake manifold and engine management net a 11bhp increase to peak power. A curb weight of 3434lb - 126lb lower than on the standard car - comes courtesy of carbon fiber composite substituted in place of the standard materials on the mirrors, underbody cover, rear diffusor, and other trim pieces. Interestingly enough, the suspension carries over from the standard Gallardo, but the lightweight edition had sticky rubber standard on its 19" wheels.

Continue reading 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera →
Centro Stile Fiat, Fiat

1970 Fiat 850 Coupé

When browsing for Fiats online, every so often an 850 Spider will show up among the sea of 124 Spiders and X1/9s. An 850 Coupé, though, is a rare sight in the classifieds. We can't even claim to have ever seen one on the road ourselves. Around 340,000 Coupés were manufactured, though the majority of the 140,000 850s the made it to US shores were Spiders.

The OHV 4-cylinder engine was water-cooled like in its Fiat 600 predecessor, with the radiator mounted along with the fuel tank and engine in the rear engine compartment. The 903cc engine here produced 58bhp and was tasked with moving only ~1,600lb down the road.

Continue reading 1970 Fiat 850 Coupé →
Alfa Romeo, Giugiaro, Uncategorized

1982 Alfa Romeo GTV-6

At one point, we owned a GTV-6. Black on black cloth, ridiculous 17" wheels, transaxle and DeDion sitting next to the car, rusty but no rot. Bought at a decent price, but never got around to getting it on the road. Part of that was a lack of commitment to making new hydraulic lines, and part of it was the fact that we needed garage space, having sacrificed work and storage space to that GTV-6 and an Alfetta project for too long. Our Milano Verde, with its acquired taste styling, checks many of the same boxes as a GTV-6, but as a friend with five GTV-6's will tell you, the sense of occasion is much stronger in the Giugiaro coupe version of the Alfa transaxle platform.

The GTV-6 was offered in the US from 1981 to 1985, with the 84-85 cars being most desirable to most due to their incorporation of many Milano upgrades. Those later cars got thicker Milano sway bars, longer sway bars to match the Milano (meaning heavy duty Milano bars can be swapped in), and the isostatic shift linkage from the Milano. They also featured the same 4.10 rear end as the 84-85 cars. In contrast, this 1982 model would utilize Alfetta torsion bars and sway bars and a 3.42 rear axle ratio. The seats are Alfetta-style, which is not necessarily a bad thing, as they are quite stylish, if a little bit less supportive.

Continue reading 1982 Alfa Romeo GTV-6 →