Guran's NA6 "Little Reddy"

[Jeo]

Oh snap! Keen for the report.

[Guran]

23rd May 2010

Ferrari Drive Day with Prancing Horse

As hinted above, I was recently treated to a drive day with Prancing Horse. It was my 40th birthday present from wifey. Not sure why she thought I'd enjoy this sort of thing ... maybe it was because I put it top of my "wants list" that's stuck on the fridge door? Either way, she couldn't have given me a better present.

The day started the night before, actually. We had a BBQ at a mate's place in Harrington Park, and then afterwards we headed to JohnG's place in Lidcombe. Snapper also stayed over. Why? Because JohnG and Snapper drove me to Marrickville the next morning to the Prancing Horse headquarters. They also would be following us for the entire day and shooting it all on video. Great mates, eh?! No you won't be seeing any of that video posted on Youtube, but I'll have some of it on my iPhone to show anyone who wants a look.

We arrived at 7:30am but had to wait around a bit for a few people to arrive. That left time to munch down a breakfast of delicious pastries and great Italian coffee. Then there was time to browse the workshop/showroom and drool over all sorts of Ferrari and Maserati. The Ferrari 250 TR was a particular highlight. We signed our life away upstairs ($10,000 insurance excess! ), blew in the bag to prove zero blood alcohol, and then headed outside for a briefing on the four Ferraris we'd be driving that day. I was paired up with a bloke called Michael who was celebrating his 30th birthday, and we drew the Ferrari 360 F1 Spider as our first drive of the day. Thankfully I got the passenger seat first so didn't have to drive the city leg. Did I mention it was drizzling rain? Thanks Sydney. Not exactly ideal conditions to drive open top supercars -- so all hoods were up.

Ferrari 360 F1 Spider
We left Marrickville in convoy with a pair of "officials" leading the pack in an Alfa Romeo GT pace car, and instructions coming through via UHF radio. Even though these cars must be a common site in that part of Sydney, a pack of four Ferraris tends to stand out. Lots of smiles and waves! We headed straight for the Royal National Park via the Loftus entrance. Michael was a bit nervous but gave the 360 a bit of a prod before we pulled over at Audley for the driver swap. My turn! First impressions were that the F1 transmission was a bit agricultural, especially at low speed - lots of clunks and shunts. But once on the way, it was much smoother, if a little slow to change after flicking the paddle. There were some weird things too, like the tiny T-bar lever in the centre console that is used to engage reverse gear, and the offset driving position -- the throttle pedal is directly in line with the steering wheel. The brakes were also a bit weird in the 360. On first press the pedal was really hard and you'd get almost no deceleration, but press harder and the pedal gave a bit and then bit hard with lots of feedback. Through the Royal, I'd drop back from the F430 in front and punch the 360 through 2nd and 3rd, hard on the brakes and then back to 2nd with a lovely throttle blip. The sound of the 3.6L V8 revving up to 8000rpm over my shoulder was delicious. It had stopped raining by now, but the road was still wet so I didn't push it in the corners. We stopped at Lawrence Hargreave Park for a break and driver swap. Busloads of tourists unleashed their digital cameras on the collection of four Ferraris! Thankfully the sun was now out and the roads dry.

Behind the wheel of the 360 F1 Spider


360 F1 Spider


At Lawrence Hargreave Park


Gratuitous collage of Italian arses


Ferrari F430 F1 Spider
Michael was given tke key for 360kW of F430 next, the top was dropped and we continued down the coast, taking the Sea Cliff Bridge and cruising past the northern beach suburbs. We joined the Northern Distributor at Woonoona and Michael started to stretch the F430's legs. Man that thing was quick. Laugh out loud fun, even from the passenger seat. Even on the freeway it was fun. We'd drop back behind the other Ferraris, then gun it through 2nd and 3rd, with the screaming 4.3L V8 echoing back off the concrete sound barriers and underpasses. We continued along the F6 freeway and pulled into the new Shell service station at Haywards Bay for a top-up. Now it was my turn to drive, and I was salivating about the road to come: 30km to Kiama via Jamberoo and Saddleback Mountain. My backyard! I flicked the manettino to "Sport". Driving past the local supermarket and my son's primary school in a Ferrari F430 was a dreamlike experience. Better still was the driving experience. The F430 was simply stunning to drive. I got to push it a little through the corners and it stuck like nothing else. The acceleration was brutal, the gear shifts were incredibly quick, and the brakes tore gravel from the tarmac. Up and over Saddleback Mountain, I gave it a real good go. It was breathtaking stuff. We finally pulled into Kiama and stopped at The Sebel Harbourside Kiama for a delicious lunch at the bistro. Unfortunately I had to hand over the F430 key.

A view in the mirror of the F430


328 GTS following behind our F430


The F430 takes a drink


Queue of Ferraris at Shell servo


Glamour shot for the sponsors!


Behind the wheel of the F430


Parked at The Sebel Harbourside Kiama


Ferrari 328 GTS
Now for a time warp back to 1988. I was actually really excited about the idea of driving the 328 GTS, since it was the only manual Ferrari on the drive and the guys at MOTOR had given it a solid wrap when they covered it a few months ago. It's not particularly quick by today's standards, only 201kW, but it's light, small and low. It has a H-pattern gated gear shift, but the shift from 1st to 2nd was via a dogleg. That meant the 2nd-3rd shift was a simple up-down change which is just perfect for a quick punt. Michael got the first leg from Kiama back to Jamberoo via the lovely Jamberoo Rd, and then we back-tracked to the Shell at Haywards Bay for the driver swap. First up, I had to deal with a hillstart in a car with a disfunctional handbrake. The running joke on the day was that nobody at the Ferrari factory wants to work in the handbrake department - hence none of them work. Plus the clutch was very heavy and had a high engagement point. Thankfully I didn't roll back into anything, and was soon stretching the 328's legs on the F6 freeway. Not exactly a thrilling place for a Ferrari, but I made the most of it by dropping back to 2nd and gunning it through 2nd and 3rd. And the run up Bulli Pass was entertaining. Disappointingly, 2nd gear was very difficult to find - it just refused to go in, either up or down, even with a throttle blip to rev match. A bit frustrating. While driving the 328, I actually thought to myself that my MX-5 was a better drive. Seriously! So the car I was most anticipating turned out to be a bit disappointing. But then my experience with it was probably tarnished by landing it with mostly freeway driving. We turned off onto the old Princes Highway, detoured at Helensburg and headed for Stanwell Park.

The H-pattern gearshift in the 328 GTS - gorgeous to look at, painful to operate


Behind the wheel of the 328 GTS


Car swap time near Lilyvale


Ferrari F355 F1 Spider
The final car swap was at the southern end of the Royal National Park near Lilyvale. While stopped and enjoying a pastry and Italian soft-drink, a small group of Skylines drove past and one thought it a good idea to smoke 'em up. The twat nearly drifted into one of the cars - that could have been embarassing! Back on the road, Michael got to enjoy the F355 through the twisties, and blasting through the gears on the straights. We swapped for the last time at Audley, and I had the final short run through the national park before hitting the city traffic. Have to say that the F355 felt very similar to the 360, which is not too surprising since they have similar power/weight ratio. The F1 gearbox felt a bit better in the F355 but probably only because we had it in "Sport" mode. On the other hand, there were some gremlins with the drivers seat, which made the 360 cabin a more enjoyable place to be. We were soon in city traffic and made our way slowly back to Marrickville for farewells.

Chasing a line of Ferraris through the Royal NP


Michael and I with the F355 F1 Spider


Behind the wheel of the F355 F1 Spider


The Verdict
The Ferrari Drive Day was a fantastic experience that I honestly feel is excellent value considering that it covered breakfast, lunch, morning/afternoon tea, fuel (lots of it!), insurance and, of course, hire of the four cars. I'd gladly pay to do it again. However, here's a tip for those who might be interested in doing it too. Pay the extra ~$250 and take your partner or friend with you as a passenger. That way you get to drive the entire day rather than share with another driver. You'll be guaranteed a decent stretch of road for each car.

Which was the best Ferrari to drive? Without a doubt, it was the F430 F1 Spider . It was gobsmacking stuff and was also extremely refined and easy to drive. The 328 was a car I desperately wanted to like more, prevented by a dodgy gearbox and mostly boring roads to sample it on. While the F355 and 360 were very similar cars to drive, the F355 was probably a bit better. Interestingly, neither of these two felt all that much quicker in-gear than my 135i, and both needed to be well above 4500rpm before they started to pull. The F430, on the other hand, was a massive step up in every respect. And Prancing Horse are planning to get a 458 Italia soon. It's scary to think how potent that thing will be.

[coolabah2002]

looks like you had a very good day there.
now where is my diary???

[sliq]

that would have been a fantastic day. nice photos

[BM-Bob]

23rd May 2010

Ferrari Drive Day with Prancing Horse

Ferrari 328 GTS
Now for a time warp back to 1988. I was actually really excited about the idea of driving the 328 GTS, since it was the only manual Ferrari on the drive and the guys at MOTOR had given it a solid wrap when they covered it a few months ago. It's not particularly quick by today's standards, only 201kW, but it's light, small and low. It has a H-pattern gated gear shift, but the shift from 1st to 2nd was via a dogleg. That meant the 2nd-3rd shift was a simple up-down change which is just perfect for a quick punt. Michael got the first leg from Kiama back to Jamberoo via the lovely Jamberoo Rd, and then we back-tracked to the Shell at Haywards Bay for the driver swap. First up, I had to deal with a hillstart in a car with a disfunctional handbrake. The running joke on the day was that nobody at the Ferrari factory wants to work in the handbrake department - hence none of them work. Plus the clutch was very heavy and had a high engagement point. Thankfully I didn't roll back into anything, and was soon stretching the 328's legs on the F6 freeway. Not exactly a thrilling place for a Ferrari, but I made the most of it by dropping back to 2nd and gunning it through 2nd and 3rd. And the run up Bulli Pass was entertaining. Disappointingly, 2nd gear was very difficult to find - it just refused to go in, either up or down, even with a throttle blip to rev match. A bit frustrating. While driving the 328, I actually thought to myself that my MX-5 was a better drive. Seriously! So the car I was most anticipating turned out to be a bit disappointing. But then my experience with it was probably tarnished by landing it with mostly freeway driving. We turned off onto the old Princes Highway, detoured at Helensburg and headed for Stanwell Park.

The H-pattern gearshift in the 328 GTS - gorgeous to look at, painful to operate


Behind the wheel of the 328 GTS

Hi Guys,

A mate of mine sent me a link to this thread so as an owner of a Ferrari 328 I thought I would pass comment.

Firstly I'm disappointed that the car you drove did not meet your expectations. I've been in the same boat and I know how you must of felt.

The car you drove was bought from a guy who lives in St. Ives, Sydney. I know this because a mate of mine test drove it pretty much when I bought mine. The guy wasn't particularity helpful with an attitude of "take it or leave it that's the car". My mate left it and ended up buying a very nice car out of WA. It hung around on the market for a while until it was bought for the rental purposes. On a scale of 10 it's probably just under a 7.

The gearbox issue is well documented within Ferrari circles. Until it warms up, it is normally difficult to select 2nd gear so most owners simply go 1-3 for about the first 10 minutes of a drive. That said there is a fix........ You mix 4 litres of Redline Gear-oil 75W90 NS with 1 litre of 75W90 (Non NS). This not only solves the 2nd gear selection issue but makes all the gear changes a whole lot smoother. It also eliminates any likelihood of diff chatter. Remember these cars are trans-axles so the gearbox and diff use the gear oil from one source. For this reason also, the 201kw (260HP) sounds nothing to write home about but remember you don't get your typical 30% power loss through the gearbox like you do with a conventional front engined RWD car. I can't comment on the clutch or handbrake issues as mine have always worked perfectly well. Lack of maintenance from the owner is to blame here. It's not a common fault with these cars so they are spinning you a yarn if they are telling you it is.

The difference between a fair car and a very good car is enormous. I can't stress how much nicer a well sorted car is. Had you of also dríven the car through the twisty bits you would have enjoyed it a lot more. Freeway driving is rather boring regardless of the car you are in. 328's are the quintessential Ferrari and one that many first time owners choose. They don't have the computer systems of their younger brothers so generally speaking are considered one of the most reliable and cost effective models to have. I have found driving a Ferrari is like champagne and caviar, nice to do as a treat but a waste if you have it all the time. The experience in driving a Ferrari is in most cases just as exciting as the physical drive itself. Other people’s reaction (both good and bad) is part of the deal. Anyway, I hope your drive hasn't turned you off the model but if you ever get the chance to give it another go in a better sorted car, I recommend you do so.

PS: I drove my mates 1998 MX5 from Eastern Creek to Wollongong and back again and I must cay I was thoroughly impressed. These really are wonderful cars.
It's on the shopping list for my daughter in 18 months time.

Here are a couple of pics of my 328.

Cheers,

Bob.

[Guran]

Thanks for the feedback Bob. It's a relief to hear that your 328 is a much better drive. As for the Prancing Horse fleet ... well they are rental cars afterall and get all sorts of people driving them. It's not too surprising that they're not pristine examples, but it was still a fantastic experience driving them. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

I discovered last night that my credit card had not been charged for this weekend's Supersprint at Wakefield, so thought I'd better look into it. Lucky I did because my name was not on the entry list, even though I emailed my entry form three times already and receipt of my form was confirmed back on 11th May! So I've emailed it off again and now I'm definitely on the entry list. Whew! Lesson learnt - always send Supersprint entry forms by fax.

I'll be doing this Supersprint without my CF hardtop since I sold it earlier this week. Why? Several reasons really:

1) I never really felt ethically comfortable using a CF hardtop in the stock class at Supersprints and club track days. It had been cleared to use in both, but it just didn't feel right to me.

2) A condition of using the CF hardtop in stock class was that I had to leave the softtop on the car. So in my case, the CF hardtop actually added weight for no good reason - no surprise that it made no difference to my times at Wakefield.

3) The CF hardtop was a bit tedious to fit and my wife couldn't take it off on her own. On the other hand, removing my stock hardtop is a five minute job for her with the aid of my homemade hardtop hoist. And wifey loves driving Little Reddy topless . I don't think that's something I should be discouraging . So the CF hardtop had to go.

[Guran]

One of my 40th birthday presents was a gift voucher at Supercheap, so this morning I did a bit of retail therapy. Landed myself a 49 piece spanner set for my birthday present (replaces my old set which is a dog's breakfast of sizes and quality), and also picked up a 12V air compressor, engine oil (Castrol Edge Sport 5W30), oil filter (trying a Z142A this time instead of the Z79A which was out of stock), Nulon Lifter Free, and an alternator drive belt. I gave Little Reddy her half-yearly oil change and replaced the old drive belt which was badly cracked. The Nulon stuff seemed to work a treat on silencing the lifter noise. Fitted the semi-slicks so I'm ready to go for tomorrow's Supersprint at Wakefield Park.

[evil_weevil]

a new pb I see!!!

awesome time congrats!

[Guran]

Thanks Chris. Yep, had an awesome day at Wakefield yesterday. I'll post a detailed report when I get the time, but for now the highlights ...

Smashed my old PB (1:17.72 on Adrenalins with stock hardtop) with a new PB of 1:16.176 (on RE55s with stock hardtop). That was good enough for 3rd in Class 1B and I even finished ahead of Ian Vickers' NB8A. The icing on the cake was finding out this morning that I now hold the Class 1A all time record for NSW Supersprints . The old record was 1:17.29 which was set in 2006 by Kenny Tan in a Honda Civic. Beating his record at EC will be tough though ... it stands at 2.00.610.

[broady]

Phwoar Bryan! Bloody awesome! I bet you'll be much faster again when you can harness the full grip of semis.

[Jeo]

Very nice Bryan. I assume I'll see you at the club day in a few weeks?

[Guran]

Very nice Bryan. I assume I'll see you at the club day in a few weeks?

Absolutely! I'll be at the Supersprint on the Sunday too. Despite the fact that it'll be the weekend of wifey's birthday and smack bang in the middle of the World Cup (I'll be watching every single game).

[Guran]

Phwoar Bryan! Bloody awesome! I bet you'll be much faster again when you can harness the full grip of semis.

Thanks Chris. There's about a second more to be found, I reckon. But I won't be able to take fulladvantage of the semis because the stock suspension can't supply enough camber on the front. I'm cooking the outer shoulders and battling with understeer. Still trying to find a faster way through the fishhook, and turn 2 is the key to really quick times. That said, the biggest gain with the semis was about half a second through turns 4 and 5!

[Hammer]

Great work Bryan. Even with the limitations you mentioned above, you're over a second faster on the RE55s compared to the Adrenalins.

Where in Wakefield do you think you're gaining the most time with the RE55s? And what's the different in the feel between the two?

[Charlie Brown]

Congratulations Bryan, great time.