Best of France and Italy ....

[LongRanger]

275GTB

Early 2nd-series, 'Longnose'

No hood bulge so 'only' a /2 (= 2-cam + 3-carb) so, knock-off, what? --- 10%? (HP + $) from the /4 (4-cam + 6-carb). It's all good, though . . . except for that flat hood, you'd never know. Besides, Ferrari only built ~450 of any of these things, so . . . I'D relax

I try to tell myself that 275s aren't that great . . . kinda pudgy-looking, w/ weak little wire wheels (OK --- not here, but still . . .), 14-inchers, yet --- how hot could that be, right? . . . and silver? Eeeeeeewwww

Then I see one --- like this . . . stumble + stare, go stupid . . . . fall down . . . get on my knees . . . . pray for 'Lotto' . . .

Never even driven one

[LongRanger]

Here we go . . . . a Ferrari that's actually sorta affordable

Love the Maranello --- said so, before . . .

http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...light=cars+buy

. . . Big + Bad V12 --- out in front, like Enzo liked 'em . . . 'cept w/ modern electronic engine management, AC (that --- like . . . works), a radio (hey --- I'm on a roll here), even a full pleated leather interior + headliner . . . and this one's even a three-pedaler!

'Course, you could buy that Big (as in battle-ax) Daytona --- and grow some Pop-eye arms trying to drive it . . . or? . . .

. . . Get five (or six) of these . . . and actually enjoy using the stupid things! . . .

. . . as you wail/sail by any Daytona lucky/un-lucky enough to actually be moving on its own power . . . out in public

192 miles per, Babies . . .

. . . and just look at that butt


Gimme some sugah!

[Chuck Miller]

Love the Maranello --- said so, before . . .

I'm with you Rick.... It's the last front engine Ferrari I'll still look at.......

[LongRanger]

330GTC

Not a small car . . . more GT than sportscar. And kind of a pastiche, style-wise . . . pointy nose doesn't go so well w/ the rest o' the squarish car, IMO. And fender vents only barely fit in the space Pininfarina stuck 'em into, but . . . the whole she-bang gets saved one very sexy cab + roof. Lots o' fiddly trim --- around tail lights, windows, rockers, fender vents --- even the drip-rails + gas cap. No wonder these things cost a ton to restore

But, has a V12, so . . . who cares?

Best comment about this car --- and the whole show . . . was from SMMTaG . . .

What's with the 'poop-colored' car?

Hey --- I like brown!

[LongRanger]

Hoary old-school steel space-frame, so . . . heavy --- like a truck . . .

Monstrous/complicated V12 engine-cum-transaxle that only a Sheik can afford to fuel/maintain . . .

1mm alu bodywork that wrinkles/bends/deforms/frustrates w/ just eye-contact . . .

Concentration-camp ergo

Ditto climate controls

Radio? ----- BAH!

All that's really left are the looks? All I can say is . . . Mr Gandini? . . .


Thank you, Sir!!!


I'm no 'Trekkie' . . . . but if the Klingons ever made a sports car --- this is what it'd look like . . .

Impossible planes + angles, hard edges sweeping over soft curves, a windshield that morphs into a hood that turns into a bumper . . . and scoops --- as big as TV sets (!) on the roof (!!) + carved in the flanks . . . backwards wheel-wells, windows insida windows . . . every rule broken, every expectation flumoxed, hunch-backed proportions + breathless absurdities now truncated by --- scissor doors?

How many 'super' cars have there been since this car was born --- back in 1970? How many Diablos + Muricelagos + Reventóns?
And Testarosas + F-40s, F-50s, Enzos, + FXXs?
And McClarens? + Zondas? + Konigseggs?

How many Porsches?

. . . and how many others, still to come?

Horsepower, performance, money, numbers . . . . everything moves on, in a big expensive confusion of wings + shapes + specs . . . a flurry of nonsense that I have a hard time remembering any of them at all


And then I see this . . . one Very Old + Very Nasty Car . . .

. . . impossible + ugly + audacious + awful . . . . in white-on-white, fercryinoutloud

. . . wonderful . . . wonderful . . . punch in my face



And why I come to auto shows

[LongRanger]

Muira

Red, wires, no eye-brows, un-choked Webers . . .

. . . gulp

Lotta companies goofed-around w/ The Concept of the mid-engined passenger car . . .

Sr F Lamborghini had the audacity to actually design/build/show a mid-engined car (w/ a sideways V-12) in 1966 --- then got really carried away . . . took some orders + money, ended-up actually having to build the crazy thing

[LongRanger]

More Miura

Orange, Campagnolas (?), w/ 'eye-brows' this time, + Webers under covers

Some extra scoops on the rockers = 'P400S' (?)

Most of these seem to've undergone serial ownership + restoration + re-engineering. Spotless, breath-taking . . . + impossibly dense + compact . . . daunting

[LongRanger]

Here's Lamborghini's V12 in a more-normal orientation/situation . . . .

. . . . in an Espada, I think . . .



Still scary

[LongRanger]

Chitty-chitty-Boom . . . . shaka-laka-laka-Boom-shaka-laka-laka

[LongRanger]

No idea what this is . . .