Planning for 2011
What's in store for the Daytona in 2011.
Happy New Year to all of you who've been following the updates on the Daytona in 2010.
As you can probably guess, with the recent bout of bad weather there has been no opportunities to use an Italian GT made out of cheap Russian steel, but it's time to think about what to do with the car in 2011.
The first outing is surprisingly early in the year, as the Daytona will (weather permitting) be pressed into service as my wedding car (UK leg) in three weeks time. You may have read my Grand Touring blog about the ideal wedding car but even if the Daytona is not exactly suited to the task, I cannot think of a better car to use than one which has been in my family since I was one year old.
Even if the weather is good enough to use the Daytona, I expect the roads will still be rather mucky (or worse, salty) and the car will need a thorough detail after this, so expect to see a feature on Drive Cult with Richard Tipper of Perfection Valet, showing us how to make the car look glorious again.
Mechanically, there's not much to do over the winter. The clutch is biting quite high at the moment, which hopefully only requires some adjustment and not replacing but we’ll see. My Dad is considering upgrading the brakes on his two 365GTC/4s, since he's never been happy with the stopping performance on either car. He was explaining to me over Christmas what he plans to do, and it involves fitting calipers normally fitted to a Ferrari 550, but since I'd had had quite a lot of champagne at the time it wasn't entirely clear to me! Anyway, if the upgrade is successful we may do a similar modification on the Daytona’s stoppers, although I have never really found them to be wanting.
In terms of trips, at the moment nothing is planned so far, but I will be disappointed if I don’t manage to get at least one trip onto the continent in the warmer months. Any suggestions for good events to attend (not the Nurburgring 24 hours, since I have other commitments and unfortunately can't go to this) gratefully received. As a rule, smaller more intimate classic car events are preferable.
In other news Dad’s Iso Grifo restoration is proceeding along nicely. The mechanical side should be completed soon, with the original engine and transmission rebuilt (Dad decided against Jamie’s suggestion of a 572 crate motor!). The metalwork should be done by February and Dad’s intention is to have the car back on the road in the summer, when Drive Cult with be able to bring you a comparison with the Daytona. I promise I’ll be objective...
Whatever ends up happening with the Daytona in 2011, I will certainly be keeping Drive Cult updated on the highs and lows (only the cost of all the petrol it drinks, really) of life with the Daytona. As far as I’m aware, Drive Cult is the only outlet anywhere on the web to provide regular long term updates on a Daytona or any other classic V12 Ferrari, although if you know of any others please pass them on.
Finally, a big thank you to those who have read and commented on these Daytona blogs, and I hope you continue reading and enjoying them in the future.