2018 Australian F1 GP

Well, I headed down to Melbourne again for the Australian F1 GP. Unlike last year, I was already in Melbourne for work so I just came along to the track rather than driving down in convoy like last year.

The stand was in the same location as last year, right over pit exit as you can see above.

Managed to also do a pit walk in the heat and capture some video of the experience that it is for you so you get an idea of what a scrum it is.

Friday was bright and very, very hot, much of which I copped walking back to my accommodation at the end of the day, which was about a 30 minute walk from the track. By the time I got back, and after a hard week of work, I was pretty knackered, so I decided to go to bed early and give the planned cocktail party a miss.

I awoke on Saturday to a very different Melbourne, overcast and windy. I again headed off to the track and about 15 minutes away the heavens opened and it bucketed down. Not having any rain protection I didn’t have much choice but continue my journey to the suite to dry off there after having been thoroughly rinsed.

The heavy rain continued for most of the day but started to clear by the afternoon, to once hot and sunny skies. Typical Melbourne as they say.

The suite this year was much large and was really a combination of two suites. There was much more space to view the racing and best spot was again on the chairs at the back on the elevated platform. Food and drink was regularly forthcoming so there was no real need to move.

Those that had brought their cars for the vent also got some track time but it was in very, very wet conditions so speeds had to be kept well down. Still, when else do you get the opportunity to drive around an F1 track in your own car? Even in the rain, it is something special.

That night I headed over with a few others to Lorbek Luxury Cars for a meet up with YouTuber Shmee150. Of course, there were also plenty of night cars to look at.

We finished the night with a nice Italian dinner, ready for race day.

Still overcast, race day was full of the usual excitement and enjoyment. Unfortunately I had to leave early to fly home but we got the right result at the end.

I’ll be back down south next month for Targa Tasmania, which is going to be a week of driving through some magic scenery along some amazing roads. Can’t wait.

The four year anniversary

Another twelve months have shot past and it is once again time to pause and reflect on a further year’s ownership of a Ferrari F355. You can review the previous anniversaries here:

One Year Anniversary

Two Year Anniversary

Three Year Anniversary

So with the fourth anniversary done with a celebration of fruit and flowers, let’s review.

Costs

The major costs this year where the replacement of the high tension leads that were causing stuttering (after initially thinking it was the angular sensors). Half the leads were replaced early in the year and half later in the year when the spluttering reoccurred. I also replaced the thermocouple on the 5-8 side of the engine (passenger side) because that warning light was starting to appear.

This resulted in a lower kilometres travelled this year (only about 6,000 which is a about a 33% drop compared to last year). This also resulted in a 33% drop in the annual fuel bill. There was also a handy 12% drop in annual insurance. The repairs costs were also about 24% lower compared to last year but remember that I had the engine out for a major service that year.

Thus, the total costs were around $10,000 for the year which is about a 20% drop over last year. The car also pass the 60,000 total kilometres travelled mark which averages out now to about 3,000 kilometres per year over its 20 year life span. The next major milestone is passing the 66,000 kilometres mark. At that point, I will have driven the car further than all previous owners combined! Hopefully, I should pass that mark before we reconvene for the next annual update.

So, some unexpected repairs this year but necessary given the age of the components (high tension leads, 20 years plus). That resulted in lower overall travel when compared to previous years.

Travel

The car has now done about 27,000 kilometres since purchase, completing around 6,000 kilometres this year which was a 33% drop compared to last year (mainly due to time off the road for repairs). That averages out to 116 kilometres per week versus 170 last year.

This year’s learning’s

1. As always, a car like this is only as good and enjoyable as the person who maintains it. For that, there no one better than Sal DiMauro from Racing Red. He was good enough to come out when the initial spluttering started and perform some onsite diagnosis. When the issue proved not to be the angular sensors, he squeezed me in to get the car fixed. Once again, I can’t stress how important it is to have someone knowledgeable and experienced to look after the car and for my money that is Sal DiMauro from Racing Red and I recommend him unreservedly.

2. I learned how to drive my car onto a tilt tray. Never done that in any vehicle before. I had to do this to get the car across the Sal twice this year. You read more about one of those experiences here:

I knew this day would come

Luckily, I now also have a good contact in case I need further vehicle towing. Again, I highly recommend Carlingford Towing who responded very quickly, were easy to deal with and whose rates were also very reasonable. Another important contact to have.

3. Most importantly, I learned that you MUST wear long pants when you visit the Ferrari factory for a tour, even in the blazing heat of an Italian summer!

Low points

The biggest frustration this year was troubleshooting the stuttering issues. It started out as something very small but became quite a major during a drive day. Having the car conked out on the freeway on the way back after cutting the day short. Then having to limp it home was quite stressful. That was the worst the car has really been to drive. It really felt that it was going to cut out at any point and that is not a good feeling in traffic.

It was frustrating changing the angular sensors and then finding that the problem was not in fact that.

Having to send the car via a tilt tray for the first time was also not the greatest feeling. However, it made to Sal without issues (which was much better than having to nurse it across town in the traffic honestly).

Of course, it was also frustrating for the same stuttering problem to resurface about 6 months later with the remaining leads. However, this time it was clear what the problem was so the fix was much quicker but the car, once again, had to be loaded onto a tilt tray (this time in the rain) which is never the most pleasant experience for any car owner.

However, all in all, I don’t have anything to complain about here. Twenty year old cars have issues with their 20 year old parts (i.e. the leads) and these parts have perform well over the years and will always need to be changed at some point. Again, I have nothing to complain about, honestly.

High points

The major high point this year was of course travelling to Italy, attending the Coso Pilota and visit Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc. You can read all about my adventures in great detail here:

Touch Down Modena

Pilgrimage – doing the Ferrari ‘stuff’

Alien Territory – doing the non-Ferrari ‘stuff’ like visiting Lamborghini

Corso Pilota Day 1 – Part 1 – experiences on the Ferrari test track

Corso Pilota Day 1 – Part 2 – experiences on the Ferrari test track

Corso Pilota Day 2 – experiences on the Ferrari test track

Reflections – recommendations and reflections

What I learned doing Corso Pilota – improving my driving skills

This was by no means a cheap exercise but I’d certainly do it again and am in fact already planning to return and do it all over again. If you are planning on doing the Corso Pilota or simply just visit all the Ferrari and other car sites in the region I suggest you have a read through all my articles because there is huge amount of information there that is pretty helpful.

I didn’t get to go on as many drives with the Ferrari Club this year due to the car being out of order for longer than expected. However, I thoroughly enjoyed those that I did go on (where the car didn’t have issues obviously).

Value

All of this again is totally subjective but I think it is still a good indicator. Part of the rationale for purchasing the F355 specifically was the belief that it’s value would increase over time as it became a ‘future classic’. Not the main reason for purchase but certainly a justification for the capital investment. That capital investment requires maintenance (such as the belts being changed) to retain its resale value, like any capital investment.

The average asking price for a F355 last year = $154,000

The average asking price for a F355 this year = $200,267

that’s an increase of 30% from last year. Not a bad ROI eh? Add to that a 20% increase from the year prior and I’d estimate that my car’s value is at least 50% above what I purchased it for.

That could of course change tomorrow as prices readily fluctuate I agree. However, over time you can see a general trend of the F355 asking price being on the rise.

I reckon the price is going to keep rising over the foreseeable future. Fingers crossed.

Again, for me it is about the emotion side rather than the pure financial numbers, but hey, healthy dollar values don’t hurt any do they now?

Summary

Overall it has been a frustrating year sorting out the stutter issue with the car. However, it has also been a unbelievably memorable year after visiting Italy, the Ferrari factory and doing the Corso Pilota. The importance of this is the fact that owning an F355 isn’t just about the car itself I believe, it is about being part of the Ferrari family and taking advantage of everything that has to offer.

I hope regular readers enjoyed the information I posted last year. Things have been busy so I haven’t posted as much as I’d have liked to but I do try and get my weekly price updates out regularly. Don’t forget to visit my YouTube Channel where you’ll find all the videos from my time at Fiorano posted.

I’m looking forward to another year of ownership and unique experiences that bring and I thank you for reading along with my journey.

Everyone loves a F355

Here’s what it’s like to take a spin in a manual F355 GTS courtesy of the Smoking Tire boys. Enjoy.

The three year anniversary

Indications would seem to be that this relationship is starting to get serious now that it has passed its third year! As the special date rolls around again, of when it all started, it’s time to stop and reflect on the magic (good and bad) that has transpired in 12 months.

To be totally up to date you should read my musing from previous years here:

One Year Anniversary

Two Year Anniversary

They tell me that the third anniversary is supposed to be leather, so let’s crack on with it!

Costs

Every three or so years the belts on the F355 need to be replaced. This means that the engine has to come out. Yes, that’s right the whole engine has to be removed from the car to do this. The reason is that the belts are next to firewall just behind the seats and the only way to service them is to drop the engine out.

Unsurprisingly, the car has been engineered to do this. So at the car’s annual maintenance it was time to drop the engine out and change those belts, amongst other things. You can read and see the full details here:

My car has no engine

I also took the opportunity, whilst the engine was out, to have the shock absorbers re-conditioned as they were starting to leak. I knew this at purchase but had been delaying doing them until now.

My road usage of the F355 increased to almost 9,000 kms travelled in 12 months! That is about a 20% increase over the past year. My odometer is fast approaching 55,000 kms travelled in total. The road usage of the F335 is fast approaching that of my daily drive as I use public transport when I need to these days as much as I can, so the road usage of both cars is pretty much on par.

Obviously the engine out and the reconditioned shocks are a major expense (more than $5,500 alone) but an important part of the car’s maintenance regime. The cost of the engine out should be spread over the three year life of the belts to be fair, however it certainly made a big dent in the budget this year and escalated maintenance costs way above the daily drive.

However, if you remove this once off cost then the maintenance was only a little more expensive than the daily drive.

The other killer expense is always insurance which continues its slow march north like all insurance. Again, that is an expected cost and in line with expectations.

The totals costs for the year where up to over $12,000 which is about a 40% increase over last year but that main reason for that is the engine out service, otherwise they would have been similar to last year.

Travel

The car has now done about 22,000 kilometres since purchase, completing almost 9,000 this year alone which is about a 20% increase over last year. That averages out to about 170 kilometres per week versus 142 last year.

This year’s learning’s

1. As always, a car like this is only as good and enjoyable as the person who maintains it. For that, there no one better than Sal DiMauro from Racing Red. He was good enough to let me hang around and watch while my engine was taken out and maintained. Best of all, he put it all back together and made it better! Without doubt, the best investment I undertake for the car is to take it Sal. I recommended plenty of frustrated Ferrari owners do the same this year to get their problems sorted. Those that followed my advice, like me, are very, very happy.

2. Some things on these cars are not made with great practicality applied. Case in point, the ashtray. I wrote about it here:

Broken Ashtray

and spent the better part of the year buying a new one, breaking that, putting the original back, fixing the old one, breaking it again, pulling out the original, fixing it using metal reinforcing and finally putting it back. Phew.

Why the hell they made it so flimsy I’ll never know but best point is that it is now sorted and better than it was before. There is always a solution, just might take a while to get to it with these cars.

3. When fuel pump clicks out, that’s it, walk away. See below for the story.

Low Points

Only one major one to speak of and regular readers can probably guess where it transpired. Yes, at a petrol station. Here’s that tale.

I’d taken the F355 to the Bathurst 12 hour with a group of supercar friends. Being February the weather was scorching hot, and I mean really hot. Stupidly (as I am known to be regularly) i failed to protect myself against the blazing sun and managed to get badly burnt. Even the top of ears and back of my hands were smarting from sun damage.

Combine that with a lack of sleep due to a rabid snorer in our shared accommodation over the weekend and I was very much below par. On the return trip home (again in the blazing sun and now with massive sunburn to boot make it 200% worse) I pulled in to get fuel.

In my daily drive, you fill the car until the pump clicks. Then you top it up to the nearest full dollar. I agree it is rather OCD but I’ve always done it that way.

I repeated the same process withe the F355 but perhaps due to the heat, I overfilled the tank. That meant when I removed the nozzle from the car I could see fuel rising up and about to spill out. Damm. I therefore rushed to screw the cap on thinking that would contain the overflow.

After paying inside the establishment I returned to find a puddle of fuel underneath the car, below the filler cap. Turns out that there is an overflow tube at the top of the fuel hose, just near the cap. Thus, all the excess I had tried to force into the car by not stopping at the click was now in a puddle underneath the car.

My biggest concern was FIRE! given the heat of the day and my engine nearby. What to do? What to do? Trying to siphon fuel out wasn’t an option so the best plan seemed to be to ‘drive like I stole it’ to burn off the excess.

Of course, the ONE time you want the road to be clear and the lights to be green they are not. I had to wait to pull onto the road. Then I got caught at every set of lights from the service station to home. The stress didn’t help the sunburn either as I fully expected the car to burst into flames.

However, the good thing was that the car actually didn’t burst into flames or leave a fire trail from the service station, so I parked it with a new lesson learnt – when it clicks, walk away!

High Points

1. No matter what dramas transpire, it is still a joy to drive the F355. Each year there seems to be less and less dramas (although that could be me acclimatising I suppose).

2. Getting to do a lap of the Mount Panorama Circuit at Bathurst while I was at the Bathurst 12 hour with other supercar owners. Here’s the video.

The funny thing was that thanks to following someone who didn’t know the way, I ended up at the end of the pack. This meant the track was pretty empty when I finally entered. We’d been told that our lap was to be a parade lap which meant slow and steady driving. When I emerged onto the track I wasn’t sure whether the marshals were:

A. Waving at me to catch up with everyone else so they could get these cars off the track for the next event.

B. Waving at me to go slower because it was a parade lap or

C. Waving at me because I was driving a Ferrari and they are friendly country folk.

I decided that I’d go with option A unless advised otherwise. That allowed me to travel a ‘tad’ faster than parade speed around the circuit. Simply magic. Achievement unlocked.

3. I’ve been on so many drives and events with the Ferrari Club this year it has been great. Here is a small sample:

but probably the highlight was attending the 488 launch which I posted about here:

The night of the prancing horse

Value

All of this is totally subjective but I think it is still a good indicator. Part of the rationale for purchasing the F355 specifically was the belief that it’s value would increase over time as it became a ‘future classic’. Not the main reason for purchase but certainly a justification for the capital investment. That capital investment requires maintenance (such as the belts being changed) to retain its resale value, like any capital investment.

So the numbers:

The average asking price for a F355 = $ 154,000

That is about a 20% increase since the same time last year. I reckon I could get more for mine if I decided to sell since it has more desirable features (colour, manual gearbox, Australian delivered, new belts, etc). Conservatively, I estimate my car’s value is now 40% above what I purchased it for. Again, I’m biased I agree, but I do try and apply some science to this.

Now if you divide the average price of recent models by the number of cars available for sale you get a rough ‘value index’ for each model as I have detailed previously. The results in order are:

1. F355 = $ 38,5000

2. 458 = $ 19,230.53

3. F430 = $ 13,152.13

4. 360 = $ 9,171.30

Once again the F355 comes out on top by a ratio of 2:1.

Summary

Owning a F355 is special and will always continue to be a ‘different’ experience from a daily drive. However, as our experience together grows we are settling into a relationship that is far more comfortable than it used to be in the early days.

This equates to their being far fewer low points and much greater enjoyment of the F355 and the Ferrari community in general. There is still nothing better than waking early on a Sunday, taking the roof off and going for a blast on an empty road and being back before most people have had their first coffee.

2016 looks like a big year in more ways the one which the potential for a huge bucket list item to get checked off. Mum’s the word until it is all confirmed, but you’ll certainly get the full details if you stay tuned here.

I thank all those who take the time to read my ramblings and I’ll try and be a bit more regular with these posts in the coming year. When you are out driving the F355 as much as I do now you just don’t seem to find the time to sit at a computer and type. However, I do appreciate readers of this blog and followers of my YouTube channel.

Roll on year four.

The two year anniversary

As I move into the third year of ownership of my Ferrari F355 it is once again time to step back and reflect on what has transpired in the previous 12 months.

You can revisit my musing at the one year anniversary here:

https://blog.lovethe355.com/2013/09/the-one-year-anniversary.html

So let’s get on with a wrap for the paper anniversary.

Costs

Maintenance costs for any sort of supercar are always going to exceed those of a ordinary road car. Now the most interesting thing this year is that I drove the F355 over 7,000 kilometres which was a 48% increase on what I did the previous year. This was directly reflected in a 48% increase in the amount of fuel I used, so no surprises there.

Interestingly, that usage is about 60% of the usage of my normal road car. Total maintenance costs for the Ferrari fell below $9,000 for the year which was about a 9% decrease over the year prior. That figure also included the cost of insurance which is the major running cost of the car. This year I switched insurers after shopping around (and going through some renewals dramas).

Over the twelve months I did not make any major improvements to the car, unlike the previous year, so the totals costs all up for everything associated with the car was just over $10,000 which was 40% less than the year before.

Travel

The car has now done about 12,500 kilometres since purchase, completing over 7,000 this year (a 48% increase over the previous year as mentioned). That averages out to 142 kilometres per week this year verses 100 the year prior.

This years learning’s

1. As last year, the number one thing you need to have with cars like these is a great mechanic and luckily Sal DiMauro from Racing Red is just that and his assistance in the prior year once again proved invaluable. Answering my questions during my panic with overfilling the car with oil was just one example of what a great job he does. So if you need Ferrari mechanic, Sal’s the man.

2. The car won’t dissolve when you take it out in the rain. Although driving in the wet is far from being the most pleasant experience with the F355, it doesn’t prevent the car from working! After a number of trips in the car this year in quite heavy rain I have shattered my preconception that it only works when the sun is out.

Low Points

1. Backing the car into a road sign and splitting the bumper.

2. Overfilling the oil level.

3. Insurance woes

4. The car getting over sprayed by a fire extinguisher.

High Points

1. Every day I get to see the car. Whether under a cover or from behind the wheel, I thank my lucky stars every time.

2. Finally taking the car onto the track.

3. Road to Sydney Cavalcade.

4. Ferrari Racing Days.

The year ahead

The end of this calendar year will be a major maintenance appointment for the car. It will the engine taken out and serviced and the timing belts replaced. This has always been a know quality with the F355 as it needs doing every 3 years or 15,000 kilometres. I will also probably take this as the opportunity to get the shock absorbers refurbished as they have been showing signs of wear. All this won’t be cheap but it needs to be done.

I see the car doing more kilometres given the number of outing that the Ferrari Club is undertaking. This is also in part due to my increased confidence with the car and the realisation that it isn’t going to ‘fall apart’ just by being driven long distances.

Summary

Owning a Ferrari F355 still challenges me but I am finally beginning to be more comfortable with driving it. I doubt whether I will ever be as casual about driving as I am with a normal road car but another year’s worth of driving the F355 has greatly increased the comfort levels.

I also think that ‘repairing’ the bumper that I cracked has overcome much of the fear I had about doing something ‘wrong’ to the car, simply because I DID something wrong if you know what I mean. Actually sanding, filling and painting the car has perhaps removed that ‘pristine’ misconception I had about the car. The difference this year is that rather paying someone to fix a problem (like the dent I previous put in my door) I had a go at fixing it myself. Although far from perfect, I was rather proud that it turned out as good as it did. Most importantly, I learnt a lot throughout the process.

I have been on so many amazing drives this year where it was simply a pleasure to put the roof down and just drive along. Doing so has allowed me to experience some great scenery as well as interact with some great people from the Club. That, above everything else, has made the previous twelve months ownership more than worthwhile and something I’m so glad has happened.

The final note is a thanks to anyone who reads or follows along with this blog and my YouTube channel.I need to get back to making more videos which I promise to do soon. Hope you have enjoyed another year of ‘entertainment’ and hope you’ll stay with me to see what transpires in the coming 12 months.

The above video is what I reckon is my best one for the year.

First outing for 2014

What do you do after you spend all that time cleaning the car? You go out and drive it and get it all dirty again of course. As I have said before, I bought this car to drive not to hide away all polished up in the garage.

The weather looked fine when I started out so I took the top off. Unfortunately, there was one cloud at the midway point of the trip that decided that it couldn’t hold its water. While travelling at speed the car didn’t get much rain from the sky inside but the water from the windscreen travels to the top of the windscreen and then has nowhere else to go but into the car and onto the driver. The heavier the rain the more the flow of water at the edge of the windscreen grew.

Knowing full well that as soon as I put the top up it would stop raining, I did so anyway in an underpass. Would be much easier and quicker with two people, but alas no one else wanted to come with me this early morning.

Withe roof back in place and returning back I turned off the freeway at Brooklyn and headed up the old Pacific Highway to Hornsby. In my continued experimentations with dual Go Pro cameras I produced the above video.

This time both cameras worked as expected in tandem capturing exactly the same shots. This was after ensuring both had the same configuration settings and were full charged before taking off.

The reason there are no engine sounds is that the only thing the Go Pros capture audio-wise is the wind rushing by. I’m looking into getting a microphone I can plug into them and attached to the exhaust pipes. Only problem with is that the exhaust pipes get pretty hot so I’ll have to see if there is a way to get the microphone close but not cooked. Some work to be done there.

With the car all refuelled and back home I kinda have my eye on a longer trip next weekend. Not 100% sure given ‘returning from holidays traffic’ which is going to be a mess given what I saw heading out around Christmas.

Something to ponder this week.

Stereoscope

Here’s another video I have uploaded to YouTube. In this one I have 2 x Go Pro Hero Black Editions connected on either side of the car.

Interestingly, I was able to get a single camera remote controller to operate both cameras together but at some down towards the end of the drive the left hand side one stopped recording and I haven’t been able to work out why. That means that towards the end of the video you’ll only get the aspect from the drivers side. Still, I hope you enjoy that.

Piecing the two sequences together proved much more challenging than I figured. I think I am approaching the limit of using Windows Movie Maker for the video production. I’ll have to start doing some research to see what else is out there.

I also think that the swapping between the two sides is a little jarring and I could have perhaps extended the fade out between these. I’ll try that in the next video. I also noted that what I probably need to do during the cut overs is allow a bit of duplication from one side to the other. That will allow the viewer to appreciate that the location is the same only the camera angle is changing. I tended to, in this video, try and cut exactly at a single point from one side to the other. Doing so, to me anyway, make it lose some continuity. Thus, duplicating some of the leading footage just after the switch (so after the cut over you see some of what you have already seen travelling by) rather than trying to get the precise moment I think will work much better.

Anyway, see what you think and let me know how you think it could be improved. I’ve still got a lot to learn about this video editing stuff!

Another angle

Slapped the Go Pro Hero 3 back on the car over the weekend and took it out for a run. This time I mounted it just behind the passengers head rest on the outside of the car.

This gives a different perspective from the other videos I’ve done which are generally all looking forward.

I think that it is getting a bit boring just having a single view of a camera during a run and I also think that it is getting a bit boring doing these sort of takes.

I can certainly start looking at creating a montage of all the footage I have collected so far but what about going forward? I can certainly keep sticking the camera in different places all over the car but does that have much point? I need to come up with something different I reckon to make things on the YouTube channel a bit fresher.

Any suggestions?

It’s been a big week

The car has been really busy this week and it’s not over yet!

To start out with, I picked it up from Prestige Auto Dent Removal early in the week after having them remove the dent I put in the door of the car as well as complete a full detail. It was a big job to fix the dent as they had to take the whole door off the car but the good news is they were able to fix it along with a few other dents I had accumulated over the time.

To retain as much of the value of the car as possible I also asked them to do a full detail, excluding the engine bay. This combined with the dent removal meant that the car was away for much longer than I expected but I really wanted it fixed so was prepared to wait the extended time.

So here’s the final results at my favourite petrol station and the location of many of the “antics” over time, including putting the dent in the car originally. I have to say that car looks fantastic thanks to Garry at Prestige Auto Dent Removal. No sign of any dents and the finish is immaculate. I can now sleep at night and no longer be haunted by the blemish I inflicted on my car.

I was at my favourite petrol station after taking the car for a run up to Brooklyn and back (as I missed out over the weekend) but I really needed to fill up the tank for the track event the following day.

I admit that I was very,very apprehensive participating in the track event for a number of reasons.

1. During a track event your insurance does not cover you. So have an ‘incident’ you are on your own.

2. Being a rookie and in an older car I am going to be taking it much slower than other more experience hands driving the latest rocket ship like a 458. Staying ‘out of trouble’ having never been on a racing tack before was what concerned me the most.

3. I had to navigate through peak hour traffic to Eastern Creek Motorsport park there and back. Luckily, it was school holidays so traffic should be much lighter but there have been a few major incidents on the roads of late that seemed to be occurring with far too much frequency for my liking.

Even as I sat in the car and turned it over first thing my emotions were screaming at me not to go. Stupid I know, but the fear of the unknown is a powerful thing.

I did however force myself to take the 30 minute or so drive to the track and parked my car in the garage on pit lane without incident. I then availed myself of a bracing caffeine fix and some sugary pastry. It is amazing how much energy your burn when you are petrified.

I then signed all my legal rights away indemnifying what seemed to be anyone even remotely connected with event from any and all liability. In understand why you need to do this but indemnifying people against my death certainly didn’t make me feel better.

Next was a drivers briefing where we all heard how the event worked, what the marshal’s flags meant and finally how the overtaking operated. Basically, when you approached a car from behind you had to wait for them to wave you past. The driver in front had to point out of the window to either the left or right hand side of the track to indicate where the following car should pass. Ok, easy enough I thought but must remember to leave the window down when I go out as I don’t want to be fiddling with that while attempting to break, turn and get out of the way.

I then needed to obtain a ‘loaner’ helmet, which also required wearing a very fetching (NOT) hairnet. I returned to my car to wait until my group was called. They basically divide all the drivers up into a number of groups and send these groups out for a 20 minute run.

It wasn’t long before my group was called to assemble at the end of pit lane. As I strapped myself into the car I discovered that the F355 is not really designed for wearing a helmet when you drive because the additional head protection now made me too tall for the car. I adjusted the seat back to allow some more headroom. I made enough room but only just enough to succeed in making my driving position just that little bit more uncomfortable and me just that little bit more apprehensive.

However, I was now at the point of no return as I swung out of the garage and onto pit lane and joined the tail of the queue waiting to take to the track. Just before going out I was asked whether I want an instructor to ride along. “Yes, please” I replied. In a matter of moments I was hurdling away from the pits with some bloke I’d only just met, onto a racing track I’d never been round at speeds greater than what I have done before in the car. Piece of cake (NOT).

My driving instructor passenger pointed out that they had laid out cones at each corner to show you where to turn and where the apex is (that is the optimal point you want to get to close as possible to ‘straighten’ the corner out and reduce your time cornering. The only real thing that you need to work out is where to break and that depends on the driver, the entry speed and the car just to name a few variables involved.

With my co-pilot on board I found it tough to make the optimal point in most of the corners but importantly I understood what I needed to do. More importantly I was able to wind the car up and give it a good ‘squirt’. I even managed to wave a few cars by so I was a pretty ‘happy chappy’ as I pulled back into the pits after my first run in the car on a race track. Although my apprehension had not fully dissipated, I was happy that I came.

For the next session I was in the car all by my lonesome but I was a lot more comfortable with what I needed to do. I still mucked up most corners but I was certainly improving from earlier on. During this session I recorded the following video on my trusty Go Pro camera (this time placed inside the car to prevent stupid acts of denting).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I45hRYkt2Vk

It wasn’t long before I was out for my third session of the day, just before lunch. However, this time, towards the end of session it began to rain quite hard. So being no hero I made a bee line for the pits and parked the car. Luckily, this was the only rain we had all day even though it threatened much during the rest of the day.

After lunch I did two more sessions before finally heading home, most satisfied with having a track event under my belt. The car performed flawlessly and it was great to be able to wind it up down the straight and power through the corners. The sound alone (even though through a helmet) was well worth it.

So what major things did I learn?

1. I need to break much earlier into corners. Brake in and accelerate out.

2. The faster your travel the greater braking you need. If you overshoot the braking point the momentum of the car won’t allow you to take the right line through the corner.

3. The standard car seats really don’t provide you any support during high speed corners. That is why racing seats are a good idea!

4. The car has far more grip that I expect. I’m sure there was even more if I had the guts to push harder but its ability to turn in hard and stay on line was eye opening.

5. The concentration required is enormous if you want to get the best result. Turning points, apexes, gear shifts, throttling, traffic, etc, etc, there is simply so much to think about it that I was pretty exhausted towards the end of the day. A couple of times I got distracted and found myself somewhere I didn’t want to be (i.e. wrong line). Driving fast requires extended focus and concentration.

So would I go again? Yes, but I’m not necessarily busting to do it again tomorrow because at the end of the day you are just going round and round and there is limit to how much you can concentrate. I am please that I have done an event like this, that car performed marvellously, I captured some video and I can write about it here.

Ah serenity at last.

The one year anniversary

So it has now been a full 12 months since I picked up the Ferrari F355 GTS and I thought it might be good to reflect back on this chocolate anniversary.

Costs

Maintaining a Ferrari is not cheap, however when I did the sums it is interesting what you find. If you take out things that I added to or improved on the car such as the re-doing the dash, purchasing a spare and jack as well as exclude the one off major cost of four new tyres then outlays are comparable to my normal road car.

What I would consider ‘standard’ costs for the F355 came to about $10,000. These costs included, rego, insurance, parts, servicing, fuel and tolls. The biggest difference between the cars was the comprehensive insurance which was about 2.5 times my road car, however given the value of F355 this is not unexpected.

So ‘once off’ costs for the F355 came in at about $6,000 which included things such as the four new tyres, re-doing the dash, spare and jack etc.

Other ‘non standard’ costs included things like a garaging fee, etc.

So total of all costs (standard, once off, non standard) for the F355 came to just over $17,000. However, if you consider just the ‘standard’ costs then it is pretty similar to my normal road car. But don’t fooled, if you purchase a car like this you need to beware that maintenance costs are also significant but not exorbitant (at least note yet, phew!).

Travel

I have driven the Ferrari F355 about 5,000 kilometres since purchase that’s almost an average of 100 kilometres per week. By comparison, my normal road car has done about 12,000 kilometres, which is an average of 230 kilometres per week.

Lessons

Here are some lessons I have learnt about cars like the Ferrari F355 when compared to normal road cars.

1. You need a GOOD mechanic. I really can’t praise Sal DiMauro from Racing Red enough. He has come out to me when required, he has gone above and beyond (e.g. fixing my exhaust bypass valve), been available on the phone and via email when I’ve panicked about the car and most importantly made the car better than it was the day that I picked it up. The engine has never run more sweetly than it does now. So if you need Ferrari mechanic, Sal’s the man.

2. Even though you pay more money for a Ferrari F355 that doesn’t make it a ‘new’ car. Mine came without warranty on sale (because it was over the luxury limit), you are relying on how the previous owner has treated and maintained it and most things in are at least 15 years old!

3. The sports suspension of these types of cars really makes you understand how CRAP the roads are here! Driving this car REALLY puts you in touch with the road surface, so prepared for all the rattles, bumps and clunks.

4. These cars are LOW. If I’m not paying attention I get a very quick reminder of how low these cars are with a whack and scrape from the nose of the car as I go over a gutter, up a drive, down a drive, into a driveway, etc too quickly. The other area that you notice the lowness is getting in and out of the car. It takes a bit of practice to exit and enter elegantly. That lowness however does have a benefit when you are flying through corners by making the car so much more stable and flat.

5. These cars are noisy. Everyone who has come along for a ride has noted at how ‘noisy’ the car is. That is no surprise given that that the cam belts and the rest of the engine is just behind your seat. It is also designed that way so that you can enjoy the sound of the engines as you accelerate. Again, not a problem, just different.

6. They are simple. By this I mean, mine came with no spare, no jack, no glove box, not much storage space, etc. Even when I look at photos when the dash was disassembled, there is not a huge amount of ‘bits’ in comparison to cars of today. It is even simple enough that I could workout and repair the initial issue I had with ECU.

Low points

1. Having the ‘1-4 Slow Down’ light come on while driving the car home after picking it up.

2. Battling to resolve the ‘1-4 Slow Down’ light over many weeks.

3. Buying new floor mats from the US and finding that they didn’t quite fit.

4. Having the car chipped and dented (by me).

High points

1. Every day I get to see the car. Whether under a cover or from behind the wheel, I thank my lucky stars every time.

2. Travelling to the Hunter up the Putty road with the Ferrari Club of Australia (and to think I wasn’t going to go!).

3. Driving with the top down and no lights on the dash.

4. The Ferrari track day (even though I only watched).

Looking back and laughing

1. Having a panic attack and not realizing that the immobilizer was on.

2. Trying to fill the car with fuel from the right hand side.

3. Trying to get the petrol cap off.

Future

What will the next year bring? Hopefully, less repairs and more driving. The next task is to get the dent fixed I made and get the car detailed in late September. There is another track coming up in October which I ‘think’ I’ll sign up for. I’d like to take the car over the Bell’s Line of Road as well as down the south coast before the year is out. Come December it will be time for the annual service and rego.

Summary

Owning a Ferrari F355 has challenged me. It has taken me to places where I may not have always been comfortable, however I and the car have survived and grown closer, strange as that sounds. I have enjoyed learning about the car, how it is put together, how it responds and what makes it so unique. I have enjoyed the looks I get from people when the car is out and about as well as being part of the Ferrari Owner’s Club.

In short, I am glad I took the plunge and got the car because it has really made the last year most enjoyable (even the challenging parts looking back now). There will no doubt be challenges in the future and certainly more enjoyment which I am looking forward to.

Finally, I thank anyone who has taken the time to read and follow my musing about ownership. I hope you have enjoyed the ride and hope you stay on board for at least another year here on the blog.

My favourite video of the past year from teh car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bgFZwG34x0