The Dino, the Saw Mill, and my Baptism of Fire

I have had my Dino for months now, but there is a story I want to share.  The car runs great now, but the first time I drove it home from my mechanic, it didn't begin with a fairy tale scene.When I picked up the car, I made the mistake of doing so at 4pm in Queens, NY.  My first 30 minutes in my new dream car were spent in bumper to bumper traffic on the Deegan Expressway, cursing myself for buying a car with the heaviest clutch I've ever felt.

After a short time, the Dino began to sputter and miss. I figured it was being a temperamental Italian diva that didn't like traffic, so I pulled off the road in Harlem to let it cool off.  After some friendly exchanges with the locals, I got back in the car, which seemed to be much happier as the traffic was lighter. But still sensing the specter of a possible breakdown, I decided against taking the George Washington bridge and drove up through Westchester on the Saw Mill Parkway, planning to cross the Hudson further North.

It was to prove to be one of my wisest moves ever.  About 20 minutes up the Saw Mill, the sputtering and missing got worse again. The car began to backfire terribly and power delivery got very rough and intermittent. I managed to pull the car off on a siding (a lucky find on the Saw Mill, which has no shoulder in many places). Had this happened on the GW Bridge, I shudder to think of the traffic and hostility I would have unleashed.

After letting the car sit for a while, it refused to start.  My head was spinning--why did I buy this thing? Why couldnt i leave well enough alone with the GTV6? Why is the car dead and why didn't my mechanic find this problem while going through it?  I was on the phone with my mechanic, thinking how I looked like the worst stereotype of a useless exotic car owner standing helplessly beside a very expensive-looking and immobile object he has no idea how to fix, while Priuses and SUVS alike glide by in a silvery cloud of smug schadenfreude.

After we tried some unsuccessful tricks to get it started, the mechanic said i should call for a tow truck. Just as I was getting ready to do so, something remarkable happened: A utility truck materialized out of nowhere and offered to help me. It turns out that the Parkway Police had spotted my disabled car from aircraft (I guess that answers the old question about whether they really do check speed by aircraft!) and sent this roadside assistance truck to the rescue.  The guy gave me a free 3 gallons of gas just to make sure I hadn't run out, but we still couldn't start the car.  He then called for a flatbed for me. Just then a cop showed up and asked if everything was ok.  For once, I thought, wow my tickets and tolls are actually PAYING for something! This is the best customer service ever!The roadside assistance guy was kind enough to wait with me until the flatbed arrived, and we took the car to Domenick's in White Plains, which was the nearest Italian specialist I knew of. The guys at Domenick's were so nice, they let my mechanic come by and fix the car in their shop, because they were so busy with the many projects they had underway, and they knew my mechanic was a good guy.  I want to thank him for coming all the way out to White Plains to get the car straightened out! Turned out the car's old resistors had fried in the ignition system. We bypassed them and converted the car to a Pertronix electronic ignition.  Since then I've driven over 1000 trouble free miles in the car and it's a dream come true at last!All in all, so many people helped me out of that jam, I just wanted to thank them all.  In the end, I also want to say a special thanks to Chubb Classic Insurance.  I had roadside coverage in my policy but had literally not yet paid them a single cent on my first premium.  I felt so sheepish when I emailed them to ask if they would reimburse my flatbed expense, which cost about as much as my annual premium! But they reimbursed it cheerfully, and I want other people with classics out there to know that Chubb really treated me right, even though the ink had barely dried on my contract when I had my first claim.  There is a lot of discussion on blogs and forums about who gives the best Classics Insurance, and I just want to say that Chubb not only has a fantastic rate, no mileage limits and agreed value coverage, but they really showed integrity by paying my claim like that. And no, they didn't solicit me to say this, and they didn't pay me. I just feel they deserve some free publicity for the excellent service they provided.

Let's hope I continue to enjoy the car and there won't be anymore claims from here on! Knock on wood!

Itching for a Track Day!

These pics snagged on Ferrari Chat are really giving me naughty ideas...

Monday Moment of Zen

Fellow Automobiliacs: I have been travelling, and apologize for the week of radio silence! While I get my clothes unpacked and sift through my photos, here's a little something to enjoy.

Photo Credit: James Lamdin

New addition to the Automobiliac Stable

You may have noticed an uptick in posts about the Ferrari Dino GT4. And this is the reason for that.  I was idly searching for a FIAT Dino Coupe on craigslist and happened upon this Black GT4 which I suddenly realized I desperately wanted. 

I wasn't in the market for a car, per se, but I found myself dialing the number in the ad and asking questions of the seller.  It turns out the car is actually a very rare model called the 208 GT4.  This was an Italy-only car of which only about 840 were made.  The 208 was created to take advantage of tax laws in Italy on cars over 2 Liters in displacement. So Maranello de-bored the 3L V8 from the 308 GT4 down to 2L.  This decreased the horsepower, but they did change the cams to compensate somewhat.

The best part of the 208, apart from the fact that it came with the European bumpers, is that the grilles on the front and rear decklids are finished in silver, not black. With this 208 in black, the contrast is just marvelous!  The dashboard of the 208 was also black metal rather than matte silver.After a few weeks of slow, steady discussion with the seller, my mechanic and I trailered it away.  Then the car had a 3 week stay at the mechanic while he replaced the fluids, timing belts, and cam cover gaskets. We also fitted new Vredestein tires.

Now that the car has been mechanically sorted, it's really a joy to drive.  The exhaust note is fantistic too! You'll be seeing a lot more of it in these pages in coming weeks and months.  And don't worry, The GTV6 is still alive and well.  And it's still being driven regularly!

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