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¡Viva
Italian!
Cars provided by:
F1
Sports Cars (www.F1SCC.com), HESCO (www.Hesco.us)
& Euromotion (205.251.3252)Lamborghini Espada, Alfa Romeo Spider & Ferrari's 330 GTC, 365 GTB/4, 550 Maranello, & Barchetta, at the Kari Knoll Mediterranean Estate Styling: Erin Lloyd & Leila Zaidan |
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| ¡Viva
Italian Cars! Text & Photos: AdPix.Biz Cars provided by: F1 Sports Cars (www.F1SCC.com), HESCO (www.Hesco.us) and Euromotion (205.251.3252) Styling: Erin Lloyd & Leila Zaidan Fashion, wines, food, cars, motorcycles, art – and all with that indefinable, yet imminently desirable, Italian Passion. Their life motto, if not philosophy, is La Dolce Vita, which means “The Sweet Life.” It flows gracefully through everything, with romantic names like: Armani, Benetton, Brioni, Gucci, Prada, Versace Gianni, Cavalli, Bulgari, Bottega Veneta, Ferragamo Salvatore, Fendi… Or gorgeous names like: Gina Lollobrigida, Aria Giovanni, Marisa Tomei, Annette Funicello, Sophia Loren, Alyssa Milano… Delicious names like: Capuccino, expresso, vermouth, moscato, tortellini, spaghetti alle vongole, bistecca alla Fiorentina… And then there are thrilling names that conjure up race engine sounds in a twisty tunnel through the Alps, making the little hairs on the back of your neck stand up (if thinking “Alyssa Milano” didn’t do it already!): Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, Bimota or Ducati… 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 “Daytona” V-12 The 1966 introduction by Lamborghini of the world’s first supercar, the mid-engine Miura, sparked the sentiment that maybe the front-engine layout was obsolete, for performance cars anyway. Despite this, and the fact that Ferrari’s own race cars were mid-engine, Ferrari nevertheless charged ahead with the 365 and proved that at least Ferrari knew how to make a front-engine car work, and work really well. In fact, the 365 GTB is considered one of the most desirable Ferrari’s, ever. It is hard to illustrate how significant this car was, not only to Ferrari, but to cars worldwide, and how fantastic it was for the time. It could hit an un-heard of (for a road car) 174 mph thanks to its 4.4 liter V-12 with six twin-choke Weber carburetors putting out a very meaty 352 horsepower. It was Ferrari’s muscle car. The styling was just as significant, and just as successful. It has been copied directly and indirectly, in total and in part, probably more than any other car. Pieces of it showed up in other cars worldwide. Some, such as the Datsun 240Z, were shameless copies. It was so significant that it is a shame to have to mention, in every article about the car, either “The Cannonball Run” or “Miami Vice,” which unfortunately brought its looks to the masses, as if that were a plus to Ferrari. Despite using aluminum doors and hoods over a tubular-steel chassis, it still hits 3,600 pounds, but in a 50/50 distribution. That provides much of its road stability as a Grand Tourer, as well as, unfortunately, a bit of a heavy steering feel. The one slight negative, a comment mirrored today by its present owner, is not even really a negative – and that is that it can feel like a truck around town, with a 39-foot turning radius in fact. But as the book Daytona points out “The Daytona really only begins to come into its own at about 70 mph and hits its stride above 140 mph. At speeds below 80 mph the car is a bit bumpy, but the suspension begins to work smoothly as speed builds and steering becomes appropriate. Owners who complain of the heavy steering should remember that their baby was designed for precise control at 174 mph. Parking lots were low on the priority list.” This was not really a complaint, mind you. And its present owner makes that clear. This is in fact the only piddly negative anyone can find! And even this pails when considered by other driving experts, such as Paul Frere, who thought the slight understeer was a bit of a plus, and that the Daytona had “moderately light steering [that was] very precise.” Only 1,300 Daytonas were made, of which 127 were convertible “spiders,” although too many of the Berlinetta owners fell to the rush of cutting tops off theirs, making for some bastard versions. This happened so often, in fact, that pristine Berlinettas like this one have significantly risen in price. 1967 Ferrari 330GTC V-12 Despite its unassuming looks, this car is one of the all-time greatest Ferrari road cars. It is considered the ultimate balance in elegant luxury and race performance and was an instant success when introduced. It was no performance slouch by any means. With a tubular steel chassis, some aluminum body panels, independent suspension, and hydraulic disc brakes, and the fantastic twin cam 4-liter V-12 producing 300 hp its top speed was over 150 mph and sported 0-60 times of 6.5 seconds. Yet it wasn’t intended to be splashy or to make onlookers weak in the knees, like an Enzo or F40 – such graphical displays of raw power. But this car has plenty of Ferrari V-12 power, plenty of that perfect Ferrari design balance that says “Classic” from day one, and is one of the most perfectly poised road cars anyone has ever made. This car proves that Ferrari can not only pour gobs of power into a racing chassis, they can do what is perhaps much more difficult, “balance,” and can do it well, thank you! It is a sheer joy to drive, and while the looks may not be “Pamela Anderson,” the 330GTC is “Elizabeth Hurley,” and that, of course, may be even better. 1965 Lamborghini Espada V-12 The off-beat outside-the-box Lamborghini does it again with this four-seater exotic sports car. It was based on two popular show cars, the Marzal and Pirana, and was originally designed to have gull-wing doors. The Espada (named for a bullfighting sword) was one of Lamborghini’s most popular models, selling 1,217 at the time. So popular, in fact, that it is rumored that Lamborghini is making another one for 2009. |
With a body designed by
Giugiaro
it sported a 4-liter 325 hp V-12 that
is a feast to behold. Like the Miura, which was also quite
a hit at the
time, Lamborghini was proving they could do “cutting edge”
and packed
this car with the latest independent suspension and
four-wheel disc
brakes. Most Espadas had manual transmissions, but
Lamborghini
developed for it one of the world’s first automatic
transmissions that
could handle this power, in 1974. The car looks long, but at 186 inches it actually is about the same as a Ford Mustang – it just appears that way since it is so low at only 46.6 inches (just above the same height as Ford’s GT). Top speed was 153 mph and 0-60 was about 6 seconds – plenty fast for four folks luxuriating in a host of interior features. Interestingly, it also had a 39 foot turning circle and weighed over 3,600 pounds, yet drivers have not blamed it with the “like a truck” description tagged to the Daytona. Apparently more satisfied with the exterior than interior, the outside changed little over its 10 years of production, but Lamborghini changed the interior dramatically between each of the three models (S1, S2 and S3) Another classic example of why we all like Italian – there is something so Italian, so family and so social, about taking 3 friends on a quick ride in the country behind the song of a 12-cylinder Lamborghini motor. Alfa Romeo Spider This early example is fortunately clear of the wings and spoilers and flares and such that burdened later Spiders. If you remember, all cars were getting them then and one just had to keep up with the spoilered-crowd! Made from 1966 to 1993, with only minor design changes, the Spider is a classic in every car designer’s book. One thing that makes it so is a near absence of any specific feature that sticks out above the rest. It is just a complete, finished, “whole.” It was of monocoque (a unibody which uses some of the external shell to support weight, as with airplanes) construction, with sparse interior appointments and only 240 hp at its end of production. Although it had disc brakes, a 5-speed transmission, and independent front suspension, and the highest top-end speed of any production Alfa (158 mph), it was never intended to be a supercar, but rather a lightweight, simple, fun road car. At that it not only succeeds, but sets the standard. Alfa started tweaking the car’s shape in 1986 with Quadrifoglio aesthetic changes and more interior “stuff” – perhaps to raise flagging sales. But that merely caused a debate over whether the fancier one lost Alfa’s way – a debate engendered by the very nature of Alfa’s instant classic. If it had not hit so many pure notes from the start, no one would have minded a change! This car is a perfect example of what we like about Italian cars. Even without the blistering performance of the Ferraris, this little car is just so balanced and beautiful in every way. It is sleek, yet fun, in the same package. It’s Alyssa Milano. It’s Italian balance and passion. Ferrari 550 Maranello This car is in the “traditional” Ferrari layout, with a soul-stirring V-12 up front, covered by a long sensuous hood. Ferrari proved the formula worked with the 365. This 550 is testament to just how well Ferrari can do front-engine cars. It uses a tubular steel frame to which light aluminum alloy coachwork is welded with Feran. The 5474cc 65 degree V12 produces 485bhp at 7000rpm, with a maximum of 420lb-ft of torque on tap at 5000rpm. The cylinder block, cylinder heads and sump are all in light alloy with Nikasil-coated aluminum wet liners. The connecting rods are in Ti6a14V titanium alloy for maximum reliability at high revs during lengthy high-speed running. |
The design of the inlet and
exhaust runners is derived directly from
those used on the cylinder heads in Formula 1, providing
the optimum
balance between volumetric and combustion efficiency.
Variable intake
geometry helps increase torque and power curves. Ferrari's
patented
system incorporates a third plenum in the intake manifold,
and this
varies the fluid dynamic characteristics. Twelve
electropneumatic
throttle valves suck in the air as determined by the
engine's
electronic control unit. The 6-speed gearbox is mounted at the rear with the limited-slip differential for ideal weight distribution. The engine is connected rigidly to the gearbox via a steel tube and contains the three-bearing driveshaft that carries drive to the gearbox from the clutch. Its four-wheel independent suspension uses a transverse parallelogram structure and triangular arms, aluminum gas dampers with coaxial coil springs, and anti-roll bars front and rear. The suspension incorporates a variable logic, multiple parameter driver-adjustable system to vary damper settings. The Ferrari / Brembo brakes use Formula 1 methods with 4-piston calipers on 13" front and 12.2" rear rotors. The front pistons are thermally insulated and the entire system was designed with ultra-light unsprung weight as a goal. It is completed by four-channel ABS incorporating electronic proportioning. Its top speed is just about 10 mph higher than that of the 365, and its weight only 100 pounds more. (The price has multiplied by 10, though!) Fortunately, Ferrari knew what elements to keep. Its high-tech improvements have not obscured the passion of the original formula. This particular Maranello, with its unique leather and paint color combination, with the carbon fiber racing seats and other tweaks, is one of only two in the world. The other is owned by a similarly satisfied Ferrari “Sunday Driver” named Michael Schumaker. Ferrari 550 Barchetta (“Little Boat”) Designer Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni designed Ferrari’s first Barchetta, a unique shape, with flowing rounded lines smirked of an upside down boat. The idea was to make something that would stand out since the new car would have a worldwide audience at LeMans. The car was a tremendous success in racing, and its style was copied all over. This car celebrates that one, as well as commemorating Ferrari’s F1 World Championships, and Ferrari’s 50th anniversary with Pininfarina, the design house that is nearly synonymous with Ferrari. It uses the same motor and suspension, and same performance, and can appear to be “merely” a convertible 550 Maranello, but it is actually a roadster – intended for permanent open air motoring as a two-seater without permanent side window frames and sometimes no top at all. In Ferrari’s words, it was a car “that deliberately seeks to be more provocative and less rational than the rest of the range.” With hosts of standard luxuries and special badging, only 448 were made. |