Affordable vintage supercars

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Lot of great stuff up on BaT these days. Lotus Esprits are dirt cheap these days though I am sure, "there's a reason for that" is the natural response. F355s have also been well below crazy money. Seems like a lot of cars are cooling off.

This 512 BB went for a lot less than I thought it would meaning I don't know the market and there's a chance I can get one someday.

1984 Ferrari 512 BBi

With $190K in your back pocket, would you get one car like this or a few to mix it up a little? I could see Cobra and 550 Spyder kit cars with a lot left over for an F355 and repair budget.

As a side note, anyone know why the car rides so high over the tires?

[Noah930]

$190K is your budget?! Your definition of "affordable" is a lot more fun than mine!

[pitargue]

Didn't know Ferrari made a 4WD. That thing needs to be lowered. :-)

[pavulon]

A lot of vintage super cars aren't very super (if at all) anymore. Time has not been kind to the 512.

[Yorkie]

Maybe not affordable but this was parked outside my local craft brew pub this afternoon. Just the right level of patina. The lady who drives it was having a pint with her Dad.

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by pavulon

A lot of vintage super cars aren't very super (if at all) anymore. Time has not been kind to the 512.

In terms of styling or performance? Or both?

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by Noah930

In terms of styling or performance? Or both?

Imo, the car does not appear coherent or well-proportioned. Parts of it look pretty good. However, as a piece it looks like a lot of ideas married up in a hurry. Performance wise, I thought they were mid 5 second cars 0-60. That's not very impressive anymore. Of course there is more to a car than numbers but there are a lot of cars that are more appealing to me. You?

[Sooner or later]

I don't like the looks either.There are a lot of old 911s, muscle cars, vetts, and pony cars I would rather have for 190k

[Tervuren]

The Boxer is a grand tourer.

Suspension travel, ground clearance.

It was designed to combine both speed and comfort.

Even at my 6' 2" I'm quite comfortable in one.

Affordable is as ever a variable. Compared to a 250 TR a 512 BB is affordable.

Classic cars saw a spike as there was only soo much money that could go into the stock market; and there wasn't much else to put it.

Now since 2016 they are being sold and the prices are dropping.

Interest rates are rising, there are places to put that money.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

As a side note, anyone know why the car rides so high over the tires?

They are high but yours seems to be too high.

One of favorites of all time. Second to 250LM and 330P4 which is not really a fair comparison given the 512 is a street car.

And the 58 TR. I do like it better than the 275GTB's strange as I am.

[Sooner or later]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

The Boxer is a grand tourer.

Suspension travel, ground clearance.

It was designed to combine both speed and comfort.

Even at my 6' 2" I'm quite comfortable in one.

Affordable is as ever a variable. Compared to a 250 TR a 512 BB is affordable.

Classic cars saw a spike as there was only soo much money that could go into the stock market; and there wasn't much else to put it.

Now since 2016 they are being sold and the prices are dropping.

Interest rates are rising, there are places to put that money.

I wouldn't be buying now if it was an investment. The real money makers are the super low mileage all original examples. And rare. But you can't drive them and increase the miles or you kill the value.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

They are high but yours seems to be too high.

One of favorites of all time. Second to 250LM and 330P4 which is not really a fair comparison given the 512 is a street car.

And the 58 TR. I do like it better than the 275GTB's strange as I am.

I just love the shape and the sound.

Here's the closest I'll get to owning a 275 GTB. Just finished some nickel for one yesterday.

[Heel n Toe]

This is probably not a supercar in many/most people's minds, but every aspect of it makes it what I would be looking for if I had the means... it speaks to me and its owner has his head in the right place, IMO.

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by pavulon

Imo, the car does not appear coherent or well-proportioned. Parts of it look pretty good. However, as a piece it looks like a lot of ideas married up in a hurry. Performance wise, I thought they were mid 5 second cars 0-60. That's not very impressive anymore. Of course there is more to a car than numbers but there are a lot of cars that are more appealing to me. You?

I don't disagree on the aesthetics. Looks good from some angles....but a little disproportioned at the same time. Don't like that panel aft of the doors--looks tacked on. And it looks better in the all-black, rather than in traditional red/black IMO. You grow to like the looks, as opposed to something that knocks your socks off the first time you see it and forever more (like a Countach or 427 Cobra).

As for the performance knock, I think that's a bit unfair. True it's not impressive by today's supercar numbers. But 30 years have passed. I don't think people look at Gullwing 300SLRs and bemoan only having 300 HP.

As a turbo 911 guy, I'd love a '94 Turbo 3.6. Kind of the pinnacle of the early turbos. Or heck, screw authenticity: buy any 930 and turn it into a 934 clone.

[jyl]

I love the 512BBi. It is the last street Ferrari whose lines harken back to the racing Ferrari 512s that battled the Porsche 917s in "LeMans". After the 512BBi the styling went in a different direction and when I look at a Testarossa, I don't see racer anymore.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

The performance of vintage supercars is unquestionably inferior to modern sports cars. But the vintage supercar, for me personally, has one great advantage over newer cars, they are analog. And while styling is subjective, they have, arguably, a purer design. But it's the analog nature of these cars that I prefer.

One of my best friends has a 2001 996TT. It is scary fast. And handles like it's glued to the road. But it's essentially the fastest Camry on the planet. I enjoy driving my M491 far more than his TT. Just a different strokes thing.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

As a side note, anyone know why the car rides so high over the tires?

Optical illusion?
The wheel arch goes to the very top of the panel

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

Lot of great stuff up on BaT these days. Lotus Esprits are dirt cheap these days though I am sure, "there's a reason for that" is the natural response.

The V8s are a hoot - until the transmission goes. There are fixes for that now, but I know of people who stockpiled Renault 25 boxes for just this reason back in the day.

For 190K though I'd look at an Urraco or an Alfa Montreal and have a bunch of $ left over for fixes.
If you want something that you can kill yourself in then there's always a Pantera. It's chump change to liven the engine compared to fixing up even a modest F-car.

[porsche4life]

If we are going off looks and sheer lunacy... Pantera

[Sooner or later]

I like the Panteta suggestion. There are off the shelf fixes for it's short comings. Engine cooling...