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631- 423 - 1010
Huntington, Long Island, New York
Please Call for Directions
BerlinettaMotorcars@Gmail.com
BerlinettaMotorcars@Gmail.com
New York:
631-423-1010 "Doug, I have bought 4 Ferraris in my lifetime . . . [we are] buying a car from a reputable person. . . you, the most reputable person I've known,
having maintained the car the whole time." Joe Perella
“When asked, ‘ What most impressed me with the car ?’ my answer related to the fact that not only did I purchase the car, but also commissioned modifications solely by telephone.”
Ron Busuttil, M.D., Ph.D.
“. . . . what a terrific job you and your team have done for me with my Ferrari. It is very unusual to find people with the expertise and integrity that you have at Berlinetta Motorcars. . . . You get the job done right the first time! "
Gene Matalene, Jr., Managing Director, Investment Banking |
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The
Berlinetta Letter
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631.423.1010 /
549.6700
"A Great Ferrari Garage" Ken Gross in
Automobile
Huntington, Long Island,
New York
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| Who is
Berlinetta Motorcars?
Sales,
Service, Race Car Prep, Engine Overhauls
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Pebble Beach
Concours d'Elegance
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Peoples'
Choice Concorso Italiano and
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Ferrari Club
of America
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Award Winning Restorations
Since 1979 Berlinetta Motorcars has been
servicing, restoring, race-prepping, and
customizing automobiles from excruciatingly
period correct Ferraris to tricked out Ford
Escort Group B Rally track monsters.
As versatile as they are
prestigious, BMC can flawlessly execute your
needs. From tune-ups to Pebble Beach quality
nut-and-bolt restorations, Berlinetta's three
decades of passionate dedication is to what
Car and Driver
magazine
is
referring when they say:
"Berlinetta Motorcars has earned a reputation
for quality work."
As a Ferrari
enthusiast, we would like you to add
Berlinetta to your trusted resources for
information, service, restoration, and
assistance in buying or selling cars.
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Cars for Sale
Restorations have commenced, you can
customize these cars to your specifications.
631.423.1010 /
549.6700
BerlinettaMotorcars@Gmail.com
1969 246 GT
Available summer, 2008.
Beautiful, mirror finish
black
paint, new interior with
black
Daytona seats complimented by
red
inserts and red carpets. New, rebuilt and
detailed suspension, Cromodora knock-off wheels,
recent engine-out major service completed, and
overhauled fuel system and cooling system.
1973 246 GTS
Available summer, 2008. Stunning
blue Scuro
with new tan interior and Daytona seats with
black inserts. New, rebuilt and detailed
suspension, new mouse fur dash.
Available summer,
2008. Gorgeous
black
paint with new
black
leather and gray carpets, new
mouse fur dash, and Borrani wire wheels. New,
rebuilt, and detailed suspension. We love how
this car drives. Engine is strong, smooth and
has no leaks which is unusual for a C/4.
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This Issue's
Fun
Fact!
Last issue, we divulged arcane facts about
the 365 GTB/4, the 365 GTS/4, and the
365 GTB/4 Spyder. The responses we got to
our Fun Fact were overwhelmingly positive
and we plan on including one in every
issues.
One reader pointed out:
" What you
did not explain is
why USA
Spyders were called 365 GTB/4,
instead
of 365 GTS/4."
That's
a great point, Steve. We now
turn to Doug for
his expertise.
Doug...?
Hey, Doug, we could really use your
expertise here...
"The 365 GTB/4 coupe was already accepted
into the US with EPA and DOT
clearances. Not wanting to crash more cars,
Ferrari decided to call their USA
model Spyders... 365 GTB/4."
Thanks, Doug!
As you'll read later in this issue, we've
got several Dinos in for restoration. Dinos
are all the rage these days, some fetching
more then a quarter of a million dollars.
But did you know that in 1972, when the Dino
246 made its debut, the UK launch
price was just 6,620 British Pounds Sterling
(that was $16,550 back then). For a
six cylinder car that bears no external
Ferrari badges, she's come a long way.
The first 246 GTS -- a European model -- was
built in June or July or 1971, serial number
02174. It was Rosso Chiaro with black
leather, and was the 1972 Geneva Show car.
The last one. 08518, was built in 1974--
also in June. During those four years,
Ferrari made a total of just 1,274 GTS
Dinos, 235 of which were RHD. These numbers
are roughly half
of total GT and 308 GT4 production,
respectively. The 246 GTS is rivaled in
Dino rarity
only by the original Dino roadcar iteration,
the 206 GT (152 total units from '68 through
'69, two RHD).
Fun Fact Trivia Contest
The engine type for the 206 GT was 236 B.
When the 246 GT came, the engine
type changed to 236 L (the GTS engine type
changed to 236E). The first 246 GT
was even referred to as a 246 GT/L.
The first person to correctly reveal the
letter
L's meaning in this engine/model designation
will win a Berlinetta Motorcars
baseball cap:
BerlinettaMotorcars2@gmail.com.
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Monticello Motor Club
Launch
Party
by
Event Planner Rand Luxury
What would you expect for a launch party
from a club whose membership fee is
six figures? Ostentatious ice sculptures?
White tie evening dress adorned
British butlers passing out cigars? How
about gilded nymphs swimming in
multi-colored, strobe lit pools? Maybe you'd
throw in a unicorn for good measure. When
you're shelling out a hundred grand for
membership. even the most epicurean party
goers would associate
a surreal decadence with a gala this
importance. The kind of evening that would
make Friday nights at Studio 54 look like
Sunday school taught by Falwell himself.
But rather then a lavish soirée replete with
the aforementioned indulgences,
Rand Luxury, the event planner, felt that
the Monticello Motor Club was better
suited for a function of class and
sophistication. And that's exactly what they
provided. On Tuesday, 29 April 2008,
attendees arrived at the invite only
celebration, held at Cipriani's in New York
City. The invitation required cocktail
attire; one of our Conoscente noted that
Nicolas Ghesquière, Karl Lagerfeld,
Angela Missoni and Manolo Blahnik were also
honored by both genders on this
night. It was an evening where addressing
the audience actually merited the
term "ladies and gentlemen".
Rand Luxury's organization of
the
Monticello Motor Club's launch party
was
flawlessly executed. When mouths weren't
agape from the cars on display, they
were full with the sumptuous foods prepared
for the guests, while an open bar refreshed
palates. The cars on display represented
what my garage would look like, if I had
the kind of money that would allow me to
join a club for $100,000: A Porsche Carrera
GT, a 2.65 liter turbocharged 1,300 pound
1998 Reynard- Ford Grand Prix car
driven by Bobby Rahal, a Porsche 910, a
Bugatti Veyron, a Ferrari 430 Scuderia
and a Lotus 2-Eleven.
While I futilely angled to go home with the
Lotus, my charming advances were
only good enough to let me sit in the
Bugatti. The Veyron, Bugatti's latest
iteration
of speed and luxury, yields the type of
class and magnitude normally associated
with the person who bought it: Werner
Pfister, sales manager of Miller Motorcars,
in Greenwich, Connecticut. Aside from being
an authorized dealer for Ferrari, Maserati,
Aston Martin, Bentley, and Rolls Royce,
Miller Motorcars is now an authorized
Bugatti dealer as well.
Other
notable personalities at the party included
racecar drivers Mario Andretti,
Brian
Redman, and Bobby Rahal, as well as funny
man and Monticello Motor
Club member Jerry Seinfeld. Jerry's premium
shtick was car-related and
provided a clever segue from arriving and
mingling to learning about MMC.
Later in the evening Rahal, Redman and
Andretti raced around Monticello's
racetrack via the virtual arcade-like
systems that were set up on stage. A big
screen projector allowed everyone to watch
the race while none other then
Formula One announcer Bob Varsha gave us all
a play by play of the friendly competition.
The race only made me want to see the real
facility even more.
Located in scenic Monticello, at the foot of
the Catskill Mountains, the Monticello Motor
Club is a 650- acre facility whose state of
the art racetrack and amenities
make it the premier club to join. Motoring
enthusiasts will forget all about public
track days when they learn of MMC's 4.1 mile
course, whose access is only limited
by their availability. The combined inputs
of renowned track architect Bruce
Hawkins, and world famous racecar driver
Brian Redman are responsible for the track's
layout. With over a mile and a half of
straights, 22 turns, breathtaking elevation
changes (literally, if you're going fast
enough!), and 12 different course
configurations, you could drive it every day
and feel like you're somewhere else
each time.
Monticello Motor Club is just an hour and 15
minutes from the George Washington Bridge,
and only 25 minutes by helicopter. How cool
is that? "Honey, can you pick up
some milk on the way home?" "Sorry, dear,
there's no room in the 7-11 parking
lot for a chopper." If you don't have a
helicopter, don't sweat it- the Club
provides those too. The facility includes a
skid pad where you can practice and hone
your driving ability. While you're doing
donuts, your family or guest(s) can enjoy
MMC's 30,000 square foot clubhouse, host to
exercise and spa equipment, a hot tub, game
room, five-star restaurant and more. They
can soak in the nature preserve via a
walking trail, picnic areas, and a
playground (for the kids; the adult
playground is covered with asphalt).
If, by some extraordinary memory lapse, you
forgot to bring your car to the track,
Monticello Motor Club has a fleet of
automobiles on hand, from which you can
choose: contemporary sports cars, vintage
and open wheel racers-- even a
Formula One racecar (I asked if I could test
drive it from this article, but they
just laughed and handed me an application).
Alternatively, if you bring your own
fleet and don't feel like lugging it all
back home, Monticello Motor Club offers on
site, climate controlled storage-- and 24
hour security is provided by the Club.
Generous run-off areas and a staff of track
professionals ensure that every aspect of
your
Monticello Motor Club experience is just as
safe as it is fun.
The application for membership might as well
have the seal of the Pope, because
the inquiries lead you to believe that
you're applying to get into heaven. The
questions solicit your track and non-track
related interests, like: conference and
office space, transportation to and from
home and/ or work, overnight accommodations
(like the luxury suites in the clubhouse!),
entertainment and concession for your
spouse, private jet service, and wine
storage and selection, just to name a few.
What does that tell you? It means they're
considering implementing all of those things
into the Club--some have already been set in
motion!
So when you consider all of that, plus the
fact that, if you want to, you can drive
on the track over 200 times a year, a
hundred large doesn't seem so bad, does
it? But wait; there's more. MMC will feature
a racing program. If you're so inclined,
you can enhance your driving skills to the
point of competing against other members and
even entering national endurance races. If
you've never been on a track in
your entire life, the Monticello Motor Club
still welcomes you with open arms.
Whether you just want to cruise around the
track without any competition looming
in your rearview, or you want to rub open
wheels with other would-be Schumachers
of your day, the MMC will fulfill your
dreams. The only thing that would make the
Monticello Motor Club even better, is if you
could live there. Um, wait...
There are a limited number of plots
scattered about the facility upon which
houses
will be built. Imagine that; living at the
racetrack. Next door is the country club
with the five--star restaurant and the spa.
Picture your typical Saturday going
something like this: you wake up to the
sound of cars-- really awesome cars-- racing
around
the circuit. A combination of factors- V8s,
V12s, turbos and varying exhausts--
orchestrate a symphony of sounds that are
way cooler than any alarm clock. You roll
out
of bed, throw on some Nomex, and walk over
to the storage facility. You
pull your car out, get on the track and flog
it until your stomach tells you that it's
lunch time. After a quick bite- in the
clubhouse's restaurant, or in the cafe in
the
20,000 square foot Member's Paddock-- you
head back out onto the track to expel more
gas and rubber. Around the time the sun is
setting, you're returning your car to
vehicle
storage and heading over to the clubhouse
for a massage. Enzo Ferrari lived on a
racetrack and even he didn't have it this
good.
The Monticello Motor Club's membership is
limited, so check out their
Website or call their Manhattan office
for more information. The launch party was
fantastic, but the facility is still under
construction and isn't scheduled to open
until the summer of 2008. I bet they'll have
another party then, too (hopefully hosted by
Rand Luxury). If so, I'll be pushing for
those gilded nymphs.
Monticello Motor Club
Jason Bannerman 877-578-7223
JBannerman@MonticelloMotorClub.com
www.MonticelloMotorClub.com
Rand Luxury
Seth Berk 212-655-4505 x 244
SBerk@RandLuxury.com
www.RandLuxury.com
Miller Motorcars
Werner Pfister 203-629-3890 x 301
WPfister@MillerMotorcars.com
www.MillerMotorcars.com
Miller Motorcars
Michael Parchment 203-629-3890 x 104
MParchment@MillerMotorcars.com
www.MillerMotorcars.com
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348 and
355 Console Refinishing
Let us get rid of that
gooey,
sticky, deteriorated factory coating on
the inside door handles and center
console/ ash tray panel of your
348 or 355
We
remove the door handles, the consoles and
the gauges. We then disassemble the panels,
remove the gauges and controls from the
climate control panel and completely strip
off all of the old, sticky rubberized
coating. We prepare the surfaces and
refinish the pieces in a beautiful satin
black. We also clean the gauges and climate
control buttons and ash tray while they are
out of the console. $2,900 including removal
and installation of pieces, or send them to
us for $2,400.
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Cavallino Classic
You've read about it; you've seen pictures;
maybe you've even been there; John and
Alicia Barnes' Cavallino Classic. For almost
two decades, The Breakers Hotel in West Palm
Beach, Florida, has been host to one of
America's premier Ferrari events. From the
earliest iterations of Ferrari racing and
road cars, to the latest and greatest track
and street manifestations to emerge from
Maranello, the lawns of the Breakers are
littered with the rarest, most beautiful
cars the world has ever known. So what does
it take to get
your
car on that grass?
Berlinetta Motorcars has been restoring,
maintaining and prepping cars for concours
for three decades. Every year, Berlinetta
Motorcars is commissioned to look after
various Ferraris and tend to the imperfect
minutaie that would otherwise be cause for
point deduction. The slightest things of
which you may or may not be aware are common
knowledge here at BMC. A period correct car
is essential to bringing home silver, gold,
and especially platinum. From hose clamps to
valve stems, books and tools to knock-offs,
we know exactly how your car left the
factory- even if you're unsure. We presented
for customer cars at this year's Cavallino
Classic. We came home with two major cups-
oh, and four Gold Class awards, too.
Berlinetta has already filled spots for the
Cavallino Classic XVIII, taking place 20
through 25 January, 2009. We have some spots
open and would love to alleviate any
concerns you may have about entering this
extraordinary event. Call or e-mail us to
schedule an appointment, or just lay all of
your questions on us right then and there.
We'd love the opportunity to show you why we
leave Cavallino with awards every year.
We're happy, our clients are happy;
shouldn't you be happy too? Click
here to learn more about our
restorations and awards:
http://www.berlinettamotorcars.com/cavallinoclassic.com.htm
http://www.berlinettamotorcars.com/restorations3.htm
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Berlinetta Car
In the last issue of the Berlinetta Letter,
we explained the meticulous effort and
discerning care that surrounds what we call
a "Berlinetta Car". Not every car we offer
qualifies for the label "Berlinetta Car";
some cars are consignments or rare finds,
which are as yet not fully restored. But we
will always define them as such and clearly
identify the issues to which the new owner
may want to tend.
A car we label a "Berlinetta Car" will be
one that has been prepared for sale to a
very high set of standards in appearance and
function. It will be a car that can be shown
with pride, and driven with the confidence
that every component will perform as
Maranello intended. We stand behind our work
and offer purchasing confidence. We distance
ourselves from the competition with
Berlinetta Cars that undergo an obsessive
inspection.
At most times, there are cars we own in the
shop receiving the Berlinetta treatment for
resale. We currently have a 365 GTC/4, an
early European 246 GT and a lovely US model
246 GTS receiving partial restorations. All
of our work is photo-documented, and each of
these is a quality specimen. We encourage
prospective buyers to inquire about these
cars now, rather then waiting until their
completion. Most cars like these are
committed to buyers while the work is in
progress, and we stand behind our work by
offering a unique guarantee of satisfaction.
Your deposit will be refunded if the car
fails to pass your final inspection due to
items that we cannot rectify within the
agreed upon price. We want you to purchase
with confidence.
As well as anyone can, we understand the
market for vintage Ferrari automobiles. If
you have a Ferrari you are considering
selling, we can give your car worldwide
exposure to the highest qualified prospects.
This newsletter reaches almost 3,500 Ferrari
enthusiasts in the US, Europe and Far East.
We are flexible in that we can promote your
car either at our shop, or at your home,
directly connecting you with pre-qualified
buyers. There are many ways to work
together.
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Restorations
Last issue, we told you that we would have a
series of informative restoration articles.
Well we'd
like to share some pictures of
a Dino that's currently undergoing
restoration.
While you view these pictures, consider Doug
Pirrone's expertise below as he answers some
questions about restorations:
" The
first question should be, Why do a
restoration? "
Well, I think that the most obvious reason
to do a restoration is for the desire to
restore a particular car you are in love
with, and for the love of the work itself.
Without this, the restoration would be, at
best, second rate. Even though I do not own
most of the cars we restore, I always love
doing them. When I no longer love doing
restorations, I will stop doing them. A
second reason for doing a restoration is for
the respect of the marque and for the
respect of the particular automobile in
question. Even though I don't share the same
love and enthusiasm for every make and
model, I can respect the importance of it
and thereby give it a proper restoration.
However, for certain models, this philosophy
may have an economically unsound
disadvantage (at least for the present) when
weighing the cost of the restoration against
the value of the car.
This leads me to the third reason for doing
a restoration: to protect or increase the
value of the vehicle. The cost of a total
restoration is very high today, but I have
seen time and time again that a really
thorough and complete restoration inevitably
repays the owner. Let me make it perfectly
clear here that I don't consider painting a
car and/or redoing or re-dying the interior
to be a restoration. Many people believe
that efforts such as these infer a true
restoration when they advertise their car
for resale.
A 99+ point restoration will usually bring
quite a bit more than an average car when it
comes time to sell. I have seen this number
go up as much as 100 to 200 percent--
inflation not withstanding. So, even though
initially it might not seem economically
sound to do a restoration, in most cases it
will pay off. Of course, try to find out the
projected value of the car in question from
as many sources as possible before you
begin. Obviously it doesn't pay to do a
total restoration on a 1971 Ford Pinto - or
even a '72!
So, on that note, I will close, leaving for
future issues, questions such as:
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To what level should I take this
restoration? Perhaps a level as good as it left
the factory, or maybe even better?
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Should I do the restoration myself,
or let a professional do it?
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How do I choose a shop?
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We'll also
get into such specifics as paint, primers,
leathers and more.
If you have additional questions concerning
restorations, feel free to contact us. We'll
include your query in a future issue of the
newsletter, as well as that question's
answer.
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