Help finding a 360 for a magazine feature

[Brownie360]

This was for Modern Classics magazine and they used my 360 for the article.

They compared it with a Mercedes SL55

Magazine is out on wednesday.

Firstly, lets cover off the how good your car looks in the article. A fantastic example which must bring a smile to any 360 owner as we have rarely had our choice covered in so much detail. Can I ask about your exhaust valves being wired into a switch? Can you share the cost of having this done? I have a feeling my neighbours would welcome hearing my 360 even more clearly when heading out in the morning

Much appreciated.

Steven

[Angelis]

What did you do to yours Sy to get the weight down to the same as a Modena ?

Apparently they're the same weight...

It's based on the MR2

Firstly, lets cover off the how good your car looks in the article. A fantastic example which must bring a smile to any 360 owner as we have rarely had our choice covered in so much detail. Can I ask about your exhaust valves being wired into a switch? Can you share the cost of having this done? I have a feeling my neighbours would welcome hearing my 360 even more clearly when heading out in the morning

Much appreciated.

Steven

Thanks.

If I recall correctly it cost around £250 to have done. You can't see the wires and the switch is hidden under the dash. Works really well.

Had it done by Attlio at Bell Classics who are located very close to you.

[sssdu01]

Ferrari 360's will remain on the road until all the petrol is used up .... a big crash or catching fire are the only things that will get a 360 off the road.

Merc is now worth only a few quid and just not worth maintaining so will end up in a scrap yard soon as either a small rust patch MOT fail or the engine light will come on and the new part will cost more than the car is worth. Thats true market forces at work and reflecting what people really want.

Nice 360 but in my opinion a pointless article as no contest at all ......... most critical acid test is how many 10 year old boys got excited about the merc when it was new ??

[Kyodo]

Ferrari 360's will remain on the road until all the petrol is used up .... a big crash or catching fire are the only things that will get a 360 off the road.

Merc is now worth only a few quid and just not worth maintaining so will end up in a scrap yard soon as either a small rust patch MOT fail or the engine light will come on and the new part will cost more than the car is worth. Thats true market forces at work and reflecting what people really want.

Nice 360 but in my opinion a pointless article as no contest at all ......... most critical acid test is how many 10 year old boys got excited about the merc when it was new ??

+1000

[MalcH]

Ferrari 360's will remain on the road until all the petrol is used up .... a big crash or catching fire are the only things that will get a 360 off the road.

Merc is now worth only a few quid and just not worth maintaining so will end up in a scrap yard soon as either a small rust patch MOT fail or the engine light will come on and the new part will cost more than the car is worth. Thats true market forces at work and reflecting what people really want.

Nice 360 but in my opinion a pointless article as no contest at all ......... most critical acid test is how many 10 year old boys got excited about the merc when it was new ??

+1000

+2

[cgt]

I agree a somewhat strange comparison as they are very different cars in character and the article was quite disjointed due to the flowery and over-dramatic writing style.

I disagree on the Merc being a dud though, back when they were new these SL55's were epic, they sound great and were (still are) ballistically fast. A friend of mine dumped his Vanquish that kept breaking down and had three of these in a row in three years, last one being the F1 pace car edition. I wouldn't buy an early SL55 as they have a few issues that were addressed from '06 but the later 55 (F1 pace car) and even later SL63's and SL65's with performance package (bigger brakes etc) were outstanding cars as they injected more character to go with the noise and performance. Seriously fast cars and quite brutish in some ways.

I've visited the AMG factory and they were a surprisingly small and bespoke operation in 2013 at least, not sure about now as they are much more integrated I guess. Ironically I also went to Maranello a few weeks before that and I was actually more impressed by the passion and enthusiasm of the AMG guys, all of whom were from a racing background and the obvious pride and care the engineers took in their work. The engine shop was spotless and the guys building the engines were like surgeons.

I've done a big euro trip in an SL63 and it was perfect. Reliable, big engined GT but on the passes and when the road got twisty it was absolutely mental performance. Dare I say it better than some Ferraris in the same scenario but as I said not a direct comparison, the 360 is far too analogue and traditional to be a rival. The Merc does the super-GT thing perfectly but of course won't rival any Ferrari for character. It has distinct character of it's own but a different type.

[Brownie360]

It's based on the MR2



Thanks.

If I recall correctly it cost around £250 to have done. You can't see the wires and the switch is hidden under the dash. Works really well.

Had it done by Attlio at Bell Classics who are located very close to you.

Lovely. Thanks. I know the guys well and will pick it up with Attlio over the next few weeks. Cheers. Steven

[renmure]

I suspected it was your car. It looked great in the feature.

Modern Classics is the only magazine I make a point of buying every month these days. I think it comes across like enthusiasts writing for other enthusiasts about cars they are genuinely enthusiastic about. I think Fast Lane used to be like that way back in ye olden days. There's none of this, "I am the expert and this is the right verdict" stuff. It all seems fairly personal, subjective and interesting so when they come out preferring the Merc I can appreciate where they are coming from and simply agree to disagree.

Anyhow, a nice keepsake methinks.