Deferred maintenance means putting off repairs or maintenance that your car needs. Sometimes people wait to fix things because they are expensive or they want to do it later.
Shock absorbers are parts of a car that help make the ride smoother by controlling how the car moves over bumps and dips in the road. They keep the tires in contact with the ground for better control.
OEM means Original Equipment Manufacturer. It refers to parts that are made by the same company that made the original parts for the car. Using OEM parts helps keep the car as it was when it was first built.
Bilstein is a company that makes parts for cars, especially shock absorbers, which help keep the ride smooth. They are known for making high-quality products that many car enthusiasts trust.
Hill Engineering makes better replacement parts for cars, especially for things like tensioner bearings. Many car enthusiasts prefer their parts because they last longer and perform better.
The Subaru 360 is a small car that was made in Japan from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. It’s known for being very economical and easy to drive, which made it popular among city dwellers. People talk about it because it’s a unique and interesting part of car history.
High tension leads are wires that connect the ignition system to the spark plugs in a car. They help deliver the electrical charge needed to start the engine and keep it running well.
Spark plugs help start the engine by creating a small spark that ignites the fuel. If they get old or damaged, the car might not run well and can feel sluggish.
The expansion tank is a part of the car's cooling system. It holds extra coolant that expands when the engine gets hot, helping to keep everything running smoothly.
The Ferrari 360 is a high-performance sports car made by Ferrari. It's known for being fast and having a beautiful design, but it can also require regular maintenance.
The gearbox is the part of the car that helps it change speeds. It allows the engine's power to be used efficiently, making it easier to drive at different speeds.
The clutch is a part of the car that helps you change gears. It connects and disconnects the engine from the wheels, making it easier to shift from one speed to another.
Bosch is a well-known company that makes parts for cars, like fuel systems and electronic controls. Many car manufacturers use their technology to improve vehicle performance.
Motronic 2.7 is a type of computer system that helps manage how an engine runs by controlling things like fuel and spark timing. It helps the engine perform better and use fuel more efficiently.
Brake horsepower tells you how powerful an engine is before any energy is lost to things like heat or friction. It's a way to measure how strong the engine is.
A gated shifter is a gear stick that has a specific path for each gear, making it easier for drivers to shift gears accurately. It helps you feel more connected to the car while driving.
An automatic transmission is a system in a car that changes gears for you, so you don't have to do it yourself. It makes driving easier, especially in busy traffic.
The Maserati Quattroporte is a fancy car that is both big and stylish. It's known for being luxurious and fast, making it a favorite among people who like high-end vehicles.
The Ferrari Daytona is a classic sports car made by Ferrari in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It's known for being very fast and has a sleek design that many car enthusiasts admire.
The Ferrari Testarossa is a famous sports car made by Ferrari from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. It’s known for its unique look and powerful engine, making it one of the fastest cars of its time. People often talk about it because it represents a classic era of high-performance cars.
The Ferrari 550 Maranello is a luxury sports car made by Ferrari in the late 1990s. It has a powerful engine in the front and is designed for both speed and comfort, making it a great car for long drives. People like to mention it because it tends to have fewer problems than some other Ferrari models.
LIVE
Welcome to another episode of Mick and Ory's classic cars. I'm Mick and I'm Ory.
Ory, I think you're sick of me talking about this.
No, we finally have got to the end of it, Mick. You are finally after 10 years, 11 years of ownership.
Yeah, 2014. What are we, 2010? Sorry, yeah.
So 14, 15 years of ownership. You have now completed everything you ever wanted to complete on your 456.
I'm my wish list, plus a few things that popped up that I wasn't aware of, of course.
And you learn a fair bit over the years with your car. So really, I think for me,
this is probably the first time I can actually, you know, if someone said, can you do a review
on a car? This is probably the first time I can do a review. A full review on a car.
Because I know everything. Sorry, I shouldn't say I know everything. Of course I don't. But
in terms of living with the car and experiencing, you know, the highs and lows and all that,
I think I do. And you've driven it. Yep. So going on now, 15 years. 15 years.
If I ask you, could you have done what it took you 15 years? And we always say,
we've said it on the podcast a few times, you need to own the car for four or five years to get to
know what the car itself. But in hindsight, could you have done everything you've done over that
15 year period? Could you have done it in the first six months of purchase?
Okay. Some of the things pop up that didn't need changed or didn't need maintenance. So the answer
to that is probably no. However, there are some things that you defer, you know how we say this
deferred maintenance, you know that you've got to do it, but you'll leave it another year later,
you know, or the parts are expensive or I've got to go and I've got to get them from overseas.
You think about all those things and you say, okay, we'll leave it for the next service. We'll
leave it, you know, so there are definitely things that I should have done earlier. And then you think,
geez, I'm enjoying it so much. After having done that, I should have done it earlier.
Yeah, okay. But some things are like the shock absorbers weeping. It's a known problem. They only
weeping a little bit, a little bit. So you don't actually do anything about it until it gets to
a stage where, you know, every time you take the car out, you've got to clean the floor.
So I think we are now at a stage with the 456. I think it's safe to say,
because you've done all the things over that long period that the car is at a level now that it's
easier to maintain and there should be no surprises popping up of something to go wrong.
Okay. So certainly easier to maintain now because you've done it.
You've done it. Exactly right. So and the same technician has done it for the last 15 years.
Apart from when I dab wound, then I've got to take it on the Monday after I stuff it up on the weekend.
But I think there's still going to be some surprises that come up. I mean, you know,
the water pump might fail or something. I mean, that, you know, that's just a normal wear and tear
thing of a car. But I was thinking, you know, if someone bought my car right now, they would get,
you know, a car that everything's been done. They could drive it. It's only got 75,000 k's.
I bought it with 50. There's 25,000. So you've done 25,000 k's in 15 years.
So it's less than 2000 k's a year. And that's probably because I also have the other car.
But otherwise I would have done more like about 3000 k's.
So what was the big, the biggest item you did? The big ticket items is the shock absorber leaking.
Yeah. The rear ones. The advantage with getting them are finally, because it was difficult to
get someone to be able to repair them in Australia. I want to say difficult, you know, they do all
right. They don't do all right. You know, I'm not sure if they can get all the parts. Whereas overseas,
you know, but are they OEM shock absorbers? Like, are they the ones that the car was
released with? Or have you got an improved shock absorber? That's not.
They're the standard Bilstein exhaust. So we sent them to Sydney and they re, sorry, exhaust.
Shock absorber. Shock absorbers, the rear ones. And they refurbished them. So they're still the
Bilstein. They're still OEM. Yes. Okay. So that's, that's a good thing. So you've made no changes
with everything that you fixed. You haven't changed everything. So I'd say, oh, this is what
it came out with. But this is a better thing to put on there. That does happen. I mean,
let's just finish off with the shock absorbers. I did get the opportunity to lower the car a bit,
because they just screw you can actually lower the car a little bit. So I'm glad I've done that too.
So that was with the excuse of changing the shock absorbers. And one of the actuators that
changes the level of ride hard soft. So that was so that I had the engine light on. So we did that.
So then you asked me about the, any other parts that you changed that weren't, you said, I've
improved, I've put a better part on there. It didn't come out with that part, but it's a,
it's a more improved part. So the only ones that I can recall that we've done that is the,
the tensioner bearings, when you change your cam belts, they use hill engineering
tensioner belts, bearings, bearings, rather than the OEM, because they reckon they better because
he'll be better yet. So, but that's all, you know, that hill brand is in for the 360. A lot of people
change it on the 360s also because it's better wear and tear. Yeah. So, and that's a choice. I
wouldn't, I wouldn't have necessarily made that choice. Although I did read about in the forums
that that's what they use. Yeah. Mario sort of picks that that's what we use and where you go.
So all the other things, everything is stock. Was there anything, and we know the tyres was an
issue, like you had to wait to try and get the right tyres, the sizes, any other parts throughout
this whole 15 years that you struggled to get? Well, you had to go and build the 3D, what's
the name? Yes. So the, the high tension leads for your spark plugs. They've never been changed
apart from three months ago, which again, that's one of the things, Ory, that you mentioned is
that I should have done before because the car drives can, you know, a big, big difference on
how smooth the power is. But did you know that when you bought the car and your test drive,
Renault Rivkin's old car, the black one that you were going to buy the 456,
you drove a few 456s. How did you know this isn't, when you bought it, did you say this is
actually not driving as it should drive? No, no clue. Correct. So how did you know
that it wasn't the right drive? No, but it wasn't back then it was okay. But over a period of time,
and that's another 10 years or 15 years on the car. Right. So over the time they deteriorate. So,
you know, they corrode the, so you're not getting the right spark. So it hesitates. So you feel,
but then as you get used to the car, you think that's normal. Yeah. So, but all of a sudden you
change them. You're far out. This is smooth power delivery. So, well, I must admit me driving it
was a week ago. Wow. It was chalk and cheese to the first time I drove that car. Big, big difference.
Chalk and cheese. I can't believe the difference. I just want to drive it every day again. Yeah.
You know, whereas I got to a stage where it would pop a little bit and I said to Mario,
I said, there's something not quite right. And he worked out that the, it's the leads.
But you mentioned the cover on the leaf, the plastic cover on the leaf. The problem is you
can't get original Ferrari leads on this anymore. So it's got on the, above the spark plug, there's
got the prouncing horse emblem. Right. So now I've got it without the prouncing horse. You can't
actually buy that part. Even though we bought this from Maranello Park, it's, it's not, you don't
get it. So really the only way you're going to get one of those, to be honest, if there's a wreck
of a 456 and they've got that part, you just take it off that wreck. However, most of them crack.
No, but the problem with the prouncing horse on it, they're old leads as well. You're talking
about the plastic cover. That plastic cover. Yes. Yeah. So yeah, I got that 3d printed,
but you can buy that, but they charge your arm in a leg. So you got one 3d printed and it worked
fine. It's fine. No problem at all. Yep. The only thing is if I had to do it again, the 3d printing
that we got is they had a machine that wasn't long enough. So you had to join it. So you can
just see the join lines. You have to be. Yeah. But otherwise you get a 3d printer that's,
you know, bigger so you can fit the whole thing in. Your pop up lights had an issue. You fixed that.
Yeah. They all have an issue. So they'll stop going up or they'll go up and down a bit.
But they sealed unit because they got the, because they get, they get water splashed on them and
things. So they got a sealed unit. But again, you get the right technician, you know, you spend a
bit of time because similar to the lights, sorry, the motors are similar to a Volvo 440 I think,
but you can't get them either. So you take, pull apart the unit and it's the cog inside
that's got the plastic cog and it's got teeth and they wear out and it only goes 180 degrees. So
in this case, there was no parts. He just flipped the cog around. All right. And it works fine.
And it works perfect. So they'll last me, you know, another whatever years. So you can't buy
that piece though, that replacement. You just make it. If you really had to do, you make it,
but we didn't have to because we just flipped it. Yeah. Okay. That was a, because I couldn't use it
at night because it wouldn't come up. And where the air conditioning vent, sorry, system is the
buttons. Remember you had that reprinted because you couldn't find the original there. You can't
get the original there either. But that looks absolutely perfect. It's perfect except for the
shades a little bit different. Yeah. The grays, you know, because, and that could be because of
the sun. Yeah. It could be the, you know, so when you paint new too old, if you don't do the whole
wall, you'll see the shadow line. But that's, yeah, because they all bubble, all of them bubble.
So not only that, the buttons on there, they don't stay down. So at one stage, I didn't have my
air conditioner button that would go stay down. So I couldn't switch it on. I'd have to hold it.
Yeah. I'd have to put a toothpick there or something to hold it. But that was the same as
an outfit. But that's been fixed now. Yes. I found parts for that and that's an easy fix.
You know, the thing I didn't check, the window button used to pop up, pop out of the little,
the side holder, you know, and that's because of the window issue with the, the window gaps.
That door card gets taken on and off a fair bit. So it pops out. Yeah. So, yeah. So now I've fixed
that myself. I just put double-sided tape and you just click it in. That's fine. Yeah, that's fine.
But yeah, that's because it just, the door cards. Yeah. The back parcel shelf that used to bubble
that leather, that's all been redone. That's been redone. That was an easy fix too. So you've
got to take out the, you know, the seats and that, but that's been redone. The wing down the bottom
of the car now works perfectly at speed, opens and closes as it should. So that's the same motor,
I believe, as the windows. Sorry, as the window. How am I going? I'm thinking a bit. The, as the
pop-up lights. Okay. So it's the same light, but that's actually the same, the same motor,
but that's actually working well. So that comes on at 100 kilometers an hour. It's 120. It will
open. Yeah. So to give you more downforce. Can you change that? No. That is preset. So there's no,
automatically it happens that up. So how did you know that wasn't working?
Because the, the light wouldn't, wouldn't go off or wouldn't come on. Right. One of the two.
So you'd have the spoiler light and also the speedo is out by 10 kilometers. So I'm not really
doing 120. I'm doing 110 by the way, just to, just to, you know, for the South Australian listeners
on the freeway, 110. Why are the speedos out? Because mine's out by 10 also.
I'm not sure, but I think to, so that you don't drive as fast maybe, or to show that you're going
faster than what you really are, all these new digital, you know, I would say they would be more
accurate. That's more accurate. 100% if it's based on GPS. So a lot more Dino, it's just about spot on.
Old school is spot on. But I don't know. I mean, you helped me pick that up. If I, let's just say
we weren't mates and we didn't know each other and I suppose, you know, you meet Ferrari owners. No,
but I would always drive it. I would be driving 10 kilometers slower than I should be. Yeah.
And that's, look, it's actually not a good thing because you're going on a freeway and everyone's
doing say 110 and you're doing 100. You're doing 100. I'm holding up traffic. You know, I'm so
weighing on. You got the Volkswagen Combi passing you on the, on the left hand lane. The interesting
thing is, and the more, you know, and now you're an expert, to be honest, on the 456, the beauty is
when you meet other 456 owners, which is a couple of now club here in South Australia,
you can tell them all these things like we do with the 360 now, of these other pieces.
Yeah. And that's how you get to learn about your car and things like that. And if things
pop up, you're already aware of them, that they may happen. So is there any advice you'd tell a
456 owner, like the major thing? If I'm looking at a 456, because you said, you know, I can drive
that car every day now, and you can, because that's what it's built for. It's a GT cruiser. And you
can understand why in Europe, they use them to drive to the office and back because they're
comfortable to drive, right? Yeah, they're very good. You can put four people in it. Brilliant.
For a modern classic, I think it's ideal. The advice I'd give to someone is the advice that
I got given on my first Ferrari drive from Carmelo and Tony, the Colubro boys. They gave me some
decent advice. I got to the lunch stop and it was dripping coolant and it came out of the expansion
tank. So that's the overflow, the expansion tank, no big deal. It's an aluminium. So we found out
that it leaked underneath. And it's interesting that the pre-purchase inspection, when I had it
done, he said, look, I smell some coolant, but I couldn't find where it is. And really, on a
pre-purchase inspection, he's going around the block a few times. He's not going to take it for
a 100 kilometre drive. No, and that's right. He's not going to do that. So the coolant's going to
heat up to, you know, to bubble over. Exactly right. So what Tony or Carmelo, one of the two,
both of them, because they were both there from memory, I said, look, don't worry about that.
He goes, don't worry. You know, it's easy. It's an easy fix you've got to get. And basically,
the advice is if you buy one of these cars, and it probably goes the same with other cars,
probably not so much the Japanese cars, but you're going to have some maintenance. So you've
got to be prepared to check, you know, open up the bonnet, have a look and see what's different.
See what's not different. You can't just go in like it's a brand new car and just drive and not
even look at the gauges. But that was an easy fix. Take the expansion tank out, a tank out,
aluminium welding, put it back in. Lucky to be a few dollars. You know, so, but you've got to be,
and you've got to have the attitude that you're not cursing every time something goes wrong.
I mean, it has never let me down on the road. I've always been able to drive home. So that's
a good thing. So that's the advice I'd give people. Like I did to you, Ari, when you got
your 360, I said, don't worry about things are going to go wrong. Yeah, but you've just got to
be mindful. You can't just let every Tom Dick and Harry drive the car because they don't,
they won't see what you see. And I said, well, that's key to, I think you always said it,
let don't let too many people drive your cars because they drive it completely different.
So that's one, one thing I've definitely learned, not that you're trying to be too precious. That's
right. But you know, they're expensive vehicles that need to be looked after and driven correctly.
And if someone that hasn't, they just rev the over revered or try and do things to the car that
you wouldn't do and start it when it's cold. Run it too cold. Yeah. So that was one,
definitely a piece of advice. But the other thing that, you know, you said to me was drive the car,
enjoy the car, and you'll learn the intricacies of your car whilst that happens. And it's true,
you just pick up on things. Like I'm telling you, there's something in the gearbox. I'm telling
you right now, and I know I've got a new clutch and stuff like that, but you need to drive it.
A Chris and a good mate of ours took it around the track with me and said,
it's absolutely per-imbest 360 is ever driven. And everyone that, you know, the professional
drivers that have driven it, so I've said that, but I still feel there's something.
Now, you might feel that because it's different than what you before. However, in saying that,
to be fair, how many kilometres have you put on since you've done the clutch?
Not even 20, not even 50.
Okay. So not even 50 kilometres. So you shouldn't even be talking about it.
Yeah, correct. And so, and this is the other thing. And where you say, don't get upset with
things happen and go wrong. I think a lot of people have these cars and I'm guilty of it.
We don't drive them as often as we'd love. But when we get in there, we want them to work perfectly.
And all of a sudden you get there after three months of not driving it and something goes wrong.
That's right.
And so you get frustrated. I get that. And that's, that's, so that's why you actually do
I'm giving myself advice, need to drive it more often.
So then you're not as disappointed if something was to go wrong.
That's exactly.
You know, because if your everyday car did that, you wouldn't get as upset because,
oh, well, it's just, that's just weren't there.
That's right. But in a Ferrari, oh, every time I drive it, there's something wrong.
There's something wrong. But it's not, but it's not drive it enough.
Yeah, exactly. Right. But if we look at the stats on this car,
well, let's go through the stats on this car. So you've purchased it in 2010.
2010. Yeah. Right. It's got, you've put 25,000 kilometers on there.
Engine and drive trains of V12, 65 degree, four OHC, four valves per cylinder, alloy block,
cylinder heads and crankcase, 5.474 cc, 456, that's where the name comes from.
Per cylinder as per the Ferrari naming convention.
PF for the time of the V12s. This is the last time Ferrari used this naming convention until
the 488 GDB. That's right. But they only used it for 12 cylinders back then.
And then they started on the V8. Yeah.
So you're saying about the 360 is a 3.6.
Yes, because they were the eight cylinders.
Yeah. And then the 458 is 4.5. No, it's not.
No. Yeah. Okay.
The 488 is a smaller engine than the 4.5 in the 458.
Yes.
But they couldn't nominate it looking like it's smaller.
Yep.
So if they said four liter, 408, then so hang on, I'm buying a car that's got less
correct. So that was the last time.
They say a 6.3 AMG, but it's not a 6.3 anymore.
No.
But they still call it a 6.3. So they've had to cheat a little bit in the naming convention.
So that's the last time.
Okay. So then you got the electronic management of ignition and injection provided by Bosch
Mototronic 2.7.
Yeah. So the 2.7 was the first one.
And then when they bought out the 456 GT-M, which is the Modificata, they bought it out in a 5.2,
the Bosch 5.2, which is apparently a bit smoother.
So the M didn't have the holes in the bonnet.
Yeah. So they still had the pop-up lights, but they didn't have the scoops.
In the butterscoops.
And I like the scoops.
I do. I love it. For me, that makes it more sporty.
I like the scoops.
So 442 brake horsepower, 325 kilowatts at 6,200 revs with a red line of 7,250 revs.
Have you ever redlined it?
100%.
On the track. 540 meters of torque at 4,500 revs.
Six-speed manual gearbox with a gated shifter.
I think really that's one thing for sure.
I would not have liked it as much with an automatic.
Apparently they're pretty good in the automatic.
A lot of them came out in autos.
I've never driven an automatic.
I'd like to drive one. There's one in the club, I reckon.
That blue one, I think, is auto.
There's also the darker red one.
That's in the club?
Another client of Mario's.
Okay.
Yeah, that's...
We've got a drier one.
Yeah.
We've got a drier one.
For better weight distribution, the gearbox is combined with the differential,
which is limited slip, frame and chassis, welded tubular steel in unit,
with aluminium body, body by pinna farina.
Now this one here, because it's an early one,
the body's actually made by pinna farina as well as designed.
Okay.
So that's why on the flag, you've got the Ferrari flag and the...
And the pinna farina flag.
The model, after 1997 or something, then Ferrari built the bodies.
So the model after that, the Scallietti's bigger again.
The 6-troll skirt.
The FF.
I think the 6-troll Scallietti would have to be the biggest one ever designed now.
It does seem big, doesn't it?
It's a big car.
Although the Scallietti, actually, no, the FF is a bit longer.
Then the Scallietti?
5 millimetres longer.
No way.
Yep, 5 millimetres longer.
And it's wider?
No, the Scallietti's wider than the FF.
Not by much.
But they get bigger and bigger.
You know?
Well, I didn't think...
I must be...
Yeah, we're talking about big cars.
Oh, is that lights today driving to come here?
And this Maserati Quattroporte DROPAS,
lovely couple driving it and lady was driving.
It's a big car.
It's a big car.
It is a big car.
And my uncle's got one and it's big.
But seeing it on the road, the Presidents have had on...
It's a big car.
Especially when you're in a smaller car next to it.
Yeah, yeah.
I just don't realise.
And that's why I thought the Scallietti, for me, that 6-troll is a big, big car.
Okay.
Weight, 1790 kilograms.
So just a little bit heavier than a Grand Prix car.
5,000 kilos.
Yeah, but also it's got electric seats.
You know, the seats are lying.
You try and tell them they sit.
I do get offended because I don't like being overweight.
Performance is 0 to 105.2 seconds.
Top speed of 302 kilometres now, 198 miles per hour.
It's a quick car for a big car and a heavy car.
It is.
But 5.2, this is a 1995.
But then you look at the Daytona that came out in 72 or whatever.
That was about 5.6 or something.
So the Daytona was absolutely pretty fast.
Pretty fast for its time.
And even the Testarossa before this, it's about the same sort of...
So 5 seconds back then, 5.5, whatever, 5 to 5, was pretty quick.
But now they've halved that.
We're down to two and a half.
Mate, they're in the twos now.
You know, everyone goes, oh, how quick is your car?
It doesn't matter because we're never going to be able to do it.
You have my arm in the twos.
Great.
Yeah, that's fantastic.
But you're never going to use it.
Although they've got launch control on that,
which can, does get you off the thing a bit quicker.
Yeah, but see, someone said launch control.
That day that we'd done that rolling.
So a lot of launch control, yeah, people use launch control,
can damage, if you don't use it properly,
probably damage or something.
But if you're rolling, you wouldn't use launch control.
Rolling we didn't do, but they use launch control.
Some of the boys use launch control.
When it was stop start.
And another guy goes, care for what you do
because it can damage your clutch.
But anyway, you know, when people talk about the top,
what speed can your car go?
That's not the critical thing.
The critical thing is how quick can you go around corners.
Yeah.
And that really is up to you.
And how smooth.
Yeah.
So it's, you know, people say, how fast it goes.
300 kilometers an hour.
Who cares?
You're never going to do that.
Variable shock absorbers,
setting sporty, normal and touring.
And that selects automatically as you're driving.
Well, what happens is if you've got it in soft,
if you start driving spiritedly, then it will change hard.
Okay.
Because it knows it knows that you're actually.
Have you got a button for sport mode and not like I have on the 360?
No.
So it's just the ride.
Right.
Yeah.
And I look, I haven't seen much difference in them.
Even after I fixed the shock absorbers, you know, it's,
I just leave it on just sports mode generally.
So the engine, you adjusted the tappets as they're not self-adjusting as in the 550.
Yeah.
The 550 have got the hydraulic tappets or hydraulic lifters or whatever they call them.
So you adjusted yours?
They, the book says every 35,000 k.
So they weren't done at all.
You know, so that's why that's one of,
when you've done it now, you've got 35,000 ks to go.
At least.
And you've done 25,000 in 15 years.
So that's right.
Next 15 years, maybe 20 years.
Yeah, no problem.
I don't think I'd have to do it.
Replace spark plug cover, strips, 3D printer, which we discussed.
Yeah, that's what we talked about.
H.C. spark plug leads changed in December 24, which made a big difference.
Huge difference.
Refinished the tappet covers.
You welded your expansion tank.
You replaced windscreen washer, bottle motor.
So that was...
That I did by myself.
You proud of it?
Yeah.
So that's not OEM.
And I didn't have to go back on, after the weekend, I didn't have to go back to the mechanic.
Did you stamp the books?
Not for that one, no.
Refurbished pop-up light electric motor, same as the Volvo 440, as you said.
Suspension and tires, you replaced the suspension bushes.
You have refurbished the rear shock absorbers.
Yeah, you haven't put them in yet.
Thinking of lowering it by 15 millimeters or so.
Oh, no, that was an old note.
So you have done that now.
So you did lower it by 15 mil?
Yeah, about 15 mil.
Refurbished...
So it's nice, although the front actually scrapes sometimes now,
but I put them slip-low skin pads.
Fantastic.
Refurbished in actuator, replaced the accumulator.
That's the accumulator.
Now, they have to be replaced every 10,000 Ks.
They call that the little bomb underneath where the suspension is.
And apparently they can explode.
And we've got to know, BMW equivalent part.
Okay, so to get it from Ferrari, it costs you an arm and leg.
This one here, it's the same part from Bosch, because it's by Bosch.
So Bosch do it for BMW, and they do it for Ferrari,
and they might do it for others.
So you've got a BMW one?
Well, it doesn't say that, but if you check the number...
Oh, I'm not happy with that.
For potential people wanting to buy this car.
New tyres in 2024, they were hard to come by.
We know that.
You had to wait, was it eight months, Mick?
More like two years.
Wow.
Because they would do a batch every now and then.
So it's a rears or all four?
No, all four.
The fronts were harder, I think, than the rears.
The other thing a lot of people do, go to 550 rims.
So the 550 Marilynella, they use those rims,
and then you've got a variety of tyres you can buy from.
So, and that was one thing I was looking at,
keeping my OEM and just getting replacement rims.
But, you know, that's expensive too,
but I wanted to keep it original as well.
Perfect, apart from the BMW part.
No, no, well, we don't mention that too often.
Body and fittings, PPF is on their window gap.
You replace the pivot.
Yeah, well, that's a fault on all of them.
Even the Modificata, the later one, the pivot wears out,
because I think it's actually plastic.
So we, or an aluminium, I can't remember exactly what it was,
just a circular pivot, and we replaced that with a stainless steel.
So I had them made up.
Okay.
And then you've got a little bit of corrosion down on the right-hand door.
Yeah, that's come up in the last probably eight years or so.
And it's getting worse, do you see it?
Well, I don't know, it probably is.
We should actually maybe take photos of it,
yeah.
Well, I think you've got to put some tape and measure it,
because otherwise, you won't know.
With a photo, you won't know.
But that's, apparently, it's dissimilar materials.
No, so you put a ruler, take a photo.
You know what I'm trying to say?
Take a photo with a ruler there,
and then let's just monitor it over the next year.
So there's a little bit of corrosion there,
and also on the hood, there's a little bit above my rear window,
or side window.
So where the gap is between...
No, it's just, it's basically because it's aluminium welded onto
probably metal, as in steel.
And the dissimilar metals, they used to have a product
that they put in between them,
so that you don't have the corrosion between them.
So...
All right.
And in the interior, you replace the rear parcel shelf in leather,
which we saw, the air conditioner,
resocketed air button you fixed,
leather cleaning and treatment to all the seats.
Everyone should do that.
You've done it with yours as well.
You need that cleaning.
And really, it's good not to put too many new products on there,
because they get shiny and things like that,
so you want it as natural as possible.
This is the most important thing I think you did.
You put the rear ashtray in.
No, the rear ashtray is a problem,
because what happened?
No one uses it.
Back then, there was ashtrays everywhere.
Oh, no, these cars.
No one smokes in cars anymore, man.
But now that I know that, I do smoke in the old cigar,
so I'm going to sit in the back and have a cigar now.
In my car.
Well, it's got the ashtray, mate.
It's got the ashtray.
The ashtray was there.
It's just that it wouldn't open.
Now it does.
Now it does.
Did you find anything in there?
No, there's nothing.
It's not even a coin.
And then you fix the radio and CD changer.
So did it come with CD?
Yeah, it comes with a CD changer.
Oh, wow.
So the CD changer is in the boot.
The radio, look, I never use it.
I've put it on a couple of times, but I actually never use it.
I think the engine.
The roaring engine is the best CD sound.
And that's the other thing with the engine.
They do sound a bit soft, a bit quiet.
They were built there.
So the rear mufflers, I did change.
So I've got Lorene rear tailpipes, which makes it,
I think the sound's about right for the car now.
Not too loud.
You can actually take out the cats and do all sorts of things.
But I've got the original mufflers.
And that was the first job that Mario did
when he was working at his previous place.
Because I just met him at that spot.
So a lot of history on this car.
I'm going to ask one last question, Michael Taladira.
Would you ever sell this car now?
I actually asked myself that question.
And, you know, when someone says, I can update it to this,
I really would not want to sell it.
Even if someone offered me silly money, I would not want to sell it.
Well, it's fantastic to know because you never bought it to sell.
I never bought it.
It's part of the family now.
But it's just now, you know, people say,
we'll go and get the 550 Maranello.
They had less problems.
It's more of a, you know, a sports car.
But there I say it, I prefer the looks of this one.
Yeah.
And you've got four seats.
You can take four people.
Yeah.
And you've got four seats.
And OK, the Maranello's got a bit more power, but I like it.
And I've got a custom custom to it being red.
Because some of these look better in non-red,
but there's not many red ones.
So it's actually good that it's unique red,
you know, compared to, you know, more than likely you see a 456.
It's not red.
No, fantastic.
So I think I'm keeping it.
It's a keeper, I think.
Well, that's brilliant, Michael.
Congratulations on what's taken 15 years to complete.
So I've got 10 years to go on my Ferrari now
to get it to the level of your 456.
So in those years that you've got to hang around
to actually get it to that level, you've got to drive it more.
Yeah, well, so you need to enjoy it
and do the things that you want to do on it now.
And I think you haven't got many things.
No, I've pretty much done a lot of it.
You've done most of it.
So now it's really just driving.
Correct.
I'm just going to drive it.
I love mine.
And no, it's not for sale.
Congratulations, Michael.
Yeah, thank you.
Thank you.
We're going to leave it there, Ari.
As usual, always good.
And we'll have a YouTube video on this.
And it might be a little bit longer, that one.
Because we've done a lot to go through.
Yeah, we went through a lot there.
But like always, you can catch us on YouTube, Instagram.
And remember, if your car's not a classic, it will be one day.
Thank you.
Thanks, guys.
About this episode
After 15 years of ownership, Mick shares his comprehensive experience with his Ferrari 456 GT, detailing the highs and lows of maintaining this classic car. He discusses significant repairs, including shock absorbers, spark plug leads, and the challenges of sourcing parts. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding a car's quirks and the joy of driving it regularly. Mick reflects on the value of his journey, emphasizing that the 456 is now in excellent condition and easier to maintain, making it a reliable GT cruiser.
