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How to Spot a Classic Ferrari Like a Pro with Tom Yang

How to Spot a Classic Ferrari Like a Pro with Tom Yang

To All The Cars I've Loved Before: Classic Car Restoration, JDM, and Automotive History Dec 19, 2024 1 min
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About this episode

Tom Yang shares his expertise on identifying classic Ferraris, discussing the nuances that true enthusiasts can spot from afar. He reflects on how influential figures like Ralph Lauren and John Shirley have shaped the market and restoration standards for these iconic cars. Yang emphasizes the importance of authenticity versus perfection in restorations, revealing how personal standards can elevate a vehicle's presence at shows. This conversation is rich with insights into the evolving landscape of classic car collecting and the passion that drives it.

Topics: classic ferraris car restoration market trends collecting culture authenticity vs perfection
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You know, if you're around this stuff long enough, like, I know watch guys can tell a watch from
across the room, and why would I want to fool those guys, you know, or like a guy who could
look at a car from, I mean, like, my friends who are into Ferraris, we stand at a show field
from literally across the field and says, oh my God, and we all know exactly what we're
looking at.
You know, that's wrong.
Do you try and make it as good as new, a little bit better?
I think probably very degrees.
It's coming back.
I mean, I used to blame, you know, and I hope he doesn't get mad at me, but I used to blame
Ralph Lauren, because Ralph Lauren was, you know, every generation has like the new guy that
makes so much money, he's willing to overpay.
You know, we had John Shirley, we had, you know, like when Microsoft, you know, made
them, well, when Ralph Lauren made a lot of money and he was ready to buy, he set
the new tone, the new standard for how much money he would pay for a Ferrari, because
he could afford it.
And then when John Shirley came around and he paid what, and I remember talking to John
Shirley at one point where the next level of guys, the next level of cars were caught,
and John Shirley, I'm never going to pay that kind of money for that car, but he was the
guy who overpaid like 10 years prior to that.
You know, so each generation kind of gets to these guys.
And so what happened with Ralph Lauren was when he got a car, he just said, I want
it to be done to my level of standard.
So he had them restored to the point where his car showed up at a car show and
it just knocked everybody's socks off.
I mean, the paint just fall as the chrome was falling.

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