"F2004: 13 of 15*" wrote...

From the ad.  "Conversion from Naturally Aspirated (carburetor) to Electronic
Fuel Injection with a Motec system"

This man knows his TRs.  I would believe everything he says!

T308
(Who's not surprised at the "0" bids on this nightmare...)

Yeah ... if you think about it, this a perfect example to use when
testing a Ferrari lover's "Purist IQ".  We all know there are purists
and then there are Purists.  The purist loves Ferraris in his soul,
talks about them a lot, goes to car shows and dealerships to see them,
has other purist friends and many of his other friends also love sports
cars.  He knows that if he ever achieves financial success one of the
first rewards will be a beautiful example of his dream model but until
then he takes a lot of joy out of his appreciation.

The Purist also loves Ferraris in his soul, and probably is a connoiseur
of other kinds of things, but with Ferraris it's a compulsion.  The
Purist always has the means to feed the compulsion - there are no poor
Purists.  Of course, as compulsions get fed they get stronger.  A Purist
wants - needs - the condition of any Ferrari he is interested in to be
as close as possible to the way it was the second it came off the
factory floor (or *maybe* the dealer showroom floor, but to a Purist
that's still a big step).  If it is not in that condition, but the
Purist still wants it, out comes the wallet - and it is not put away
until the car is made right.  These are the concourse people, the racing
historian types, and the obssessive dreamers who make it gigantic big.
They are also a little cliquish, because they do have an enormous amount
of knowledge about a singular subject, so why would they want to linger
in the presence of less-informed individuals?  Why waste the time when
they can be with others just like them, or with their cars, which are
better than people anyway?

I have nothing against Purists, but I know if I spent a lot of time in
their company I would get bored.  One can only be in the presence of
perfection, original or restored, for so long.  To make a life-consuming
passion out of something could also make it your enemy, if you think
about it.

Most of the time when I hear of, or see, a modified Ferrari (it doesn't
even have to be "heavily modified"), I know I will have only a passing
interest.  Usually it ends up being a kit car, or if it really is a
Ferrari it's something as hideous as the hairpiece and jewelry on its
owner - a funny joke that generates much laughter and insults all
around, then it's time to move on.

I've known about this car for some time; I played a lot of Cormack's
games and found out about his car fetish through that.  I'm also a fan
of Norwood's work; I was happy to see his new web site included in the
link and to know that he's still at it.

Norwood respects Ferraris.  What I like about this car is that, other
than the motor and whatever interior/exterior work was required to keep
the car legal and safe, it looks bone stock.  Norwood-prepared cars
usually keep the "core" of the drivetrain (then beef the hell out of
it).  It's still got a Ferrari engine block, among other things.  It
looks clean, I'm sure it sounds great, and when needed it can break the
sound barrier.

The purist would really like this car; it wouldn't be his favorite,
obviously; even if the 88 Testarossa was his favorite model Ferrari this
wouldn't be his ideal iteration of it.  But if somehow is came into his
possession, I think he would enjoy the hell out of it.

The Purist would despise this car.  The complete list of reasons why
would be formulated within five minutes, and from then on everybody who
walked up to it while he was standing there would hear the list (for as
long as they could stand it, or him).  Eventually he would need his
ulcer medication while trying to decide if he should a) just walk away
from it before he started feeling really ill, b) go find the owner and
ask him what he was thinking and what gave him the right, or c) gather
his clique around it and see if they could find out how to have it
barred from entering, for the rest of all time, every subsequent
gathering of more than 2 Ferraris around the globe.

I'm pretty sure that most Purists use ulcer medication.

MC

There is one variation of the Purist - the Bling Purist.  They are also
extremely wealthy, but a high percentage of them come into most of their
wealth all at once or in a short time period.  They feel the same way
about their chosen marques, but they only buy the very newest examples
of the very latest cars.  When one of their new cars ages slightly or
upon the infliction of any kind of damage, they simply discard it and
buy another brand new one.  These people should all be destroyed on
sight, or stripped of everything they own and shipped off to a jungle in
Nicaragua (Detroit or East St. Louis would probably do in a pinch) but I
realize what a blow it would be to the luxury car business.

The Bling Purist doesn't even know 1988 existed.