Curse of the Dino: Murphy’s Law Strikes Our Editor’s $25K Ferrari
Two funerals are now part of my car’s restoration story, a sad twist I never imagined when I started this project three years ago.
The shadow of death has marked these cars from the outset: Dino was Enzo Ferrari’s short-lived sub-brand that was named after his son. Alfredo Ferrari, nicknamed Dino, worked for his old man until he passed away from muscular dystrophy in 1956. He was just 24 years old.
In January 2021, I paid $25,000 for a 1975 Dino 308 GT4 that spent some 20 years hibernating in a SoCal garage. That 25 large was, I knew, only a down payment on this project car. I’ve had some success with previous machines and realized a long time ago that I enjoy the DIY portions and getting to know the craftspeople I hire for the jobs I can’t do, like painting and interior work. There’s the learning aspect, too—a chance to practice and improve my self-taught mechanical skills.
While the car was with a semi-retired painter in 2022, he unexpectedly passed away. I had known him for about a decade, and I always enjoyed stopping by to catch up on my car and life. One thing that I’ve learned over the years is to look for people who enjoy their craft and cars as much as I do. The shared enthusiasm brings added joy to any project.
Scrambling for another painter revealed years-long waiting lists. Through a friend, I found someone with excellent references and an opening for spring 2023. The week before I brought my car to him last March, a fire destroyed his paint booth.
Meanwhile, I’d identified a similar late-career trimmer to restore the interior. This gentleman had a one-man shop and took jobs he enjoyed rather than ones that merely paid the bills. He saw my 308 as a way to hone new skills and experiment with different interior materials. We debated colors and fabrics with vigor and I usually deferred. He took great joy in a technique he developed to replace the destroyed driver’s-seat foam. Last summer, he unexpectedly passed.
Oh, man. What is it with this car?
I’m not superstitious, but you have to wonder. My wife declared she wouldn’t ride in the car even if I finished it. Her aversion to exhaust fumes suggests, however, that the car’s potential curse might be a convenient excuse.
How does one press on? I’ve now had two painful episodes in which teary-eyed families helped me dig through soon-to-be-empty shops for car parts. How does one be respectful, but also make sure parts weren’t lost? In one instance, a shop landlord locked the doors, imprisoning my seats until the estate was worked out. I know that the GT4’s sun visors are gone. What else?
All this on top of the fact that, as regular readers may remember from my last dispatch, I had to get the engine rebuilt twice due to it burning too much oil—and smoking out my entire neighborhood in the process. Is the GT4 karmic retribution for past sins?
Last summer and fall, I waited for the new painter, who also had some family emergencies, to regroup. A June delivery date was pushed to August and then to November. I wanted to be understanding and felt like I had been, but at the same time, I was eager to get the car back. My car friends all told me to just let it ride, as the waiting is part of the game. By December, I prepared a mental script to inform the painter that I was coming to get the car in January, painted or not. I called, and before I could say anything, he told me he was painting the car next week. The pictures here were shot a week before the end of the year.
I also found another trimmer, who plans to finish the interior this winter. With any luck, I’ll drive the car this summer. Is it misguided to feel hopeful? The evidence suggests, no surprise, that I am probably the fool. My car—and some subsystems—has sat for months at various places despite assurances of reasonable timelines. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard, “In two weeks,” only for that time to come and go without even an acknowledgment of the missed deadline. To be clear, I’m not talking about every shop I’ve worked with, but at least half have operated in this way. It’s no secret that the pool of skilled automotive craftspeople is aging. One of the consequences, it seems to me, is that those who remain in the field have lots of power and the paying customer has surprisingly little. More often than not, the deadline is, “When I get to it.”
Am I simply the jerk or pushover who is repeatedly pushed aside for other projects? Possibly. I seek out the small, one-person operations because I get closer to the actual work and talent than I would with a big operation. I usually ask to work alongside for a day or two as a dumb set of hands so I can learn. I cherish those days. The downside, I now know, is that my strategy leaves me vulnerable to life events and capricious schedules.
Since I’ve never worked with larger organizations on a car project, I can’t advise on the difference. These restorations look straightforward, and maybe they are for well-known and popular cars like Corvettes and 911s. Oddballs like the GT4 truly are ventures into the unknown, so it could be that I’m merely a victim of bad luck.
I hope the car’s not cursed. I met another GT4 owner last fall and asked to drive his car, which refreshed my memory that I love the car not only for its controversial design, but also for the driving experience. That short jaunt brought back all the enthusiasm I had in January 2021 and reminded me why I had searched for the right Dino for many years.
For now, my Dino restoration experience offers two seemingly opposing lessons. On the one hand, we don’t know when life will end, so get moving. At the same time, perhaps, it’s a reminder that we should be patient—because sometimes, we just don’t have a choice.
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As much as I enjoy Larry’s writing, I am almost afraid to comment, fearing that by connecting myself to this story (even extremely tangentially) might hasten my demise. But I decided, W-T-H, I’m gonna risk it. I’m not going to argue that this will be a beautiful car (as one who is in the “controversial design” camp), but it’s certainly going to look a LOT better with that paint and a new interior – not to mention, less blue/white smoke behind it – and if he loves it, that’s all that matters.
Wow Dub, I was having the same thoughts. Living ( car restoration wise ) through Larry’s project/s has saved me both time and $$. My projects are so much smaller, easier, economical and yield driving something shortly thereafter. Best always to LW, never stop driving, one day.
LOL. May the curse stick to me and not you.
We’re rubber and you’re glue…
As a recently retired master mechanic that worked my entire career in dealerships. I can tell you the future is indeed bleak when it comes to automotive talent. It seems we need to raise mechanics rather than just train. All of the truly talented mechanics I have worked with grew up without much and learned to repair a bicycle or dirt bike if they wanted to ride one. Young folks that have been brought up the leave your broken Chinese whatever upside down by the road and head to Walmart for another just don’t train well. Add a lack of the heart that it takes to put your nose to the grindstone and get the difficult jobs done and what the author is going through is only going to get worse.
I’m fixing up an old corvette..
I’m hoping this isn’t a normal situation I’m in my early 70’s and want to drive it
Darn Kids, at 81 I just finished rebuilding my C2 from the radiator to the rear end, all new, 383, Tremec 5 speed, disc all around. Oh yes, I had some help with advice, muscles and tools. I learned a lot doing this project and it gave me courage to do more.
I want to be like Dale! Just keep going! Anyone can learn to paint a car on the internet. Just take your time, one step at a time, and do it right. Painted my first car at 70 and I could have done a even better job but I wanted to get it on the road. Took 3rd place in my class at the Pontiac Nationals.
Paint is a troubled topic today. It used to be there were tons of small shop painters that could lay down paint perfectly with the most basic shops.
Once the EPA came in they were forced out as painting with out the correct booth and other facilities became a problem. They needed more equipment than they had in value of their shops.
These guys went to work for local larger shops that could afford the equipment. But even these shops struggled as the older owners wanted out or they just were not making the money like they used to make. So they sold out to national chains.
Many of these national chains are to the point where they get you and out as fast as they can and really just want collison work. IE insurance jobs.
Well I have one guy that is the old shop deal. He has gotten out of resto work but he will still do side jobs for me between fixing crashed BMW and Audi vehicles. He says these pay well and the restor work is just not worth the hassle anymore.
My wife got into a little scrape and I found another local shop in Canton that is well equipped as well as I have ever seen and they are over 60 years in business. While they focus on Collison they will take on anything. With the work they did on my wifes car they are A plus in work results. I plan to keep them in my back pocket incase my other guy decides to move on to other lets say adventures. I wish no ill health.
Things today are just not the same and if you have a good painter appreciate them.
As for interiors. I began to tackle this myself. My neighbor has done this work in the past and has taught me much. I have done 3 car interiors now and they all came out well.
I have mastered the C5 Corvette seats as these things are a mess in all cars. The Drivers foam gets cut by the wire seat. Using some burlap you can prevent the foam from cutting. This is a good tip for about any seat if you restore. But that is another story.
I intend to paint my 65 in Rustoleum Royal Blue when I get the body (mostly) squared away. This is for a number of reasons. (1) I want to paint it myself and not end up held hostage to someone else’s schedule. (2) I want to paint it at a material cost that will match the fact that I am probably not going to do a 4.0 job on the paint job. I have painted before, but that was many suns and moons ago, and I was a 5 foot painter (don’t get closer than 5 feet if you are the picky type) and (3) I expect that I will not have finished all of the body work by the time I run out of patience and bolt it all back together. If I paint it with readily available paint, I can always touch things up down the road… even with a rattle can
It’s a controversial decision, and I may change my mind, but that is the plan so far
We just ran a piece on a member story who painted his MGB in his garage and he was very please about it. https://www.hagerty.com/media/member-stories/andy-thomas-1970-mg-mgb/
Good inspiration… I have rattle canned fenders and hoods, but I don’t think my poor fingers could tolerate a whole car. I plan on shooting most of it and leaving rattle cans for detail work and touch-ups
LIke you, I enjoy the hunt for the next project. Four years ago, I found a 59 TR3A, in disassembled and incomplete condition. Doing it myself (not my first rodeo) I restored the body cancer, front and trunk floors and rear body damage. Then restored the frame, engine and drive line. Then painted the body tub, now reassembling. Metric fittings here and there, parts that don’t fit. TR4A engine in a TR3A, not everything is compatible. Now I seem to be 1 step forward and two or three back, ordering parts in USA and England as necessary. I consider it as therapy. as I am now retired, looking forward to the completion, soon (to be determined). Text me and I can send a couple pics.
This is Canton, MI? I heard similar tales from friends and when I called those shops, they had long waiting lists.
I had a similar experience with my one and only Italian car restoration. I used smaller shops that had multiple employees, so probably larger operations than are working on this Dino. Just about every time and money estimate was tripled. I similarly wondered “Am I being too nice about the overruns? Am I a pushover? Are other customers with bigger wallets or better-known names being prioritized?” After the car came back, there was brief excitement at a running, driving car, but it soon became clear that there was still a large amount of fettling to go. Little things that didn’t work quite right, didn’t feel quite right, mystery noises, strange vibrations. I fixed a few of them over a couple thousand miles, then sold the car for a significant loss, disheartened with the car and the experience. I’ve moved on and the takeaway was that I don’t have the patience or budget for this kind of work. I will leave it for those who do and only buy ready-to-go cars from here out.
Ugh. Sorry to hear. yeah the debugging can take years. I once foolishly slapped together my first engine rebuild, a Porsche 924 Turbo, got the car running and then immediately drove it to Florida. I was under it as much as in it that tip. It was an adventure..
Good luck with the repairs. I have a 308 Dino as well and have found not many places willing to work on it, including the Ferrari Dealership. Even simple things like the speedometer become a big effort.
My wife has a similar aversion to my Dino. She will drive in it, but under protest. She hates the smell, hates the heat, hates the noise. I understand, but it hurts my dreams of spending time together in it. Luckily she is less averse to my MR2 turbo, though it is nearly as loud.
I went to help my neighbor retrieve his car from a shop that had stalled on restoration work once. When we got there, we discovered that nothing had been done to the car in the two years that it was there, and it was sitting outside. As we were loading it up, the shop owner was demanding payment from my neighbor for apparent fictitious work. I would never recommend the ‘wait and see’ approach when it comes to folks being slow with car work
Yep!! Don’t EVER drop your car off at a shop that has 50 cars sitting outside ( or inside) . That’s an clue yours will probably be sitting there too collecting dust. I took my ’51 Buick woodie to a shop only to return numerous times in 6 months to find it STILL outside in the weather & nothing done. I finally found a shop that could shape the wood for me but only booked cars in when a spot came open. He refused to have customers having their cars sitting with no work done. He was very good at telling you approx when a spot would open as he knew how long jobs would normally take. It took 3 trips to complete the wood, with me taking the car home & bringing it back as funds & time allowed, but in between wood shop trips I was able to work on what I could do on the car, thus saving time in the long run.
I learned a very hard and expensive lesson by not pestering the craftsman. Your job goes on the back burner until he gets slow, or in my case goes out of business costing me a handsome deposit and many parts. Pro tip: after the shop misses a second estimated date of completion, tell them you’re so sorry, you can’t wait any longer, you’re picking it up in (however many days the job should take). It becomes priority 1 and will be ready when you arrive.
I dropped off two BMW E46 sport seats to be reupholstered at the most recommended shop in the Twin Cities in February 2023. I felt lucky to have them completed that summer after hearing two weeks close to a dozen times. However, the work was exceptional.
Yeah, things happen and they’re swamped so that’s the hard part….figuring out when to be understanding and when not to be.
Larry – Your 308 stories hit home and always put a smile on my face because they remind me that my trials and tribulations over the last 20+ year Austin Healey restoration project are not unique and your miseries are eerily similar to my experiences (although no deaths on my end yet). While I’m close to the end I’ve finally stopped predicting when that first real drive will occur (hoping this spring and, if so, planning a “one lap of America” trip in 2025). Keep at it – we learn that these projects take patience, perseverance, and persistence.
Love the color. When you can smell fresh paint you know you are getting closer and closer to the day of the first ride. Spring, Summer, Fall, …?
I’ve been do wrong with previous predictions I no longer make them. I think I will count myself lucky if I put from 500 miles on it this year.
Ah, Blu Sera (evening blue). A wonderful color. My ’75 GT4, owned many years ago was this color. I now own a 308 GTB in the same shade. It gets many compliments due to not being red. (Though I love red Ferraris).
In my experience, there is something about upholsterers that makes them excellent craftsmen and terrible schedulers. They can produce straight seams and wrinkle-free seatbacks, but estimating workloads, prioritizing multiple jobs, etc. just seems beyond them. Find a shop where the wife of the “mad genius” runs the office; she’ll make sure that the paying customers’ work gets done efficiently.
The curse is not the cars–the curse is the people who own them–they always are seeking “the lost gold mine of El Dorado”. In am article which I wrote, I tell a vintage car owner to have a comprehensive sit-down with the shop’s owner/foreman to outline what HE, the owner wants done to his vehicle and WHEN he wants it done. Then, it’s the shop’s owner/foreman’s turn to tell the car’s owner what the shop can and will do. This often not only “narrows the field” but often eliminates a shop from the “competition”. While it is true that “the really good shops” often have long waiting lists–those shops should be able to put you on a “notice to call” when it comes your turn. Do NOT leave a vintage car sitting in a shop hoping that sometime the shop will begin work on it. Things ARE going to go wrong it such a scenario. And–above all–be SURE to insure that vintage vehicle while it is in a repair shop–especially under long-term conditions. Hagerty’s has graduated insurance which increases coverage as work progresses. Owning a vintage vehicle supposes that owners will do their homework. When push comes to shove–sentiment gets in the way of hard facts. Leave the sentiment at home and do business at the shop! Who wants to have unhealthy, sad memories of a car even before the car has been driven.
Hooray, it’s painted! If you keep the smoke screen you can have a good lucking Spy Hunter car.
Thanks for the update. I went back to reread your May ’21 article about acquiring the car. It reads as though you looked at your project as a series of restoration steps that would proceed – if not w/o glitches – one after the other apace. So much wiser now. Your wait-wait-wait experience w/this car is routine for a restoration. I hope you will feel it was worth it – in $ and time – when you can drive it. The fettling will never end, but that needn’t be a headache.
BTW, I don’t believe the car is jinxed. You have been dealing with elderly craftspeople. The odds are that as time proceeds while you wait for work to get done, some will have to retire because age has finally overtaken their skills or they die.