CAR:
#Ferrari-365GT4-Berlinetta-Boxer /
#Ferrari-365GT4-BB /
#Ferrari-365GT4 /
#Ferrari-365-BB /
#Ferrari /
#Ferrari-Berlinetta-Boxer /
#Ferrari-BB /
Name Paul David Maudsley
Age 45
Occupation Watch specialist at Phillips auction house
Location Kent
First classic Porsche 914
Dream classic Ferrari 250LM
Daily driver Porsche 911
Best trip London to Anglesey
FULFILLING THAT BOYHOOD DREAM
My first sighting of a
#Berlinetta-Boxer was as a 12-year-old boy. The memory became etched into my mind and led me on a long path to ownership. I can still picture it now, with its bonnet and engine cover both up in the air. It was the first time I’d seen such a car in the metal, and it looked like a spaceship to me.
There were other iconic cars of the late 1970s and ’80s that I dreamt of owning, including the Countach and Testarossa, but something about the BB – from the shape to the incredible engine sound – made it stand out. Like most young boys at the time, I never really felt that I would one day actually own one.
My love of classics has always been with me, through art college and university. I followed auctions, bought my monthly fix of magazines and tried to get to as many car events as possible. After settling in London, and with space at a premium, I thought that I’d never own my own classic. But then in 1997, I purchased my first – a ’1971 Porsche 914. It was a wonderful car and I kept it for four years until a house move meant that it had to go. With much regret I sold it, but I’m now looking for another.
London life doesn’t lend itself to the storage and care of a classic car, but when I moved to the country I had the space and a garage. I could consider looking for another great car. I got my first Ferrari, a Dino 308GT4, and after three years I felt that the time had come to hunt for the best BB that I could find.
Research is important to me and, for six months, I hit the books, forums and auctions, searching for the right vehicle. In the spring of 2013 I placed a deposit on a restoration project, but after a few months I got a call from the seller saying that the car had been involved in a fire at the workshop, so that fell through. Then, in late summer I saw a car that I knew from the forums, which was for sale with James Henderson – a man with a great eye for Italian classics.
It was a 365GT4 BB, the earliest variant, and had been delivered in June
#1974 . After a three-hour journey to view the car, plus an unforgettable test drive, the deposit was down. Thirty years or so after that first sighting, the exciting moment of being handed the keys to my own car was almost here.
I agreed to part-exchange my 308GT4 in the deal, so a week later we met halfway between Kent and north Norfolk for the handover. That happened to be at a motorway service station, and I can remember the joy of seeing the BB parked up and James waiting for me. Great emotions. The drive home in any new car is memorable, but to be in the Ferrari I’d dreamt of for more than 30 years was extra special.
The BB was originally supplied by Maranello Concessionaires and finished in
#Blu-Dino-Metallizzato , the colour I’d always wanted, but had been repainted ‘resale red’ so I planned a bare-metal respray to take it back to the factory colour.
People usually ask me how often I drive it, and my answer is “as often as possible”. I believe all cars should be used, no matter what values are placed on them. The thrill I get from hearing the engine behind me while on a spirited run is far greater than seeing it motionless.
I’ve had some wonderful runs in the BB, including to Cornwall and north Wales, often accompanied by friends – one in his Iso Grifo, the other in an Alfa Montreal. Three very different cars but all equally enjoyed and cared for by us.
The Ferrari is comfortable on country lanes, motorways or even trips to the local shops. It has always performed and never let me down. Long may that continue.
Gorgeous Pininfarina lines of the
#365GT4 Berlinetta Boxer ensnared Maudsley as a lad, and continue to do so three decades later.
Stylish cabin is set off by
#Blu-Dino-paint . With friends’ Iso Grifo and Alfa Montreal. Front and rear clamshells raised, exactly how Maudsley remembers seeing his first Boxer.