Living With A Legend
The Age
Wednesday November 22, 2006
When it comes to a passion for vintage cars, they don't come much more distinctive than this, writes Nadine Armstrong.
A LATE-NIGHT viewing of the '70s crime show The Persuaders sealed it for Daniel Ravech. He knew he just had to own a Ferrari Dino 246 GT. Ravech, a hairdresser by day, bears little resemblance to American crime-fighting playboy Danny Wilde, played by Tony Curtis, who regularly put the Dino through its paces. But he didn't care. "I just loved it," says Ravech of the car. And so he began searching for his perfect match. Ravech says he was lucky - he had a friend in the automotive industry who helped in his quest and 10 years into the relationship, he's still very much smitten.Ravech says he had just two criteria. His Dino had to have been well cared for and it could not be red. "I was already a bit overweight and balding, so I didn't need it to be red," says Ravech. "I also think that with red, all you see is the red. With such a curvaceous body I think silver or a more subtle colour shows off the lines better." A self-described car nut, Ravech has owned cars as diverse as old Holdens and Porsches. But he's always been drawn to the lines of a Ferrari. So it wasn't a hardship to part with a 1972 Porsche 911 TE to buy the 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GT, the newest car Ravech has owned.Ravech says he loves the distinct design of the Dino and the focus on form over function when it comes to body shape. Ravech says the Dino draws many admirers, young and old."My girlfriend's son was four when I first met him," he says. "There was no proving myself required - he automatically liked me. Now older and wiser, at age nine, he is convinced that the car is his, and looks forward to the day he turns 18 and completes his takeover plans."That magnetism isn't absolute, however. "My girlfriend loves the fact I love it but she can't understand why it doesn't have air-conditioning," he says.The Ferrari affair hasn't been all romance and roses. Occasionally the Dino just stops, Ravech says, usually about 100 kilometres from home. Ravech says he has hiked to country farm houses to use a phone to call for help. "Get some good insurance," he says, by way of advice for those similarly afflicted.Ravech says he loves the rawness of the Ferrari. "The Dino is a beautifully balanced car," he says. "And a forgiving car; you can push it to the absolute limit and it lets you know when you push it too far - and you back off."Ravech says older cars command a certain amount of respect and provide a more intimate driving experience, compared with newer cars that do the driving for you - adorned as they are with sophisticated computers that monitor your every move. "The older cars do as you say," he says. "New is not always better. I like the rawness of a hairy-chested sportscar. "It's no surprise that people always comment on how beautiful the car is. It has great genes and appeal. It seems to attract attention and commands respect from a broad range of onlookers. Everybody loves it."AUTOBIOGRAPHYIn the mid-1950s, Alfredino Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari's only son, wanted his family company to develop a V6 racing engine to compete in formula two racing. Alfredino died of kidney disease at 24 before he could see the dream realised. Named in his memory and originally wearing "Dino" rather than "Ferrari" badges, the model began as the 2.0-litre "Dino 206" in 1967 and was the first mid-engined V6 Ferrari to hit the road. From 1969 to 1974, the 206 was replaced by the Dino 246 GT, sporting a 2.4-litre, V6 engine pumping out 195 brake horsepower (143 kW). Almost 2500 246 GTs were built.
© 2006 The Age