Ammo NYC founder Larry Kosilla is a car-detailing evangelist, producing YouTube videos to show the ins and outs of detailing. Shot earlier in 2021, this video shows the one-off Glickenhaus Ferrari P4/5 getting some TLC in Kosilla’s shop.
As a refresher, the P4/5 was commissioned by wealthy car enthusiast Jim Glickenhaus and built by Pininfarina in 2006. The custom bodywork was inspired by the Ferrari 330 P4 race cars of the 1960s, but underneath is the chassis, powertrain, and other hardware from a Ferrari Enzo.
Glickenhaus later followed up the P4/5 road car with a Competitizione track version. Based on a then-contemporary Ferrari F430 GT2 race car, it lapped the Nürburgring Nordschliefe in 6:51 in 2012, during a qualifying session for the Nürburgring 24-hour race. He then purchased the 1970 Ferrari 512S Modulo concept from Pininfarina and had it rebuilt into a drivable car.
Glickenhaus Ferrari P4/5 gets washed and detailed (from Ammo NYC video)
The cool thing about this project is that it’s necessary because Glickenhaus drives his one-off car. The car comes into the shop with bug splatters and road grime, plus scratches and swirls in the paint, so the process starts with a simple wash with soap, foam soap, and water. That’s followed with another wash of the paint using brushes to get into the tight areas. The inside of the car is next, much of it done with a foam instead of water. Same for the engine.
Next, Kosilla and his two partners move to the interior. The interior process includes lather, steam, microfiber towels, and a towel with steam for the synthetic suede. Lather and interior brushes ensure that the steering wheel buttons don’t get wet.
Paint correct comes next. This involves polishing, which is done differently by each detailer. They all use polishing compounds, polishing discs, and wool applied with a buffing wheel. This is followed by polishing, which involves larger and smaller discs, and even a towel in hand to get into the small areas. Even the interior and inner body are polished, which includes a lot of carbon fiber. The polishing process creates a lot of dust, so the car gets another wash.
The final step is ceramic paint protection to protect the finish and make future cleaning easier. Kosilla uses the Ammo products his company makes, but several companies offer the various products used here.
The P4/5 road car with a Competitizione track version were the start of Glickenhaus’ shift from car collector to full-bore car builder. He subsequently set up Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG) as a race team and low-volume manufacturer of sports cars and the Boot off-roader.
SCG currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) class with its 007. Glickenhaus has also shown interest in fuel cells, directing his team to design hydrogen supercar and pickup-truck concepts.
It’s unclear if those fuel-cell vehicles will reach production, or how SCG will fare in the WEC as it takes on the much larger Toyota factory team.
For now, watch the full video to see how professionals detail a one-of-one supercar.