| Author | Message | ||
| martin J weiner,M.D. (Mw360)
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There is no doubt that driving these masterpieces at speed is addictive as can be. I had only one lap at PIR this past weekend and can't wait until Sept when we have the track to ourselves. At Sebring in my 355 after doing laps with an instuctor at my side I let him drive.YIPPPPS!!!! It was like I was just cruising compared to him.(He had never even driven a Ferrari before).During the second lap I screamed SLOW DOWN PLEASE which he did.I wasn't concened about our lives-just the car. | ||
| Arnaldo Torres (Caribe)
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Ben, I am not sure about the concourso yet, but I will let you know if I decide to make it. Reiner, yes, I will love to go for a fast ride one of these days, let me know. | ||
| Ben Lobenstein 90 TR (Benjet)
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Thanks for sharing that moment! -Ben PS. are you gonna make it up here for concorso? | ||
| Reiner Kaiser (Reinerkaiser)
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Caribe, Next time try to shake those biker guys! I take my 348 up Mulholland quite a bit, but most of the time there is annoying traffic. Angeles Crest Highway is nice too, but too many cops. Let me know if you'd like to go for a fast cruise one of these days. | ||
| Mitchel DeFrancis (4re308)
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Now that is what Ferrari ownership is all about. I get goosebumps just from reading his post, because we all know the real love for these cars. the cars evoke a certain feeling from me, and it is hard to describe to anyone who does not own a Ferrari. Nicely written!! Now I want to go for a long drive......  | ||
| Martin (Miami348ts)
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I feel like moving to SoCal! Still looking for those hills down here in SoFLA... What a great experience! There is nothing better than owning the road and becoming one with your car. Truely magnificent. I heard a comment from a guy the other day "So why do do send so much money on a sports car? You can never drive it in the US at top speed!" True, I said, but there is ways to drive it at top performance if you want to, and speed does only matter if you need to go places, for that rich boys have corporate jets! That shut him up! | ||
| Arnaldo Torres (Caribe)
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A little story for those who share the passion... Well, after almost two months of ownership, I finally decided to put my car thru the paces on the beautiful windy roads of the Santa Monica mountains here in Southern California. I have taken these roads many times with my Ducati (another Italian masterpiece as far as I am concerned). They have everything I think one could want in a nice tight course: Long and short sweepers, straightaways, altitude changing turns and straights, varying radius turns, etc. In a high performance motorcyle like the Ducati, the road seems designed and made just to be riden hard and fast. I was wandering how my TR would feel in such a nice course given my bike experiences. I drove alone the beach until I got to the beginning of Mulholland Highway which starts right at the coast and continues its way all thru the mountains to the center of the city of Los Angeles. The initial 1/4 mile is a nice straight which lets you set right into the mood and builds up the anticipation for the sweepers ahead. I got on the gas early on trying to get a nice course speed. The first few turns were a bonding and learning experience. I was trying to get a feel for the tires, the car, and its cornering capabilities. Slow at first, but continuously building up momentum thru the turns and the road ahead. I was enjoying every second, every gear shift, every rev with the nice note the engine and exhaust made. I was truly in awe as to how good the car felt, how responsive and torquey the engine felt, always ready, always plenty of power for the challenge ahead. Half way thru the first portion of the highway, I was approached by three guys riding Japanese sportbikes. The caught up with me in a very windy portion of the highway where blind turns were the order of the day. Not a real chance to pass unless they really wanted to risk it. I decided to test my slowly growing skills with the car by pushing what I learned so far to next level, trying to reach a pace where the guys behind me and myself could feel comfortable until we reached the next straightaway and let them be on their way. I started sweeping left and right, hard and fast. I could feel the rear tires performing a nice dance by providing me with beautiful controlle slides, just waiting to a small steering correction before launching my car into the next adrenaline pumping boost just before entering the next turn. The front felt excellent, well planted, solid feel and feedback, it felt like it was on rails, never given me the slightest indication that it was not ready or willing to handle the next cornering challenge. I looked at my rear view mirror several times and I could see those bikes enjoying the ride, becoming part of this dance that only a Ferrari can provide. They were following me close, fast, almost dropping their knees to the floor to maintain the chase. I tell you guys, I was in heaven. For the first time in my life I have driven a car that have shaken my soul. I now realized what the dream is all about, what it really means to own a Ferrari and I can't get enough of it. Needless to say, once the first straight away came, I slowed down and let the bikes run wild. Miles later I caught to them while they were resting under the shade of the tree. I stopped and share a few moments with those guys. Believe or not, we mostly talk about those few turns we rode together, how well the car ran, and how impressed they were with its cornering prowess. Just a little moment in time with my Ferrari, Caribe. |