| Author | Message | ||
| Faisal Khan (Tvrfreak)
Junior Member Username: Tvrfreak Post Number: 175 Registered: 3-2003 |
Sorry to rehash this, but Ed, did you get the CD and did you like it? Rgds, Faisal. | ||
| Dennis (Bighead)
Junior Member Username: Bighead Post Number: 101 Registered: 2-2003 |
Posted this on the F-List, crossposting here... =========================== Quick report on the New England unveiling of the Enzo Ferrari at Louis, Boston this past Saturday: On this past, sunny, glorious Saturday, Ferrari of New England arranged a luncheon and unveiling of the latest Ferrari supercar on the grounds of Louis, Boston. This very upscale clothing store occupies a historic brownstone in the Back Bay section of Boston, on the hallowed shopping thoroughfare of Newbury street. It has a small brick plaza surrounding it, with just enough space to park some pretty cool machinery. Louis also has Cafe Louis, a very chic and hip eatery servicing the fashionistas typically prowling the area. Photos by Vernon Ellinger here (the undersigned moron forgot his camera): http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A71D1C16BF4&cb=PA By noon on Saturday, FoNE customers, dressed up for once, swept through the store, browsing among the exotic, fine and not inexpensive merchandise while sipping champagne. Savory luncheon treats were served and promptly devoured. Many of those present were owners of multiple cars, including a couple who were awaiting their own Enzo deliveries. Normally jaded shoppers on Newbury street quickly strolled onto the grounds to admire the assembled cars. Models clad in clothing more expensive than the bill for the major service on my 355 rubbed elbows with tourists from Ohio. Present in the courtyard were about a dozen 360s, Modenas and Spiders. Several Maseratis were on display as well, including a gorgeous Cambiocorsa coupe with a special order titanium blue Ferrari paint color - the most attractive iteration of this car I've seen yet. Some 550s and 575s also showed, with a pair of 355s and a couple of TR variants too. Historic cars were present as well, roped off from the public. Hmmm... do you want to check out the Daytona first, or the California Spider, or .... The Enzo, under covers, was bracketed by an F40 and an F50. We were still waiting.... For entertainment, Sherman Wolf arrived with his ever-charming companion, Lisette, in their 360 Spider (alas, the battery in the 288 GTO was dead!), followed by the trailer with two of his cars. I helped push the 1952 F2 625 Monoposto out of the trailer and into place. Sherm then fired up the Testa Rossa and backed it down onto Newbury street. He motioned for me to climb in, and gingerly I did. The crowd on the Louis plaza slowly parted in front of us like a bow wake as we circled the building to get the car into position. I asked Sherm whether this was similar to what the Mille Miglia recreation is like, and he replied that it was close, except that in Italy, it goes on like this for 1000 miles. I had previously offered to serve as navigator and chief car wash attendant for Sherm if he wanted one for another rally, but having clambered into the TR, I began to have second thoughts about it (see the picture for just how much Dennis does NOT fit into a Testa Rossa). Amusing side note. The driveway ramp to Louis is on Newbury street, where many rich college students while away their time. I won't share the common nickname granted to these foreign students from Europe, Asia and the Middle East, but they are common sighted in Boston's finest stores, restaurants and clubs. Anyway, in the midst of these festivities, a supple young woman, in her very early 20's, parks her shiny new silver $110k Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG coupe on Newbury Street. Completely blocking the driveway. Informed that she can't park there, she pouts and asks why not. When it's pointed out that she's blocking a driveway full of cars, she says that she always parks there but valets will move the car. She is even more disgruntled when she finds out that the Cafe is closed for the function and that she really needs to move the car. So what does this collagen and silicone injected nymphet do? She pulls out of the driveway and tries to double park it... directly behind the double parked trailer from which we're trying to extricate the Testa Rossa. I try to explain to her that we're unloading a multi-million dollar car that everyone is standing around trying to see, and she's blocking our ability to do that. So she... backs it up about 12 feet. Someone finally tells her to move her car elsewhere. After the dust settles and my little ride in the TR, she finds me and demands to know for whom I work. She's crestfallen when she discovers that I don't work for Louis and thus cannot get me fired. When told that many of the people in attendance are FCA members, she says, "so anyone can join right? what's the big deal? I just wanted to park my car!!! You didn't have to be so rude when you told me to move my car!" My ability to resist temptation finally faltered and I told her in a soft voice that whether she was driving daddy's AMG or she bought it herself using the proceeds of her $400/hr. rate, no one here really gave a rat's ass as to where she parked it or to whom she might complain about rudeness as it was clear that her botox injections had penetrated her brainstem and cut her IQ in half, down to 35, and she could go complain to Mayor Menino for all I cared. Her lap dog boyfriend, standing two steps behind her all this time, apparently took some umbrage at this and stepped forward, but given the stare I gave him (and the dozens of other tifosi behind me), the couple decided to go away and leave such uncouth, unrefined bores alone. After all the prosciutto and strawberries and bruschetta and pizza and arancini and calamari and beef kabobs were eaten, and wine and champagne and Belgian beer were imbibed, it was time for the unveiling. The crowd was packed around the car, waiting, waiting, waiting. Brad Whitford of Aerosmith helped pull the cover off. And... she was beautiful. I was lucky enough to see and sit in one at the factory last October, and watched a pair of them in action at the Misano race track, but this car was still breathtakingly beautiful in its sheer audacity and purposefulness. The lucky owner (who owns a bunch of other Ferraris, including the F50 parked adjacent to it) fired it up. A bit later, Joey Kramer of Aerosmith tried it on for size, noting just how much room there is in the cockpit. I had to bail at this point for Montreal, so I missed the aftermath. Still, it was a memorable afternoon spent with many friends in the presence of some of the most beautiful machinery ever to leave Maranello. Many, many thanks to Ferrari of New England (Philippe, Nick, Steve, Kevin, Lindsay) for the great event! vty, --Dennis | ||
| Faisal Khan (Tvrfreak)
Junior Member Username: Tvrfreak Post Number: 108 Registered: 3-2003 |
Sorry, we did stray a little. The pictures are simply great! And could someone please let me know what that single-seater is called? Speaking of press shots...I was at the Challenge races at Sears Point and one of the vendors was selling an Enzo press kit for $1200. My friend had given me a few and I offered them to him for half as much...funny how he wasn't interested! | ||
| wm hart (Whart)
Intermediate Member Username: Whart Post Number: 1043 Registered: 12-2001 |
Thanks for the pics. Looked like a nice event. I always think of Boston as "buttoned down", but i have to assume that many of those cars are owned by adults.Just my NY prejudice showing, i guess.[Hey, if you guys wanna do some SUV or Hillary bashing, get it going OT. I'll join you] | ||
| GThomas (Ferrariartist)
Junior Member Username: Ferrariartist Post Number: 122 Registered: 2-2003 |
returning to Boston for a sec.... beautiful shots of a beautiful day!! Thanks for posting... That engine bay shot is magnificent... one of the best Enzo-engine shots ive seen outside of press-brochures (helps its outside and no ropes - the flouerescent-lit-interior-convention-centre-shot leaves alot to be desired sometimes...) And those horizontal shocks look awesome that way... dunno much about the engineering-benefits of it being that way but the looks are sooo agressive... and again i say... looooove that Daytona!! Thanx again for posting... GT | ||
| Jack (Gilles27)
Member Username: Gilles27 Post Number: 804 Registered: 3-2002 |
Well, seeing as how we've "left Boston", here we go. Faisal, I agree with you except that I wouldn't be so quick to exhonerate the consumers. It's a bit of a "chicken or the egg" scenario. Are we merely choosing from what's offered to us, selected by industry, or are they responding to consumer demand, giving us what we're asking for? Regardless, there are so many automotive choices besides SUVs from which to choose. Besides what you mentioned, what also bothers me is how, all of a sudden, there seems to be this enormous need to drive 7 people around at once. I know there are very few carpools of that size, if any at all. Not many families have that many kids, and if they do, it's not likely they can afford most of the new, super-sized SUVs. So who is driving around all the time with 7 people? Saturday morning soccer moms? | ||
| Faisal Khan (Tvrfreak)
Junior Member Username: Tvrfreak Post Number: 107 Registered: 3-2003 |
The debate is not about the price of gas...it's about social responsibility. Let me explain why I detest SUVs. - They weigh much, much more than cars - They typically have different bumper heights - They typically only have one or two occupants, so their "roominess" is a pointless argument. A special sports car might also guzzle gas, but you pay a premium in price for it, and you typically don't drive it everyday. Their impact on the environment is nowhere near as devastating as that of the increasingly pervasive SUVs. SUVs are priced to compete with average cars, and are generally driven everyday as daily drivers. These gargantuan, wasteful vehicles are a danger to other cars. And they are virtually incapable of emergency manuevers. A Saturn, Camry, BMW, or Ferrari would be absolutely destroyed in an accident with a Suburban or a Mercedes ML 430 or a Ford Excursion or any other large SUV. The SUV might sustain a scratch or two. The SUV's bumper would not be resisted by the other car's bumper. It would be met by window glass, and then the car's occupants! So what's their point? I can see where high ground clearance could be a benefit. But 90% of SUVs are never taken off paved roads. With their huge weights and unaerodynamic designs, SUVs deliver very poor performance. To overcome this, they are sold with ever-bigger motors so they guzzle gas just standing still. Carmakers sneakily classify SUVs as trucks so that they don't have to meet the same crash and emissions and consumption standards as cars. I don't think the consumers are as much to blame as the manfuacturers. People choose from whatever is on the market. We need better solutions for safe, large, economical vehicles that don't have the stigma of the boring, underpowered station wagon that everyone hates to be seen in. Carmakers are making slow progress, but I think they do a very good job of disguising all these dangers and their lousy efforts by hiding behind the excuse that it's all about "choice." | ||
| Drstranglove (Drstranglove)
Member Username: Drstranglove Post Number: 263 Registered: 4-2003 |
The level of.... " I just spent $250,000 on a car, a few extra tanks of gas is not going to break me." DrS | ||
| Faisal Khan (Tvrfreak)
Junior Member Username: Tvrfreak Post Number: 106 Registered: 3-2003 |
If you don't like it, I will buy it from you for full price. I think it makes an awesome gift. The part that I use to test the surround sound system is when the race car goes under a bridge. You should be able to feel the car go by, and hear the reverberations from the bridge. During and after the burnouts is also great. I love the benefits of technology, but I hate looking at all the black or chrome boxes that audio/video stuff comes in. I have these teeny tiny Bose speakers that are almost invisible against the white walls they are mounted on. They sound great. Recently I got this flat screen tv and it was sticking out a good 6 inches in front of the wall after I got done with the mounting brackets. So, I cut an opening in the drywall so that the TV could be mounted flush against the wall. Then I got some oversized two-way mirror glass and a nice frame and put that in front of the TV (it's in my bedroom). It looks like a mirror but you can see the TV picture through it. My friends' kids love my "magic mirror"! You will love the DVD. Guaranteed. | ||
| Ed Christophersen (Dr_c)
New member Username: Dr_c Post Number: 37 Registered: 12-2002 |
Faisal: Based upon your comment in this thread, I just ordered a copy of Super Speedway. Hope that it's awesome DVD. Then, I can use it for my surround sound. Dr C | ||
| Faisal Khan (Tvrfreak)
Junior Member Username: Tvrfreak Post Number: 105 Registered: 3-2003 |
28 mpg when cruising. 18 when driven hard. Is that bad? | ||
| Ton Visser (Lion315)
Member Username: Lion315 Post Number: 550 Registered: 12-2002 |
Yeah, Let's talk about TVR's!  Ton | ||
| Jason Fraser (Jfraser)
Member Username: Jfraser Post Number: 348 Registered: 3-2001 |
Mark, It's a small world!! The yellow 355 in your photos belongs to my very good friend Peter. | ||
| Faisal Khan (Tvrfreak)
Junior Member Username: Tvrfreak Post Number: 104 Registered: 3-2003 |
What level would that be, then? The "don't give a •••• about the environment, •••• the rest of the world" level? My first red dot special! | ||
| Drstranglove (Drstranglove)
Member Username: Drstranglove Post Number: 260 Registered: 4-2003 |
Christ!!!!! And I thought my H2 was bad!!!!!! (Not that, at this level, we care about these things.)  DrS | ||
| Faisal Khan (Tvrfreak)
Junior Member Username: Tvrfreak Post Number: 102 Registered: 3-2003 |
Pig, rooster, where does it end...I love that hang-gliding scene too! Speaking of beautiful old racecars, a friend and I drove out to the Blackhawk museum a couple of years ago. They were doing some restoration and had moved one of their cars to a shop right at the front of the mall. We happened to look in when one of the workmen opened the door, and there was this huge empty room with a little old Maserati single-seater in there. There were no ropes around it, the engine cover was easy to take off, and well...we spent hours taking turns sitting in it and dreaming about flying down dusty roads, skidding across cobblestones, whatever...it was simply awesome. When I retire on a farm, I intend to round up my sheep in one of these...oooh, don't go there! | ||
| Faisal Khan (Tvrfreak)
Junior Member Username: Tvrfreak Post Number: 101 Registered: 3-2003 |
Ooops, sorry, double post! | ||
| Jack (Gilles27)
Member Username: Gilles27 Post Number: 801 Registered: 3-2002 |
How can you bring it up without mentioning the pig? I would love the chance to experience one of the old roadster-style racers first hand. Then again, none of the cars below would suck. | ||
| Faisal Khan (Tvrfreak)
Junior Member Username: Tvrfreak Post Number: 100 Registered: 3-2003 |
Anyone seen the DVD in which Mario Andretti's family restores an old racecar--it also follows his son's racing for a season? It's narrated by Paul Newman and the DVD is called Super Speedway. I use it to test my surround sound effects...it's my favourite DVD--although Matrix Reloaded might change that! | ||
| Jim Schad (Jim_schad)
Intermediate Member Username: Jim_schad Post Number: 1209 Registered: 7-2002 |
Yeah I love that little single seater too. I think you HAVE to wear the leater goggle/helmet combo to look right! | ||
| Jack (Gilles27)
Member Username: Gilles27 Post Number: 799 Registered: 3-2002 |
Busted! Nice to see you have the same good taste that I do... | ||
| Faisal Khan (Tvrfreak)
Junior Member Username: Tvrfreak Post Number: 99 Registered: 3-2003 |
Hohoho!!!! But Jack, you didn't follow up with a three page disclaimer! If anyone's confused, please see the FCA jacket thread. | ||
| Jack (Gilles27)
Member Username: Gilles27 Post Number: 798 Registered: 3-2002 |
That's because you'll be wearing your brand new, blue yellow and red FCA leather jacket! | ||
| Faisal Khan (Tvrfreak)
Junior Member Username: Tvrfreak Post Number: 98 Registered: 3-2003 |
What is that single-seat racer? I am in love! If anyone tells me and I ever get my hands on one, I promise, I will never wear those pretentious, goofy leather caps and goggles. | ||
| Taek-Ho Kwon (Stickanddice)
Member Username: Stickanddice Post Number: 398 Registered: 11-2002 |
Jim, You're right. It's in Newbury St. in Louis of Boston. It's a cafe and clothing shop. I used to go to college in that area. I kind of miss it now. Cheers | ||
| Jack (Gilles27)
Member Username: Gilles27 Post Number: 785 Registered: 3-2002 |
Those are great shots. Looks like a perfect day. | ||
| Jim Schad (Jim_schad)
Intermediate Member Username: Jim_schad Post Number: 1207 Registered: 7-2002 |
is that off Newberry Street at that fancy place? not sure if it is a restaurant or clothing store. | ||
| MarkM (Zan)
New member Username: Zan Post Number: 47 Registered: 11-2002 |
Ferrari of NE had the showing yesterday, great turnout                       |