F430 - anyone can drive an F-1

To make my point more clear....My sixteen year old son has been out tonight in my F430 F-1. He was scared at the onset and made me ride with him around the block before he took off by himself to see his "friends." But I remember when we were young and we wanted to sneek out with dad's car? How about dad just saying, "Ok, just be careful." We live in a world today were are children grow up much sooner than than we did and I think our kids are going to be, "ok."

This post is for parents with sons!

 

You make a very good point. When I was about 16, my dad let me take the Porsche around the block twice. I still remember how giddy I was!! Also it did quell any thought I had of sneaking the car out. (well that and the thought of his fist caving my skull if he caught me!!! LOL)


My son is 8mos old now, so I'm counting down!

 

My dad has let me drive his 430, however not alone yet, I have to gain his trust with this car just like i had to with the Rs6, He knows that i know what im doing but at the same time knows im gonna want to push the car, Anyway im happy where i am now, the only desire i have to drive the car alone is when i wanna pick up a broads lol

 

This sounds like a bad idea to me. Your son may seem mature but while kids grow up faster today peer pressure is also elevated to ungodly levels.. Your son will probably act a little differently around his friends.

Its your car and your son but I wouldn't do it. I think you will probably be disappointed in your sons decision's and it could get him hurt in such a lethal car.. My father let me drive his 85 Corvette many years ago when I was in Highschool he trusted me but I betrayed his trust by taking friends for tire smoking rides..( I let him know years later ) I'm lucky I didnt wreck and hurt myself and the passenger I took out for a ride.

Again, don't take this in the wrong way, I'm sure your son is a VERY fine young man but we all (even 30-40+ yr olds) act a fool sometimes to show off. I think its just best to keep the car for together time with you and him not for him and friends.

Cheers,
Scott

 

I am 19 years old and my dad does not have a ferrari however if he did let me drive it (if he had one) i would not want my friends there! I would enjoy the experiance way more one my own and i feel so strongly about such a car i wouldnt even dare drive round a corner over 30mph lol

What im trying to say is i know alot of people (some friends) who would take the opportunity and would do things i would call "against there dads trust" In a car like that a split second is all it takes to be dead!

So i will wait till i have my own lol

 

I drive my dad's cars all the time. 360, 996TT included. I turned 17 last month. I've never really done anything that would be considered 'reckless' and never come anywhere close to having any sort of accident.

Educating your son on how to be responsible and safe in your car doesn't start now; it started ten years ago. Now is WAY too late.

 

500 hp and 16yo is a bad idea.

Esp in a car with so many nanies that let you think you drive well. Mid engined Ferraris arent that easy to catch when they let go .

 

I have a 25 year old son who works with me. He has only driven the F430 with me in the car. Only one other person has ever driven the car in 15,000 miles! I just agonized over getting him a RS4 because it is a lot of car for a young person. We bought the car after we talked about it. I don't think I will regret my decision, he is very mature.
I would not give it to a 16 year old. Just my opinion!

 

When I turned 21 my father bought me a second hand Maserati. This was back in 1992, the car "only" had 227HP but in those days it was considered a lot (a Ferrari 348 only had 70HP more). The car was twin-turbocharged, without traction control, without ABS and with 15'' Pirelli P7s which would be considered archeological today. The brakes were not particularly strong either. When the turbochargers kicked in the car fishtailed like crazy, and at full boost it could easily keep up with much larger cars.

Did I crash it? Never. Did I ever do anything stupid with it? Not really. I was aware that this was the typical "one-strike-you're-out" chance, and my dad would NEVER get me anything remotely so exotic if I screwed up. I was also aware that so much power and torque demanded respect, and I took my time learning how to drive it. I don't think I ever maxed it out on the highway, and I never did any burnouts, being too aware of how delicate the clutch was (and of how expensive tires were). My father had made it clear - all maintenance costs were on me!!

That Maser was followed by another two and then by two Ferraris. I have had the privilege of growing gradually into fast cars, never doing anything stupid and learning all the finest points about handling without risking my life.

I don't think all kids are as "nerdy" about their cars as I was, but my father must have known... let fathers be the best judges of their sons!

 

In my opinion 430 is too much power to handle for a 16 year old kid, he will go out with his friends and they will encourage him to open her up, all you guys know you can loose control very fast in these cars, if you don't know what you are doing.
Just make sure he will never turn traction off, because this always helps.


Good luck

Ferrarijoe

 

Anyone who wouldn't trust his 16 year old to drive his Ferrari, hasn't been doing a very good job of raising his kid IMO.

 

Set the "manettino" on "rain", then unscrew it and give the kid the 430 blocked on the safest setting...

 

Here's my perspective. I have a 15-yo son who I'm teaching to drive in parking lots right now, but not in my Ferrari. I'm teaching him in my SUV and the BMW we used to drive which I kept for him to use when he gets his permit/license.

Will I let him drive the Ferrari... sure, with me in the passenger seat only.
Will I let him take the Ferrari out alone, no.

It's too much car for an inexperienced driver. This isn't a commentary on behavior, upbringing or showing off (of course these are all contributing factors). It's just that too much happens way too fast when you step on the gas in these cars. I'd never forgive myself if he got hurt or hurt someone else because the car got away from him.

Sure this could happen with me sitting in the passenger seat, but I believe the likelihood to be lower.

When he's older, more experienced and has proven he's a good driver... then I'll reconsider.

To be clear, I'm not preaching. Parenting is personal. This is just how things will happen in my house.

Best,
Frank

 

Well said.

 

Take all these "bad idea" and "I think it'd be best to....." replies and keep them to yourselves. The OP was simply stating the ease in driving an automated manual, he wasn't asking for parenting advice. Don't take it personally.

 

You're very mature for your age and obviously very passionate about the marque. To some extent - I understand that you would enjoy it more on your own given that your friends may not share that passion or understand what an F car is all about. They may think of it as just another fast car. Like a WRX STI only a bit faster.

 

My dad didn't have a Ferrari when I turned 16 but from the start let me drive his cars ($100k+). The way he looked at it, it's just a car. Sure I would maybe speed a little on the freeway, but can't ever think of a time where I did something considered stupid.

 

I want to thank you all for your replies. All of your opinions are well taken and I really was just talking about the ease of the driving experience that Ferrari has engineered into this great automobile.

For all the fathers that responded I appreciate your heartfelt concerns and should have anticipated these responses. Maybe more background on my son's driving experience would have been helpful. He and I have been members at motorsport ranch for three years were we own an interest in two fully race prepped Mazda's. During that time I have had many professional driving teachers work with him on and off the track. He has a healthy respect for performance cars and also knows how much his Dad love's this car. He was as happy as I have seen him in many months on his return and we have talked about his "experience" last night many times today.

I see postings from all ages and some that remember their interaction with their fathers and their cars. All of this is good.

Thanks for your comments.

Mark

 

I'll be very honest. I'm a 19 year old kid and am a fairly responsible driver. FAIRLY RESPONSIBLE. My parents think I'm a very cautious and respectiable driver. Far from the truth. I've been to driving/ racing schools, and I do know how to handle cars. That being said, I'm also very aware that things can get out of hand very fast. However, I am not a slow driver. I know it's irresponsible, but speed is a very addicting thing. If someone were to hand me the keys to any Ferrari and trust me to take it out, I would treat it with the absolute most respect. However if my father gave me the keys to his it would be a completely different story. I admire and completely respect these cars for the engineering marvels that they are. But at the end of the day, kids know that your parents are going to love you no matter what, and the sole fact that you say you trust your son is not going to keep him from doing something irresponsible (no matter how much he respects you). I'm not saying your son is out abusing your trust, but coming from a kid who has pulled one or two over on his parents, you telling him you trust him isn't necessarily going to stop him. I'm not telling you you're wrong in your decision, but I do think it's a pretty blind leap of faith on your part.

 

I forgot to give you a thumbs up for your interaction with your son. I would give anything to have a father ( or anyone in my family) that shared my passion for these cars, and racing.

 

Holy Cow!!! You weren't kidding. Mega-cudos to you for one of the coolest father-son activities I've heard of in a while.

I'm planning to do the Skip-Barber new driver course with my son, but yours is definitely cooler.

Way to go.

Frank

 

B.S. Just human nature and immaturity!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I'm 19 and drive my father's 550 and 996tt quite a bit... QUITE a bit.

 

Thank you very much for your compliments and i appreciate that you noticed. I agree on the WRX STI thing i think they just do on have the respect for such a car as you guys have.