What a great thread! I suppose a lot of this has to do with your location. SoCal gets a lot more exotics on the streets than North Dakota. I'm in Columbus, OH and people generally are pretty shocked when they see an exotic, although I get the feeling that not as many people here care about cars as much as other large cities. The first day I got back with my 996tt, I went cruising downtown and by my law school and got 9 "cool car/thumbs up/ect" type comments/gestures on it. And that's just in a black Porsche. I can't wait for the Ferrari experience . So long as people are not asshats, I love stopping and chatting about cars with anyone who is interested. O ya, and three years ago, I was definately that guy who was trying to snap a cell phone picture of a Ferrari. You should see my photos from my Italy trip in undergrad to the Galleria, I have more pictures of Ferrari's than I do of Rome/Venice/Florence combined!
when i was 16 i just got my drivers licence and i was driving with my dad when a 355 went past in the other direction, my neck twisted around like a bird, and moments later my dad was yelling brakes!!! after mashing the brake pedal into the floor i rear ended the car infront but only very lightly. thank god there was no damage....
I was getting gas in Kelona B.C.,Canada a few years ago in my 360. There was about a 10 year old boy hanging around the car,. or more like stuck to it like glue. This allowed me to chat up his hot mom. She was telling me her boy was an absolute Ferrari nut and was working very hard in school so he could buy his own one day. So I tell the lad to sit behind the wheel and start 'er up. I have test pipes with a Larini exhaust and the car is stupid loud. The mom jumps back a few feet,I'm laughing, and the kid is grinning from ear to ear.He revs it a few times and gets out, you could tell he felt about ten feet tall. His mom says look at the shoes.... be dammed if he isn't red pilotis with a Ferrari logo.Now that's a car nut! Kind of made my day.
I have been fortunate(with a lot of hard work) to own a few different Ferrari & various other sports cars in my life thus far. It is interesting to see how people react to what I am driving. I get the most positive and radical reactions from all types of people and age groups when I drive my Rosso Corsa 550 Barchetta with the X-Pipe and Tubis. When I drove my Argento Nurburgring 575 Maranello, there would only be a toned down reaction from people who really knew what the car was. When I drive my Lemans Blue Z06 there are some looks. And finally, when I drive my SVT Focus or Supercharged F150 work truck, there are no reactions or looks towards me; even if I was trying to get someones attention.
A few weeks ago the wife and I were out in the 360 turning left off the highway in the left hand turn lane.. a guy on the other side of the highway yells out "I love you car man!".. I just gave him a thumbs up and smiled.. my wife to this day chuckles when she recounts it.
Got another story... Long time ago I was driving in my 512TR along Scottsdale, Rd. in Scottsdale, AZ. Brother-in-law driving with me in his Porsche yells he wants to switch and drive the Ferrari. One stoplight later, a totally hot blonde in a red Porsche Cabrio pulls up next to him, and yells "I LOVE YOU!!". He was married. I was single. I spent years waiting to pull up to her at another stop light...
Ferraris are still relatively rare here (see Porsches by the dozens daily). When I drive by I usually get a smile, wave and a thumbs up. When I park in town there are usually a couple of people looking at my car and usually taking pictures. Sometimes they will ask me if I mind them taking pictures (I do not mind). The police wave at me and smile. Life is good.
I get that all the time too.... idiots leaning out of their window trying to take pictures with their camera phones.
Yes. The Enzo is about. And he still parks it downtown in summer mornings when he gets coffee. Leaves it unlocked with the windows down. He also owns a Daytona convertible and has other Fcars in his collection but I am not sure of the details.
True story: My brother saw that Bugatti headed south on I45 around Nasa Rd 1 about 45 minutes before the guy ended up in the water. He called me to tell me about seeing the car that afternoon. Then later that evening we saw the incident on the news while having a beer together. We were like "What the Fuuuuuck", then just laughed and said "dumb ass". We still cannot believe this became a worldwide story that continues to be discussed and laughed about to this day. Funny.
I've seen a lot of passengers in other cars roll down their windows as I've been overtaking them on a freeway just to hear "the sound." Tubi in a 430 is outrageous!
I was driving on the highway and some woman in a mini van saw A 430 and while she was staring at it she drove off the road.
Today was one of the most amazing days with so many other road users winding down their windows before I got to overtake them for they all wanted to hear a Ferrari in song. Must have been the beautiful sunny weather or something. The joys of Ferrari ownership and being able to share it.
For me, blasting down the business district during the weekends when there is absolutely no traffic, I am greeted with heaps of pedestrians with their whizz bang digital cameras. Quite a humbling experience. Some will wave urging me to let her rip. The perks of piloting a supermodel....
Stopped by a soldier with an M16 at a tunnel in NYC that was checking trucks, he just wanted to check out the car, but then asked how much it cost. I told him I won it in a raffle. A cop standing with the soldier took photos of the soldier next to the car in traffic. 430 sounds fantastic in one of those long tunnels!
I used to be one of those folks whose head did a 180 when I saw a Ferrari. It's going to be strange to be on the other end now.
That is the best answer that I have heard to the how much it cost question!! Nothing like the sound of a roaring engine going through a tunnel!!
We've got one near us but it has speed cameras and the max is 80kph (50mph) so you can hardly get the chance to resonate.
Speaking of going through tunnels with the police at the other end, check out this interview of Jay Leno on Top Gear. Listen for the part at around the 3:28 mark where he describes giving a couple guys a ride in his McLaren F1. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0XtNGuijqc[/ame]
Driving the 360 around town today a girl (20s) on a bicycle passed me. She gave a big grin and a big thumbs up...and almost ran off the road. I hate to drive on the Interstate bcus so many people want to pass me no matter what the speed. Motorcycles and every kind of car wants to say they "passed" a Ferrari. I ignore them will even slow down. After a while they get bored and go on their merry way. On two lane roads 90% of the oncoming motocycles wave or give me the high sign. Why is it that Porsches ignore me in the Fcar but most wave or flash their lights when I am driving the Boxster S? BTW I never wave/flash first...am too engrossed in driving. Life is good.
