Can I sit in your car?

ANY KIDS CAN SIT IN ANY OF MY FERRARIS ANYTIME THEY WANT

 

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I'd say the OP should either A) brush up on his Nancy Reagan "just say no" skills, B) stay home or C) make a full size cardboard cutout of his car and bring that to the show instead (to be transported, of course, in an SUV with a "My other car is a Ferrari" license plate frame).

I think that, as car enthusiasts, it is incumbent upon us to not only be responsible caretakers of our current vehicles, but also (perhaps more importantly, now more than ever...) that we foster the automotive passion in the next generation(s). I've let countless kids sit in Bentleys, Astons, Lambos, etc. to take pictures. I asked nine year old Timmy, while he was ensconced in the driver's seat of a Ford GT (where his feet didn't reach the pedals)... "Did you bring your driver's license? Because, if so, you can drive it!" His sheepish grin really said it all. Totally worth it.

Personally, I prefer to drive my cars, let others sit in them, let others drive them, etc. The most joy I derive from my cars is giving rides at the track, whether demo laps for my students, friends, corner workers, etc. or especially charity rides that raise funds for noteworthy causes. Win / win / win.

I'd suggest finding something like this and doing some good...

https://rmvr.raceagainstkidscancer.org/

"You don't have to be a race car driver to see what all of the racing fun is about. RAKC features lunch rides on the race track in race, sports and exotic cars where spectators can make a donation to MAF and get a ride with a qualified car & driver to see what it's like to be out there. There's no bigger thrill for the dollar than these rides and you'll know that the donation you made for this ride will go to funding pediatric neurooncology research."

Of course, that's just me .

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My experience changed my opinion & mind on people asking me to sit in my car. I was participating in a club meet in San Francisco for the Italian Heritage celebration in Washington Square Park. My car was on display and a mentally challenged teenage boy opened my passenger side door and got in (while I was standing close by talking to a Friend) in disbelief of what I saw, I walked over and asked him kindly to get out, he locked the door and sat there, I asked whose child this was an his parents came over and said arrogantly "Oh, he won't hurt anything", my reply was "please, kindly remove your son from my car or I'll ask the Police Officer over their to remove him, I did not give him permission to get in". They got him out and from then on, my car was always locked. My answer to their invitation to sit in my car is simply, No! Unless I know them.

 

Bro you removed a mentally challenged kid out of your car !! WTF
Remember this statement very clearly

He who dies with the most F in toys
Is still F in DEAD!!
Xoxoxo

 

I’ve never seen anyone that unhappy in a Ferrari. hahaha!

 

I tend to let or invite kids to sit in my 488 after an inspection for muddy shoes, ice cream covered hands, and sharp items in back pockets. That having been said, I do have a problem with adults with roaming hands. It's not finger prints. It is rings, bracelets, etc that scratch the paint.

 

I was invited to display my GT40 at a Ford event in Los Angeles. As I was walking away from the car with my ex-LAPD friend, we both heard a load cheer and turned around to find some crazy lady crawling on the fiberglass hood of my car. I had my camera in my hands so I took this quick photo. My LAPD friend, who is 6 foot 6 and about 300lbs, went up to her and gave her a verbal beating. Since then, I don't take my cars to any public shows. Too many crazy people.

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I don’t recall people asking to sit in my car but I frequently invite people to sit in my car if it looks like they have an interest; especially parents with young children. Often we find families gathered around my Lambo when I leave it out front and I offer to allow the children to sit in my car while their parents snap some pics. I saw a guy recently at a local grocery store and he came up to me to thank me because apparently several months previously I had let his son sit in my car while he took some photos. It’s amazing what just a small act like allowing someone to sit in your car means to some people. I think sometimes people, in their strive to obtain more, take for granted what they have and don’t realize how unobtainable these cars are to most people.

 

Warning, the following photographs may cause heart palpitations...

Also, if this guy (#baller btw!) let's his dogs ride in his Bugatti, you can let a couple kids sit in your F-car.


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Wow! Looks great with the 355 wheels.

 

In the mid 90s, I got to sit in a then few year old testarossa. The owners brother I knew as a customer from the dealership I worked at back then. We had occasionally talked cars and I told him I will someday has a Ferrari. (This was at least 23 years ago). Later that year I was at a local racetrack working on a pit crew and saw him and his brother. They both said to come over to their pit space after the races. There it was, he told me to get it and start it up! My mind was blown! That moment is burned in my head forever and it fueled by desire to have one even more. If the owner was kind enough to let a 16yr old mechanic sit in his Ferrari, then I'll return the favor to the next generation. I have had many people sit in my car. Mostly I tell them too and they stare a bit first, but the look they get on their face after they sit down is priceless. I know the feeling. But I do agree there is a line for yes and no.

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I think you are forgetting something





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[emoji1] You win ! You offered! And I got a ride! Thanks !

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My first post on this, but I have to respond to this one. I was that kid not too long ago. My dad worked for a guy that had a new 355. I was 17 and got to ride in it. He literally told me the exact same thing from the window, that this would be the only time I'd get to sit in one. I actually got to drive this on the way back. For a teenager driving a beat up old minivan that is a huge. I swore that I would do whatever I had to to get one. Twenty years have gone by. I have worked my @55 but now have a job that can finally make this a reality. I have a picture from that day across my desk as a reminder. Funny thing was that the owner also told me "it isn't that hard to get one" (he inherited a 9-figure fortune). In a couple years, I'm looking to prove both of them wrong.

I'd like to help young folks have a similar experience.

 

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Ned goes most every place with his dad.

 

Sharing is as much fun as owning, especially with kids who have drawn a short straw in the game of life.

This young lad had a passion for cars and an incurable brain tumour, which had already taken over a large part of his head when I took these photos of him in my 550. He is now dead.

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These kids were part of a group who are carers for parents or siblings, even though none of them is more than 10 years old:

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The pleasure they got out of sitting in my Dino was worth a few minutes with a damp cloth cleaning off the scuff marks. The only thing that almost got worn out was the hoorn button!!

 

AGREED!
Let them play! Let them play!



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....and the child's Mommy is HOT.

 

Disregard my name on here I've been here a long time and am a long way from my teenage years, but my user name reminds me of the old days... Back when I joined Fchat there weren't any cars and coffee events, my family didn't have any Ferrari's, and the coolest thing I had was a 1997 Suburban. I would go to a ton of car shows and I've never forgotten the people who went out of their way to be nice with their cars and time.

Today, I have a Z06 Corvette and my Dad has a 488 Spider among some other cars. I always try and repay the courtesy that so many did when I was young. I believe we all know when a person is an enthusiast, whether they are young or old, it doesn't take much effort to make someone's day by letting them get a picture with the car, sit in it, and maybe even give a ride if the situation is appropriate.

As an aside, I always used to give a thumbs up to a cool car when I would ride my bike or be outside as a kid, rarely if ever would anyone ever blip the throttle. Today the few times a year it happens or someone tries to take a picture I always blip the throttle or slow down (if safe to do so) so they can capture the pic.

Erik

 

Definitely let them sit unless it’s a collectible like an Enzo, La Ferrari or an F40

 

Pretty poor experience here.
Couple of years ago, when a friend's 14/15 year old son found out I had a 575, he was grinning from ear to ear, and I told him I'd take him for a spin in a few days -took a pretty selective route whereby he would get the F Car experience without me losing my license.

Two minutes into the journey, and he was only talking about values of similiar cars he'd seen on the web with mileages etc.

And there I was thinking that when I was a late teen and sat in a Dino, all I could think was that I want one !

Best,
Sammy

 

This past Saturday there was an open car show. Two fathers who were telling their sons about a Ferrari, and I asked the young boys if they wanted to sit in Sophia, and they were polite and took photos.

 

I would have done the same, even if it were a Subaru. It's MY car. Not his and nobody should lock themselves in MY car or MY house without my permission regardless of mental handicap.

Yeah remember this one while you're at it

If they break it, they'll walk away and you'll be the one paying to fix it.
You bear all the risk and none of the reward.

 

It's nice to see so many selfless people in this thread that are more focused on putting a smile on the face of someone less fortunate than worrying about the very small risk of an incident.

Good for you guys. Good karma coming your way.

We deal with hundreds of Ferrari owners worldwide and I must say they are the greatest, most genuine, generous people on the planet.

I'm honored to deal with these people and get to know them even if just a little.

 

You never forget the first Ferrari someone was nice enough to let you sit in; here's me in my first in 1989 While the sign on the windshield says "don't touch", a polite inquiry can work wonders.

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I've asked to sit in any number of Ferraris over the years, don't recall anyone ever saying no. People could likely tell I was an enthusiast though, and I'd always be super careful and respectful. Glad to pay those experiences forward.