The Official Chicago Spotters Thread!

Boy do they have a lot of these on the floor.... And also a lot of cars outside yesterday in the bright sunshine waiting for spring. By the way they sold the Alfetta GTV Euro.


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AS GREAT DRIVING roads go, Interstate 10 isn’t. The road between Phoenix and Los Angeles is nearly straight, almost featureless, an automotive conveyor belt through vault and valley 400 miles long. On some stretches the speed limit goes up to 75 mph, but last week, in my test car—a nuclear-tipped Ferrari 488 called the Pista—distance/time came to a droning standstill. My fellow travelers and I huddled together around 84 mph (the speed limit +9), hoping there would be safety in numbers. The desert scenery repeated like a cartoon backdrop. The tall saguaros mocked me.

The Pista ($445,437, as tested) has a top speed of 211 mph, but I’m no hero. I had been warned that if I were caught going over 100 mph in Arizona I would not be returning to the comfort of my hotel. Sure, I hammered the Pista around some remote desert roads and got a nice power drift going in an empty parking lot. The Pista wasn’t impressed. This track-hardened, mass-optimized rewrite of the 488 GTB (midengine berlinetta, aluminum space-frame) is up to 198 pounds lighter and 49 hp more potent (710 hp), breathing through gills in its hips and bristling with race-derived body bits.

But there was that one time, when the coast was clear, I was able to test a fascinating new Ferrari talking point. They don’t even have a name for it yet so I shall dub it the Mamma Mia function. At lower speeds, the Ferrari’s computer actually restrains the turbocharged engine from delivering maximum torque all at once, first to avoid overwhelming the tires and second to mimic the responses of a classic (non-turbo) Ferrari V8, where throttle demand, revs, sound and horsepower all rise and fall together. It’s a character thing. That’s nice.

But, if you are already chuffing along in seventh gear at highway speeds, the pedal map algorithm sort of works the other way. The full measure of the engine and transmission eagerness stays cued up like a thunderclap. Just press the button, after which comes a series of booster rocket-like upshifts, as many as you have road for. God’s passing maneuver.
I tightened my grip on the wheel, gritted my teeth, said a small prayer to St. Geppetto, patron saint of titanium con-rods, and romped it. There was still the briefest hesitation in the 3.9-liter, twin-turbo V8’s response, as if the car were asking, “Are you really sure you want this?”

Too late. The engine’s power was on me like an enraged mountain troll, stuffing me into the padded carbon seat. G-force butterflies swarmed in my stomach and saliva gushed in my mouth. Ooo, that tickles. In these noisy and dynamic few milliseconds the fat rear Michelins hazed and the Pista’s posterior waggled left, then right, violently, a 710-hp twerk. I laughed out loud but my blood ran cold. With the discreet help of the car’s traction-control system and the knot-tight steering, I gathered it back up in time for my appointment with fourth gear, still out of the wall and still in the throttle, wahooosh-BANG! OK, car, I’m only going to let you do that seven or eight more times, then I’m cutting you off.


https://www.wsj.com/articles/i-drove-a-screaming-fast-ferrari-among-ordinary-cars-11550770496?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1


Enjoy

 

Always enjoy visiting LFF, saw an F40 and F50 there recently as well as so many beautiful cars.

 

Saw a black ff parked behind an mb gt63 right next to house of blues last night

 

I work near LFSC.

On the way home yesterday a red 458 was out and this morning when I stopped for gas at the Shell station closest to them, one of their staff pulled up in a black 3 pedal 612. Nice guy, he said it is not the easiest tranny to get into gears.

 

The more i see it, the uglier the Portofino gets. I thought the California was bad, but was i wrong.

 

I was at Chicago Auto Pros yesterday to get the NSX cleaned up

They had a red 458 spider and a brand new blu 488 spider.

The 488 had just received 2 weeks of work to add matte film from end to end. The results were amazing as the car kind of had a frost to it. Wonderfully specced car to start with. Maybe a blu scurro with dark blue interior, daytonas, lots of cf, yellow stitching, calipers. I generally hate shields but they tied in perfectly with this car.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login Saw a black FF last Friday on North Ave. Anyone here? Saw this today while dropping off my taxes.

 

Just think, you could buy that if u didn’t pay them. Lol

 

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Went to the 1st Division Museum in the Cantigny park in Wheaton . Really nice!!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantigny_Park

 

Perfect for parallel parking in Lincoln Park!

 

Yeah, we’ll see how badly I get shellacked this year. Really want to trade the mustang for aC4 vette, but we shall see.

 

A few of my old pictures.
1st Porsche 911 GT1 1998 Homestead Florida FIA GT race
2nd Ferrari 333SP Daytona Florida 24 1995 dream team. That is Tony Southgate the cars designer behind the car.

I only like Florida in the winter!! That Homestead race was in October and you could cut the humidity with a knife.

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Today...


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LFSC ?

 

Yes the top two. A couple of very interesting cars being restored in the area also, but I can't post photos.

 

No 4C's in the Alfa-bit?

 

spotted a matte black Aventador on Michigan Avenue about 1:00pm today.

 

458 on 90 EB on Easter Sunday
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These are starting to look a lot better with age..


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Did Continental ever do a grand reopening as a Ferrari only dealership?

Thanks

 

Not that I know of. And as a Historic 308GT4 owner I would think id be invited!! LOL, HA

 

Black 458 license plate “leaf fan” outside the union station tunnel

 

Red Stratos on Sheridan in Glencoe couple days ago.
A real treat for me to see one on the road, too bad I was not able to snap a pick (coming from opposite direction)

 

Saw one of these by Wrigley last evening, about quarter to 8 PM. The matte blue is very attractive. The owner was making sure the onlookers experienced a bunch of crackle and pops.



There was also a yellow fixed roof Huracan with gold wheels in that vicinity about 5:30 PM.