Can you separate Ferrari the car from Ferrari the BS?

My mission in life is to drive cool cars on cool roads. In some cases, the best choice is a hot-rod Miata. I've been toe-to-toe with Ferrari Challenge cars on the race track. Are you serious? Best case is my Miata is worth $20,000. That is a front bumper respray on a Ferrari.

I love driving Ferraris. I hate all the other BS. Parking a Ferrari in front of a titty club doesn't do it for me. Paying a jillion dollars to tour the factory? But putting my foot into a Daytona at 90 mph? That good time rock 'n' roll will never die. Driving a Ferrari hard is an experience few human beings on this planet will ever have. If you have the opportunity, don't waste it. Be smart. Don't do stupid things. Ferraris have nothing to do with lifestyle. They are cars. They are special cars. They are meant to be driven, hard. If life offers you the opportunity, take it.

 

This is obvious, but true.

If you want to be involved in Ferrari events, socialize with other people, etc. that is great.

If not, just drive and maintain your car. It won't disintegrate if it doesn't get to hang out with other Ferraris.

 

If you haven't, I highly recommend trying it at least once though!

Kevin

 

For me, I'd say the worst part of Ferrari ownership is the BS that (some) others project on you; thankfully, I think some of that is avoided by having an older, not-red car.

 

Ive driven my 328 harder and faster than most Ferrari owners on the face of the Earth, and this for 25 years and 85,000 miles on the roads and canyons in So Cal.

Ive stopped traffic in the middle of busy intersections while doing multiple 360 degree tire burning burn ies while maintaining complete control , and then straightening the machine out to continue going ahead down whatever main blvd I was headed on at the traffic light.

My 328 has been obsessively cared for and maintained and mostly restored to keep it as mint as possible. Ive been telling myself that one Ferrari in a lifetime is enough for me. I dont think I will have the income to afford a second . I also cant see myself ever selling my 328 so I can try and afford lets say a 458 Spider.

Im grateful that I was able to experience Ferrari by owning a car from one of the greatest eras in their history. If Enzo and Luca were to ever have met me and follow my history with the 328, they would gift me any Ferrari of my choosing. I say this because I am at the very top of the list when it comes to what Ferrari ownership should be.

The average time any owner spends with their new Ferrari is 1 year. This is not what Ferrari owner ship is about. Its also not about some rich prick with 10 million dollars worth of Ferraris in their huge garage , that just sit there and wait for some You Tube ass wipe to take their cars out for a stupid video.

Ferrari owner ship is also not about some dumb ass rich house wife who buys a Roma at 45 years old so she and her husband can look cool in front of their neighbors in Los Angeles. Buying a Jaguar would be just the same .

I know my 328 intimately front to rear, I know how to drive it on the limit because Im familiar with its limitations. My Ferrari had become an extension of myself. I cannot imagine myself never owning a Ferrari. The driving experience is second to none in my estimation.

Big G

 

I appreciate your enthusiasm. However, doing 360s in the middle of intersections is probably not wise.

 

very simple just focus on cars pre 458, anything after that and your wed to the dealers for the most part

 

Agree. I’ve always been into the cars as machine and art. As soon as the conversation turns into a “what’s it worth” discussion I’m bored. This has kept me enthusiastic about classic sports cars, which are less about dealer lists and more about driving and looking after a bit of history.

One challenge with Ferrari is that the brand is also a status symbol, like a Louis Vuitton or Hermes purse. We may be more interested in the experience, but a new Ferrari with fender shields and contrasting stitching on the ashtray is a luxury trinket to the general public.





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Brotha you gotta take that Ferrari up to Grandaddy's in Wausau they showin all the trim. Girls might have some c sections but hey ooooo @imahorse knows what I'm talking about

 

All I can say is this

I get a lot more "thumbs up" and questions driving a 328 GTS than I did a 458 Spider. I had a guy who was probably 20 come over to the car last week just in love with it.

"What year is that?" (one of the most common questions I get asked behind "is that a Ferrari?"
"86"
"Its beautiful. And a stick shift!" (like he had never seen one before)

Classic cars are more approachable. And I think people have very little understanding how fast cars actually go. All Ferraris look like they are "going fast".

 

TF - to answer your question, yes I can. And I hope to have my first crack at ownership later this year or early next at the latest. It all comes down to how fast AR gets paid on some big projects I have. Then I will start my search in earnest.

 

I had similar experiences in my 328, and my older Porsches. There are always interesting conversations when it comes to classic cars. People know you’re an enthusiast, not a snob.

I don’t think I ever filled the tank on my 356 Porsche without someone coming up to chat.



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i better not respond

 

I was advised by family members to not consider a Ferrari due to the perceived BS. I was so pleasantly surprised to speak to a very kind SA a couple of weeks ago about a slightly used Roma on consignment and actually brought up the BS thing. He was aware and genuinely dismayed that such a perception exists surrounding the brand.

 

I have been lucky enough to have owned a Ferrari since 1994. I bought it because it was a goal of mine, and I achieved it. I was very lucky to have grown up with sports cars, and to me, a Ferrari was the pinnacle of sports cars. it was as simple as that. over the years most of my friends are from the Ferrari club, we have traveled the world together, gone through sickness and divorces, and our little friend group still sticks together. so I dont know the "BS" part of Ferrari ownership. To me it's been way better than I ever anticipated. I guess there are those that give you the thumbs up, and think you are rich etc... so what. I have a Ferrari for me. I've been able to drive tons of Ferrari's and have loved every inch traveled. From my humble 308 to a 512 S race car... each Ferrari has been a dream come true.

 

I've found that car guys with Ferraris are just car guys, and typically fun to hang with.

The folks that have Ferraris because OMG LOOK AT ME I GOT A FERRARI have their own niche, and fortunately I rarely have to interact with it. But if those folks didn't exist, there wouldn't be used Ferraris for bottom feeders like me

 

I love the atypical enthusiasts.

Long time ago, I overheard a kid (13-14 y/o or so) walking by my 86 911 being all excited, including pointing out to his mom that "those are real Fuchs wheels!" The Force is strong with that one, I think.

 

With so many years in this business my general philosophy is any car we will own has already been built. Saying goes double for cars from Maranello.

 

You know you have found a real teen age enthusiast when you are driving down the Freeway in a 288 GTO and the kid in the next car over goes ape **** because he knows it not a 308. Had it happen. Had to smile and wave.

 

Hell yeah.

When I was a kid of about 13, I was reading a copy of Cavallino in the backseat of my dad's Hyundai Excel while we were on the highway. I heard a car roar past, so I looked up and saw a black Boxer heading up the highway. My dad was a good sport, so when I asked him to try to catch the Boxer, he did - not an easy task, chasing down a Boxer intent on getting somewhere with an 87 Hyundai Excel. As we pulled next to the Boxer, I held that copy of Cavallino (with the cover visible) up to the passenger window; the guy smiled and roared off at a speed the little Excel couldn't match.

That's one of my earliest, and fondest, Ferrari-in-the-wild sightings.

 

or 100...

 

I need to go see it!

 

The best time of my Ferrari ownership years were the years I raced my 348. I'm still racing but rapidly approaching my "sell by" date. I keep a lightly modified 550 maranello as my future trackcar when I'm no longer competitive and can't get past the doorbars and out the full containment seat. Then I'll be "driving" a Ferrari again.

 

Strictly subjective but I believe, based on experience, that the “brand” is perceived completely differently by those who revere the Enzo era cars and those who are more interested in the more modern cars.