How to deal with attention in 2025?

Umm, if its on your property, there is no need to respond at all. Personally I just tell people what it is, and let them deal with what ever thoughts they have. I have not encountered anyone who says anything bad in the last 30 years.... I had one lady who said to her small child when he pointed to the car and said what is that ( I was at a stop light) and she said - "That is a filthy rich persons car"... up till then/ or since I had never been called Filthy or Rich...

 

Two words saying "thank you" and trying to talk to the passion vs the cost

 

I dreamed of owning a Testarossa since 1986 and now have one (a 1990 model) for almost a year. A tiny little bit of novelty has worn off since I see it every day and drive it most days. Whenever I get complacent a smile, point, wave, photo etc. resets my joy meter by reminding me what I have is special. How do I deal with attention? I love it!

 

If you haven't seen this thread yet, you'll find some answers to your question here: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/funniest-stupidest-comments-you-have-received-about-your-ferrari.289559/

Overall, however, I think it's good practice to be polite. Ferrari owners get to be "brand ambassadors" of a sort when out and about with their cars; it's good to not be "that dickhead with a Ferrari". If someone shows genuine curiosity or interest, take a second and answer in kind.

 

THIS. Stay away from the one-liners and snarky comebacks. If the person acts like an ******* (which can happen, but it’s really rare in my experience), then a simple “thank you” and goodbye.

Ferraris look great on the high road.

 

I will echo the sentiments above. I have had my 458 for six months now. What I have learned so far is that I will get people commenting or coming up every single time I stop for gas. Without fail. Honestly, its all been positive so far. Most folks comment "gorgeous car" "awesome car" or something like that, and thats about it. A few more stop to ask more, like what model it is, how long I have had it, ect. The overwhelming majority of those have been from kids and guys in their 20's.

I am nice to them and say thanks for the comments, even when they mistake it for a corvette.

 

Public interest in the car is part of the "package" when you buy one. You just have to learn to enjoy the attention.

I have been surprised how much positive attention the car garners. It seems to make people happy to actually see a Ferrari.

Over 99% of all attention is positive. Should you actually get someone being negative about the car, they'll be gone again in a minute and you can just carry on.

 

I use my friends: Smith and Wesson.

(just kidding).

It goes with the territory but so does owning a Rolls, Lambo, etc. I actually invite them to take a look and answer their questions. Everyone needs a dream.

If they are negative I just try to be nice, smile, and blow it off. But that's like 0.00001% of the people I interact with when with the car.

 

For me I just talk to them if they want to know, More about the car I will typically give them a rundown on it depending on their apparent knowledge ..I stay away from any money discussions. If it is a kid with a parent i would occasionally let them sit in the car but only kids. If a discussion heads toward money or what kind of work I do or did i just kind of blow it off. Never had an issue with anyone…

 

Wow, you got excellent advice from everyone who replied to your post.

As far as "Any tips on dealing with unwanted attention....", sell the car and buy a Ford.

 

just answer car questions and no personal or business questions! always smile even on a bad day. 99% of questions i get are about color name, power, 0-60 and year related.

 

One of the best comments I get from your average Joe or Jane:

"Never sell that car!"

A couple of weeks ago I took my 328 out for an early breakfast. Like 7 Am before the crowds show up. I'm leaving the parking lot and a family with several kids are walking past. One is a boy of probably 5. He's wearing a LA baseball cap and holding his dad's hand.

The kid points to my car and says "That's a Ferrari!" I wave back. Dad snaps a photo.

So how does a kid who is 5 recognize a car that is 40 years old? Surely he's never seen "Magnum Pi". Yet something about it said Ferrari to him. I found that rather amazing.

 

I had an incident on the Vegas strip with my 458 Spider. I'm at a stop light and a raggedy guy comes running up to me as I'm stuck at the stoplight. I'm like -- OK, here it comes!. The guy gets next to me and says "Hey, you wanna share my beer?" I laugh and say thanks but no thanks.

That's about as close as I've come.

 

LOL, not this Ford....it gets more attention than Ferraris

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I will say from past posts, it seems like the UK has more of a "class struggle" issue than the US resulting in more negative encounters.

 

It never ceases to amaze me how respectful young people are. I'm out in a public area (gas station, store parking lot, public street), I have zero expectation of privacy, and they ask "can I take a picture of your car?".

I always answer with an emphatic no, but "I'll take a picture of you in the car." You can't put a price on their face!

 

That's way cool. When I had my first 308, I went into a convenience store where two young deputies were outside. One said "I'll watch it for you". I tossed him the keys and told him while I was inside the store, just don't red line it. I come out, the car is gone with one deputy left outside. The car rolls up a few minutes later and I've never seen such a big smile on anybody's face in my life!

 

This I can 100% agree with.

 

Put a Volvo or VW car cover on it. Something discreet that doesn’t attract attention.

 

I really dislike the attention. I’m a private person and keep a small circle, but I completely agree with the sentiment above. It comes with the territory, and for the most part, it makes people genuinely happy, so I just roll with it and answer their questions when they ask. It’s rare that I run into negativity, and if I do, I just ignore it. Anyone who chooses to hate on someone over a car isn’t worth the energy.

 

I'm in a in the rural cornfields and there's not another Ferrari in the county.

Many times I've been told, "I've never seen a Ferrari in real life!"

Kevin