Motorists Reactions

*Tillman wonders how to take that statement*

 

I find it most interesting to see the less than overt reactions that the Ferrari stimulates in the general public. You can really tell "car people" since they are the ones whose attention and eyes are drawn to the car. Without even thinking about it they notice the car and turn to check it out. Happens to me too, it catches my attention when I see an interesting auto amongst the background clutter of boring cars.

 

I haven't recieved my 512M Slumobile yet. I expect the reaction to that to be ratherenergetic
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Though I dont own a Ferrari. Some people in my area own F-cars. Two doors down a 360 CS. Across the road from me 456 GT. the guy with the 456 took us out for a ride one time. We pull up to a red light and this guy in a honda civic with an exaust the size of a 747 pulls up. He rev's his engine a bit and was suggesting a race. so we pulled a few revs and the light turned green. The guy in the Honda just takes off. We just went at a leisurly pace. Later on down the road we see the Honda guy pulled over by the cops. He was going 95 in a 50 zone

 

holy **** man. My dad when he got his first job as a gas attendant. If there was ever a BMW in the station they would send the new guy to pump the gas because the BMW guy was always a ****. MB or a Vette no problem. They had all the time in the world. BMW they just were in a hurry the whole time.

My dad talked back to a BMW guy and the guy was like. Your going to get fired

 

I've noticed this about some Bimmer drivers too. What is it about Bimmers that attracts that personality ? Of course some Bimmer drivers are cool too

 

Seems like the more "hostile" reactions come from the late model Trans-Am/Z-28 drivers. It's as though they, after seeing your Ferrari, become ill with road rage and want to prove to you how fast THEIR car is. I've seen many-a-Trans Am burn rubber after passing me, leaving from a light, etc.

Of course, they won't dare actually LOOK at my car.

Anyone else have this experience?

 

Yup. Just last night!

Two-lane exit. Z28 is stuck behind a slowpoke. I cruise by in the other lane. I see the Z28 pull out and cut off the guy behind me. We come up behind other cars @ red light. Nice Z28, obviously very healthy: suspension (lowered), exhaust. Dude is revving his engine and doing the lunge-brake-lunge cha-cha. I give him the "peace" sign.

He keeps doing the cha-cha for three blocks...all the time behind other cars in traffic. Finally come to an intersection where he does a rubber peeling u-turn. Gave him another peace sign (and mentally half a peace sign). What a jerk!! Did the guy really think I'd wanna race him? With all the other traffic around? Moron!!!

 

With those jerks buzzing around our cars sure makes going for a simple cruise almost impossible. Sometimes I just pull over and wait for them to leave.

 

I get similar reactions here. Everyone loves the look of the 328, and more than one person has said that he likes the look better than any of the "newer" Ferraris. When I am getting gas or getting in or out of the car I often see people looking but keeping their distance, and I usually wave at them to come closer; usually they do. Something about the car and its color seems to make people hesitant to come close.

 

Driving home at night from the last gathering at Giovanni's restaurant north of Atlanta, I was in a two-lane left-turn lane waiting to get onto a freeway when I heard a beep of a horn alongside; it was a group of teens piled into a car in the other turn lane and they were all going bananas. They were all giving me thumbs-up and grinning from ear to ear. So when the light turned I gave them a show, accelerating hard down the on-ramp. I'm guessing they all enjoyed what they saw!

I find the most enthusiastic group about the car are teen and (particularly) pre-teen boys. Most male adults and women of any age tend to be unexcited.....

 

I've found that while you get more reactions, people are less comfortable approaching you. In any of my other more mudane collector cars, I get approached at nearly every stop.

Chick magnet? Have found NOTHING beats my old Mini Cooper. Makes no difference where you are...attracts all women from teeny boppers to old ladies. My daughter would rather be dropped off at high school in the Mini than the Ferrari...

Bill

 

LMAO...!!!

 

At the valet at an upscale mall, an M3 owner, as I was minding my own business, made sure to tell me I made his M3 look bad. He was serious.
I smurked and thanked him for the compliment and that I enjoy my 7 series in the off time. Im never rude unless someone starts in.
MM

 

Strangely, I get the "gotta race" attention from ... econoline vans that couldn't beat a bicycle in a race.

I think they feel somehow "ennobled" by having their doors blown off by a Ferrari. :shrug:

 

Yeah - same thing around here. Cars I get the most 'wanna race' behavior from are F150 pickups. That's South Carolina for you...

 

I get the thumbs up from most guys driving nicer cars. From the pickup trucks I get cut off sometimes with sneers. The most annoying is when I am asked how much it costs by guys when I am refeuling in the cas station. From the girls I get asked for my name and or a big smile.
All in all, I prefer to remain anonymous and do not like the attention.

 

Best story I've yet had was way back in the late 80's, near the end of Magnum P.I., so EVERYBODY knew what a 308 was...
I'd just recently bought a '79 308GTB(nice little car, btw), was letting a friend of mine drive us back from a long work commute, cruisin' in town on I-40 when this young, status-type blond chick in, you guess it, a BMW, comes into view. Since i was in the passenger's seat, i could fully focus on this chick as we slowly passed her on her left, and it was A-mazing - head glance, confusion/what it that car(?), RECOGNITION, intense glare drilling through ME, to my BUD, to HIS wallet...little did she know her xray vision was looking at an empty wallet ... 'course, SHE didn't know that...one of those, you had to a been there kinda moments.

Strangest thing for me to get used to in that car was not the looks, it was pulling up to a traffic light, looking to my left, right into a hub cap...damn, those cars sit low, don't they ?

 

For the one day I had a yellow 360 Modena I was flashed by four girls (with HUGE tits) in an SUV. Other than that nothing special, here in Vegas we have everything. A lowly 360 doesn't get as much attention as you think it would.

 

I don't own a Ferrari, but I have a funny/cute story about a reaction to my Porsche.

This happened last week at a gas station. I was filling her up and a minivan pulled up that was clearly full of a family on vacation. A daughter and two sons emerged to stretch their legs, one of the sons being about 4, the other 11 or 12. The older son came over and stared at my car, started asking me some typical kid questions about it. I let him sit in it while I finished filling it up. I then went in to pay for the gas and when I came out the older brother had brought the little brother over to look at the car. He was telling his little brother how fast it was and cool looking and how he wants one one day because he loves it. The little brother said "I love it too", then proceeded to kiss the rear end of it and pat it like a dog. It just brought a little smile to my face. The older brother yelled at him and told him not to touch it. I had a good 10 minute chat with the father and the two kids who both sat in the car making vroom vroom sounds while the mother and daughter looked impatiently on from their van. It was fun to see the kids so excited about it.

 

Over here we have a saying.

Someone who drives a BMW wants to be rich.
Someone who drives a Mercedes has money.
Someone who drives a Rolls Royce was born with money.

 

don't they use benz's as taxi cabs over in europe??

 

Nice outline. Though Mercedes could compete with BMW "who wants to be rich" with the cheap-end models they now sell. I would put my view like this:

BMW/(cheap-end) Mercedes-who wants to be rich
Porsche/High-end Mercedes-someone who has money
Rolls Royce/Bentley/Ferrari/Lambo-Someone who is beyond rich

 

Aren't Benzs a differnet "product" in Europe in the way they are marketed, priced?

 

Yep they used E classes as taxis over in Amsterdam. Nicest, cleanest taxis I've ever been in.

Jon