My First F-car!

Guys, Over the last few months I've mostly been a silent observer of what's been posted and with the help of ALL of you, I've learned a lot. Without your help I would never be able to say I just bought my first Ferrari! I searched high and low and finally found the car for me: a
1999 F355 F-1 GTS - Yellow/Black with less than 3,000 miles. The car is immaculate and I love it.
I've always been a 5-speed/6-speed guy but 15-years ago I broke my back in a motocross crash and am now a paraplegic, which means I drive my car with hand controls, so the F-1 tranny was the only sensible way to go. The controls are quite simple and if you want to check out the car and the controls please take a look.
If I'm driving with a friend, I put each wheel behind the seat backs and the frame of the chair fits nicely in the bonnet. If driving by myself I put the wheels behind the seat backs and the frame of the chair in the passenger seat. Both scenarios work very well.
Guys, I can't thank you enough! BTW, I live in the Detroit area so if there are any other folks out there in the area, I'd like to hear from you.
Thanks again. marc
Special thanks to Charles P.
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Wow Marc! That is by far one of the coolest posts I've ever read on FerrariChat! Congratulations on your gorgeous car!

Are the controls pretty standard, off the shelf items, or did you have them custom built?

 

That's awesome. Enjoy the car!

 

Marc, you are a true Ferrari champion. I commend you for not letting your unfortunate situation hinder you from F-car ownership. Congrats, you are a insperation to many!

 

What a wonderful post, and great way to introduce yourself. A perfect example of somebody who did not let their disability get in the way of their passion. Way to go!!!

 

Enjoy yourself!

 

I love your tag.....way to go! Have fun and dont look back.

 

that is awesome, really made me smile. congratulations and have a blast man!

 

Awesome, man...Congrats on the Ferrari. One of the coolest posts I have seen.

 

Talk about wanting to live your dreams. What an inspiration....WTG!!! Enjoy your F-car.

 

A million congratulations! You are an inspiration.

 

Marc,

Congrats on the new car, it looks sweet. Is this the same car you were looking at before? BTW- My family is in the Pine Knob Golf Course area........sm. world.

Have fun driving and if you have questions this is a good place to ask.

 

Congrats!

and Thanks! for not giving up! Go get 'em!!

 

That car is beautiful! I've already showed this post to 3 people I know because I am so impressed by your take on life. Your an inspiration to a lot of us. Drive the wheels off of it and don't look back!

 

Congratulations! Enjoy the drive and thanks for sharing with us. It is great to have you here.

 

Ditto on the congrats!

It's interesting for me to read your post, as I was just today showing a car to a woman (I work at a dealership) who is in a wheelchair and is learning to drive with hand controls. I enjoyed helping her with a car purchase and she really appreciates her freedom from relying on others for a ride.

But as I was done helping her, I thought to myself, how would I handle being in her situation? Would I still have my desire to drive exotic cars? Would that even be possible? It now feels like a very selfish thought, but nevertheless, I wondered. Well Marc, you certainly answered that question for me. Thank you.

Your post is very inspirational. Thank you very much for the honesty and God bless you.

 

Very slick! I'm just amazed at little contraptions like that.

Congrats!

 

NICE looking car! Congrats on the purchase!

 

Exactly what I was thinking....have fun with the car!!!

Love the license plate BTW!!!

 

Congratulations! A worthwhile dream achieved.

I saw a Pantera also owned by a paraplegic, 5 speed ZF with a hand operated clutch assisted by a power brake booster that included a motorcycle type throttle grip with the hand brake on the opposite side of the wheel, all of his own design. The car won the award for best engineered at the show. Simply amazing what a person can do when determined.

 

Cheers !!!

 

by far , this is the most inspirational post I have ever seen.

congrats and enjoy!

 

Congrat on your purchase. Your post is very inspirational.

You'll enjoy your F1, as I also have '99 F1 but GTB. In Detroit, this is the time to enjoy your car. You planned it very well, too!

 

OMFG ! I love that car. 355, yellow, targa. Outstanding!!! Drive it and enjoy it -- it just shows all of us that life is indeed a twisty road, and with determination & courage, we can achieve whatever we set our hearts to.

Kindly,
Daniel

 

Full props to you and your car. I love the 355 , and yellow is gorgeous.
Enjoy in good health!