WHY did you buy a Ferrari?

Bought mine because I had always wanted one since I was a kid. After watching TV shows like "Magnum P.I." and "Miami Vice" as a teenager, I decided that I would buy one when I had the means.

 

Seems to be a lot of common ground on this one.

As a very poor child that was very into cars a Ferrari was the ultimate car. The mystique, the beauty.

I really never thought I would ever have one. My dreams stopped at Corvettes and Porsches. In fact, up until the month I bought one I never really thought Id have one. It just wasnt on my radar.

However the right car came up at the right time for the right price and within two weeks something I never thought was in the cards for me was in my driveway.

 

When I was a little kid I walked by a blue Dino parked on a side street.
I was completely in awe of the styling, the scoops, the low sleek form.
I spent several long minutes studying every aspect of that car's incredible design.

I told myself that if I ever got ahead in life and had met my other major obligations, I was going to some day own a Ferrari.

The blue Dino I saw was very similar to the one in these pictures.
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Why did my dad by a 355. Well because it's the best car in the world. (Jeremy Clarkson) And the color....TDF Blue

 

My story is the same.

 

It was the best car I could get with the girl I had at the time?

 

Deep mystical experiences upon seeing my first ones in the mid-'60s.

Took me another 35+ years after that to become an owner, but now I'm on my second Ferrari and I have a feeling it won't be the last.

 

I worked for an Italian car dealership in the early 70s as a Service Advisor. We sold and serviced Ferrari, Fiat, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo. My daily driver was a Fiat 124 Sport Coupe and I also raced another Fiat 124 Coupe in B sedan. I always told myself that I would own a Ferrari before I died. Last month I bought my first F-car... 330 GT 2+2...finally.

 

In my case, it was the movie "Grand Prix", which I saw in San Juan's Cinerama Theater in the spring of 1967. (Because it was Puerto Rico, we got the movie later than most.)

In the Monza pits the day before the Italian GP, Jean-Pierre Sarti, after having an argument with Manetta (really Enzo Ferrari with a different name), is discussing it with American reporter Louise Frederickson:

"You have to grasp the mind of Sr. Manetta, my darling. If a driver can be reached by those tactics, it means he probably will fear for his place on the team. That is exactly what Manetta wants, because that driver will try all the harder to win. He will perhaps take a risk which he would ordinarily avoid."

In the race, Sarti stalls at the start and gets away 30 seconds late. In his effort to get back to the front, he takes risks like the ones he mentioned the day before. When a part falls off a car he is about to pass, he is pushing so hard that he cannot avoid the part before it hits his Ferrari and knocks it out of control. He crashes through the guardrail of the Monza banking to his death.

A few weeks later, during the Monaco GP, Lorenzo Bandini is trying too hard late in the race to catch leader Denny Hulme. He misjudges the chicane, crashes, the car turns over and bursts into flames. While his fatal burns could be attributed in part to the surprising incompetence of the trackworkers, the fact was that he, too, was taking risks of the type that Sarti had mentioned in the movie. I began realizing the unique passione surrounding the Prancing Horse that made drivers do this. It wasn't a new thing, either; in the late '50s, it seemed that more race drivers died in Ferraris than any other marque -- imbued with the passion and trying too hard to live up to the Commendatore's expectations.

When I began getting familiar with the road cars and noting their uniquely beautiful styling, I knew that someday I had to own one. As an engineer whose daily drivers have been Hondas for 30 years, a natural choice for a mid-engine exotic would have been the Acura NSX. Compared to my 328, it would have been cheaper to buy and to keep, with more reliability, better ergonomics, and easier-to-find parts and service. But I never considered one. For me, it was the heritage, the mystique, the passione, that made a Ferrari the only choice.

 

Because the Ferrari body kit on a Fiero just didn't do it for me

Seriously...the attainment of a goal & the excitment of the best that the automotive world can offer, at your finger tips, was just too tempting to pass up in this lifetime...if you love cars, ya gotta have one.

 

I have been interested in cars and racing since childhood. I had been driving Porsches (dozens of them) since the late 1960s, but I have always been interested in and fascinated by Ferraris. I still remember magazines like Road & Track with a 250GTE on the cover, and a copy of Sport Cars Illustrated with red and yellow 250SWBs on the cover. For some reason, my fascination was always tainted by a certain intimidation by the marque, I must admit. Of course, there was always the financial factor, and Porsches were always cheaper than Ferraris! My fascination was the same as all Ferrari fans of the 50s and 60s....splendid design and style, legendary competition history, Italian romance vs. cold German efficiency, etc.

So, for me, a Ferrari would be the ultimate fulfilment of my automotive passions. The next step was to decide which Ferrari. I began looking for the right car about five years ago. My criteria included cost, aesthetic appeal, best car for the intended use (mostly tours), potential price appreciation, and era (I have no interest in post-Fiat cars). I was not interested in 2+2s; 275GTBs, TdFs, Lussos, and 250SWBs were more than I wanted to invest in a car. Eventually the field was narrowed to 330GTC and 365GTB/4. After considering many cars, I settled on the 330GTC as best meeting the greatest number of my criteria. I haven't regretted a moment of it, except for one thing.....I wish I'd taken the jump and acquired my first Ferraria lot sooner than I did!

 

I've loved Ferraris but never thought I could afford the cost of owning one. It was just an unrealized dream, sort
of like winning the lotto. Way out there in the future... someday...

One day, I realized the difference between making your dreams come true and pure dumb luck. If you can believe
it, you can achieve it. To me, it is a symbol of dreams realized and personal achievement. I couldn't care less what
other people think--most of my friends don't even know that I own one. The car makes me smile! It's a work of
art and a work of automotive passion.

 

"The Line,
The Style,
The Power"

This was actually the ad line for Alfa-Romeo in the mid 80's but for me it says everything for Ferrari - the line (as in the history) and the rest is self evident. I bought a postcard of a 308GTS in Italy in around 1982 and it was pinned above my desk everywhere I went to remind me what I was working for, and remains above my desk now just in case I forget what the one downstairs looks like (LOL - fanged up the range yesterday just for the heck of it!).

 

I have always been into cars and owning a Ferrari has been a dream. Ferrari is a work of art and performance all in one.

 

"E la passione" To me it's a symbol of one proud man's vision and dream to create something special in order to be the best in the world. Enzo Ferrari changed the auto industry as well as becoming the hero of all Italians worldwide. Rolling art is what I consider it, but meant to be driven as only Enzo would have wanted. It was also my Papa's dream and this week it's arriving to his soon to be surprise! "Il sogno divente vero." I'm proud to also be "un vero Italiano who gets to share his dream all started because of my dad's passion for F1 and Italian culture.

Ciao.

 

Rode in my first one when I was 18.

After that I just knew a Ferrari was THE definition of the word "automobile;" all the rest are merely various forms of transportation.

29 years later down to the month, I owned and registered my first AUTOMOBILE.

I hope to own another someday soon. My first horse is lonely and desires company.

 

I rode my first one at 15

But enough about me losing my virginity...

Like 99.9% I always dreamed of a Ferrari but never imagined I would ever own one.

My how times have changed...

 

Always wanted one since I was a kid. I remember walking into a Ferrari showroom at 15 and chatting to the salesman about an F40. Since then I had to have one. I dont show off with it, but like to inspire young ones into buying one. Its the ultimate, so you should always aim high. I quite fancy an Enzo now!

 

I have always been a car and motorcyle enthusiast since I was a kid. Started racing moto-x as a teenager then got into cars. I used to watch Magnum and dreamed of owning a ferrari but thought they were always out of reach. However, as one post says "my how times have changed". I remember being in college and seeing the TR and thought, I will own one of those someday before I die! Well, 18 years later and voila, I have my prancing horse in the garage and it's christmas everyday! When I went to pick it up, I literally cried from pure enjoyment and could not believe it was my car. The work of art that Ferrari produced with the TR is timeless. What a beautiful car just to look at. When I test drove the TR, the high speed torque was breath taking and being a former bike racer, I said, wow, I never thought I would find something more exhilarating than a 2 stroke powerband, I was wrong! Finally, anyone reading this thread who does not own a F car, don't waste time and get to it, I just wish I would have bought mine many years earlier!

 

It is not really an easy question to answer, but I went back to my very early knowledge of these cars.

In the late 1950s, I had a plastic kit (Aurora, maybe?) in about 1/32 scale of a 212 Barchetta. This was my first ever exposure to Ferrari. I did not know what it really was, but it was obvious that it was no MG or similar. In the early 1960s, I found the paperback version of Ken Purdy's book "The Kings of the Road". This was a compilation of magazine articles about famous cars that he had written over the years for True and other mens magazines.

One chapter was "The Motor-master of Modena". From that point on, my mind was firmly made up that as far as sports cars went, the former reigning king was the Bugatti, and the successor to it was of course the Ferrari.

So, about 45 years later, after the substitution of many Porsches, Corvettes, and some others, came the red Testarossa.

 

I have a small wee-wee.....

 

For me it was 75% THE SOUND!!!!

 

EXCELLENT REASONS!

 

I bought my first Ferrari, a 1986 328GTS when I received my first 6 figure bonus