Your first Ferrari, how did you feel?

That was a good story thanks for sharing..

 

Inspired! Posts like this keep me motivated in my research and saving. I should have and extra $30k to put down on a 355 come spring time....

 

I set my goal on a Ferrari long before I got it. To finally have & hold the object of my wildest dreams was beyond elation. I had it delivered to a local Ferrari/race car mechanic's shop. On they way there I though I would vomit I was so excited! Really. When I first saw my 1989 328GTS I was blown away by the stunning beauty & perfection of the work of art. This was comparable to having the Mona Lisa hanging in my living room. I couldn’t breath.
Andy Greene had to remind me, “It’s ok to pray for a Ferrari, but not to pray to one.”

 

My first real drive was a bit underwhelming. The car had flat spotted tires, but it was a 348 Spider and sounded fantastic. I drove it to my mechanic, Bobileff and he got me some new tires along with the major the car needed. When I picked it up, it was incredible. Everything I thought it should be and more. I kept going out to the garage and lifting the car cover and still could not believe this thing was mine.

Now with my 348 SS, the magic is still there, but this time there is the added pride of customization in the Brotherhood and myself for modding it to its current performance level. We have more to do, so the fun never ends. Owning and driving these cars is truley an enviable experience, not to be missed. However, working on and upgrading them yourslef or with your buddies substantially enhances the experience.

 

Even though it is 10 years now, I remember it like it was yesterday.

The truck came. I got in drove off, I cried a little that day and I am not someone who cries lightly.

From a trailor park to a ferrari in 8 years.

Anyone can buy one, it just takes motivation.

 

"I need to get this fuchker home in one piece," was my first thought after it was unloaded off the transport from CA.

I'd never driven a Ferrari. The 330 was no harder to drive than some of my previous monsters, and I felt confident almost immediately.

There was one dramatic evasive maneuver that proved what the horse badge is for, but the highlight of the drive was when a much younger guy pulled up beside me and yelled, "Is that a V-12?", then gave a big thumbs up when I answered in the affirmative.

 

I brought my 308 home on December 27th 2002, in a rain storm, crossing the Puget Sound on two different ferry boats and up I-5 in a flood. I had only driven a 308 briefly before this.

I didn't know what any of the switches did or how to turn on the heat and defroster. I was pretty jittery but after I got settled down into a cruise I remarked to myself how "normal" this car felt going down the road.

It wasn't until I got the car home and dried off in the garage that I had moment to reflect how cool that car looked (YELLOW!), how cool it felt to drive something you weren't going to see around town, ANY town near where I lived.

The full impact and joy of ownership came when I started going on drives with the club. What a blast!!

Now I'm on my second one, the TR, and it's even more of a rush. It's bigger and faster and sounds so much better. Another 100 HP and it would be perfect!

Somebody asked me why I didn't go on lots of vacations or travel much and I told them it's like a vacation every time I go for a drive.

Here is a picture of both.
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Two beautiful cars, Spasso...

Congrats!

Mike in Kuwait

 

Thanks!
I wish I still had the 308 because it was so much fun to toss around in the corners. The new owner has done lots of work to it including a very thorough engine-out service, new paint, grill and interior refresh etc...........

 

I know this thread is about Ferrari ownership and eventhough I do not own a Ferrari (yet) I just had to share my first Ferrari experience with you all. The weekend just passed was my 30th birthday and my life long dream of driving a Ferrari came true. My family organised an all day rental of an F355 for myself to enjoy. Now before this weekend the only contact I had with any Ferrari was seeing them on the road and checking them out parked on the street. I had never had the pleasure of sitting in one let alone being a passenger in one.

Since i was old enough to comprehend what an automobile was I have been obsessed with Ferraris and to actually drive one of my all time favourites was mind blowing. I basically had the car for 8 hours and by the end of the day had put over 150 miles on the clock! Once the initial shock wore off I was so nervous and had no idea how I was going to drive this 6-speed beast. Within an hour I had the hang of it and by the end of the day it truly felt like I had owned it all my life. This is a car that is built to be driven and if you show it the respect it demands driving it is an absolute dream. I spent the day driving my friends and family around as they are all car nuts and it was just as much a dream come true for them as it was for me. I greatly enjoyed sharing that moment with them all.

I could waffle on for hours about my experience and trying to summarize what emotions one feels from driving a Ferrari is just impossible for me to do. No matter how many videos you watch on the web or tv, you will never grasp the sensation of driving one of these machines until you are sitting in one. The sound, the heat, the smell and the power are indescribable. The overall feeling you get is out of this world. I have read many posters on these forums say that a Ferrari has a soul and I couldnt agree more. These machines are simply not cars, they are a work of art. The way they look, sound and feel is totally overwhelming. I now know why they refer to them as supercars!!!

 

Very cool mate!! Thanks for sharing, that was a nice read.

 

In the words of Lt. Col. Kazinkski in Jarhed, I think I felt my dcik move!

 

It was pretty cool at 18 y/o to have the Ferrari parked in the high school parking lot and banging all the cheerleaders in it on lunch break.

 

Leonard, you will get there someday, too!

It isn't an impossible dream. If I thought it was, but now have a Ferrari, then you can too (and probably will!).

At some point in your life, you will make an expensive prioritized decision that won't be based on practicality. That may be your first Ferrari.

 

I had a picture of this car on my wall when I was a kid. I always dreamed of one day getting one. I have owned many sports cars and enjoyed all of them very much (Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, all brand spanking new). I think the difference is that they were all daily drivers, and no matter how sporty, after slamming to and from work in them, the sportscar just becomes "The Car". Not true with the Ferrari. My first and only Ferrari is a 1983 308 QV. I would love to own a more modern car, but I would hate the kind of attention it attracts, and the 308 with its non-power steering and manual shift to me really is a true sports car. No Frills, just performance.

Anyway, when I drove my 308 for the first time, it was an indescribable sensation on sensory overload. I think the most incredible part of the entire experience has to be the sound of the motor, and the loud clank as the shifter bangs into the shiftgate between gears. The other thing, unlike the Porsche, the faster you go the more solid the car becomes. The most interesting part of Ferrari ownership is that it never gets old. Everytime I drive the car I have the same wonderful experience. Even if I do move up to a more modern car, I do not think I could ever sell the 308. Oh, and did I mention the sound!!!
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What a great color combo!

 

That's a EURO version 1983 308 QV! Very rare! Only 748 308 GTB QV's were made, and most of them were American versions. It wasn't worth spending an extra $8,000.00 to import a Euro version when the $60,000.00 American version was already Federalized.

Beautiful car!

 

Actually very few were American versions. Most people wanted to be Magnum in the 80's. I used to have one and did some research and found more Euro cars here than US versions. The currency play was such that it was indeed profitable to import in the mid 80's which is why there are more Euro QV's here than earlier cars or 328's.

Dave

 

I've bought my first ferrari...a 355 GTB last a few weeks ago, but am waiting for a 30k service and smog to be done before I pick her up. The mechanic says it should be ready by tues or wed. next week. I tell you, just like all of you, I've been a Ferrari lover since I was a small child. My parents took me to Modena in 1983 when I was 13 years old to visit the factory. (I insisted that a side trip to the ferrari factory was extremely important, when my family was vacationing in Rome). I always knew that I wanted an F-car. The factory was not open when we visited, but a Ferrari employee saw me on the verge of tears...he let me and my father into the factory and gave us about a 15 minute private tour...I have never forgotten this experience. At the end of the tour, the ferrari employee gave me some car brochures, I remember one of them was for a 512 BB. As someone posted earliar: getting a ferrari was his motivation for finishing college. Well, getting a ferrari has been my motivation for finishing 6 years of college, 4 years of medical school, 4 years of medical residency amd an additional 2 years of medical fellowship training! This motivation has been a known in my family since I was a preadolescent. What I mean to say is that while as many of you have said that the emotion of the driving experience is the most significant emotion of owning your first ferrari, but self accomplishment can also be a major role, without being superficial or pretentious. This has nothing to do with showing off to others. I can care less what others feel about what I have earned. If you really love something, it makes no difference on what it costs or what others see it as. I'm new in practice and have just come to the point of my life where I can buy things that I desire...Bought first house 2 years ago and now I'm buying my first ferrari. Another friend colleage of mine said to me why don't you buy a bigger house, instead of buying a ferrari. I didn't say much back about this comment, but If I had to give him an answer I'd say, "I'd rather have a bigger garage than a bigger house." I'm an exotic car lover (1st and foremost Ferrari) and I'll always be this way. A week ago, I met with about a dozen or so ferrari owners during a "cars and Coffee" event up here in Northern California. All seem to be pretty cool guys from a mix of backgrounds. I look forward to hanging out with them in the future at the next event when I can bring the new 355 instead of my Camry! Anyway, back to the present, these 2 weeks of waiting for my car seems like at least a month. I have come to understand that this anticipation is a big part of ferrari ownership. Patience is always a virtue. So Leonard, getting that first F-car is very attainable if you really want it. The market, especially now is very buyer friendly. If you really want one do what you have to do and get it!

 

I'm with Spasso- great color blue.
Cheers,
Tom B.

 

Great story! Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your purchase. Enjoy her in good health.

-G.B.

 

Agree, outstanding.

Euro GTB is the 308 design in purest form.

 

I had owned a few american sports and luxury cars and even a mercedes SL but nothing compared to my first Ferrari. I bought it new in 1984 from Bob Sharp Ferrari in Connecticut. It wasn't a hard sell since I'd been searching for one in my area (NYC) for a while. I was turned off by the NY dealer at the time who has mercifully disappeared and found the red tan 308GTS QV I wanted at Sharp. I was also lucky to have my demo drive by none other than Stan Nowak who made my knuckles white driving through the winding roads around the dealership. That alone was worth the $60K I paid for the car. Driving home, I noticed how stark the interior was compared to other cars I've owned but grew to love the simplicity. It is still one of the most beautiful and timeless disigns out there. I remember my palms sweating and and a little nervous trembling the first time I drove it but after that there was nothing but euphoria. I drove it everywhere; to the movies, shopping malls sports arenas and left it parked there without regret. I sold that car through the dealership to a husband and wife who were attorneys. The wife later became the DA of Westchester county. After my 308 I bought a 328 then a Mondial Cabriolet (not my favorite). After getting out for a couple of years I bought a 550 as an interim car until my 360 came in. By the time my 430 spyder arrived I had already found my dream car, a 1973 365 gtb/4 and the 430 didn't stay in the garage very long. There is something special about owning a Ferrari that cannot be quantified by stats or performance numbers. But there is something extra special about that first one.

 

My first Ferrari was a 246GT Dino in 73. I bought it from FAF outside of Altanta having dreamed of the purchase from the moment I saw one in Road and Track. I read everthing I could on the car before purchase and even passed on a fairly good 72 used Daytona Coupe! I loved that car so much I even settled on the worst color which was Sand Metallic. It was later changed to Rossa and seats upgraded to Daytonas. Never forget when after flying to Altanta to pick it up I was hypervent. so much I got disorientated and hopelessly lost late at night in some of the worst parts of Altanta in none other than a Ferrari. Finally making it to the Fl. border at approx. 2 am with almost no traffic I decided that I needed to open it up and listen to the engine and chain driven cams, what music at 120 mph until I passed a State Highway Petrol veh. Guess what-- No ticket and not even a stern warning! In 78 we were a 2 Ferrari family with the addition of our Fly Yellow 308 GTB with a story that surpasses 246 as to delivery from Cressmans in Fl.
Doc F