What was your first Ferrari sit / rode / drove ?

Haven't been in one yet.

 

In 1978 a freind rang my doorbell and said do you want to go for a ride. Out frount was sitting a 275gtb he had just bought off a hollywood used car lot for $8,000. Well it was a hell of a ride and what a buitaful sound.To bad he couldn't aford the upkeep and sold it 2 years later. Will always be one of my lust for cars.First one i ever drove 88 328. gavin

 

father was stationed in Madrid,Spain from 1970-74,and I was in high school at the base and we lived downtown in Madrid,will everyday when the bus from school let me off to go home in Madrid the stop was at a ferrari dealership and looking in the windows just wasn't enough,I think it was in 71 I went inside looking at a dino,roped off! after so many times coming in the sellsman let down the rope and let me sit in it showed me the engine and gave me information on the car,wish I still had those papers,well I was 16 going 17 and never forgot that a ferrari was dream car last year at the age of 52 I bought a 85 308qv,not a dino,but a ferrari,good enough for me

 

Thought I would update mine:

Sit: F355 GTS
Ride: F355 GTS
Drove: 360 Spider

Drove it for a little while today after a photoshoot, now I want one more than ever.

 

The first one I sat in and drove was a 330 2+2 back in the 80's. It was imported by an air force officer. I was surprised at how big the car was, very smooth engine, steering was a bit heavy. Later drove a Dino and that's when i understood what Ferrari was about. Still love the sound of the V6 engine, every start from a stop sign is fun.

 

I first sat in a Ferrari in about 1968. It was at whatever Ferrari dealership was in Beverly Hills or the Miracle Mile district at that time, and the car was a 275 GTS (silver, I think). I was about 15, and I think my dad took me there just because he knew I was crazy about European sports cars. What I remember was sitting myself down in the car, pushing in the clutch, which was not heavy, and snicking the gearbox thru a few gears. After a while a salesman approached with an older gentlemen, who was as I recall wearing a gray suit with a traditional hat and carrying a cane or walking stick. The salesman said something like, "Excuse me, sir. Would you mind if this gentleman got in?" I instantly said something like, "Oh, certainly" and got out.

What was memorable and cool about it was how courteous the salesman was. I was just some 15 old kid, and he could probably tell by the way I and my dad were dressed that we weren't rich, but he respected me anyway. The older man also had an amused but approving smile on his face and seemed to enjoy my enthusiasm for the car. I then watched for a while as the older man got in and continued to smile as he evaluated the seating position and so forth.

A couple years later I stopped by a Porsche dealership and sat in a 914. The salesman made some comment that made it clear that I was not worthy to sit in that car. I've had a negative attitude toward Porsches ever since.

Salesmen should always be careful of what they say and how they say it, for the effects of their words may last decades.


It wasn't until after med school and residency that I drove a Ferrari--the 246GT I bought in 1987 and still own.

 

Seen plenty on the street but never touched one let alone sat, rode or driven one!


Maybe one day

 

Sit - Testarossa
Ride - 355 Spider
Drive - 355 Spider

 

Great story, great experience to have.

My cousin was at Stanford during the mid-late 60's, and remembers the Bay area Ferrari dealership in much the same way.

Here in TX there was no such establishment...the old Precision Motors was apparently the place to order a new Ferrari...but I can clearly imagine the new GTB's, GTC's, and 330/365 2+2's on the showroom floor.

I did a have a similar experience with my first Ferrari seen in the metal, at the same Precision Motors. It was far from new, the battery was dead, so no ride. The salesman was likewise very friendly to a 15 year old kid. He took me on a flat-out, eyeball-squishing ride in a new Sunbeam Tiger... never forget it.

 

BobCor Motors opened in Buffalo Ny in late fall of 1969.They had a Car lot full of 275GTB and GTB4,330GT and a few 250s.And an AC Ace.On the showroom floor was a new 365GTB4 and anew 911s.The grand opening was on a cold snowy night and the place was pretty packed and too cold to go outside and look at all the Cars.Lou Cozza was the owner and he sponsored an Alfa GTA race team in the first years of Trans Am racing,he was a big proud italiano and around 6:30 PM he announced that the party would be over @ 7 and he would give one lucky guy a ride in his personal dark green 275GTB4.I grew up in my uncles GM dealership and lived in an all italian/jewish neighborhood,my Mother had given me many Ferrari books and for Christmas 68 I got the Fitzgerald and Merrit book with the white cloth cover.I knew my 250,275,330,365 GTBs,Cs Os. I was there with my buddies Dan and Kev,they prodded me to talk to big Lou so I went over and we chatted,I was about the only one there that could converse on the History Of The Factory.Lou asked me what a"SuperAmerica" was and I said a top of the line limited production series inspired by Americas great interstate roadways.Leaning on his 365GTB4,he nodded and I asked him a question,glancing at the little orange car,whats that doing in here? He says to me quietly "thats my bankers car" and then bellows so hard the showroom glass shook "porsches are MEAT" and then raised my arm up and said "you get the ride" He zoomed me around all these side streets about 90mph.I was 16.

 

A 308 GTsi, I think it was a 1980. I got to back it out of a garage at a car lot. I thought it was the coolest thing on the planet.

 

First sat in and rode in a fellow fchatters yellow 550 maranello many years back.
2nd time around it was in my friend's dad's red 360 spider

 

Sit: 275GTB same day / same location as 330 2+2 Series II
Ride: 330 2+2 Series I
Drive: 400iA

 

Sat: 360 Modena and I was kind of disappointed that it was as easy to sit in as in an Accord; for me, a sportscar must be low, the lowest possible!

Rode: Mondial T coupe 1992 Euro version.

Drove: that same Mondial T coupe 1992! and even if it is not a Ferrari, the most expensive car I have driven was a brand new Diablo 6,0L Yellow/Black.

 

Sat? Dad's 328GTS.
Rode? Uncle's Testarossa
Drove? None

 

About 1965-67...working for a fella who imported Ferraris...will never ever forget the times he took me for a run....the 6 Carbs!!...the sheer urge pushing you back into the seat...the solid sure-footedness...the admiring looks!!

 

It was 1971 , in South Africa, and I was taken for a ride in a blue Daytona with tan seats. I was 17 at the time and I remember thinking................................one day!!!!!!!!!!!!! 20 years later (now living in England) I purchaced my first Ferrari. It was a LHD 308
GTS. About four years ago, my ulmitate dream came true....................a blue Daytona with tan seats!!
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Quite a famous car now as well.

 

sat/rode/drive in a '97 F355 Spider. Rosso corsa/tan, top down all weekend...I was 18. Any wonder I've always loved cars?

 

First sit: Niki's 312T. Kroymans import in Hilversum Holland. By the way, anyone know exactly which car this is, which races it was in, racing pictures please.
First ride: Daytona on the circuit.
First drive: Mondial. A subscribtion to a magazine got you one hour of driving, a supervisor came along.
First (and only) own: 328
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My first love was what I ended up with for my first Ferrari. That was a brand-new silver 4HL 330 I used to see...and hear...around our neighborhood in the mid-60's, and the car I bought 37 years later was near- identical. It was the car that said Ferrari for me.

I've branched out, now have a great 308 GTS, would like maybe a 550 down the road.

 

Sit: 355 or Testarossa, can't quite remember
Ride: Testarossa
Drive: Testarossa
Own: Mondial
Sell: Never

 

Sat in F40
Rode in Challenge Stradale
Drove 599

 

1st Sit/rode/drove first a testarossa, a friend ask me to drove his testarossa from luxemburg to Paris, what a first trip!

Then I bought an 550, starting long list of experience.

Sat in TR, 550, 456, 360, CS, 575, F40, Enzo, F40 LM, all sold!

Also drove other cars such as Murcielago, Gallardo, Maserati spyder.

 

Haven't gotten the chance to ride in or drive a Ferrari unfortunately, but I have sat in some. The first one I sat in was a 360 Modena. I was so scared about opening the door too far, that I tried to squeeze out and hit my head on the A-pillar. The salesman was quite amused.