What was your first drive like?

I bought my 348 (since sold) In Fl on business.. Had an extra 30 minutes, drove by a place, said wow that's cheap.. I'll take it.. left..

2 weeks later it arrives to my house... light rain.. the guy takes it off the truck.. 2 girls (I didn't know) in a honda stop and say when do we get a ride.. I was like maybe this was not a bad purchase..

Truck guy left.. Had no idea how to put it in reverse.. Thought it was broke...

Like an idiot called the sales guy to tell him it didn't go into reverse.. He said you have to push down... Humm oh well..

Drove around that night in a torrential downpour..

Great Day!

 

What a lucky girl!

Gorgeous too!

 

Well, I'm only 16, BUT, have sat in and started a Ferrari. And it just so happens to be TAX DR's Enzo.

Man. When he came up to me asked me how I was doing I was like so, your the legend? He goes, Why, yes! He asked if I would like to maybe sit in the car. I said "YES". After about 15 minutes of sitting and drooling with my jaw on the floor, he said, "Well, you want to fire her up or let someone else get some seat time?"

I said, "Hand me the keys!"

Man, putting the key in the ignition, hearing the K40 turning on, hearing everything get primed up, ready for start, then The best words ever, "Hit the button". So, I did. And click,click,click VROOM.

She came alive. The sound of that AMAZING V12 1 1/2 feet from your head is unreal. I have never heard such a sound. The 360CS (this was at the cavallino this year) that was about 40 feet away revving like CRAZY sounded like a riced up Civic compared to this. After about 10 minutes sitting in the car, he said "Well, go on! Giver some gas!" So I did, I just BARELY flexed my big toe and blipped the throttle up to 4k revs.

Surely, the best feeling of my life.. SO FAR

 

From the time I was 15 (in 1984) I worked after school at a dealership in Pennsauken, New Jersey, which sold a lot of grey-market European cars. So before I got my driver's license at 16, I had driven a few dozen Ferrari, but never outside of the dealership's premises. I wish I knew the serial numbers of some of the cars I drove, because many were pretty special. They included 308s, Dinos, Boxers, Daytonas (including a true 365 GTS/4), a 275 GTB, 330 GT 2+2, a 250 GT PF Cabriolet (Series 1).

The first time I really got to drive a Ferrari - on the road and for a distance - was an incredible experience. I was 17. Along with the boss in a 512BB and customer in a Testarossa, one of the mechanics was supposed to drive a 365 GT4/BB the dealership had for sale to a weekend car show in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles away on the other side of Philadelphia. It was Friday evening at around 5:30 when the mechanic had an emergency come up and the boss asked me if I could drive the car in his place. I can't tell you the euphoria I felt.

Soon thereafter we set out. I sort-of knew where we were going, but my boss said to just follow him and the TR would be following me. It was rush hour traffic and he had two cars following him, but my boss really wanted to make good time. We flew up Admiral Wilson Blvd, crossed the Ben Franklin Bridge and then took Vine Street (I think the Vine Street Expressway didn't exist yet) to get to West River Drive. On West River Drive, the traffic opened up and my boss really started to fly. I did my best to keep up and I am pretty sure we topped 80 mph for a stretch, which is not sane on that road at that time of day, but I was young and stupid. My boss should have known better. At some point we got on the Schuylkill Expressway, but I think I lost the TR on West River Drive.

So we get to the Valley Forge Convention Center, and my boss says "Where's the TR?" I told him I hadn't seen the TR for quite some time. He said he had told the customer (who, as it turned out, did not know the area at all) that the King of Prussia Mall was a big landmark, so maybe he went there. He asked me to get back in the car and see if he was at the mall. So now I am cruising the local mall on a Friday night in a Ferrari. I never found the TR, but I remember driving past the Friday's there at the mall, and asking some of the lovely older women (they were probably 25 with big hair and short skirts) who were arriving for happy hour if they had seen another car like mine in the area. They said they had never seen another car like mine anywhere.

At that point I drove back to the convention center, and the TR had made it there. But I can't help thinking that if I knew then what I know today (instead of being just a high-school geek who loved cars), that I might have an even better story to tell.

I must say that the Boxer was a great car to drive with an incredible sound and the difficult rearward vision is easily mitigated by driving faster than every other car on the road.

 

I had never driven a Ferrari until after I purchased my first 348. I was nervous and it took a bit of getting used to. My feet are size twelve, and the pedal space is cramped and narrow, so working the clutch properly was a challenge. I was a bit freaked out by the steering knuckle rubbing my right foot when shifting/downshifting and turning corners at low speeds. I also had one of those "oh sh*t!" moments the first time I shifted from first to second before the gear oil was warm (under 4000 rpm). It didn't take long before everything felt natural. The sound of the engine coming to life when you turn the key is unforgettable, and it still puts a smile on my face every time.

 

I was still in dental school 8 years ago and my friends and I were in Vegas on break. I rented a 348 spider from a joint on the strip and had it for 50 miles for 24 hours. I was scared witless but the sound of the engine with the top down was pure intoxication. The first corner I took, the rear end came loose and it was just a blast. I felt like a rock star because I was getting comments from every direction. Even a lady in a minivan at a stoplight asked me to "rip it". I had 4 friends with me so each I took on a trip up the highway and back down the strip. I gave it back in exactly 50 miles.

I would have rented the 355 spider but it was 750 for the day while the 348 was 500 (which was a lot on a student budget). The day I got back I started keeping a spreadsheet on 355s for sale, which has changed to the 360 and now 430. I hope to be able to be a proud owner some day.

 

Some great stories there!

 

I think that 348 spider is still running around. It's got to be most heavily "youtubed" Ferrari of all time. A lot of people got their first drive from that car. It should be in the factory as an historical monument!

 

Ahhhhhhhh, THATS the one eh?

When I was in Vegas 3 yrs ago, I saw a red 355 Spider for rent, didnt see the 348.

 

I think I've seen it on lower end of the strip. I know there's one 360 spider and one 430 coupe also for rent at that and another location. Another guy off the strip shut down recently.

Heaven help anyone who bought that poor 348! It's had it's share of abuse -- and the videos are the proof!

 

The rental place I saw on the strip had a red 355 Spider, red 360 Spider, red Viper and a red Vette.

Both Ferraris looked pretty beat up. I didnt look closely at the Vette and Viper.

Further down the strip, I saw the Murcielago roadster, Mercedes Maybach and a RR Phantom.

Got pics here on my hard drive.

 

I actually went to Vegas a couple of years after that experience and the strip mall where I rented it from was gone. Now I think the new City Center is there now.

When I rented it, the guy said they had the ability to know if it was abused and would charge me after-the-fact if anything happened. Scared me straight! I never came close to overrevving it but I kept the RPMs high most of the time. The thing must have had a Tubi because it wailed.

 

Last July I was shopping for a used 430. I visited Midwest Auto Group in Columbus Ohio. I had sat in one of their 599's and one of their 575M's a year before. The salesman asked why I was not interested in a California. I said from the pictures they were really not that good looking. Then he pointed out the red demo in the corner. I about fell over as the California is gorgeous! After a bit of chatting I asked him to start it. He said better than that to hop in and he would take me out for a spin ... and I would be able to drive it back!

It felt almost like the first couple times that I jumped out of an airplane, almost not really happening. I kept the RPM below 4K which he scolded me for, pushing me to rev it higher.

About a week later they offered me an allocation and I took delivery December 5th.

The best love story I have heard yet!

Rick

__________________________________________________
Money isn't everything but it is way ahead of whatever is in second place!

 

It was back in 1997... my wife and I went to a used car dealer to test drive a Porsche C4. While she was out with testing the Porsche... I hung back and walked around the showroom. And there was a red 308 just sitting there on the floor... beckoning me to test drive her.

I did. I remember turning the switch... and wow! Engaging the gears thru the H gate was something will never forget... clucnk clucnk!
Life was so simple then... no power steering, no electronics, musty aironditioning, sooo mechanical. I fell in love with it immediately. It was the turning point in my life.
Took me another year before I bought a 328GTS...
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

My first drive was in Monaco a couple summers ago...I was 18. I had previously been for a ride in my uncles 360, but never driven one. While in Monaco for the day on a family vacation I convinced my parents to pay for me to take a ride in a 355 around the route that is the F1 track. So I got driven around, the sound of the 355 in the tunnel was amazing...I knew once I got out of the car that I just had to go again...but this time drive! we were booked to leave monaco soon so I wasn't able to do it...but we were staying in Nice for the night...thinking about the drive the whole time on the train back I decided I just had to take the opportunity to drive around in monaco, so I did...took the train back to monaco by myself, ran down to the rental place just before they closed, paid my 80 euros or whatever it was and took a seat in 360 spider they had there.

driving it was amazing, was super nervous about driving it in stop and go traffic and not being 100% confident driving a 6spd, but I managed...I even gave it a bit to much gas once and got reprimanded by the chaperon in the passenger seat. But I didn't care...at 18 to drive a 360 around Monaco was an amazing experience...I remember pulling up to a 4-way stop with a F40 on one side and a CGT on the other...i thought I had died and gone to heaven.

goal now is to own my very own ferrari by the time i'm 30...give me 10 years, i think its possible!

picture from that day:
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Fantastic Lung!

A mere 13 yrs later and you are soon stepping into a 458!

I am glad took that test drive back in 97!! Ferraris are the BEST!! Nothing else compares!

Fantastic to hear mate!

A Ferrari by the time you're 30 yrs old?? TOOOOOOOOOO easy!!

I bought mine at 25 yrs old. I worked for nearly 2 yrs straight to buy my 348 cash.

If I can do it, you should be able to do it too!

 

I don't remember exactly when, but it must have been in the very early '90's when I called Maranello in Egham to arrange to test drive a 3 year old 328 GTB which they were advertising for sale.

I had a fairly quick everyday car at the time and had great fun running down to the garage, no doubt pretending how I would put the power down in my first Ferrari drive. I was approaching Egham on a dual carriageway at well above the legal limit and as I entered the slip road, which was like a tight corkscrew spiral, twisting down and under the road I had just travelled, I realised I was going much too fast and had to scrub off speed in an embarrassing manner. Not too cool, but I was soon in the showroom, not really knowing where to look, but trying to stay focussed on"my" 328. I had a very experienced salesman beside me as we set out for my first drive and he allowed me every opportunity to put the car through it's paces on a fairly lengthy test drive.

I loved it. The noise, the power, the surprising fact that you could drive the car in 5th gear like an automatic from about 20mph to ....... and then all too soon I was back on the same dual carriageway at well above the legal limit about to take the exit down to Egham and I thought to myself that I shouldn't make a fool of myself by getting onto that corkscrew without braking in time. It was a few moments later that I realised I was going far too slowly and I began to accelerate into the downward spiral, steadily at first and then with more aggression as the grip continued to give me confidence and the G forces became noticeable and I came out at the bottom like the cork out of a bottle, with the engine screaming and begging to rev higher. All too soon I was parking the car back in its place and my passenger gently remarked, "you enjoyed that, didn't you". It was then, as I gently edged the car back into her place that the smell of hot metal and oil wafted through the cabin. I was totally hooked, but the truth was I couldn't afford the car and it was another 8 years or so before I managed to buy my first Ferrari!

Ther's nothing like the first time.

 

I just found this about my first drive, it is a reprint.

I purchased my first Ferrari Saturday 8/8/09. I was excited and scared! I’d had a Fiat 850 many years ago and when I sold it I said thank goodness I’ll never have to see those pointy fuses or cable drawn windows again. Oops. This car is a very nice driver but during the test drive the “slow down” light came on. I spoke to my Ferrari mentor on the phone and he went over the cat heat issue and relayed that his first purchase was towed half way home when he had a legitimate overheating cat. The owner was also very forthcoming with information about it and stated it had happened in the past, but not for a while. The car is generally in very good shape with only the common known faults that would be expected of a 22 year old Mondial Cabriolet.

After hours of inspection, filling out the paperwork and long goodbyes with some car tales mixed in it was time for me to go. My heart was pounding and palms sweaty, I was about to drive away in MY Ferrari. Just as I sat in the car a light drizzle started. By the time I got to the street from the parking lot it was raining. I entered the highway to what seemed like a torrential downpour and thought to myself, my first mile of Ferrari ownership is driven in a rainstorm. I’m in an Italian convertible in the rain, this can’t be good. I had flashbacks to my brothers Triumph where we determined we stayed dryer if we had the top down in the rain and went 60mph. The Mondials top is in excellent condition, the seals original and showing wear. I was waiting for drops to come down the inside of the windshield, but nothing. The car is tight, great news!

The rain let up and I’m rolling down the highway, I keep checking all the gauges like the concerned new owner I am. Gridlock! Traffic comes to a standstill. (brakes work good) My mind is going again. I’m sitting in a type of car that is rumored to have cooling issues, this can’t be good. I watched all the gauges, couldn’t take my eyes off of them except to pull forward a few feet each time traffic inched forward. The needle worked up to the 190’s range and stopped. I watched as it then dropped about 4 degrees and then rose and dropped. A huge sigh of relief, this car has a great cooling system, everything is working properly. It felt like an eternity but was probably 10 to 15 minutes in the stop and go traffic until I got past the construction squeeze.

Now I’m cruising. These things could have taken me months if not years to find out, I’m excited. I know at 95 degrees that day that my cooling system is great and the top keeps the water out. I’m in a 70 mph zone now and cruising, coolant temp is still great and I roll the windows down, time to relax in the number two lane and cruise the 190 miles home. Then out of the corner of my eye, the car in the #1 lane kicks something up. 1/2 inch wide, about a foot long, it looks like the shaft of a large screwdriver. Whack!

I’ve covered my first 15 miles in my first Ferrari. Aren’t the bugs suppose to part for the first drive, don’t the angels sing from heaven? I had to ask myself if this was going to be the nature of my entire ownership experience? Maybe the Ferrari gods are testing me, trying to see how I handle the pressure, will I crack, will I overcome? I don’t know. What I do know is that the car doesn’t leak, doesn’t overheat and the gigantic steel shaft that was hurtled at me hit the airdam and did no damage. I dropped it to 4th gear and let the engine sing. It was a good day.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

first time i drove one it was a friends, and it was definitely memorable, but not the life changing experience some people make it out to be. The car felt superb, blazingly quick, and definitely the rock star attention you receive really makes it a memorable event.

In the end it's just a car, not like any others but still, it's not something you should be dwelling on.

Incidentally there are a few of my "first" memories for cars. The first BMW I ever drove, the first porsche I ever drove, and the first Ferrari I ever drove. Ahh good times.

 

Bought my GT4 last November in St Louis. Up to that point I had never even seen a Ferrari in person and come to think of it nobody I knew had seen one either. The place I purchased it from gave me a quick ride and for the life of me I could not figure out why everybody was looking at me. Then it dawned on me that ooh, we're in a Ferrari. Back home I was finally able to drive it myself. While not generally a car guy this car is one of the funnest things I have ever owned. I'm just thrilled when I take it for a drive. To this day I have yet to see another Ferrari.
I have reassured my wife that I love her just like I love my Ferrari. Sure there newer ones that may be better looking. And maybe some parts show a lot of wear. Maybe it smells like gas once in a while but it's still a great ride after all these years.

 

My first album was in my 348SS before you bought it in Southern California. What a thrill. As I told someone the other day (after I toured with them in my 308QV), Ferrari is something that lives up to the hype when finally the unit. Most things in life you down, these cars are not.

 

What an interesting observation. I am one of those people as well. Looked at buying a Ferrari for 10 years, but in all of that time I had never driven one.

Finally in November last year my car arrived on the back of a flatbed truck and my 1st Ferrari drive, in my actual car, beckoned.

The battery was flat, which was something of a anti-climax and the a/c kept dropping out (on a day where the temp was in excess of about 37 deg Celcius) which could have been a disaster.....but wasn't!! Took my 74year old Father (his 1st ride also) with me for the drive and both of has had the broadest grins. Despite my nervousness it was everything I had imagined....the sound, the power, the connection/feel.....since then it has just got better and better and better.....
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Some good stories to read through in here. I'm still looking for that first drive...

 

I was 17 at the time and just finished up a photoshoot of the owner's 360 Spider, one of the very few 2005s. He said he had to run something over to a neighbor and asked if I wanted a ride. After we got there he asked if I wanted to drive it through the neighborhood and while hesitant at first I agreed and we cruised around for about 20 minutes. Just an incredible experience and one I'll never forget.

And the obligatory picture:
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Mine was an F430 around Thruxton in Britain. I remember the prancing horse looking up at me from the wheel, how solid it felt over curbing, how easy to drive, and the noise...