How old where you the first time you drove a Ferrari - and what model was it?

Somewhere around 18 or 19. About 1971 or 1972. An old Ferrari with no heater, lots of smoke, very fast,....no idea what car at this time .....sold for a few thousand. Bought by a friend in Calgary....fun for a summer.......stinky after driving.....couldn't stop driving.

 

Age 30. Test drove a Ferrari Mondial from a Lamborghini dealership and almost bought it. Wonderful experience.

Joe

 

21 or 22, don't remember. MonteCarlo. Family friend drove his 575 with me in it around the hills. Heh.

 

I was 25, saw an ad in Road & Track for a 330GT for ~$12K in VA. I lived in NJ but called the guy, drove to VA that evening, and took for a test drive. It was a four headlight version which I didn't love, and it felt really big and sort of clumsy. My daily driver had been an E-type. I was about to get engaged so I passed. Took me 25 more years to own an Enzo-era V-12!

 

27. 360 Modena manual. Lovely experience.

 

32. When I bought my 599.

 

26, when I asked my then girlfriend to marry me. The 360 Spider was ours for the day.

The car didn't really influence anything--actually, she only saw it after the fact. It made a memorable day even more interesting as I made a fool of myself trying to use the F1 transmission in San Francisco. I remember coming across an F430 in the Broadway St tunnel, and we playfully gunned it! What a blast.

Experiencing the 360 re-ignited my childhood desire to drive and own a Ferrari. Later that year I proudly bought my first sports car--a lightly used Porsche Cayman that drove so well and also got me hooked on Porsche.

Last year I got to do a few laps in a 458 at Exotics Racing in Las Vegas; what a tremendous, tremendous car. This expert video game racer was utterly humbled by such a capable machine.

And three weeks ago, my dream came true--I replaced the Cayman with a Rosso Corsa 1998 F355, one of my poster cars. Its home now has said girlfriend (now wife, who supports and encourages um....reasonable spending on my hobby) and a 4-month-old son. I still can't quite believe it!!!

 

First F car I drove was a 308 QV back around '84 (I think?).

 

Dino 246GT around Silverstone when I was 17 and the car has sat in the garage of my uncle ever since apart from once a year going to get serviced etc, gave me the classic car bug ever since

 

38 when I test drove my Mondial QV a few months ago.

 

I was 28 and the car was a very pristine and low milage 328 GTS. The car was a loaner from the shop who was uppgrading my Alfa Romeo 75 QV. Perfect weather,perfect car and a perfect day. Drove around with half of my head sticking out over the roof. I now know I can't own a GTB...

 

I was 19 when I drove my dad's 1986 Testarossa. It was an awesome experience!


BT

 

Did he ever find out?

 

I tought my son Philippe how to drive in a 360 6 speed when he was 15. The other choice was my wife's Mercedes.....I thought learning to use a clutch would be a good life's experience. I thought that teaching him on one of the Miura's at work would be too much for a student driver.
Gary Bobileff

 

2 weeks after I turned 16 years old. Overwhelmingly fun!!

 

Embarrassed to say, I was 69 and bought the 599 GTB the same day. In my defense, I had previously spent my discretionary income on aircraft but finally discovered the joys of Ferrari ownership. Better late than never!

 

Love it.

 

I was 27 and was when I purchased my first Ferrari and drove it home, my Scud.

 

I was visiting a new client in Beijing China and the CEO said "I just bought a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti but I am afraid to drive it, can you teach me?". "Of course" was my answer, so out into downtown Beijing night time traffic we headed. After many close calls we finally got onto the open highway, and blasted north up to the Great Wall of China, exceeding 150 mph at times. We got there in 45 minutes then turned around. Toll booth operators were stunned, wondering "who is this white guy driving a new red Ferrari in rural China?".
The ride was such a thrill that I decided to get a new F430 (which I did and love). Unfortunately that CEO is still afraid of his car after our race to the Great Wall.

 

24 or 25, a 275gtb-4. Two months later I bought a 275gts, two years later I bought the first car, the 4-Cam. I've owned several since and loved them all.

Funny, I originally liked (back in the early 70's) that nobody knew what they were. Then Magnum came out and I didn't own one for decades. Now, the opposite has happened: there are so many Ferraris in my area that nobody notices, so anonymity has gone full circle.

 

First Ferrari I drove was a 575 Super America (I was 21). Has become one of my favorite F cars since

 

28. The day I got my 348.

 

I was 28... Back in 1976. Bought my first Ferrari. A 1972 365GTC/4... Still own it today..

 

My granddaughter loves to come over to the garage regularly to remind me she will be taking her drivers test in a Ferrari.

 

Surprisingly, he threw me the keys! That drive was one of my favorite automotive revelations.


BT