First ride.. | FerrariChat

First ride..

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by Varenne, Nov 15, 2003.

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  1. Varenne

    Varenne Formula Junior

    Nov 8, 2003
    555
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    Mark
    I'm sure that all of us remember our first rides in a Ferrari. I thought this might make for an interesting thread.

    For me, it was about 15 or so years ago at a small software company I worked at here in Atlanta. I knew that one of the guys in the company was purported to own a Ferrari, but he also never drove it to work and he was also kind of difficult to talk to (quiet, friendly, but kept to himself, etc.) Anyway, I had always been enamored of Ferraris and I figured that if he really *did* own one, then he would also know the folks at the local dealership - at that time, called FAF Motorsports (or something like that). So I asked him if I could go with him one day to the dealership just so I could look around a bit without being hassled since I obviously wasn't a buyer. He said something like "Meet me in the parking lot tomorrow about 1:00 and we'll go then." So the next day, I'm outside in the lot at at the appointed time, leaning against my '78 Accord and I hear this engine wailing up the street. Imagine my shock when he pulls up in a brand new '88 Testarossa (red of course). I still don't believe he actually owned that car - especially since I was pretty sure his own car was a 308 - but like I said, he was quiet and no one really knew him very well and he always kept very much to himself. Anyway, of course he shows me the engine and all that and then I hop in and we head to FAF. He never even exceeded 70 mph on the highway, but I was still in heaven - even just sitting there not touching anything. The thing I remember the most (besides the obvious styling and the looks of people we passed on the highway) was the sound of that V-12 right behind my seat. Anyway, we get to FAF and he's chatting with the folks there who all knew him and I just sort of wandered around a little bit lusting after every piece of metal in the shop.

    I'm sad to say that even now, 15 years later, that is still my only ride in a Ferrari. I'm 44 now, but one day, I will own one. But now that I've got the wife and two kids and a mortgage and all that, it's just taking me a lot longer that most. I've had some pretty severe job setbacks over the past 10 years and I'm not an entrepreneur or business owner, but I'll get there one day. Until then, I'm enjoying the hell out of this forum and reading about all you lucky guys who have the car(s) of your dreams. Happy Motoring !

    Mark
     
  2. JaguarXJ6

    JaguarXJ6 F1 Veteran

    Feb 12, 2003
    5,459
    Black Hawk, CO
    Full Name:
    Sunny
    I've rarely encountered a Ferrari on the street before. Being new to driving and having not been a childhood or teenage car fanatic, I never recognized them for what they were. The shape of a 355 spider, at some point, was ingrained in my memory, but only barely, at a time and place I can no longer recall. Quite unlike what I remember when I first spotted my marque cruising the streets. Everything from the when, the where, the sights, the smells, the company and the conversation are as acute today as they were then. Ferrari was the elusive name rarely spoken and to my novice eyes and ears, shrouded in the thickest of mystery. That was, until last year.

    It was on an errand for medication for a family member that I spotted my first exotic that fueled the awakening to learn more about them. What makes these cars so sought after? Why do people become slaves to them, or rather, in what way do they enslave their owners over time? It was a rich person's game that I didn't understand. It was an NSX that first shocked me to my senses, a car that will forever be a welcome addition to the garage. In my quest to learn more about them, I heard the name of that elusive marque mentioned again. Ferrari. What is a Ferrari? I'm an Italian-American yet this was never brought up in the past?

    All of this changed when I met Byron and his 348 challenge car this January. I was on an "Ortega Run," highway 5 to 74 to 15 to 79, up Mt Palomar, down the slope to the 76, and to the coast with a group of NSXs. It was that day that my dream grew... changed. I was a blind man given sight, but only temporarily. I was a deaf one able to hear my first symphony before being thrown back into silence. The spine tingling sound, the smell, the pleasing shape to the eye, the presence on the road, the exclusivity. The car oozed soul, or what I refer to as, personality. Raw where the NSX was refined, imperfect where the NSX was perfect. Built out of and with passion. But, I wouldn't learn this until later.

    Byron mentioned FerrariChat. If this was anything like NSXPrime, I immediately found myself lurking for a few weeks, not knowing if I would be welcome, similiar to how I joined with NSXPrime. I made my first post in a So Cal driving thread welcoming Marty, here: http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/messages/167223/199374.html

    That was where I first started talking with and met Matt. He was in Valencia and there was a drive going on soon.. would I like to ride co-pilot? I finally understood and felt the same passion Ferrari owner's felt. I have to have one. More importantly, the friendships made at this time and on other driving events will shape my life for a long while to come.
     
  3. peajay

    peajay Formula Junior

    Apr 17, 2002
    454
    near Paris, France
    Full Name:
    Paul
    Mark

    I am a few years older than you and my first drive in a Ferrari was only this year, it was a 1987 328 GTS and I couldn't believe it when I heard myself say "I'll have it". I waited over 25 years, I have also done the wife two kids and the mortgage, and finally it was my wife who said have it !! And you know in reality it is quite a good investment, the price of these older models has not changed much for some years, so little risk of significant price drop. I am not a rich person like some on this site, so I am working on mine myself, so the cost is really not that high. This great site convinced me that despite the lack of available information ( I can't buy a workshop manual like I can for a Ford) it is quite feasible to do all my own work on the car, and that's part of the enjoyment of owning the car. The way I figured it in the end is I can either have an X dollar number on my savings account statement each month or I can have it in beautiful sheet metal in my garage, it sure gives a lot more pleasure than looking at a number.
    I wish you the best of luck, and don't give up the dream.

    Paul
     
  4. amenasce

    amenasce Three Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Oct 17, 2001
    33,014
    Full Name:
    Joe Mansion
    My first ride in a Ferrari was 18 years ago.I went with my dad to pick up his new Mondial Quattrovalvole. I was 5 or 6, and i remember the dealer explaining to my dad how the car worked etc..until we finally drove back home :)
    Funnily, i dont remember much of the ride but much more of the car parked in front of the dealer with doors open etc...
     
  5. tbakowsky

    tbakowsky F1 World Champ
    Consultant Professional Ferrari Technician

    Sep 18, 2002
    19,349
    The Cold North
    Full Name:
    Tom
    My forst ride in a Ferrari was at age 16. It was a red with tan 85 308gtb QV.

    A friend of mine and I were just driving around looking at cars at various used car and new car dealers. We pulled into a M-Benz dealer and saw the Ferrari backed in out back near the other sports cars. My friend and I walked right up the car and we were both completly captured by it. I (feeling a little nervous) walked into the dealership and asked the reseption lady who I could talk to about the Ferrari.

    She looked at me funny,but pointed me in the direction of a sales person. I slowly walked up to him and asked if my friend and i could have a look at the Ferrari in the lot.

    He sort of had a side ways smile on his face and i was expecting a big "no way" But he looked at me and said "hang-on" a sec.

    He dissapeared down a hallway,and in a few minutes returned with a set of keys. He handed me the keys and said "just bring them back when your done looking" Not beleiveing I had the keys to a Ferrari in my hand I almosted walked into the glass showroom windows on my way back out to the car.

    As I walked towards my friend I held the keys up in the air shaking them so they would make that tingaling nosie. He could no beleive it!!

    I opened the drivers door and sat down in the drivers seat..the smell of the leather was fantastic the view out the windshield was very cool,and that chrome shift gate stareing back at me, gave me butterflys in my tummy. My friend was just as thrilled as I was.

    About 20 minutes went by, and I noticed sombody walking towards us...It was the salesman that gave me the keys. He walked up and very causally said "you wanna go for a ride?" I almost fell over. I said sure!! I jumped into the passenger seat and he got behind the wheel.

    He put the key in the ignition and turned. The engine came to life and settled into a throaty purrr. He easied the car into first(down for first? I thought). He slowly eased out of the parking lot and out into the street. I could not beleive I was in a Ferrari!! He steps on the throttle a little more and shifts into second,a little more gas,third comes and goes,then 4th....wow!! I could not beleve this!! The sound the smells the whole experiance is one I will never forget. We went around the block a few times and then one high speed run down the back road close to the dealership. We returned to the dealership and I jumped out of the car with the biggest grin in the world. It was now my friends turn. I stood and watched as the car disappaered down the street,and i could still hear the sound of the engine long after it had been out of sight. They returned and the sales man parked the car in a spot,locked it up and started walking back to the dealership. Both of us ran after him and thanked him,and told him ho much we enjoyed the ride. He said no problem and continued on with his day.

    I still remember the mans name to this day.and Jerry if you reading I thank you again!!
     
  6. Mike C

    Mike C F1 Veteran
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Aug 3, 2002
    6,081
    Southeast USA
    Full Name:
    Mike Charness
    Mark (mhauler): Since you obviously still like Ferraris, we have lots of Ferrari-related activities in Atlanta and nearby areas. In fact, you just missed one where we had 18 Ferraris plus some Lambos, Vipers and other cars playing around on the roadcourse track in Talladega. Many of the folks there were from Atlanta, and we were all giving rides. There were 24 cars for the track that day, but we had 86 people in total attendance, and almost no driver went out on the track without a guest enjoying a ride in their passenger seat.

    Keep an eye on our area websites at
    www.fca-se.com or www.fca-se.org for events.

    Also, in the lower part of the FerrariChat main page, you'll see a section for "Georgia/Alabama/Tennessee" under Regional Areas. Check it out (including a few pics from our event this last weekend).

    By the way, my first ride in a Ferrari was when I bought my current 308QV ten years ago.

    Mike
     
  7. Pong

    Pong Formula Junior

    Nov 5, 2003
    796
    Thailand
    Full Name:
    Pong
    I have been touching, feeling, sitting, etc etc... on several parked Ferrari before...but to drive one took a very long time.

    I was an international student in North Carolina looking for a new car...I was driving 993 C4S at that time (money comes quite easy when our business back home was good) and enjoy it a lot...but since Ferrari in Thailand was impossibly expensive I told myself this is probably the only chance I have to actually own and use Ferrari as a daily driver...

    So, I went to the dealer in Greensboro and they had the 348 spider in stock...it was a rare find with less than 1000 miles on the clock (kept in the barn for a few years, still had spider web on the car when I drove it)...well, sad to say that it didn't change my life..348's performance was disappointing comoaring to the Supra turbo I used to own and not much different from the C4S I was driving, but it still manage to impress me with its sound....man oh man...I gotta have a try in the 355...

    Then a few months later, I brother showed up in the US for business trip and we went back to the dealer for C4S's service... There I saw the black/black 355 GTS used being offered..so, I asked for the test drive.. Well, needless to say, I was stunted by the sound and the performance...(not butt-kicking like the Supra, but a smooth delivery I love from the non turbo machine). As I drove back to the dealer and came to talk to my brother 15 minutes later...he already decided to buy the car!!!!

    So, we came in with the C4S and went back home with the F355 GTS..ha ha ha...

    By the was...2 months later I changed it to F355 F1...a lovely car...it was the last car I owned in the US...

    That was back in 1998, now I am back in Thailand and all I can afford is Japanese sport cars...NSX, Skyline GTR, EVO...I still own them all and love them very much...but there will always be a spot in my heart left empty and waiting for a nice used Ferrari to fill one of these days....

    I hope it will be soon....ha ha
     

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