360 Degrees of Exclamation!

...Then Bradley pulled over. "Are you ready?" he said.

"Ready for what?", i asked blankly.

"To drive!" he said, as he got out of the car.

"What...?!? Are you serious...?"

i just met this guy two weeks ago; he invites me to his tattoo parlour to hang out and all of a sudden we're riding in his black on black on black 360 Modena! It was amazing... We had spoken earlier that day and he said he'd be working 'til 9, but that i could come over and hang out.

So i drove out to his shop and watched him ink a customer. The art on the walls is amazing; it was like hanging out inside the left part of someone's brain, closely inspecting their most intimately creative thoughts and ideas.

After he finished with his client, we shot the breeze for a while, just chatting about cars and other cool stuff. Turns out Brad busts his ass everyday and has virtually no "spare" time to enjoy his hellish Modena - so he uses it as his daily driver! Awesome...! In just 3 months, he's put almost 3 thousand miles on it... That car is HAPPY!

So, after talking about the car, he decides we should go for a ride.

"Wanna go for a ride?" he said. You don't have to ask me twice.

So off we went, scything into the night. Firmly bucketed in black Daytona seats with red inserts and red piping, Brad's shroudingly evil-looking triple black 360 seemed to dim the crepuscular evening. Aside from the Xenons and wailing Tubi, we were almost invisible. He demonstrated the power of not only the go pedal, but the stop pedal, as well. It's an impressive machine, to say the least.

So there we were, cruising , when he pulled over and coolly uttered that fateful question. Fumbling with the mere idea of it all, i had to ask if he was serious.

He was. So i did.

As always, i sheathed my hands in my signature driving leathers. i nervously lowered myself into the cockpit - (you'd think after having driven a Mondial, a 355, 2 328s and a TR, i wouldn't get these first-time school girl jitters anymore) - and let my body settle into the seat like stones settling in a box. Once the door was closed and i was belted in, i pulled my glazed eyes and smile away from the dash for a second to make sure the parking brake wasn't on. My left hand fumbled down on the floor by my left foot, right by the seat, but the brake wasn't there. Wtf...?

Oh, wait. It's up here, to my right. That was my first sheepish moment. Once i was set to go, i engaged first and as my foot began to feather off the clutch, the car just started moving. Every facet of these cars denotes a powerful urge and strong desire to DRIVE. Not sit to be seen; DRIVE. Off the clutch and very conservative with the gas, we were instantly at 40mph. i barely touched it!

A little more and i was ready for 2nd. Not so fast. i guess she wasn't warm enough for second, so after a moment of struggle, i conceded to third. That was my second sheepish moment.

Third gear - like second - is geared to MOVE, from bottom to top. Even at low RPMs, the slightest pressure on the loud pedal thrusts the car with urgency and immediacy. After cruising for a minutes, my foot suddenly got heavy and we instantly shot off, into the night. Approaching redline, i shifted and WOW...! This is not some notchy, stiff, temperamental gearbox; it practically shifted itself...! Before i knew it, was going twice as fast as i just was a moment ago. i still get chills thinking about the acceleration.

i was fastly closing in on the next throng of traffic ahead, so i slowed it down and downshifted back into third. That traffic was soon in my rearview and shrinking by the second, though. Ripping through third, i sought out the ends of the earth. About 1,500 from redline, i sliced into fourth, not missing a beat and steadily closing in on fifth. With the tach needle rising with the same fury as the speedo needle, i shifted into 5th.

Everything outside of the car was just a blur; everything was still and silent. The engine note symphonized my actions as we barrelled down the road. i was in heaven.

i inevitably found more traffic and was forced to reduce my speed. Eventually, i pulled over and Brad and i switched seats once again, journeying back to our starting point. He had a wife and two kids to get home to and i had a huge smile i had to maintain.

We parted that evening, only to see each other again last night. Bradley's been itching to ink someone with a Pranching Horse as he's never done one before and i was only too happy to be the test pilot. When i arrived at his shop, he showed me his outline. It was exact in every detail.

Laid out, Bradley began working. Executing his skill with permanence into my skin. Upon completion, he said it again:

"Wanna go for a ride?"

Unbelievable...!

Before i knew it, we were fiercely running down the expressway. It takes me a half hour to get to his shop and within ten minutes, we were only two exits away from my house! A u-turn took us back towards his shop, but not without a small detour...

...for some drifting...! Brad showed me his 360's sass as he swung her ass back and forth around corners. A burnout and even a donut were included in the demonstration. i guess driving it everyday familiarizes you with a car. In just a few months, he's got a handle on how to drive it.

When all was said and done, we ended the night with a sneak preview of some very cool video editing from the NNO Who run he did. All in all, it was two very awesome nights.

The 360 has been very elusive hitherto, as i've never had any first-hand knowledge of its true capabilities. i've fallen in love with it all over again and even now, days later, i can't think about it without getting that warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Damn, i love Ferraris.


Thanks for everything, Bradley; you're a real class act and i had a kick-ass time. Hanging out with you was definitely a pleasure. It's amazing how many really cool people i've met on the internet. i'll see you soon.

 

Thanks, everyone... i had a lot of fun hanging out with Bradley; it's such a privilege to be able to drive one of these cars, i'm so happy he shared that with me... He's truly an A+ dude...

 

i guess the wheels and the tint are an acquired taste; i can see how some folks might not like the color combination, but this is, hands down, my favorite 360...

 

This is exactly what i mean when i say you're a stand-up guy; a real A+, class act... Thank you, Brad...

 

Well, there's nothing wrong with being either one...