How Do People React to Your Ferrari...?

Ok not a Ferrari, but I got a little taste yesterday. I was driving in a brand-new bright red RX8, on my way to pick up the new owner (nice 50 mile drive BTW) and I had a couple different people drive up beside, stare, almost cut me off, slow down, speed up, and on...I think they thought it was a Ferrari.

Makes me want a Ferrari even more!

Mark

 

Yesterday at a B.P. station I was in my brothers 2004 carrera 4s and this guy asked me how much did I like my Ferrari and how fast it was.
Two months ago a couple at a publix market made me stop and the girl said "if you let me take a good look around your car I'll show you my tits" then she walked around and her husband talked about cars for a while with me, about 5 minutes after I'm about to leave and she says "hey aren't you gonna look at my tits" and I said come show me what you got they look like D's to me, then she lifted her shirt and flashed nice round big ones with big huge nipples and I said to her " come closer "and I sucked like a baby for about 30 sec. then she said "thanks young man" and then she walked away. Her husband then asked me if I wanted to joined them for a few drinks and hang out but I am not into 3somes if there is another guy , only me and two girls but not another man involved, no way.

 

In four years, I've never even been pulled over in the Ferrari.

So far, all of my (non-parking) tickets have been in Alfas -- and the radar guns haven 't been right once.

But if you really want to see the cops go nuts, get a ricer with a big honkin' wing on the back.
(They always seem surprised to see an older guy in the EVO.)

 

My experience of reactions to the 308.

On the negative side, the odd comment on one’s sanity :
“Normally owning a Ferrari is a sign of character weakness”, What’s that about?
Or on one’s todger :
“Mmmm, nice long car!”, really funny that.

On the positive side, like everybody else ; there’s all the double takes, the smiling faces and the gestures of appreciation, (although I’m now seriously watching out for flashing boobs!). Being lucky enough to live in Switzerland, I can drive over the Alps (fantastic) and down into northern Italian villages. The reaction there has got to be seen to be believed. In Italy you realise just what a legend Ferrari is. And if it happens to be a successful F1 race weekend, well, just call yourself Michael and try and stay over 6000 rpm.

Other drivers’ reactions are interesting. In my wife’s small Fiat Punto, every b*%*r drives 2 feet behind you no matter how fast you’re going, and the bigger and more expensive car, the worse it is. In the Ferrari with my ‘slow down dear’ Mum on board, I can drive at 20 mph, have a queue a mile long behind me and no one will overtake, (I know, I’m not proud of this, the moral here is don’t take your mum to the shops in a Ferrari)

Anyway for me the positive smiling faces win out. And is it my imagination or does my pretty little 78 308 get more of a reaction than the modern, vastly more expensive new Ferrari’s? Just a thought…

 

bump

 

On Wednesday evenings in the summer I like to join a friend of mine at a lovely little bistro bar with outdoor patio in a trendy area of Toronto. I park the Modena directly in front of the bar where I can keep an eye on it and watch people's reactions to the car. There is a narrow signpost mounted almost in the middle of the sidewalk just east of where I park the car. Once the sun sets you can almost be assured that at least one or two people will walk straight into the signpost as they walk forward along the sidewalk and past the car all the while their eyes remaining fixed on the car.

I find men are much more likely to display their approval of the car with physical or vocal gestures. Women usually just look and say nothing. I think they may tend to look at me more than the car just to see "what kind of person" drives a $300,000 (CDN) car. Still waiting for a flashed pair of breasts but I'm not holding my breath.

 

I think I'd put a small standup sign on the front hood saying "Watch for the post!" Well, it would make me laugh if I was passing by!! (Of course, if it was me, I'd NEVER hit the post... I'd take a detour around the length of the car.)

 

I just picked up my new Stradale two weeks ago and pulled into my insurance agents office only to be greeted by the parking lot attendant with "Wow, is this the new Mustang?" I said "yes it is", and they said "nice."

The next day I was asked how I liked the "new lamborghini" I was driving.

And yesterday a SUV almost hit me as the driver was trying to take a photo out the window passing by on the freeway.

 

i dont know how the hell the 360 could look like the new mustang

it doesent look anything like it

 

It's the horse. I get that too with the 328 occasionally

 

Hah, Jealousy & envy are strong signs oif character weakness as well as stupidity

 

Can't let this, my favorite thread ever, die... lesseee...

There was the time a guy in one of those big rectangular delivery trucks with the sliding side doors pulled up next to me... motioning excitedly for me to roll down my window... a little afraid I just smiled and waved... but he kept motioning for me to rolldown my window... so, I did... he says, "Race me!" I smile and respond, "Yeah, right." He says, "No, really... I just want to hear it as you take off."

 

Monday the local Fclub karters got together and went to bang up some indoor karts. We park in the indoor garage, so everyone inside can always tell when a Ferrari pulls in. Amusingly, we can usually tell whose it is by the exhaust note.

Anyway, as we were leaving, the 348 spyder with the tubi, the 3 328s and the viper sounded just great echoing in the garage. One of the new employees came out to the garage and just about freaked about the cars.

He and I talked for a while about the cars while everyone else pulled out, and he was stunned to find out my car was 17 years old. "It's still bling, and it's from the 80s! Daaammnnnn, it must have been smoking back then!"

Think we made a fan

 

After driving an '03 Carrera and trading it in for a 355 GTS, people are definitely more conversational and inquisitive about the engine, looking inside, asking various questions, etc... so far everyone seems to be quite nice. However, I do get the occassional evil eye from the usual "displeased with life" type person.

 

Posting here because Brian requested it

Yesterday I got a thumbs up from someone in a SUV, and flipped off by someone in a Honda Insight. I don't understand the negative reaction, but I guess some people are just 'intolerant of other's lifestyle choices'


All I know is that it's going to be sunny and in the 60s-70s this week. Hurrah!

 

LOL. That's irony - by political tendencies I would argue there's probably a lot of environmentally-minded people who also support "celebrating diversity" (I use WA and OR as evidence). But, these people are inherently bigoted against people who disagree with them. For people who are professed 'lovers' they sure can hate with the best of them.

I heard a great quote once that basically said these special interest groups seek social and moral acceptance from people they would not accept. Their logic is for open acceptance of everything, but if you have clearly defined ethics, they will not accept you. Basically, it's like what's happened with homosexuality and abortion - after decades of fighting for acceptance to avoid persecution, now being against either brings persecution.

But, I think the Insight driver was likely personally bitter that they paid $24k for a car with like 72hp that will pay off the price difference from a Civic in gas in only 8-9 years --- while everyone else is still enjoying themselves.

 

Indeed... good thing, too... have family coming from out of town... it would be tough to say "No, I'd rather not get it filthy."

Back before it got cold, I went over to a friend's house in the 360... just needed to drop off something, so I didn't bother shutting off the engine. Halfway up the walk to his house, he comes out... "Heard your engine!" So, we walked down to the car while we talked and exchanged stuff. A few seconds later the family in the next house flowed out and down to the car... they, too, just heard it. One of them sprints down the street and is soon returning with more people... half the neighborhood was standing around asking questions before 10 minutes passed.

And I didn't rev the engine or anything... just the normal low RPM burble of a Ferrari. Made me realize how spoiled I am.

 

Such a neat thread! I was lucky enough to take a family trip to Germany a few years back. The family we stayed with owns a company named Lapp Kabel, they are old family friends and quite wealthy. They own one or two GT class 911 race cars and took us to Hockenheim to see it all in the pits. I was about 14 at the time and that just made my LIFE. I saw so many neat cars, but the F cars were just amazing. Now 20 I am even worse than I was then. I vacation in Naples Florida to visit family and LOVE walking down 5th on a nice cool Friday night so I can see all the great cars, I always see at least one Ferrari and am very guilty of the stare . However after being around and having ridden in many neat cars, I have yet to take a ride in a Ferrari... The sound is what draws me closer... I just can't wait until I can one day drive or ride in one. If anyone in Michiagn of Naples has any interest in making someones day give me a spin .

Kyle

 

Obviously a friend of Allan Lambo !!

 

Ken, could you.... uh... I dunno.... uh.. how do I say this... I uh... could you forward the picture to me please?

 

Freekin CLASSIC !!! LOL

 

Stopped by a restraunt to show a friend of mine who works there the new (to me) Ferrari. As I'm sitting at the bar having a beer, this couple walks in. About 30 seconds later the guy is asking who owns the Ferrari. My friend introduces us and we talk a little. I tell him how I usually drive down the local feeway close to the speed limit not wanting to attract the attention of the cops, being a red car and all. As I'm leaving he says "By the way don't believe that s**t about the cops, I am one and all I'm thinking is what did I do wrong that I'm not driving that car". Best part was he told me if I ever got pulled over to mention his name and he'd help out!!

 

I get a kick out of pickup trucks that pass me on the freeway and then slow down to take a second look in the 360's back window. Then they smile with thumbs up. Yea I know a pickup passing me on the freeway well sometimes I really do the speed limit.

 

I have had NOTHING but positive responses in the last three years, no jugs though !!! Countless stares and smiles, pointing, kids of ALL ages go crazy, tons of women do the "double take" which really surprises me, I did not think most women were "in" to cars and as such wouldn't know a Ferrari from a Ford (although othe posts seem to bear that fact out), TONS of people approach me everywhere, gas stations, redlights, anywhere I stop. Also get the pimple-faced kids who want to race, had a guy in a pick-up a few weeks ago snap pictures from the sliding rear window as we went down 285 at about 80-85mph, good for me we were separated by three lanes because the DRIVER was snapping the pictures !!!