Italian cars...the best!

Just thought I would share with you some pictures of my two cars. The titanium 360 is one I keep at my home in the UK. My best friend lives in Monaco, so usually drive it down each May/June to visit during the Grand Prix (heading off in two weeks....yea!). You can see the Alps in the background of one of the photos. On the way down through France, hit speeds of 160+ on several occasions....so fast that the heat buildup melted my plastic british rear licence plate...! The silver Gallardo arrived two weeks ago...fantastic (although I have owned many Ferraris, this is the first Lambo I have owned). Keep it here in Scottsdale. Both great cars...but the Gallardo has significantly more performance. As a matter of interest, Ferrari are planning to release the 360 replacement later next year, and it will have a lightweight aluminium electric folding hardtop (that according to my 'inside' source at Maranello). The next decade should be a good one for those of us who like Italian automotive sculpture...

 

...if you look closely at the last photo (the one with my lunatic friend who lives in Monaco..!), you can see the 'melted' licence plate. That's what almost 50 minutes at 160mph can do...!!!

 

British licence plates are plastic, comprising an outer clear layer, the number layer beneath that, and then a thin foil layer that has adhesive so as to stick firmly to the paintwork (you can also have a special bracket mounted instead of sticking it to the car). In my case, the plate was attached when I bought the car, ...so not much choice in the matter. We stopped for gas after about 45-50 minutes of EXTREMELY high speed driving (....thank goodness for a lack of French highway police...). As I was filling the tank, I noticed a rather unusual smell....and realised it was the smell of burning plastic.... The inner layer of foil, instead of protecting the plate from heat, was overcome and instead transfered the heat from the exhaust/muffler through to the licence plate: result, one badly melted licence plate. I can't even begin to tell you how difficult it was to get the rest of the plate off the paintwork... Even so, was WELL worth the driving that resulted in the cooked plate... I can only encourage everyone to find, buy, rent, steal....a Ferrari and spend a week or so driving through Europe. Last year I drove from London down to Monaco, then to Maranello, up through Italy into Switzerland, into Germany and finally back to the UK. The roads and scenery are magnificent...and the ability to drive VERY quickly is unmatched in this country. It is great to be able to drive the cars as they were meant to be driven, and NOT have to spend time worrying about 'smokey'...! I passed a police car near Milan doing about 130, and stopped for gas about 15 minutes later. The same police car pulled in about 5 minutes after I did. The Polizie came over to me...and all they wanted to do was look at and sit in the car (...quickly granted..natch!), and how fantastico it sounded as such a BIG speed...!. Driving near Zurich....doing about 110, I was passed by black Enzo doing...oh, about 180!........what a sight. Anyway, the point is, if you can at all find the time, and can stretch the budget to rent a Ferrari for a week, have the holiday of a lifetime. The only real downside is how frustrating driving will seem when you get back home. Casino.

 

new info: the French police have declared a 'crackdown' on speeding on their 'Autoroutes' this summer. Oh well, there's still Italy and Germany!