My first ever Ferrari ride - Sy's Ferrari 348!

The pics are here!!

While I was in England, a few FChatters very kindly arranged to take me out to see some wonderful Ferraris (UK Section: description and more trip pics) and I was also able to get my first ever ride in a Ferrari - a 348 no less.

Here are some images of me looking ecstatic enjoying a sit in Sy's Ferrari 348. About 3 minutes later, I was in the passenger seat having a ride out. The wintry conditions meant no high revs, but it was still an amazing experience.

All the best,
Andrew.
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Thanks Scott, although I am somewhat skeptical on 'very, very soon'. I'm planning long-term certainty of long-term ownership with careful planning rather than any 'get the car quick' efforts.

Actually I'm going to be in Houston for about 2 hours twice in July. Not sure that's enough time to nip out of the airport to say hi though.

Ah, I'd prepared myself though by frequently driving my parents' cars (not exotics) in the States.

Well, you know, it was mid-February. But I was just thrilled to be in it - I asked for a sit and got offered a ride too.

Yep, much to be happy about! It felt good sitting there.

I've seen plenty of the pictures of your car, PAP and it looks in exceptional condition.

As to these 'drive' offers... I should probably let you guys know I've never driven an exotic before and my daily drivers are a 90bhp MINI and a SmartCar ForTwo.

Closest I've gotten to driving 'exotic' (in performance terms) is BMW Z4 or a BMW 330 and I kept all the driver assists switched on. Although, I have driven a 1959 Triumph TR3A which was a pretty cool thing to do - certainly not a 'modern' drive compared to what I'm used to, and very entertaining for it!

I saw another post on the forum in a thread entitled something along the lines of "my friend wrecked my Ferrari" and the general advice was "don't drive what your insurance won't cover or what you can't personally afford to repair or replace". Which means... it'll be a while guys.

LOL! Well, I'd settle for the record for "most V8 Ferraris driven".

All the best,
Andrew.

 

"Tiiiiiiiiiiime is on my side, oh yes it is..."

 

My first Ferrari ride came up in conversation in Pete's (Nosevi's) 348 thread:

Model Specific Discussions > 348/355 > "348 - change of perception?" > NeuroBeaker's post​

So I thought I'd bump this one with some additional thoughts now that I've had sufficient time to fully digest the experience. Yes, I know, that took quite a while.

Well, while we were going out, Sy was asking me if it was what I had imagined and whether the ride was harsher than I had expected. At the time, I was a bit over-awed by the experience so wasn't really able to formulate an articulate response.

One of the things I really liked was how wide and low the car felt, and seemed to hug the surface of the road rather than float over it like, for instance, my little MINI. I guess that's the firm suspension at work, but when we actually hit the odd little bump it wasn't bone-jarring. In fact, my MINI somehow seems to be simultaneously more vague in road holding than that and more bone-jarring over bumps than Sy's Ferrari 348. So the ride quality of the 348 is exceptional in my book.

Before Sy had taken me out, I had also not previously heard the "sn-snick" sound of running the shifter through the gates. That sound has resurfaces several times in my dreams since.

As I said before, it was treacherous wintry conditions, so Sy was taking it easy - and even then, it was quite brave of him to take the 348 out in it! I got this sense that the 348 really wanted to be unleashed and the thrilling rumble of the engine behind us was... thrilling. Ok, I've lost my thesaurus again.

I'm very much looking forward to the next time I can see a 348 up close. It has been a car I have long admired aesthetically and conceptually for such a long time, and there is that old axiom about "never meeting your heroes" for fear of disappointment, so that first exposure it was quite a nervous moment. However, the 348 did not disappoint and my brief encounter with Sy's galvanised my determination to own one someday.

Well, my PhD studies are nearing an end, so soon the moment to start that 10-year virtual timer on Day 1 of my career job will arrive... and, before it runs out, I shall be a 348 owner myself.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Hi Mike,

I'm afraid the first half of the thread is dated from 2010, so I haven't got any travel plans in the near-term. I'm hanging on in Glasgow for the moment trying to wrap things up here.

I haven't driven a Ferrari yet, but have had a sit in the driver's seat of three now: 348, 360CS, and 458 Italia. To be honest, I'd be a bit hesitant to drive someone else's car just yet - although I would be careful behind the wheel, my own insurance wouldn't extend to cover the journey and I couldn't afford to fix it myself if anything unfortunate happened. I appreciate the offer though! Next time I'm in the North East US it'd be great to meet up for a ride out in the 355.

All the best,
Andrew.