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an evening with a Ferrari legend

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by lukek, Jul 6, 2005.

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  1. lukek

    lukek Formula 3

    May 2, 2003
    2,085
    San Francisco
    Full Name:
    LK
    #1 lukek, Jul 6, 2005
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    It was an unorthodox birthday present....It was a hall pass to leave the preschoolers, homeowner duties, and work chores behind. My wife recently OD'd on car shows, so she was even OK to attend to things at home...
    While I did feel a little guilt (Catholic upbriging) I could not wait to get into my grigio argento metallizato 250 GTE and head for the Napa Wine country... on a perfectly sunny California afternoon.

    In the exclusive Meadowood resort awaited a dinner with none other but Phil Hill, the first American champion on Enzo's payroll.

    The invite came from Ferrari Pacific (FCA), and in coordination with several luminaries, they did an excellent job. The guests and organizers included: Ron Profili (FCA pres), Martin Swig (California Mille Miglia fame), Brandon Wang (Silicon Valley co. founder and collector of vintage Ferraris), Bruce Canepa (customizer, enterpreneur), Bruce Meyer (LA real estate tycoon and car collector recently featured in Forbes), John Mozart (his Alfas are worth than most of our houses, even in the Bay Area), Arturo Keller (winemaker and car collector), John Lamm (my fave Road and Track photographer), Phil Harlan (Meadowood proprietor), Art Zafiropuolo (co-owner of Silicon Valley Ferrari), and those are just the people whose names rang a bell in my mind.

    What was the focus, in addition to the dinner? It was an auction of painings, Lamm prints, wines, and other donated items to raise some funds for Derek Hill's racing career. Phil's son is experiencing a string of early successes, just check it out for yourself:
    http://www.derekhill.com
    The auction was followed by a fantastic slide show narrated by Phil, his son Derek, and his wife, Alma. The pictures from the 50s and 60s Ferrari pits, shots of the famous racing drivers (Ascari, Gendebien, Moss, Fangio, etc.), as well as vignettes of famous racetracks were amplified by the excellent wine and gourmet food. A picture of the accident where 88 people died was a chilling change of pace.

    The whole event was framed by a car show on the green at the Meadowood. It was a very idyllic setting, with the spas nearby and nice shade from the giant trees.... In order to get there, and because of traffic, I had to reroute the GTE through a somewhat sketchy and colorful neighborhood. The resulting contrast of showing up on a perfectly manicured green field, with a small, giggling crocket playing crowd, dressed in all whites, really brought home some of the society's inequities. Thankfully, after I parked the car, the woman with the wine tray found me very shortly, and I forgot about all about that after only two glasses of Pino Grigio. Besides, I have been working hard at the office for the past 5 months, and this felt like a deserved break. The combination of wine, the cars, the people, and the setting sure made my glad I joined the club, and responded quickly to the invite !

    This is, IMO, what the hobby is all about. It is about driving your car at midnight on the Silverado trail and winding out the old V12 to 7K RPM, scaring the raccoons. (Those espresso sized cylinders sure got a workout for the 250 mile round trip). It is about meeting new friends and colorful personalities who are crazy enough to enage in the same passion, even if it is slightly unreasonable. It is about seeing fine art, or someone here on fchat put it, "rebelling against mass produced mediocrity". It is about interacting with history, an automotive colored legacy in this case. Or...just to put it more simply.....I had one helluva time !

    Here are some pics of the car show with plenty of Ferraris, as well as Phil checking out his old Jag. Phil is in the black jacket, I am in the red shirt (duuh).
    :)

    PS. Gotta upgrade that cellphone camera...
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  2. LT-1

    LT-1 Karting

    May 13, 2005
    238
    San Francisco
    Full Name:
    Robert
    #2 LT-1, Jul 6, 2005
    Even if I had abilities beyond my meager vocabulary, I think I would still end up uttering something along the lines of:

    Wow.

    What an incredible afternoon. Thanks for sharing the photos.
     
  3. neilmac

    neilmac Formula 3

    Apr 18, 2005
    1,252
    Oakville, Ont.
    Full Name:
    Neil
    #3 neilmac, Jul 6, 2005
    What a fabulous day for you. Thank you so much for sharing with us.

    Oh, and Happy Birthday!!

    Neil
     
  4. MS250

    MS250 Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Dec 10, 2003
    26,580
    Full Name:
    Avvocato
    #4 MS250, Jul 6, 2005
    Congrats !! That 250 looks perfect in that pic with the modern fcars.
    Happy BDay !
     
  5. parkerfe

    parkerfe F1 World Champ

    Sep 4, 2001
    12,887
    Cumming, Georgia
    Full Name:
    Franklin E. Parker
    #5 parkerfe, Jul 6, 2005
    I went to an Italian festival in Birmingham, Al. about 15+ years ago and Phil Hill was the guest of honor. It was back when Ferrari F1 was not winning many races and we watched the race together on ESPN at 7am Sunday morning in the hotel bar. We also visited the Barber Motorcycle museum back when it was in an old warehouse like building in Birmingham. He really is a cool guy.
     
  6. Mike C

    Mike C F1 Veteran
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Aug 3, 2002
    6,081
    Southeast USA
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    Mike Charness
    #6 Mike C, Jul 6, 2005
    I was at that one too, and was able to visit with Phil during the first night's dinner. What a pleasure -- and the entire weekend was a great experience.
     
  7. maquino

    maquino Karting

    Jun 22, 2005
    219
    #7 maquino, Jul 6, 2005
    I agree with all your superlatives except for the dinner menu, which was one of those exercises in "chef creativity" which would be better suited to the interrogation rooms of Guantanamo.

    A single, undercooked scallop sitting in a bowl of lukewarm Campbell's tomato soup.

    No salad.

    A small, dry piece of beef, surrounded by perhaps a teaspoonful of bean pieces. Nothing else on the plate (potato, rice, etc.)

    A saucer of three pieces of cheese so dry and old they were falling apart, with a slice (!) of a fig and two sugared pieces of walnut.

    A pingpong-ball of buttermilk (!) sorbet for dessert. Sort of like eating a piece of frozen butter.

    And for this we paid gourmet prices?

    Meadowood's a very pretty place, but next time we'll brown-bag from MacDonald's!

    I repeat that I think the rest of the day/evening was delightful.
     
  8. lukek

    lukek Formula 3

    May 2, 2003
    2,085
    San Francisco
    Full Name:
    LK
    #8 lukek, Jul 6, 2005
    It must be my Eurotrash roots/upbringing....I am used to small portions. I also almost never eat red meat, so the thrill might have numbed my taste buds...
    :)
    Til' the next drive !



     
  9. Dane

    Dane Formula 3
    Owner

    Apr 25, 2002
    1,512
    #9 Dane, Jul 6, 2005
    Fantastic story. IMO, Luke is an example of what's "right" with the Ferrari and sportcar community, in general. He attended and appreciated this event because he loves cars. Period. He exposes the "Buy the Ferrari for Image Crowd." Thank you, Luke, for sharing.

    Dane

    P.S. I would've been happy with a Big Mac.'
     
  10. Perfusion

    Perfusion F1 Rookie

    Oct 16, 2004
    4,151
    Marietta, GA
    Full Name:
    Aaron
    #10 Perfusion, Jul 6, 2005
    Amazing story, Luke! What an opportunity, as well... As I read it, memories of another "special" drive to Napa and back went through my mind - the sights, the sounds, and the smells. Great car, mate, and again - great story!

    Aaron
     
  11. bobafett

    bobafett F1 Veteran

    Sep 28, 2002
    9,193
    #11 bobafett, Jul 6, 2005
    Glad to see and hear that it was an absolutely awesome time!

    --Dan
     
  12. lukek

    lukek Formula 3

    May 2, 2003
    2,085
    San Francisco
    Full Name:
    LK
    #12 lukek, Jul 6, 2005
    but this time the car behaved much better ! I really enjoyed your company for the Andretti winery outing ! You gotta bring the Vette to one of the Sunday breakfasts soon ! We had a guy with a Huyndai last time, and we even let him eat at the same table, right Dan?!
    :)
    (It was a rental)

     
  13. Perfusion

    Perfusion F1 Rookie

    Oct 16, 2004
    4,151
    Marietta, GA
    Full Name:
    Aaron
    #13 Perfusion, Jul 6, 2005
    LOL...I can just see it now - there's a Ferrari/Maserati/Lambo table, and then a Vette and rental-Hyundai table.

    Sounds to me like I just need to get out the checkbook for a 308, stat, and be done with it!
     
  14. GCalo

    GCalo F1 Veteran

    Sep 15, 2004
    7,645
    Northern California
    Full Name:
    Greg Calo
    #14 GCalo, Jul 6, 2005
    Phil Hill is a fascinating person.

    As I had posted in the "N Calif" section, I spent a day with him in January 04, and again in July 04.

    In July, we also had dinner with him and Alma, Dan Gurney & his wife, and a few others in LaJolla.

    It was a great day and a great evening.

    He was fun to talk with despite the fact that he is generally quiet, and he's a character when it comes to politics!

    Wonderfully historic on both days for me as I grew up with his name and his successes.

    I was surprised originally to see how short he was! Enzo must have had blocks put on the pedals!

    To all, if you get the chance to meet him, you will greatly enjoy the time.

    Kudos to all who planned this event although I was unable to attend.
     

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