Ferrari on the brain

Its easy in the small circle of owners to get caught up in squabbles over brand direction, what is a "real" Ferrari, 2v vs. 4v vs. carb, 348 v. mondial v.gt4, and all that other nonsense. Its also really easy to start griping about how Ferrari is just another for-profit business that doesn't care about its customers and blah blah blah. But, and maybe I am the only one, my reverence for the marque and the passion they stir in the general public, from little kids to old men, is quite substantial. Whatever Enzo did or did not intend, whatever Fiat did or did not do to the brand, and whatever the California may or may not mean for the future of the prancing horse, to a little boy sitting in his bedroom organizing his dreams, a Ferrari is, well its everything. This really came into perspective for me as I was waiting outside a grocery store for my wife in the Mondial. In the ten minutes while I waited (it is amazing how long it takes my wife to buy eggs!), a group of people came out of the store to ask about the car. The questions were often humorous and really showed the mystique surrounding these cars. A young man even asked for permission to look at it (he later explained that another Ferrari owner had previously given him crap for staring at his car---what an *********). At one point, I gave a guy a ride around the parking lot. Anyway, when this guy got in, he touched the leather and said, I've never been in a FERRARI before. When my wife saw the group she was startled. She is a very modest woman and really just thinks I am nuts--definitely not a car person. As we pulled away, my wife asked, does that happen all the time? Well, sort of, albeit in varying degrees. The funny thing is, I live in an wealthy neighborhood and their are plenty of Benzes, porsches, BMWs, etc, all of which cost twice as much as my humble little Mondial, but there is simply something magical about the prancing horse. Its the same thing that makes me go out to the car, twice a day, even after almost a year of ownership just to admire the lines and smell the leather. Its the sound of the engine ringing in my ears as I drive home from work in my little Honda Accord. I have owned sports cars that are faster and more expensive, but there is only one Ferrari, and regardless of what shape or form they may come in, they are special.

Since buying this car, I have met some really wonderful people I probably would not have otherwise met. I have taken some great road trips and had the opportunity to live and relive every day, my biggest childhood dream. Lets face it, buying a Ferrari for many of us, is not about having the fastest car on the block, or getting the girl, or just being a tool, its about checking off that big box on the bucket list.

I know I know, its just a car...but if it can bring a smile to a little kids face, make a grown man rush home and tell his wife about the drive he just had around the parking lot, and bring strangers together on a random morning to discuss something they suddenly find in common well, maybe its a little bit more?

Just my .02