First Ferrari sighting...

I actually see a lot more 360s and 430s than 328s, and I always enjoy the 328 sightings when I have them. I think the 328 is one of the most beautiful Ferraris ever.

 

i had the opposite happen yesterday. i was pulling out of a garage and i joked to the recent immigrant working the booth that i could just drive under the ___?(thing that goes up to let you out). She said she loved my car. was it a vette?

 

Agreed. The 328 is everything that is beauty in a classic Ferrari.

 

I once had a Rolls Royce Corniche in the shop. A couple of young bimbos were looking around and one of them asked what kind of car it was. I told her it was a Rolls Royce. To this she replied " That's the Cadillac of cars isn't it?". I guess she was a natural blonde after all.

 

I have episodes like that all the time. I know that when I am just driving around, everyone is looking at the car, but it doesn't bother me. The kids' faces always light up when they see my 328.

 

Jon -

When I owned your 328, we used to draw small crowds every weekend - of course here in Raleigh, North Carolina a Ferrari is very much a rare event. Interestingly, folks seem a bit less inclinded to ask me about my very red TR than the black 328.

geo.

 

Although the features on the newer models are nicer,they will never recapture those 80's car's lines. True Ferraris.

 

It's true, I've seen more 360s then 328s. Everytime I see a Ferrari, I always enjoy looking.

 

Probably because the 328 looks like a 308 and people associate it with the show Magnum PI. He was a nice fellow who wouldn't care if someone wanted to check out the 308. The Testarossa was not used as much in Miami Vice, and chances are that Sonny would not be as friendly to people looking inside the windows of the Testarossa. Maybe there is a psychological factor of how television influences our expectation about the type of owner a 308/328 might be, and that is different than our expectations of a Testarossa owner? Is a 308 owner more extroverted and friendly? Is a Testarossa owner more standoffish?

 

I agree, I'm getting real sick of the 360s styling.

 

The 308 328 cars were styled by artists, but I think that the current cars are designed around wind tunel and goverment mandated constraints.

As a result of these constraints, most modern cars have the same or very similar designs.

As a result of this, the 328's Testarossa, etc are recognised as FERRARI

 

It's very interesting to see what types of cars get non-car people (including kids) to come over and initiate conversation. Since my job involves going out in all types of old cars, I've come to certain conclusions after seeing definite trends:

1) Strange, but true: Softer, rounder (maybe "voluptuous") cars are approached more often than wedge or angular cars -- irrespective of age. Part of this is that current cars are very angular, so a car like a TR could be mistaken for not-that-old, whereas the rounded cars seem older right now. Also, there could be a psychological issue -- round=friendly while angular=intense. I'd love to hear if others have found similar along this line.

2) Kids love smaller sports cars. Triumphs, MGs, Healey Bug Eye Sprite, Porsche 356, Lotus Elans are all unrecognizable, yet to children they look like toys. I used to have a Triumph tr-250 in signal red with the stock silver transverse nose stripe, and children (especially younger boys) would just stare, smile and point. In many respects, the 12 cylinder Ferraris look much larger than a 3x8.

3)Antique cars are always a fav. Right after my father got his '29 Franklin, he drove it and parked it in downtown Seattle. People were asking to have their picture taken next to it, and it was like a mob scene. Whenever I'm in a pre-war car, people always like to ask about it. 50s cars are also popular and approachable for the most part.

4) When a car appears to be really expensive, but non-sporting -- such as a Mercedes, Bentley, Rolls, people seem to get intimidated. I can probably count the number on one hand the times that someone has come up to chat when I've been in a classic Rolls, Bentley, Mercedes.

5) Convertibles attract more attention than hardtops. Targas more than hardtops, as well. Sedans and coupes tend to be about the same.

 

Like most, I don’t mind sharing my car with those interested.
Most people, mostly young, mostly guys, think it’s a 3x8, but surprisingly some actually know it’s a boxer. Those guys are the future boxer owners I suspect!
So recently at a gas station, I was inside paying for the gas, and when I came out a young guy was snapping pictures of the car. When he saw me he sort of stepped back, but I smiled and asked him if he knew what it was. Yeah! he says, eyes the size of saucers. It’s a Ferrari!
It didn’t seem to matter to him what kind of Ferrari. Just being Any Ferrari was obviously good enough for him. In the next minute or so, I answered a barrage of questions as he snapped more pics. His interest was obvious, so when his pop came out from paying, I told him he could hop in if it was okay with his dad. DAD!, the kid yelled. Dad nodded, and a few seconds later the kid was in the drivers seat, (keys in my pocket) eyes even bigger, hands on the wheel and shifter, feet stretching to reach the peddles, and firing questions a mile a minute while I pumped the gas.
So to make a long story short, ten minutes later pop had snapped pics of the kid in the car, the front and rear clips were up and open, questions about the engine, hp, how fast, etc were asked and answered, Dad smiled thanking me for my patience, and said his 12 year old was absolutely crazy about sports cars.
Finally everything was closed up, time to go.
So I ask the kid, So you gonna get a Ferrari when you grow up?
Kid answers, You bet! But I’m gonna get a Lamborghini first!
I couldn’t help but grin!

 

sorry, wrong.

"The Calculation and Design Centre was set up in 1967, the first step in a process of technological evolution which, during the Seventies, would take Pininfarina into the lead in automated bodywork design. The construction of a full size Wind Tunnel for aerodynamic research in 1972 was the first in Italy and one of only a few in the world at the time. It represented a far-sighted, courageous investment in a period of social and economic crisis all over the world."

in addition, most modern exotics are quite different. even within the same manufacturer. think enzo and 599. or murcialago or lotus elise.....

 

Nail on the head

 

Well, at least we have agreement here. ;-)

 

LOL..of course..beacuase of the DOORS!!