Ralph Lauren in Something Exotic...

I took the "new" 355 out for a spin today, when who do I pass going the other way on my absolute favorite driving road in the world but Ralph Lauren, who lives very nearby. He was in something modern, targa-topped and hyper-exotic that I could not recognize -- silver, looks like a 360 in front but a Porsche from behind, with these long, wrapped tailight bands.

The funny thing is, he's so tiny, he looks like a grandmother peeking over the wheel, and is doing maybe 40 on a road that SINGS at 65-75 (and is perfectly safe as long as you know the road and where there are driveways /junctions) but is BORING at 40 -- and it was empty for at least a mile ahead of him. Passing, all you could see was the high forehead, the silver hair, the 70's aviators and therse two hands reaching up to the wheel.

As a relatively small, slight fellow, I am not casting aspersions, but there was something amusing about seeing a guy with one of the country's most incredible automobile collections (not just expensive, but ART) driving some 225MPH supercar like a Model T. I mean this is a road the Dino just eats up at speed, and the 355 feels like it's getting a nice, easy flex. Sunny, warm - just an awesome experience. Ralph looked like he was holding on for dear life. He also appeared to have at least one chase car, and he had a middle-aged male passenger.

Kinda reminds me of my neighbor in NYC who just HAS to have every new FCar the minute it comes out. He admitted to me he's never driven over 70 in any of them. At least RL buys them and keeps them as works of esthetic genius, I guess.

 

Carrera GT ?

 

Spyker?

 

I thought you were going to say he was wearing a fancy, sequined evening gown with a boa (Ralph, in something 'exotic').

 

They had an article on RL in autoweek a few weeks back. I took a look at the pics he had in his garage, and it looks like it could be an Porsche 959.

 

Went and looked at photos. YES! That was the car. Imagine driving that beast at 40 MPH on a perfect country road -- that's slower than the guy in the pickup who was behind his chase car, looking impatient!

 

Impressive sighting..RL drives all of his cars even the Maclaren F1.

 

I hope he gets some of them on the track, because the roads in Bedford are beautiful and just great for driving (I go out at first light before anyone else is about, then head for some of the more sparsely populated areas further north)... but he didn't seem to be using the car much. Maybe he's just a bit worried about the press/liability if he were to have a little mishap. It sure was a purty Porsche, though!

 

I thought 959's were never cleared for the US.

 

+1-----I didn't think the Feds would ever give approval for the 959's for over here...

 

I believe that 959s (and perhaps other exotics) have a loophole in the DOT/EPA law that allows them to be imported into the US on a case by case basis as a "show car" or "exhibition" car with minimum mileage allowed,....or something like that.

 

There are several driving around here. Not sure how they're registered, but they're out often.

But the OP's description was: "He was in something modern, targa-topped and hyper-exotic that I could not recognize -- silver, looks like a 360 in front but a Porsche from behind, with these long, wrapped tailight bands."
Hardly sounds like an old 959.

 

Bill Gates has a 1988 959 but due to the 959’s questionable emissions and unknown crash ratings, It took a federal law signed by President Clinton for him to legally drive his 959 on American roads

 

THANK YOU!!!! I was thinking the same thing

 

959's were not Targas

 

Reason for driving slow was he might have been thinking of those happy days as a tie salesman driving his flat rad Morgan.

 

Mind you, I was going about 70, him about 40 in the opposite direction, so it was about 2 seconds, plus a second or so in the rearview mirror thinking "what the hell was that?" Looking through web images, I actually think it was the Carrera GT, plus it was definitely a targa. He has both. I'm actually wondering if the Porsche chase car was the 959...

Whatever the heck it was, they were a couple of insane vehicles.

 

Did it look like this?

Stunning car, amazing technology for its era. Performance that still is difficult to match.

cheers

ken
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RL was probably driving a Carrera GT- targa top and silver is the common color. Why didnt you do the U and chase him down?

 

Maybe he reads F-chat and will post and say hello.

 

thats my guess also.

 

Probably a CGT, but as an aside, Bruce Canepa is doing US-legal DOT/EPA conversions on these cars now. Gates sent his car to him to get additional use beyond what Show and Display laws allow. Seinfeld's car was also sent to Canepa. Canepa also installs larger turbos, reworks the ECU. I think the cars are pushing 550 bhp or so when he's done with them and they're fully U.S. compliant.

 

Narrow country road, no safe place to make a fast U-ey. I am now certain it was the GT with RL driving, and the 959 behind being driven by one of his staffers or maybe a guest.

If I see him around town, I'll ask him! I drive the Dino down his road all the time. He doesn't have a Dino. Poor guy.

 

Back when I encountered Ralph Lauren driving his Bugatti Veyron near Telluride, Colorado, there was ample room to make the U-turn and catch him, and my experiences are similar. He was very small and looked even smaller in such an imposing car, and he was driving considerably under the 65mph speed limit.

However, he was also very gracious when I spoke to him about it and conversed with me for about a minute.

 

+1, some of us are not us lucky as you are... good luck on meeting RL and do take a photo.
I live in parkslope and celebrities are down to earth, keep a low profile and drive bicycles..