Maybe its just South Beach but I get a lot of reaction from the ladies, even some #s. As for the above comment, yes & no, Yes you are right thats not Miss Right, but she could definately be Miss Right Now
most women are not impressed with my 308 until they sit their butts down in the passenger seat, smell the leather and then go for a thrilling ride. then their attitude changes and they are hooked on a piece of history. my current girlfriend made me go back and pass through these 2 mountain tunnels 4 times while screaming the motor with the roof off - now thats music.
Karen is definitely the exception. Most women that I know or talk to have little interest in cars other than as a way to get from here to there. Some are into the "name" brands, just as they are into Gucci, Pucci, Louie, Burberry, etc. The other day I pulled the Mondial into a parking spot as a very pretty dark-haired girl (this is not a blonde joke), looked like in her mid to late 20's was walking by. She stopped to look at the car and as I got out she said "Wow, that's the nicest looking Mustang I've ever seen." I said, "Oh, sorry, it's not a Mustang." She said, "Gee, I saw the little horses so I thought it was a Mustang." I said, "No, actually, it's a Ferrari." She looked at it for a minute, gave me a nice big Crest super-white smile and said, "Well, it's not a Mustang but it's nice anyway." Like I said, Karen is definitely the exception. It's refreshing to see someone, man or woman, who is really into the cars, is willing to get dirt under her fingernails, and really enjoy the cars for what they are -- great driving machines and works of art, not just a box on wheels. Regards, Steve
Women may not know specific Ferrari models or history but they know the name Ferrari. Some men are totally clueless also, I have had several including a parts guy at Napa ask, "Who makes Ferrari?"
The more I read this thread, the more I realize that all the issues you guys are raising about women being interested in you because of your car, the stupid comments, the money chasing, etc. are the SAME issues that women who are successful, have $, drive ferrari's, etc. also experience from members of the male gender. The experiences you guys are sharing are no more offensive than some of the experiences I've had with men. This is not a men only problem; there is just a higher proportion of men populating the higher income brackets. Whether you are a man or a woman, it sucks having to deal with people trying to take advantage of or prey on you because of your success.
I'm still waiting for my first boob-flashing, and 99% of the people that comment on my car are men or pre-pubescent teens. Most women don't know it from a Saturn. Last week I was out of town at another office, and as I fired up my laptop, a female recruiter that I work with saw the Scuderia shield on my desktop. She asked immediately, "Do you have a Ferrari"? I was impressed, it doesn't say Ferrari anywhere.
I absolutely agree. The stupidity about cars and the "oh, you own a Ferrari so you must have $$" is not limited to women. In fact, I find the men to be far more judgmental about it all, and much quicker to come up with a snide remark. And lots of men I know think I'm absolutely bonkers for driving my cars on the track, doing racing schools in open wheel Formula Fords, etc. Bottom line -- I don't give two sh!ts what other people think. I do what I enjoy, I drive what I like, and I'm happy. To each his own, as they say. And if someone, male or female, is interested in one of the cars, I'm happy to share knowledge and experiences with them. If they're not, that's fine too. Just don't ask me to change my ways. Regards, Steve
Responses from women (other than a few teenage girls) were for the most part neutral; a few asked for rides, and none who rode in my 308 were impressed enough to want to again (too hot, too noisy, too small, smelly, uncmofortable etc.) If I were in the Priesthood however, an F car would be a must, as it was a magnate for youg boys.....
My favorite female comment on either the TR or 355 is, "Is that a Mustang?," because of the cavallino. I've gotten this at least 6 or 7 times, and it cracks me up every time. As I've found, most women don't give a hoot about the cars, and rarely know what they are, but boys and men go CRAZY with thumbs up, taking pictures, asking questions, etc. That's great though, because that means that they are car guys too. Btw, 4 girls dumped me when they found out what kind of car I owned, bc they were intimidated and/or thought I was a playboy. David P.S. I don't think this thread is demeaning to women. Female responses span the range from good to horrible, and I think its funny to read other people's experiences. Oh and I've NEVER seen boobs or gotten a great response from any woman (that I didn't already know). P.P.S. My girlfriend dislikes both the TR and 355 Spider, and wishes I would trade them in for a Lexus SC430!
I like to park my car where I can watch it while eating, and I usually try to notice the reactions of passersby (sort of like a "candid camera" situation, but without the camera.) I find that girls and women of all ages tend not to notice the car, or at least pretend not to notice. (The exceptions are the very few women who are as car-crazy as the guys.) Older men (say, over-40) also tend to ignore it. Men of college age and up to 40ish tend to notice the car casually but don't spend much time looking. By far the most enthusiastic group are teen and pre-teen boys, particularly in the 10-14 age group. They often go bonkers when they see the car. Even older, high-school age guys don't seem as interested. I'm not trying to read anything into these observations; this is just what I've seen. And this is in Atlanta, USA; your situation may vary.
I can tell by the P.P.S. that your current relationship is in trouble and you need to look elsewhere quick.
I think geography plays a big part in women's reactions to Ferrari's. Here in Newport Beach, I haven't met a woman who didn't know what a Ferrari was. That may be due to the fact that there are so many of them here. In every case the reactions are positive whether it's from a co-worker, family member or just some random hottie driving down the street. I will say the most common question I get from women is, "what color is it? and please don't say red or yellow!" I was shocked. I always thought red f-cars were gorgeous but I was partial to grigio ingrid. When I inquire as to why they don't like red they always give the same answer - alluding to the fact that they see it as cheesy and common. I don't agree w/ them but I geuss around here they like their Ferrari's a little unique. 2 weeks after getting my 355 Spider I was hitting some higher rpm's cruising down the road w/ my buddy who was in his 996. We were waiting at a red light when a clk 500 came up next to me. It was a smokin' hot chick (a solid Newport 9 w/ a big, fake rack and a great a$$) who asked "where's the fire?". I wasn't sure if she was getting pissy because we blew by her or if she was flirting w/ me but I soon found out. She ended up coming out for a drink w/ us and 1 drink turned to 2 drinks and she ended up getting the full "tour" of my bachelor pad that night. As a single guy in his 30's (and planning on staying that way) I gotta say I'll take any opportunity the car creates for me. Let's face it, owning an exotic is a little like being a rock star. Sure, rock stars play music because they love it. But they always seem to let the groupies backstage. Just like we buy our cars because we love the car and they way it drives, that's most important. But one of the fringe benefits is the women. As Tony Montana put it, "In 'dis country, jou get da money, jou get da power. Jou get da power, jou get da women." Basic human instinct. Women want the best provider they can find (read: biggest wallet) and men want the most fertile woman they can find (read: greatest piece of a$$). I'm not trying to offend anyone, but if you think otherwise, you're being naive.
The vintage stuff gets a different response. I get as many complements from women as I do from men. Often, women will say 'nice car, what is it' and are surprised when I tell them (my 330 is neither angular nor red). I guess they appreciate the looks. I don't think I've ever received dirty looks or insults when driving my car (except a couple about my driving technique). The funniest response I;ve had was when I called AAA last week. I was giving my information over the phone to the lady at AAA. She asked what is the make and model. I said "Ferrari 330." Her response: "And who makes that" I said: "Ferrari" She said: "Oh, OK, and what model is it?" A bit surprising considering AAA deals with cars. I almost told her that Fiat made it, but in my case, it wouldn't have been true. Art S.
Two weeks ago my day was made by a teenaged girl (I can say that because my wife was with me in the car) when I was pulling into a parking lot, this girl ran over and yelled "Rev it up", I pushed in the clutch and obliged her with a few quick revs of the motor. We parked and she came over and was in awe of my car, telling me how awesome it looked and how incredible that Ferrari motor sounded. Her boyfriend came over and told her it was a stupid FixItAgainTony and his Z28 would take my FIAT anyday. She looked at him and basically said you are right, your car probably is faster and that is a FIAT but its a FIAT with a Ferrari V6 in it that sounded a lot better than your car and it even looks better...with that she said thank you to me for revving it and letting her hear it and walked away from both me and her boyfriend. My wife held my hand really tight and said we were going in the other store Some guy is going to get lucky with this girl someday (get your mind out of the gutter, I am talking car wise), she knew that my FIAT Dino is not your typical FIAT, she was another exception to the rule that girls no nothing about cars, just like her boyfriend was the rule that if its does not have a V-8 and made in Detroit, its useless.
And who has & plays a Les Paul Custom or Fender Strat like God w/ a mission? Step back. You have to appreciate the sound while you see the music. We will, we will, rock you! Most chicks want to know who made your leather pants.
Why is everyone getting so up tight about this topic? This is no different than when we were back in high school, a least for me, when the kid in the cool convertible got all the looks and the chicks. Is it so wrong to work your ass off to get something that will bring you pleasure in driving it along with some benefits on the side? All of us have insecurity issues so I don't see what is wrong with using the car to boost your self esteem if that's what you bought it for. You know, we all can't be great looking, smart, wealthy etc..... Is this so different from someone spending thousands of dollars on diets and plastic surgery and personal trainers in an attempt to attract the opposite sex? I don't think so. It's just where you draw your personal line, so don't lecture everyone else that this topic is so shallow.
It's recruiting time here and I've been interviewing for the past few days and going to endless cocktail parties... lawyers are fascinated by the Ryalex Design idea, but act as if *they'd* never know someone with a Ferrari. I'm waiting for a partner to bust out with, "awesome, I have a 355" or something. Actually one young lady associate brought up in an interview that she bought an early 80's 911 she was restoring, and she seemed to know a fair bit about Porsches!
I thought 550's can hit a good 195-200. They're claiming 198mph with the 612, which could be 200 with a slight decline in the road. There was an interesting EVO article a while back where a Zonda couldn't get up over 200, but the GT2 (or a TechArt TT?) and a TVR did.
