Scuderia Rampage Report (back....whew!)

or How my car broke down and nearly ruined my weekend!

Yes, my car broke down. More on that in a minute...

We started out at 7:00am heading up to Ontario to meet up with other FDC members, FCA and FOC members along with a few Lamborghini owners. There were at least a dozen cars at the local Ihop, creating quite a stir. Ironically, pretty much everyone showed up on time, and we even left on time too!

We got on the road about 8:45am, with a planned stop in Barstow to pick up some fuel. I let Lisa drive the first leg to Barstow so I wouldn't be tired (4 hours in a Mondial is cruel and unusual punishment) and so I could get video of the cars raping the American highway system. Alas, it was not to be. We got stuck behind some semi trucks, and Lisa refused to puch it past 80MPH which meant we were quite a ways behind. It turned out (we think) to be a blessing in disguise. About an hour into our drive, low and behold I notice to my right a Highway Patrol airplane. Byron alerted me that the crew were hitting some insane speeds just a few minutes prior by phone. I quickly dialed him and alerted him to the threat quickly approaching the pack. Byron called everyone else and hopefully no one receives tickets in the mail.

If the band of 50+ motorcycles in Barstow didn't wake everyone up, the pack of horses and bulls sure did! Some quick refueling and we were on our way to Vegas, picking up some speed along the way. It was fairly uneventful.

That night we were treated to a very nice mini-buffet dinner at Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville. The company was pleasant, and the food was good. Off for a little fun, and then to bed for what would be a very, very long day.

A few of us decided to skip the Shelby tour and meet up with everyone in Red Rock for the drive to Pahrump. This is where my trouble started....

After leaving the hotel, I noticed my battery light came on, and was staying on. Figuring on electrical gremlins (or my wife charging her iPod via cigarette lighter), I was going to plan on curing it at the fuel stop. About 10:30am, and arriving at Blue Diamond, my car conked out at the gas station. With the help of Rick, Edward, Byron and others, we got my car jump started, but Rick pointed out I wasn't going to last too long. How right he would be.

As we headed into the Red Rock canyon area, the area was not only beautiful, but populated by bikers in some kind of race (I think). 15 minutes into the drive, and my speedometer began going nuts. Then my gauges slowly stopped function. Finally, my car began sputtering and bam, it was dead. We pulled over with the crew, quickly realizing that my alternator might be hosed. No one had jumper cables, and Byron forget his quick charger back home. The fun is only beginning.....

With half a dozen Ferrari's and one Corvette off to the side of the road, we began making frantic calls trying to get help. Ferrari of Las Vegas wasn't open yet, and the other option (can't remember now), wasn't open. I was starting to get worried. Even impending rain (that never showed up that day) added to the stress. This is where the camaraderie would begin to manifest itself. No one abandoned me, and no one had any issues in staying. Even after telling people I'll just call AAA, and that they should go, everyone refused to leave. Talk about friends! It got more interesting shortly after.

The bike riders, most of which quietly rode past, was accompanied by a couple of jerks. One guy was really smarmy about us "blocking the bike path", on a very empty road no less. I gave him a piece of my mind, and he threatened to call the cops. I happily (and with colorful language) encouraged him to do so. I should have ran after him (I could have caught him, he was going uphill) and pushed him over. The second jerk spouts off as he rides by "ooooo, designed by Michaelangelo, built by Mickey Mouse". I didn't get a chance to push him over or give him a piece of my mind, as I was flaberghasted by what he said. F-him.

We began to see Ferrari's and Lamborghini's begin to trickle from the opposite direction, coming from Shelby. I think most thought we were stopped for scenic reasons until Rick and company began flagging people down asking for jumper cables. 40+ cars and 20 minutes later, the last car (a 355 I believe) finally had a set we could use (I think I still have them, and need to return them).

By this point, there are nearly 20 Ferrari's, a Lamborghini, a Cobra, and a few other cars stopped, and trying to help. I think there were nearly 50 of us at this point, and even knowing the situation, those that stopped stayed and tried to help in some fashion. I don't remember his name, but the gentleman in the blue 456GT (beautiful color, simply stunning) hooked me up with Dave Helms at Scuderia Rampante, a mechanic out from Colorado. Dave gave Rick and I advice on what to do, and to get the car up to the track, and he would try to fix it if possible. With jumper cables in hand, Rick jumped my car (letting it charge for 15 minutes before departing), and we were all on our way again. This wouldn't last....

About 15-20 minutes into the drive, and the car lost power again. I had drained the battery, and knew when the impending loss would happen. First, my speedometer would begin acting whacky, spinning out of control before dying. Then, the "Check Engine" lights for both banks of cylinders would come on. Finally, my temp and pressure gauges would die as well. Then the sputtering would begin. I pulled over, and Rick would begin the charging process all over again. This time, when he flipped his car around, he nearly got clobbered in by an oncoming truck! Jerry, being the unfortunate passenger, got out quickly, and made sure he was at least 20 yards from the road!

This time, I asked Lisa to jump in with Byron and Margaret, and demanded that he proceed to the track. That way Lisa might be able to get the shuttle bus (which never came to fruition) back to town, and Byron wouldn't miss his track time. It was his Birthday, and while I appreciated everything he was doing for me, Rick and I had it under control. Byron and Edward and (bad with names sorry) the gentleman in the 348 Spyder at my request proceeded to the track so they wouldn't miss their track time.

Another 15 minutes of charging, and we were underway. This time, the car would die about 10 miles from the track, and we had to do one last jump. We arrived shortly later at Pahrump, but the car died when I was asked to stop and sign the waiver. A quick push across the track, and we were underway.

Finally at the track, and Dave and his son and daughter got my car pushed over to their truck, where they quickly put it up on jack stands and began going to work. It was the coolest thing to see not only a beautiful young lady working on my car, but that her father had trained her how to work on Ferrari's. Her name tag even referenced "Mondial" although she said it wasn't her choice! I later found out she is looking to buy a Mondial, and that day she got to work on mine.

Dave would confirm an hour later what I had feared - the Alternator was dead, and no one had one available to install. The car needed to be towed back to the hotel, and likely back home. Rick was insistant we go to Pep Boys and find a GM alternator and then install it. I have no mechanical skills, and Dave and his crew spent time out of their day, for free no less (I offered to pay), that I couldn't ask that they waste the rest of their trip fixing my car.

I called AAA, and arranged for a flat bed to take my car to California.

The rest of the day, I spent wandering around figuring out what I was going to do. Then I decided to shoot some video and photos since there wasn't much else I could do. I even got to watch a black 575 nearly go into the wall on the track. Thankfully, he stopped just inches from the concrete barrier.

2 hours later, and has the tow truck was pulling up, Tom Shaughnessy approached me and said that he had forgotten that I'd need a tow, but Symbolic Motors has some space and might be able to help me. A few reps from Symbolic were there, and said they'd be happy to help. He said find out what the tow driver wants to do it, but that I should probably shoo him away.

I came back and told Tom "he quoted me $1400 for a flatbed back home" at which point Tom and the folks from Symbolic lambasted the quote, and to tell the tow driver I have it taken care of. Fingers crossed, I went back, paid $50, and told the driver to be on his way. Symbolic and Tom agreed they'd push my car back to California for $1400 and Tom refused to let me even think of paying that. I had two options, one being a back up that I didn't need.

Option 1, Symbolic would tow my car for 1/3 the price the tow driver just quoted me. If you saw the tow driver, you'd be pretty nervous about leaving it to that guy. A chain smoking, dried leather skinned 80 year old guy. A walking skeleton, at least that's how he appeared.

Option 2, if Symbolic couldn't help, Tom would tow my car home on his trailer. I could see it would be an inconvenience for Tom, but his gesture was greatly appreciated. I went with Option 1, with Option 2 being a back up.

Dave Helms was happy to tow my car in his trailer back to the hotel, something I am greatful for. Tom arranged for me to get the key the next morning, and I made sure that it was left for the driver coming from San Diego at Symbolic to get my car.

Problem mostly solved. Now we had to get home. Tom was also kind enough to offer Lisa and I transportation back to the O.C. which I was appreciative of, but he had already done so much for me (and saved me a bundle along with Symbolic) that I didn't want to impose anymore. I was trying to spare everyone with my unfortunate circumstance, and tried to "spread it around" a little bit. Please don't take offense at this.

I arranged for Lisa to get a ride back with Kevin in his 360, and I would ride with Byron and Margaret back in the 456GT. But a new friend I met through Byron, someone we had had desert with the night before, would ask me to ride with him back into town. In a 360 Challenge Stradale no less! I was very happy to be a passenger, and Joe and I had a great conversation back into town. His car was great, and definitely rode differently than the normal 360.

That night, we all went out and celebrated Byron's birthday, in style, at Mortons. 2/3 of the attendees came via taxi, while the other 1/3 came via Ferrari. The parking lot at Morton's was a mixture of Limo's and Ferrari's, exciting no less. We had a great time at the party, and with everyone that showed up. We met new people and had a great dinner. Some juicy gossip was also...ah....nevermind

That night I booked Lisa on a flight home departing the next day. I had multiple options on getting home, with Byron, Tom, and Kevin all offering rides. Kevin (Tube Guy) was very gracious in driving me back to California in his 360 Spyder the next day. Hitting some wild speeds, we made it back to Upland a few hours after departure. I'm off to pick Lisa up from the airport in a few minutes, but wanted to get this off onto the board.

Now, the thank you's (cue shameless sappy music):

• Thank you to Byron whom risked his Birthday and track time to help me out. At least we got stuck in a very beautiful area! Thanks Margaret for understanding!
• Thank you to Zsnnf (Rick) for being my chase car, helping get me to the track. A true friend!
• Thank you to EVERYONE who stopped to help, and who didn't leave when they found out a car was brokedown. This is true Ferrari camaraderie, something I haven't witnessed anywhere else.
• Thank you to Dave Helms and his daughter for trying to get my car fixed, a true first class operation!
• Thank you to the gentleman in the blue 456GT for calling Dave and arranging things!
• Thank you to Tom Shaughnessy for trying to help, and saving me a bundle of money. It was very much appreciated!
• Thank you to the folks (didn't get their names) at Symbolic for jumping in and helping me, saving me much needed money (after this trip) - I will be looking at Symbolic for my next car first.
• Thank you to Jeffrey for being Jeffrey.
• Thank you to Joe for giving me a lift back to town in your car, I really appreciated it
• Finally, a special thank you to Kevin for not only driving me back home, but providing a spirited drive no less.

If I forgot anyone, please pipe in and I'll be happy to credit you!

Finally, here's some pictures I took that day.

 

You're right, and Rick was trying to do that. But one problem (well, two actually). As Kevin pointed out, the battery is burried on the Mondial, and the front tire needs to be removed to get to it. No biggie right? Wrong.

Most Ferrari's don't have spare tires. Thus they also don't have jacks in the tool kits. Result? No swapping of batteries.

All worked out (sorta).

 

Like I said Rick, I got's nothin' but luv for you!

Jerry, I'll be in touch shortly for Tacone.

 

It was a blast. The car is on the truck and headed to San Diego as of this morning.

As a side note, I did get to ride in a 360 Challenge Stradale and 360 Spyder, and Lisa got to ride in the Spyder and Byrons 456GT. It's amazing how different the Challenge Stradale is vs. a normal 360. The suspension (very stiff), how little there is in the way of interior (less really is more in this car) vs. the leather clad other 360s. Very cool. Lisa commented how comfortable the 456 was compared to the Mondial. We will have one in the future.

Kevin's spider really hauled ass on the highway, we had some fun (and a few scary moments courtesy of other idiot drivers) moments.