Great article! Just curious Ben - what's your reason for filling up gas at home? Prevent accidental nozzle/paint damage? Thanks Kevin
Ah, the stories I could spin. But honesty is my policy: it was a photo-op. The quick-fill tank is from the 599XX kit, and it looked good in the shot with the 599 60F1.
As another admirer of Ferraris done in yellow, I would like to add that the color is also of importance in Ferrari history. Some of the earliest Ferrari racing successes involved Belgian racing teams and drivers such Olivier Gendebien whose cars sported Belgium's yellow racing color.
Great story - looks like a beast. I love the Viper too, naturally What's the story with the gift to your dad? Link please?
My story: As a child, my father and I shared a love of cars, and we would talk for hours about cars in general and Ferraris in particular. He had missed an opportunity to buy an inexpensive one in the early '60s, and it was one of his few regrets of the era - but he was a young physician at the time and finances did not permit. As the years passed he remained a physician, and Ferraris became just a pipe dream; in the meantime I went into software. Fast forward to early 2000 - the DotCom bubble was in full swing, and I was an engineering director at E.piphany, one of the hotter IPOs of late '99. My father was turning 60 that year, and as was my family's tradition, we assembled at Mama's fish house in Maui. I had been talking up the fact that there was an exotic car rental business on Maui which had a red 348, and that the weather was perfect for a little targa-top cruising. Thus was the seed of misdirection planted. When in due course dinner was finished, I presented my father with three gift boxes. The first had a card which talked about it being his 60th birthday, and how he'd always loved Ferraris; inside the box was a Ferrari polo shirt. The second gift box had a card which expanded on the fact that Maui had a Ferrari rental business which had a convertible, and inside the second box was a Ferrari baseball hat. The card on the third box said "Unfortunately, when I contacted Exotics of Maui, they had no cars available for the weekend of our visit. I then called Ferrari of New England [where he lived] to see if they could help me. They said that unfortunately they had just sold their last convertible, a red 1997 F355 Spider, to some kid in California who had bought it for his father for his 60th birthday. Happy 60th, dad - some dreams are worth waiting for." And inside the third box were his owner's manuals and the keys to his Ferrari. 13 years and 45,000 miles later, they both still enjoy La Dolche Vita. For as long as I live, that will be one of the best days of my life. And so, Ferraris have a special place in my heart. Image Unavailable, Please Login
My God what a story. Not embarrassed to say I got a little misty eyed reading that.... Thanks for sharing KEVIN
Awesome story! Thanks for sharing. Hope to do something similar for my parents some day, though they're not into Ferraris... pay off their mortgage or something
Car certainly stands out in bright yellow. Looks great. Very fortunate to check it all out in Paul Ricard. Hope you like the pictures. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks, Paul Ricard was fabulous and the XX is moving from "scary fast" to "fun fast" as we get more accustomed to 1.8Gs of roadholding. Ferrari really has done a remarkable job of making a car with GT-class power, grip and downforce easy to drive. My favorite picture from the event: Christine decelerating from 170 MPH into the 50 MPH chicane on the back straight... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Great to see you enjoying this with your wife. I've been lucky as well as my wife is a real petrol head and drives my cars as well. She's always present when I track my 458 Challenge. She will drive the 458C for the first time on September 22nd.
My favorite picture from the event: Christine decelerating from 170 MPH into the 50 MPH chicane on the back straight...[/QUOTE] You two are a perfect match ! cheers, Bill
