The passion has changed

i feel this way exactly.

 

+ 1

 

Nicely stated, Jon

Jedi

 

The voice of reason.

Excellent.

 

Good post. I understand where you're coming from. I never owned a Ferrari and still have that destination feeling about them. I must admit the special feeling I had is not as intense as it once was. I've sat in older models and the new. Ferrari has lost some of it's aura.....but not all of it. That was bound to happen with technological advancements. Plus there are so many wonderful cars now. When I grew up, king of the exotic hill was Ferrari and Lambo. For many, Ferrari is not the most exotic of exotics. When it comes to really special, my first thought is either Veyron, Agera or Zonda. I exclude the Enzo because it is one of many models Ferrari makes and it's performance is only a little better than it's stable mates.

The good thing is you can find an older model and re-live the good old days. There is a trade off though. The older models felt more special but came with over heated engines, easy to burn out clutches and many other issues. Some consider dealing with those issues fun. Some people just want trouble free driving.
We live in a Burger King era....have it your way!
Better yet, have both an older and newer Ferrari!

I still swoon everytime I see a Ferrari. Especially my favorites (550/575, F350, F348, 360, 430, 458 and 599). Further, I have destined to get a couple from my list of favorites. When I do, I'll let you all know if they feel special to me.

 

A great post, Jon. Thank you.

I agree with you, I too would prefer something simple, handmade and less regulated by emissions and crash test requirements. I'm in my late 20s and LOVE gadgets, but I think the car world is pushing it too far these days (digital rev counter in the Lexus LF-A?? Come on...). Less and less stick shift options, that really is sad. Sigh. The lack of purity is concerning; the more a car is made with computer tech the less I connect with it emotionally. Strange thing that I'm totally in to the high-tech stuff, but with cars it just blurs a part of the car experience.

Let's enjoy our heroes we grew up with while we can.


PS. Don't mind comfort features in daily drivers though!

 

I noticed a change in myself after entering the Ferrari world. In the last two years I've seen more Ferraris than I thought about existing in the world. For me the joy is sitting behind the wheel driving on a lonely road. When I look at a line of Ferraris that are all the same without the ability to drive them or at least put them on a lift and see the goodies, I'm almost bored with it. I go to car shows/ C&C events to talk to the owners and get the stories and experiences about the car. The last show I went to had a fellow with an 80's alfa sedan that he loved and kept up to a high level and used as a commuter. I talked to him for a long time.

I do like seeing them in motion as well so I like getting together with a few fellows with similar driving styles to go for a nice drive. I like being in last postion so I can watch all the cars go.

 

I get goosebumps everytime I take my 575 out for a drive.
The power this car has seems limitless
The styling is modern, yet reminiscence of early models.
Ever since I was 16 I was bitten by the bug. knew I wanted a Ferrari. I set a goal, worked hard and made it happen.
I dont think I will ever lose this passion.

 

Sad but true. I couldn't agree more


Joe

 

I agree with the OP. I much prefer analog to digital cars and that will never change...regardless of what time of crazy numbers the newer cars put up (i.e. the Veyron). The last Ferrari I really care for is the 550/575 and I will definitely be looking for one of those in the years to come...6-speed of course. I'm not as crazy as Ferraris as before, but probably because I see so many of them here in FL than I did in the early 90s, but I always turn my head regardless of the model. A Mondial up in Gainesville always had me staring and that was in 2006. Never gets old...

 

+1. Along a modern but fun daily driver, I would still have at least one car that delivers a pure drive for the track and occasional street, while preferably having some historical and aesthetic significance. For me, the ultimate examples of cars in such criteria are the 50s Barchettas and 60s Spyders. There are only a handful of such cars in the 70s/80s and beyond.

 

The passion has mellowed for me.

Usual story-read R&T and C&D mags as a teenager and saw a couple dozen Ferraris in the metal in the '60s and '70s. Always wanted one, but was in a non-car phase in the two-year window, between college graduation ('77) and marriage ('79), when I had the funds available to buy a good vintage 12 for cheeep. After post-Enzo price explosion, I wrote Ferrari ownership off as unattainable forever.

In late 2001, at age 52, I happened to click on Ferrari on ebay, and realized that I could now afford a lower-end vintage model...a 330 2+2 or 365 2+2. The lights went on, and all I thought about for the next year was getting one while the getting was good. In early of December of 2002, I sent a cashier's check for $32.5K to the owner of s/n 5409.

That car occupied a good deal of my time from arrival in Dallas in March '03 until the May '07 accident that took it from me. After receiving a check for $80K from Hagerty in August of the same year, I looked around at a lot of different models as a replacement. We were going into an expensive house remodeling, so I decided to buy my current '83 308 GTS (the $39.5K purchase price became $50K with the expenses of a PPI, tax, title, shipping, and a fresh-start major) and use the balance of the funds to help pay for extra goodies for the new house.

The 308 has been a different ownership and driving experience than the 330, but I've enjoyed it just as much. I'm into my tenth year of Ferrari ownership, and the 308 is a special classic that I maintain well and drive often, but the raw, burning desire to own a Ferrari has now been satiated. I expect to either keep the 308 long-term or if future funds permit, look seriously at a 550 or 360. Another option is selling the 308 and getting a Porsche...I've had an Alfa, a BMW, two Corvettes, and two Ferraris, but never a P-car, and I've always wanted one.

I'm 62 now, and though not looking forward to getting older, am interested to see where my lifelong automotive interest will be at age 70.

 

Good stuff. I'm not to thrilled with new cars. Last year when we were in Seattle I stopped by the Ferrari dealer. The new cars were nice, but, to be honest if I had a choice of purchasing a new 458 or a new 365 gt 4 2+2 I would pick the 365 hands down!

 

Old metal is better.

The computer crap that entered the cars post 1990 or so is the dividing line for me and many others I suspect.

 

Carbs never looked better!

 

Ferrari is the NASA of the road.
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Amen. I don't care about the Ferrari of today at all. Supercars are all sort of the same for me these days.

Next up for me is something from the 60's made in europe.
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These are my sentiments to a tea. Well stated.

 

Bullfighter's post echoes my sentiments exactly. I'm afraid that progress is making cars more sterile, washing out any idiosyncrasies. Was reading the latest issue of Octane that featured the F40. Something about the F40 being the last analog super car. Now I wonder who is going to end up manufacturing the last analog sports car, or did that time already come and go?

 

i tend to agree with bullfighter's opener. i wrote about this previously, at the time i bought the f40 - i no longer lust after the latest ferrari. i cannot actually use their superior speed etc on any regular basis and for that i am still thinking of getting a dedicated race car anyway.
actually my interest has gone in reverse - i would prefer the next one be from the early 50's. but i cannot afford the ones i really like - yet.

 

I feel the same way - now I only take interest in a new model to see it (unless it is of Zonda caliber) but classic Ferraris and classic cars have become my passion. The only car that has bucked that trend is the new McLaren - it is superb.

 

While I agree with much of what you wrote about still having the passion, I don't buy into the notion that today's cars are dull.

I argue that by any objective comparison/contrast, we are living through the greatest age of the automobile. Using almost any measurable standard--performance, driveability, comfort, mileage/economy, reliability, maintenance requirements, build quality, safety and price, etc.--cars today are vastly superior than anything produced in "the Good Old Days."

Styling is the only possible exception and that is, by definition, entirely subjective. Yes, we will agree that a couple of handfuls of cars were exceptionally well-styled, but they are comparatively few. Most of what was produced in the Good Old Days was pedestrian junk. And if any one of us had to drive a '50s or '60s-era vehicle as it was originally equipped, everyday and in all weather.... we would quickly long for the dullness of the modern automobile.

 

agree with the OP. Due to the nature of the technology being similar and the limits of what limits can be explored on the street, many cars seem to meld together into just a bunch of nice cars.

Now that ferrari has abandoned the manual transmission, I have no desire to own a new one.

The F355 falls into my looks/performance sweetspot, but with the endless issues of this model, I don't see the value, despite having driven in many times. Its cool but its just a car.

 

you made me think of a modern car that does push my buttons - the pagani zonda. now THAT is a car that is exciting in a way that somehow ferrari isnt. might have to get one of those one day.