Was lucky to drive an Enzo and 599 today!

I live in the same town as "Dr. Tax" (some may know him from other threads), and recently introduced myself to him as we live in the same town... he invited me over to see his cars (his 430 scuderia was missing, but will be back from its recent track escapade)! I am still somewhat dazed as to what happened a couple of hours ago, but the end story is I was fortunate enough to see and drive his beautiful 599 and Enzo! The following is a re-post from what I posted in our local region section, but I figured it should go here as well.

First up was the 599- a coat and tie car as the good Doctor explains- Ferrari running though its veins, yet a civilized very comfortable grand touring car in the richest sense, great car to get dressed up and go to a nice dinner, or just drive across country in. The lineage back to the Daytona is there for those who remember the cannon ball run race from Brock Yates.

The F1 is very refined in this car- the first time I have driven an F1 car. It was better than I had imagined. I don't want to state the obvious, but the car has a deep well of endless power- the ability to pull though triple digits and keep going is scary- the car just doesn't break any sweat this side of...well, why bother self incriminating myself. Let’s just say this car is good in every way and a beautiful car.

After that we woke the Enzo up from its slumber. Holy S*$t! Dr. Tax calls it "The Beast", and that is exactly what I thought- if not from merely looking at the car itself with its WIDE and low stance, the race suspension, prevalent use of carbon fiber and other tricks, then definitively from the moment I heard it fire up! It sounded like an angry....I don't even know what. It just sounded angry.

The moment I got behind the wheel and strapped myself in to the racing harness, my pulse elevated. I have driven some nice cars, had been in some nicer cars, and up to today never drove anything as nice as the 599- but even the 599 was an incredibly beautiful car that I was very careful in and excited about, but I don't think my literal pulse rate went up too much. But the Enzo is just totally different- it is still sinking in that I drove this car. It is nothing short of a super-exotic race car that they tamed just enough (barely) for the street. You have to concentrate 100% on driving- watching for potholes, the F1 takes a little more concentration, the car is wide, people are driving around you looking at the car...etc. It's unreal.

The F1 is a little more finicky- it likes to shift into neutral if you stop for more than a few seconds, then takes a little longer to get into 1st...and leaves from a dead stop a little different than the ultra-refined 599. The motor is pissed any time it's going under 100mph. The car is ready to go, and doesn't like the back street. Wow! Given the looks and performance of the car, it's clear that one may be hesitant to go out to dinner casually in this car- yes it could be done, but if you had both the 599 and Enzo to choose from, you might very well be leaving the Enzo at home. But for a quick run around the highway or some back streets, the Enzo is tops. The car is intimidating, and I would not feel comfortable pushing it any where near 10/10ths. The power is insane, as is the speed of the shifts at anywhere near full throttle/higher RPMs. The handling is razor sharp, but the car is wide so it's not like tossing around your "average" high performance sports car. There are blind spots- although the mirrors are located in such a way that you can see quite a bit, you still don't know if that sedan passed you already or is hanging out in your blind spot while the kids in the back are waving, taking pictures or whatever.

Here are a few pictures. I put the one with my 911 in for fun- tough to tell at first glance, but the Enzo is lower than where the red body shows in the picture- there is carbon fiber body below that. I was trying to get a shot of my 911 which looks like an SUV next to the Enzo....and felt like an SUV when getting out of the Enzo and driving it home I could continue rambling about the Enzo engine note, the creamy leather of the 599, etc., but I think you can get the drift and I don't want to bore you.

Overall, this was an incredible day for me and I would like to thank Dr. Tax for his immense generosity. I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and will never forget today.
-Andrew
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

What an awesome and memorable day! Glad you got to experience such a thing.

 

Very cool!

 

Dr Tax sounds like a really nice guy!

 

Agree. I always love hearing about the generosity of others. Sounds like a hell of a day!

 

Hats off to Dr Tax!

 

That is the definition or sharing your passion with others. Hats off to Dr. Tax.

 

Huge respect to the Doctor for allowing you to experience such a thing.

Always wonderful to hear of stories like these.

God I want an Enzo.

 

That's awesome! Great story.

Big thumbs up to Dr. Tax.

 

It's very rare to meet someone who is so "not-precious" to let another person drive his ~$1M sports car (whatever it may be). Respect indeed to Dr Tax.

 

Nice write-up on the Enzo. It's a beauty that quickly turns into an angry beast as soon as you press the pretty red "Start" button. It will scare most people, even when idling! I'll see if I can capture that explosion on video.

 

Ive always let my good friends drive my cars. Just bought a Diablo VT so now things are a little different but thats mainly down to it having a dogleg gearbox

Thats such a cool story. Bet you'll remember that day forever.

 

+1

-Carlo

 

Dr Tax is the Man!!! Incredible!

 

Wow, what a great experience. Dr. Tax a great person.

 

All of your comments are correct about Dr. Tax and his generosity. I can say that as I sit here, almost 48 hours after the experience, the excitement has still not worn off and I still can't believe it. The only car related experience that rivals it for me is the day I bought my first (used) Porsche ('78 911sc) after saving up from mowing lawns and working my butt off from just before I turned 13 to age 17- a dream finally realized after so many years of hard work- but that is a testament to what the day with the Enzo and 599 was.

It's also a testament to anyone reading this that doesn't yet have a Ferrari or Porsche or whatever to set a goal and work for it- there is nothing like the power of doing that and then realizing the goal.

And finally as the Tax Dr. teaches, to share and be generous. So may deep lessons to be learned from a super car and generous man. Who would have thought a Ferrari could have such deep meaning beyond the obvious heritage of the company and car?

 

WOW! I dream of experiences such as these... no joke!

Must have been an absolutely, truly incredible experience

Imagine the guys who get to drive these cars anytime they want, how they want, amd for as long as they want... unreal

 

Sounds like an amazing experience, your post radiates with thrill of driving the two cars. For many Ferrari is a dream and its hats off to everyone that shares that dream with others!

 

+1

 

Ditto. Great to see that these cars get driven!

 

It may not be an Enzo but am hoping to get to drive a 599 tomorrow, thanks to a Tubi its not much quiter than than an Enzo...not sure what makes me more nervous the the thought of 600 bhp or the owner sitting next to me . Interesting the only other person he trusts with his cars is the dealer..

 

I think this is exactly what is needed by the exotic owners. To share your exotic will resonate in somebody's memory forever. This experience of the "exotic" is what matters. The passion and excitement.


_J

 

What a wonderful day Andrew!!

Kudos to Dr. Tax for sharing the passion and experience!

You certainly are a lucky man mate, thanks for sharing your story and pics.

 

liked your video postings. Post some more, they were well done.

rik