When in your Ferrari, How do you...

First of all, it's the rare Ferrari that gets any road time. Most are doomed to live out their miserable lives in a garage under a bright red dust cover with a horsie on it.

I've never had any problems with people on the road. Surprisingly, I get more smiles and thumbs-up than even indifference. And I have yet to see a hostile reaction.

My theory is that this has something to do with the overall bling level of the car. My 360 is particularly low-keyed (eg, it's not yellow or red and it's a coupe). I'm guessing people are more irritated when they see the look-at-me blingy ones. Just a theory!

 

BMW's seem to piss people off. Almost everyone on the planet has a small slice of 'car guy/gal' DNA and most seem to love F-cars. I get tons of thumbs up's and smiles. Not one negative reaction. People even seem to respect it when it's parked in public.

 

I get away from them. If something bad should happen, well, that's why the car is insured.

I put a lot of time & miles on my car, and have never had any problems (except this one time a Prius owner flipped me off!). In fact, I think that people on my daily commute route have sort of gotten used to seeing it -- kind of like I expect to see a certain lime-green 911 headed the opposite way most days.

 

Personally I find if I'm driving slightly faster then everyone else it helps. Otherwise you get the people that love to come up beside you and then cut in front.(kicking up some road debris in the process) Some people also get their kicks in challenging you to a little race. Not worth it. Do what the chicks do and keep looking forward and you'll have few problems

 

BMWs are too cheap and too common. I think the drivers of alot of BMWs piss people off more then the BMW itself. Alot of drivers "think" they are rich.

 

Driving a little faster than traffic on freeways around here seems to signal a challenge to other drivers. I drive steady and boring so people get their fill of looking at the car and go away. Save the fun stuff for the rural backroads.

 

You'll know when you get one. Not a problem

 

I rarely had the kind of attention in the Ferraris, including the black barchetta, that i get in the 6.0 Diablo. I've got soccer moms in minivans who wanna race, cops who accelerate well above the speed limit to see if I will follow suit (I don't), and every kind of kid- old or young- who wants to ogle the car, take pictures of it with their cellphone camera while driving, or just hang with me, often in the blind spot in my right rear quarter- just for the sake of doing it. On the one hand, I recognize the "responsibility" that comes with owning a car like this- if you don't want attention don't buy one- but at the same time, it gets tedious and yes, there are people that pull risky maneuvers to get up close, often too close, for my comfort.
Usually, if it's a hi-way (this morning, early, i drove the car back up from Wil de Groots in Frenchtown to my house near Nyack), i'll loaf along in the middle or right lane and let the oglers pass; if somebody comes up from behind at a high rate of speed, I'll move to the right- but usually they are not interested in passing, it's just about seeing the car, and me seeing them(?); however, there were two occasions this morning when i got boxed in, by someone who came up on my right side-fast- and had nowhere to go- there was a truck in the right lane, and I was stuck behind someone else in the left lane. When my lane cleared, I was gone in a flash- i did not want to spar with the guy on my right since he clearly wasn't a thoughtful driver. I'd take a ticket for the speed over getting bashed by some turkey anyday. And, i just had a convex mirror installed on the passenger side, to see the lurkers a little better.

 

And now, my friend: The First Rule of Italian Driving:

What's-a behind me is not important.

 

Give them a wide berth and try to ignore them. Usually it is some boob in an old pick up with the middle finger.
Winston

 

I resemble that remark.

Lots of distance and always drive with the windows up unless I'm on the freeway. Open windows are an irresistable temptation for harassing idiots. I find a lot of people stopping WAAAAAY too close behind me or inching forward to where they are almost touching the bumper in order to get a look at the engine....I've started to stop behind other cars leaving 2 car spaces which usually makes the person behind me stop way back because they are trying to figure out of something is wrong since I'm so far from the car in front. It has worked really well.

 

Today some WRX guys were on the highway and came up upon me pretty fast. They wanted to play and i resisted but another car in their pack, a Ford Mustang, was doing weird stuff and SUDDENLY cut right in front of me DAMN close for no apparent reason (we were doing legal limit of 65). i was in the far left lane and he was in the right lane and swerved RIGHT in front of me.

All i can say in THANK G-d for the upgraded Brembo brake fronts and Girodisc rotor/DS3500 pad rears. That upgraded system saved $$$$ worth of damage (at least) and mine and my gals life (at worst).

Avoid idiots at ALL costs, but in my case i was just driving and they came up upon me and started getting wacko immediately.

 

Kids in modern musclecars, rice mobiles & crotch rockets want to race, I just cruise around 85-90 & they lose interest quickly or go tearing down the road by themselves

Most everybody else is well behaved although ocasionally you run into stupid, envious, insecure or PC people who dont know how to appreciate art

 

I've never had a problem driving my Ferrari. My Porsche? That's a whole different story. Everyone seems to have heard the Porsche vs. Porcupine joke. No one ever yielded to me.

 

It's been pretty rare. When it does happen, I leave in a hurry. Problem is even with insurance if you get hurt, money doesn't solve the problem.

Art

 

Firstly, when I am in general traffic, I don't drive in such a way as to garner negative attention: I save the spirited driving for the rural, back roads.

Secondly, someone suggested that flashy colored cars [red/yellow/etc.] could somehow bring out the "green" in other people: this is the first time I had heard this interesting supposition and I tend to agree.

Thirdly, around these parts I avoid driving early AM and late PM in order to avoid drunks, redneck drunks, and deer!

Lastly, with my NRA [National Rifle Association] badges prominently placed around the car, I think people who get close enough to notice them realize I may "walk softly but likely might be carrying a BIG ASS stick" and just drop back!!!

 

That basically sums it up for me. I usually and graciously step aside and say: "Oh please, after you." Life too short for a cock fight.

 

Yes, the 5 o'clock position is very, very annoying. please stop.

At first you don't mind this as a Ferrari owner, but after thousands of miles in your Ferrari it will start to annoy you. There you are, driving home leisurely on the freeway and in about 2 miles you need to change to the right lane. well... there is someone in your blind spot, but you figure you got 2 MILES to make that lane change. well ... good luck, because when you accerelate, they accelerate. if you slow down, they slow down. very annoying. If you want to come to 5 o'clock, OK. but dont modulate your throttle to STAY here.

so you jump on the throttle and downshift to 3rd to get in front of them. well, now they think you want to RACE!!

 

Totally Agree!

 

I focus on driving, not the reactions of people around me.

 

Tailgating is the worst problem I experience. Mostly by teenagers who are trying to intimidate or impress their riders.