Ferrari Life Forum banner

How did you get into Ferraris?

137K views 586 replies 211 participants last post by  RPB458 
#1 ·
I was at a lunch today and an older gentleman who knew I was a bit of a petrolhead ask me how I ended up getting into Ferraris. Took me a few minutes of pondering before I could give him an answer. The short of it is it started with a conversation I had with my father years ago when he was considering buying either a 308 or a Testarossa after sitting next to a senior Ferrari executive on a flight from Milan to NY. The guy from Ferrari really had gotten him interested and he was a tough sell, so I figured that must really be something behind these cars. For some reason that conversation always stuck in my head. Step two was ownership of a couple of Alfas followed by BMWs followed by Porsches. Then I drove a F355 and it was simply just that much more exciting than anything I could remember driving up until that point. So I bought it.

Others?
 
#124 ·
In 1963 my first Sebring 12 Hour. I'll never forget the "noise" and "glowing brakes" of the Ferraris going into the Hairpin Turn.
That moment was a big part of my life.
In the summer of 1964 thanks to my Grandmother, I purchased a new Berlinetta Lusso. In the almost 50 years since, I've been lucky to have been able to own most of the finest Ferraris made. Lusso, GTB/4, Dino, Daytona, 308, Boxer.
All were new except my current love, a 99 550.
Ferrari added a lot of life to my life.
J Annis, Tampa Fl.
 
#125 ·
John- Great to see you here. Do you think your grandmother would adopt me? Mine are both gone, unfortunately.

It is great to have grandparents who love you. I was lucky to have both sets for quite a while.
 
#127 ·
I was a fan of the F badge for a long time, always drove merc,s and was very fond of the AMG.

I had worked my way up the ladder through hard work. and setting aside a little for a rainy day.

some years ago i had a phone call that made me take stock of what was important in life, and spent a very long flight to pick up what i was told was my wifes remains.

I got lucky, in that my wife, held on until i arrived,I then had to spent some time in Tampa,looking after and helping her get well so i could fly her home.

it was while i was sitting outside the hospital on a stunning spring morning i saw my first 360. and i said to myself that no mater what life would put my way i was going to have one.

Now i can look back and say ive had the good fortune to own a 360, 360CS, and now the 16m.
And best of all i have my wife to sit beside me, and to remind me what life is all about.
 
#133 ·
What a story Weepee. It is amazing what it takes to put perspective on life sometimes. That must have been a life changing event. Thankfully with a good ending! :)
 
#128 ·
When I was a student at UVa back in the '60's, I was walking back to the dorm. The area where I was walking was always somewhat congested with vehicles even back then. As I walked I heard the most unusual but wonderful sound being emitted from a passing vehicle. I looked over and noticed the gorgeous beast that was slowly passing by It was a black Daytona. That did it. I was completely hooked.
 

Attachments

#129 ·
My story (sorry... its a long one)

I’ve always been a car nut, but never liked the idea of driving the same thing that everyone else drove. American muscle cars and “sports cars” have their own appeal, but they are a common sight. I like the idea of being a bit different, but finally getting into Ferrari took quite a while. Where I grew up you hardly ever saw an “exotic” on the road although I remember Robert Wagner’s TV show “It Takes A Thief” where he drove a Maserati Ghibli. The appeal of a foreign “exotic” started way back then, and the look of Ferrari was usually at the top of my favorite list. According to my dad they weren’t affordable, reliable, or practical. Later, while I was in college, the Magnum P.I. show really showcased the 308 and made the exotic car appeal even stronger. Who didn’t want to be Magnum? As I neared graduation from college (the U.S. Naval Academy, just like Magnum…) and about go out on my own there was no way I could afford a Ferrari and I didn’t have any rich friends with an estate that included an extra Ferrari. So, my first new car was an obscure British sports car (Jensen Healey). It was affordable, but not really practical or too reliable (so maybe dad was right?). I still loved it because hardly anyone else had one! Then my college girlfriend (and first love) gave me a poster showing the slightly silhouetted images of three items: a reclining nude woman, a fine bottle of wine, and a Ferrari 308, with the tiny caption: “Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.” I think that poster really helped me make up my mind. It was simply a matter of making the right decisions! So, after getting dumped by my first love following a submarine deployment, and having consumed more than enough of fine (well, cheap wine actually… I was an Ensign in the Navy after all!), I started saving for my first Ferrari in earnest.

I had always heard my dad talk about the what-ifs and if-onlys of cars he would have liked to have owned, but didn’t due to their impracticality with a family so I told my next love that if we were to get married I wanted to buy a Ferrari BEFORE we had kids. That didn’t scare my new love so I knew she was a keeper and we were married in 1980. A few years later I was transferred from the east coast (an exotic car desert, at least where I lived) to San Diego, California and found myself in exotic car heaven. I had almost daily sightings of all sorts of great cars and found a real selection of used Ferraris within a few miles. In 1986, after a rather short search, I found a fantastic low mileage red/black 1984 308GTSi that became our first “child!” Fortunately, based on earlier good decisions, at least one Ferrari has been in our family ever since; even as real children came along. And, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a bad day, or knew I was going to have a bad day based on the projected workload, so I drove the Ferrari and it made me feel so much better. It wasn’t about power, or tearing around a track, or even the sound of high revs, just the feel and look (okay, maybe the sound of high revs too) of it that made all the difference in the world. I LOVE Ferraris!
:steeringwheel:
 
#135 ·
I’ve always been a car nut, but never liked the idea of driving the same thing that everyone else drove. American muscle cars and “sports cars” have their own appeal, but they are a common sight. I like the idea of being a bit different, but finally getting into Ferrari took quite a while. Where I grew up you hardly ever saw an “exotic” on the road although I remember Robert Wagner’s TV show “It Takes A Thief” where he drove a Maserati Ghibli. The appeal of a foreign “exotic” started way back then, and the look of Ferrari was usually at the top of my favorite list. According to my dad they weren’t affordable, reliable, or practical. Later, while I was in college, the Magnum P.I. show really showcased the 308 and made the exotic car appeal even stronger. Who didn’t want to be Magnum? As I neared graduation from college (the U.S. Naval Academy, just like Magnum…) and about go out on my own there was no way I could afford a Ferrari and I didn’t have any rich friends with an estate that included an extra Ferrari. So, my first new car was an obscure British sports car (Jensen Healey). It was affordable, but not really practical or too reliable (so maybe dad was right?). I still loved it because hardly anyone else had one! Then my college girlfriend (and first love) gave me a poster showing the slightly silhouetted images of three items: a reclining nude woman, a fine bottle of wine, and a Ferrari 308, with the tiny caption: “Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.” I think that poster really helped me make up my mind. It was simply a matter of making the right decisions! So, after getting dumped by my first love following a submarine deployment, and having consumed more than enough of fine (well, cheap wine actually… I was an Ensign in the Navy after all!), I started saving for my first Ferrari in earnest.

I had always heard my dad talk about the what-ifs and if-onlys of cars he would have liked to have owned, but didn’t due to their impracticality with a family so I told my next love that if we were to get married I wanted to buy a Ferrari BEFORE we had kids. That didn’t scare my new love so I knew she was a keeper and we were married in 1980. A few years later I was transferred from the east coast (an exotic car desert, at least where I lived) to San Diego, California and found myself in exotic car heaven. I had almost daily sightings of all sorts of great cars and found a real selection of used Ferraris within a few miles. In 1986, after a rather short search, I found a fantastic low mileage red/black 1984 308GTSi that became our first “child!” Fortunately, based on earlier good decisions, at least one Ferrari has been in our family ever since; even as real children came along. And, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a bad day, or knew I was going to have a bad day based on the projected workload, so I drove the Ferrari and it made me feel so much better. It wasn’t about power, or tearing around a track, or even the sound of high revs, just the feel and look (okay, maybe the sound of high revs too) of it that made all the difference in the world. I LOVE Ferraris!
:steeringwheel:
Welcome to Ferrari Life Stratton. Great intro:thumbsup: what F car is in the garage today?
 
#130 ·
My 2006 M5 was approaching end of warranty and I knew that the maintenance/repair costs would be ungodly. I loved the car but knew it wouldn't stoke my passions forever, especially if it started to cost an arm-n-leg to own. So, one day, it occurred to me - hell, if I have to own a car that will likely bankrupt me - it might as well be something that makes my heart skip a beat. That's when I started looking at Ferraris. At first, I was sure I wanted a 360 but after narrowing it down to a black 360 Modena or a Red 355 GTS - the decision got very simple (it had to be the F355).

About a year later, the "red-mist" had filled my head to such a degree that I decided I needed a 2nd Ferrari in the garage. I went looking for a perfect black single-mirror Testarossa and lo-n-behold I found her. I liquidated my entire stock portfolio and pulled a "Sometimes you gotta say What-the-F#ck!"

I've never regretted the decisions to buy a Ferrari - especially ones which have pretty much fully depreciated. I get to enjoy them and maybe make a few bucks one day if I sell them. Heck, I even built a little business around them - so I can now write-off a bunch of the associated expense. :)

If my money were sitting in a bank or trading account, it would just stress me out. I've come to distrust the financial system so much that I've got half a mind to cash out my 401k and buy an Enzo era collectible. Shhh...don't tell my wife. :D
 
#131 ·
LA and Stratton- Great stories from both of you and welcome to Ferrari Life. Nice to see we have one more professional killer on the forum, Stratton. I was a 1st Lt when I got my Dino in 1975.

Both of you should go down to Member Intros and say hello. We get good traffic for that section and Andrew can get you signed up as owners.
 
#137 · (Edited)
My dad bought his 1955 500 Mondial in May 1960, about two and a half years before I was born. I have no memory of when he was racing it, since he parked it when I was about 5 years old - he was tired of being lapped by cars like the Lotus 23 and birdcage Maseratis that could eternally out-brake him.

I don't know if this sounds too paradoxical, but my recollection 49 years later is that it was both completely normal and at the same time very special having a car like the Ferrari in the garage. It didn't dawn on me for a long time that not everyone had an old comp Ferrari taking up space in their garage. We raced and restored many other cars in the 70s, 80s and 90s, with the old warrior, 0556(0446)MD, standing guard in the corner, usually covered with at least several bedspreads. The first plastic model I ever built as a kid (about 1968) was a 250LM. We started getting Prancing Horse when I was an infant, but it was a mimeographed bunch of pages stapled together - no pictures back then. As I got older, I knew having an old competition Ferrari was special because the movies Grand Prix and then LeMans came out before I was 10 (I still get pissed off when I watch LeMans. F-ing Porsches . . .).

I finally pulled the trigger on my own Ferrari in 1999 when I got Queen Mother s/n11199. I had fun with that car and took it from being a pretty nice car to a good driver and occassional platinum winner - a tough balance to maintain. I am generally not too sentimental about cars - we have had well over a dozen project sports cars live with us over the decades. I really did not have a hard time parting with it a couple of years ago to move on to the next project ('65 Alfa Giulia SS). Only the 500 Mondial has been the keeper, and in my opinion Dad's 52 years of ownership is now one of the major parts of the car's story along with its class wins at the '55 GP of Venezuela and '56 Sebring 12 Hour.

I never actually rode in this car under its own power until August 2008 when we and David Carte finished the restoration in the nick of time for Pebble Beach. Here is a pic of my parents and I waiting for the start of the Pebble Tour that year.
 

Attachments

#138 ·
Great story:thumbsup:
My dad bought his 1955 500 Mondial in May 1960, about two and a half years before I was born. I have no memory of when he was racing it, since he parked it when I was about 5 years old - he was tired of being lapped by cars like the Lotus 23 and birdcage Maseratis that could eternally out-brake him.

I don't know if this sounds too paradoxical, but my recollection 49 years later is that it was both completely normal and at the same time very special having a car like the Ferrari in the garage. It didn't dawn on me for a long time that not everyone had an old comp Ferrari taking up space in their garage. We raced and restored many other cars in the 70s, 80s and 90s, with the old warrior, 0556(0446)MD, standing guard in the corner, usually covered with at least several bedspreads. The first plastic model I ever built as a kid (about 1968) was a 250LM. We started getting Prancing Horse when I was an infant, but it was a mimeographed bunch of pages stapled together - no pictures back then. As I got older, I knew having an old competition Ferrari was special because the movies Grand Prix and then LeMans came out before I was 10 (I still get pissed off when I watch LeMans. F-ing Porsches . . .).

I finally pulled the trigger on my own Ferrari in 1999 when I got Queen Mother s/n11999. I had fun with that car and took it from being a pretty nice car to a good driver and occassional platinum winner - a tough balance to maintain. I am generally not too sentimental about cars - we have had well over a dozen project sports cars live with us over the decades. I really did not have a hard time parting with it a couple of years ago to move on to the next project ('65 Alfa Giulia SS). Only the 500 Mondial has been the keeper, and in my opinion Dad's 52 years of ownership is now one of the major parts of the car's story along with its class wins at the '55 GP of Venezuela and '56 Sebring 12 Hour.

I never actually rode in this car under its own power until August 2008 when we and David Carte finished the restoration in the nick of time for Pebble Beach. Here is a pic of my parents and I waiting for the start of the Pebble Tour that year.
 
#140 ·
Brian, absolute platinum story of yours. How many of us out there can boast something even close to that ? Afterall, mine is a humble midlife crisis in continuum. :cry3: I have nothing but awe and respect to you and your father, the Admiral's stories. Thank You. w/ smiles Jimmy
 
#141 ·
Bryan- Great story and nice having a Ferrari be part of the family. Coincidentally, I built a 1/25 Monogram 250 LM in 1964/65, just before I left for NMMI.
 
#142 ·
Thanks, Barry, Jimmy and Terry. I really cannot take credit for any of this; it's a lucky accident of birth that I ended up w/ 0556(0446)MD as my older sibling. Credit has to go to my dad who recognized the magic in the beat up wreck he found in the back of that Rambler dealership in 1960, and then resisted the temptation to sell when the value of the car went from less than $10,000 to over $1M in about a seven year period in the '80s.

Best part of this is having the privilege of being a part of a great community like this. While the Ferrari world definitely has its share of schmucks, at its core are the real enthusiasts who "get" the true mystique of Ferrari - and I'm talking about present company!
 
#143 ·
Thanks, Barry, Jimmy and Terry. I really cannot take credit for any of this; it's a lucky accident of birth that I ended up w/ 0556(0446)MD as my older sibling. Credit has to go to my dad who recognized the magic in the beat up wreck he found in the back of that Rambler dealership in 1960, and then resisted the temptation to sell when the value of the car went from less than $10,000 to over $1M in about a seven year period in the '80s.

Best part of this is having the privilege of being a part of a great community like this. While the Ferrari world definitely has its share of schmucks, at its core are the real enthusiasts who "get" the true mystique of Ferrari - and I'm talking about present company!
All compliments back to you Brian. Thanks for a great story . If i'm counting right, you will celebrate your 50's birthday this year in late fall. Would you like to give yourself a early birthday present....like joining FLED 6:crowngrin::steeringwheel::ears:
 
#144 ·
When I was in high school, I was part of a group of kids interested in foreign sports cars, and the car of our dreams was Ferrari. One day I saw a 250 SWB, and it was love at first sight. Then I saw a 275GTB short nose, and it was orgasm at first sight. Then one day when I was in college I was walking past a car dealership, and I passed by a yellow car. The car winked at me. I stopped and looked at it. What do you know? It was a Ferrari.

I have as much artistic talent as Yoko Ono, but I know great art when I see it. A Ferrari automobile is the perfect blend of great art and ourstanding mechanical engineering.
 
#145 ·
44- Welcome. Good story on being smitten. Happened to most of us except Bryan, who was born with one near his cradle.
 
#153 ·
1st Ferrari

1967 ( 16 years old), saw a new Red 275 GTB in downtown Chicago. Fell in love but no $. Life got busy. 2008 time to live some dreams. Bought my 1st Ferrari. 2003 575M. Driven cross country and on several tracks. Won't look back. I smile so much it hurts :). Always turn for a last look before I close the garage door.

Other Italian exotic (?)- 1993 Cadillac Allante' convertable- pan made in Detroit, flown to Turin for a body designed and built by Pininfarina, flown back to Detroit for finishing. Montana Blue. 1 of 150. Electronically as complicated as the 575.Teaches me to drive slow...

Live your dreams- never give up...
 
#156 ·
1967 ( 16 years old), saw a new Red 275 GTB in downtown Chicago. Fell in love but no $. Life got busy. 2008 time to live some dreams. Bought my 1st Ferrari. 2003 575M. Driven cross country and on several tracks. Won't look back. I smile so much it hurts :). Always turn for a last look before I close the garage door.

Other Italian exotic (?)- 1993 Cadillac Allante' convertable- pan made in Detroit, flown to Turin for a body designed and built by Pininfarina, flown back to Detroit for finishing. Montana Blue. 1 of 150. Electronically as complicated as the 575.Teaches me to drive slow...

Live your dreams- never give up...
Woohu-welcome to Flife! Please feel free to share some pics of your cars with us! The guys here crave for them......!
You might also want to tell us more about yourself and your cars in the new members section!
 
#154 ·
What got me into the prancing horse marque was my ride in an F40 when I was 12 years old.

At the time, I had a friend who's dad worked at microsoft. He was in the "upper circle" of people there and knew both bill gates and paul allen on a first name basis. Every year he would host a dinner party at his house for his microsoft friends, and this particular year Paul Allen drove his F40 (which I believe he recently sold) to the occasion. Normally my friend and I were holed up in his room playing with legos or matchbox cars or something of the sort, but I saw the F40 in the driveway, so we went to admire it more closely. Mr. Allen came outside to get something out of the car and saw us there just staring at it and walking around it all wide-eyed and jaw-dropped. It turns out Mr. Allen is a very nice guy and he offered us both a ride (obviously not at the same time). The experience was unlike anything I was capable of imagining. It is one of those memories that was so full of adrenaline that it is difficult to remember the details, but I do remember the sensation of being in that car at WOT. Ever since then I have been a Ferrari fanatic (and have always wanted an F40 over any other car ever produced). My friends call me insane for preferring an F40 to a Veyron. They just dont understand what its like to be in one.

My next step is to drive one, and then purchase one.

someday, someday...
 
#157 ·
DFM-welcome. What a great story! The moment he opened the door for you, you were spoiled for life....persue that dream and don't give up...I'm sure 1 day it will come true!
 
#155 ·
Magnum P.I.

The most beautiful thing on TV and I was there every Thursday night at 8pm hoping that the episode would show more of that stunning red beauty.

I had a poster of the white Testarossa from Miami Vice with that sweet high driver's mirror on my wall, next to my Farrah poster.

We had a local car dealer in town that had a early 80's 512BBi when I was in high school. I thought it was the Magnum Ferrari until I got close to it. I've been interested in them ever since.

I would love to own one someday, but until then I can live vicariously through some of the owners here.
 
#161 ·
Daytona 15741

I was quite taken by the looks of the Daytona as well as the legend. I bought 15741 sight unseen from Bill Noon at Symbolic.

I sold it to a gentleman who has a 275 and a Gullwing in the stable. I have dibs of course but it is perfectly restored now and likely to be in long term ownership.

I am driving my 456MGT regularly and would like a modern day Daytona, the 599.



I think this may be my first post. I saw Wetpet at Cavalino and he got me over here.
 

Attachments

#174 ·
I was quite taken by the looks of the Daytona as well as the legend. I bought 15741 sight unseen from Bill Noon at Symbolic.

I sold it to a gentleman who has a 275 and a Gullwing in the stable. I have dibs of course but it is perfectly restored now and likely to be in long term ownership.

I am driving my 456MGT regularly and would like a modern day Daytona, the 599.



I think this may be my first post. I saw Wetpet at Cavalino and he got me over here.
Stan! Good to see you here; the last time I saw your car was at one of the Radcliffe Motors parties before you went to FL.

folks, Stan's daytona may have the best patina of any Daytona I've ever seen. Maintain it and drive it!
 
#162 ·
Stan- Welcome and great to see you on Ferrari Life. Beautiful Daytona, and, just like me, you will have owned one forever. Look forward to seeing photos of your 456M.

Go down to Member Intros and tell us about yourself and Andrew can get you signed up as an owner.
 
#165 ·
Stan, welcome! Great pics, tx for sharing
 
Top