In the early 1990's, I worked in southern California. The local Ferrari Club had a special "corral" for club members to park/display
their cars at a hotel on the outside of the track for the Long Beach Grand Prix. I had transported a Comp Daytona to the event to
display, but to also show to a potential customer interested in the car.
(Picture red Comp Daytona, white & blue stripes, light blue plexi headlight covers, vertical splitters on the front fenders, gold wheels,
and straight exhaust that dumped out in front of the rear wheels.)
Find client and he wants to go for a test drive. ( I was instructed to NOT let him drive the car.) Most of the streets in the area were
blocked off with barricades and guarded by motorcycles cops.
We take off down a crowded area but deserted street. I am taking it easy but running the engine at high enough revs for the sound
to echo off the buildings and set off car alarms. A few blocks down we are crossing over a bridge and the guy says "Open her up a bit."
Loping along in 2nd gear, I oblige him. I floor it, hit 3rd gear let it wind up to almost redline and hit 4th gear. I lifted off and we coasted
over the rest of the bridge into what looked like an industrial area. The guy wants to look under the hood so I make a U-turn to the left
into the driveway entrance to a non-descript brick warehouse with 10-foot-high fences with barbed wire at the top. I exit the car and
undo the hood hold down on the driver's side and walk around to undo the passenger's side. I open the hood and we started talking.
Soon I am aware of some yelling coming from the non-descript brick warehouse behind us. We turn around to see a couple of guys in
camo fatigues with rifles slung over their shoulders running towards us. Oh shit. What is this building? Are we in trouble?
They were yelling at us to NOT leave yet! It was two young guys with the shit detail of guarding the area during the race weekend.
They just wanted to see the car as it would most likely be the highlight of their weekend. They had obviously heard us coming.
I offered to let them sit in the car but they politely declined. I asked if I could hold a rifle and squeeze off a couple rounds? Also,
politely declined. They thanked me for showing them car and hustled back to their post.
I closed the hood and calmly drove back to where I had parked the transporter. By this time a helicopter was circling over the area.
I wheeled the car into position to load the car and check alignment with the ramps.
With no racing going on, the exhaust noise had attracted a crowd. A little boy, I would guess about 5 or 6 was literally dragging his
dad towards the car. I walked over to them and said hello. The boy asked if this was a Ferrari. I said it was. Dad asks if they can step
closer to look at it. I told him no and watched the boy's smile disappear. Then I reached over and opened the door and said "But you can sit in it!"
Dad looks at me, pulls the kid back towards him and fumbles around trying to make excuses as to why they couldn't.
I said "Look, two things to consider here Dad, 1) Itsa notta my car......and 2) When are you ever gonna get another chance?"
Dad and son both took turns in the driver's seat, Dad took pictures of his son, and I took his picture with his camera.
They couldn't thank me enough and went on their way. I turned to the crowd and shouted "Anyone else?" A line formed and I helped
people in and out for nearly an hour. That was a pretty good day for being at work.
Great story Rick
We are seeing more and more Porsche guys buy late model Ferraris in the Atlanta area
While driving to the car show this Sunday I ran into a guy who has just bought his first one
As for the kids
It’s was the parents who got the biggest kick out of it
I had them take pictures of there kids in the car
The Porsche crowd are closet NAZi’s that’s all
Like I tell them when they come over on the sly to look at the car
I know why you didn’t buy one
It handles!
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RF4-4EVR
Scars are Tattoos with better stories !
If you have no enemies, you have no character !
Clyde Romero
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I've told the story before...
When Finny was still alive, we took the Ferrari to a local sandwich shop down the street. It was a 20+ year old car at that point. Some (as Erik would say, Dentist) guy pulls in to the parking lot in a new Porsche GT3 variant, parks across 2 spots 10 feet away. We were the only 3 people eating in the place. Soon after he got his food and sat down, a group of kids came through the parking lot on foot and skateboards. They all stopped to look at the Ferrari. One or two of the kids got really close to the Porsche (while keeping their backs to it... as if it wasn't there). The guy gets up from his table and charges out the door and yells at the kids to stay away from his car. We finished our food and went out another door and as I approached the car with my lovely blonde wife, I just asked how they liked the car... didn't yell at them. Opened the door and said "have a seat"... Finny opened her door and offered the same. Kids had a hoot. Mr. Porsche had gone back in and finished his food and came back out to announce that the kids didn't know their cars very well... "My Porsche could run circles around that old piece of shit".
The kids let him know it didn't matter... THIS was a Ferrari!!
And fuck you, you're an ass.
He's got the hot wife and you're alone, loser.
He let us touch his car and even sit in it.
I've seen 20 Porsches this week, this is the ONLY Ferrari.
You own a Porsche because you can't afford a Ferrari (that was false, but I wasn't going to correct them).
As he left, Finny flipped him the bird and all the kids laughed.
I saw one of the kids years later at the gas station... I didn't recognize him but he was probably 6 years older and had his own car then. He recognized me and asked if I still had the Ferrari? Yep, I do. He said he may never have the chance to own a Ferrari, but he will never forget the day he got to sit in one. He said that had been a great day for him! The current day was a great day for me. We always did the same with the race track too. I'd throw kids in the Trans Am cars all the time. They'd come back years later telling their friends they got to sit in THAT car.
It's important to bring them into the fold... They may be the next custodians of our cars.
But I would pay good money to hear a kid point at a McLaren and say “wow, the new Hyundai is cool…"
Ya know – if we brought a $500,000 McLaren or a Veyron or a Jesko – they would NOT have the kiddo eye-popping thrill.
Yer a champ Clyde
Doug
CLYDE
In victory you deserve Champagne
In defeat you need it!
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Scars are tattoos with better stories!
Clyde Romero
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