This was the first time I saw the car, and it's everything I thought it would be.
Stunning.
It passed the safety check with flying colors. Cost $165; surprisingly inexpensive.
After a brief introduction to the operating controls by the Ferrari service manager Larry Suarez, it was finally time for me to strap in and get on the road.
I was as nervous as a long tailed cat
in a room full of rocking chairs!
in a room full of rocking chairs!
Don't break the car, don't break the car, don't break the car... That's all I could think about as I slipped slowly away and threaded through the industrial park and eventually on to the Interstate, driving like a little old lady... Don't break the car, don't break the car...
First stop was to good buddy David's home. I met him 40 years ago, when his then-girlfriend and my then-divorce lawyer introduced us. I parked my then-Ferrari 275 GTB long nose (burgundy/black) in his Porsche driveway while the 3 of use went inside for a chat. After an hour or so, as I pulled out of his drive, it was a bit of an embarrassment to notice that my Italian ride left its mark with more than a few drops of oil on his otherwise spotless German parking spot. David has never owned a Ferrari, and I have never owned a Porsche, but somehow we became great friends.
I didn't call first, so it was a surprise visit, and as I quietly slipped into his driveway, his bride Carol came out to check things out. She loved the car, of course. Then David came out and we went through all of the knobs and buttons and switches and flaps and scoops. When it came to opening up the engine compartment, it was Carol who figured it out. Big respect, Carol. She also provided the screwdriver to perform the first modification: the removal of the Ferrari San Diego license plate bracket and plate. Those things are a pet peeve of mine.
Finally I dropped the top to more oohs, and aahs, and it was time to get back on the road.
Over the years, it became a tradition that whenever I got a hot new car, the first thing on the agenda was to take it for a fast ride up The Hill. I hit 104 before I checked the speed, then quickly backed off in amazement. Damn, that car gets going faaaast!
Then, with David still passenger, it was time for the ultimate test: will it make it into my driveway without scraping the front end? This was a big worry for me because of the gutter dip the has always been a challenge with previous low-slung cars, especially my Viper GTS. It was a big relief when it caused no problem whatsoever!
I returned David to his home and bride, and then took Beauty back to her home (my home), and started to read the manual in detail. Soon I fell asleep in my chair, then decided to get real about a serious nap in the hammock. All that excitement was draining!
Overall, a successful first day with my sixth Ferrari.
Notes:
1. Today was the 25th anniversary of the day I sold my software company, and that traded previous 7 years of stress for the resources to retire and live a comfortable life. And so it is an auspicious day to celebrate that great occasion with my first Ferrari in 17 years. Why no Ferrari in 17 years? That's a story for another time. Stay tuned.
2. The transport driver for Reliable, Ervilio (sp?), was a very professional dude who has been delivering exotics for 27 years. We got to chatting for a while and he surprised me with his question: "You're a pilot aren't you?" WTF! How could he have known that? He mentioned that a good number of people he meets when he delivers exotics are pilots, and over time he has noticed the similarities in the personalities: they never talk down to others, and have a quiet, confident persona that distinguishes them. How about that for a student of human nature! So I gave him a signed copy of my book of flying adventures before he got back on the road to delivering dream cars to other patiently waiting dreamers.
3. End of day: 1814 miles on the odometer.
4. No photos taken!
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