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The Prancing Horse

When i heard the commercial about Ferrari of North America's "Auto Show" in Old Town Pasadena on the Radio and that they were closing off a couple of blocks on Colorado Blvd, i was in disbelief. Ferraris are ya kidding me? Only a select few makes and models get me all giddy about car shows because i read and absorb so much about them that I don't necessarily jump at the opportunity of seeing them face to face. Besides there is an inherent boredomness about car shows, isn't there? But these cars are essentially the automobile equivalent of a Raphael sculpture, if there was such a thing. It's not to suggest that reading about cars such as, say, AMG's impressive normally aspirated 6.3 liter motor now offered in Mercedes Benz's AMG line couldn't get me out of the couch if it were parked across the street from the house. I just wouldn't drive anywhere to go see it. Unless of course i am promised a spin...

Ferrari's have a different kind of mystical effect on me. Like Ferrari guys like to say "These aren't only ultra-expensive exotic sports cars, they're a work of Art". And i tend to agree with that opinion I've had my favorites over the years and i have been lucky enough to have seen some of them in real life (Yes even the Enzo) and some even on the Roads. The GTO (Ferraris original Supercar by which the Enzo was derived, genealogically speaking that is... ) I first saw in historic Laguna Seca is spellbinding from any angle (even from afar). It's one of those vintage Ferrari's you couldn't mistake for another Ferrari model (At least for those with a learned Ferrari eye). The first Testarossa i ever saw believe it or not was in squalid Van Nuys (Probably owned by a Pornographer haha). It was weird because you wouldn't expect a $250,000 Ferrari prancing around in such a place. I saw it coming out of a 7-Eleven and I was amazed at how broad and impressive they really look at close. It was a beautiful mint looking Cherry Red...

Just like any car enthusiasts, Ferrari guys are very cool and relatively down-to-earth kind of people. The only real difference between the Import Carshow-guys and an Exotic ones lie not on their passion and love for what they do, but simply the money. Obviously one should not go broke trying to invest on something that may not offer any kind of monetary return to begin with. It's really just for the love of the game for these guys. The cool thing about being Rich and having passion for Sports Cars of course is having the means to obtain some of the best the world has to offer. "Some" i say because exotics such as Ferraris is an extremely exclusive club. If you actually had a Million Dollars in a duffel bag right now and whimsically paid a Ferrari dealership a visit, you're still not guaranteed to walk out with a Car. At least not a brand new one. It's rare that you see a regular Joe Blow who'd struck gold somewhere somehow driving a Brand New Ferrari because most of these Works of Art are virtually spoken for before they even make it to the assembly line. So you want an F-430 Spider? Well good luck fellow, the wait is over two years and there's not even a guarantee that you'd make the list. Just ask any Ferrari guy, they'd tell you you're better off purchasing a few used ones and then Pray they put you on the waiting list...

Ferraris are even more stunningly beautiful when you're standing next to them. It's like falling in love. Okay that might be a little too expressive but they're just so beautiful i can't help myself! There's just something about these fine automobiles that are unmatched and I can only imagine what it's like owning one. The pride they must feel is amazing and undying. There is just nothing like them in this World. And although there are a handful of cars that might outrun a Ferrari in sheer speed, no one really cares. One's reason for owning a Ferrari needn't necessarily mean having the ability to out-pace some other snotty rich guy on PCH or establishing one's social stature in affluent Los Angeles. It's about Love and Passion. It's about what Ferrari stands for; performance, tradition, and heritage. Sure a Porsche GT3 RS could out-pace a 430 Challenge Stradale at the tracks and sure a ZO6 could out-drag any Production Ferrari under $300K, but who cares? It's a Ferrari!

And when your standing there in the middle of Colorado Blvd in Old Town Pasadena facing two blocks and 30 Million Dollars worth of Ferraris, it's simply intoxicating. Or i wanna say "Sick" but i'm afraid that word would be inappropriate for the occasion. These things are the work of the Old Italian Masters we must use words like magnific, grandiloquent etc etc etc. Or, to be a little more American, we could say it was outrageous and ridonkulous! Of course in a good way. In any case it was a site to behold...! First let me say that there was no Enzo in the show. That was kind of a bummer buts its okay i have seen two before (In yellow and red trim). Secondly i found no Ferrari "California" in attendance, that was a big bummer coz' i was really looking forward to it. I was very happy to see a few Ferraris i have never seen before in person though. There was in my opinion one of the most beautiful Supercars ever built, the twin-turbo charged F-40. There was a race-ready 288 GTO (the F40's SuperCar predecessor) and the successor to the F40, the convertible (removable top) normally aspirated F50. An enormity of 360's, 430's, and 355's adorned the boulevard in their various forms too. Mostly coupes of course but some of the Spyders and even Stradales came out out to play. Are you noticing a pattern here? Yes I am a mid-engined aficionado, especially high-strung one's such as the aforementioned. Don't worry i also love some of the front-mounted Ferraris such as the following that were attendance as well; some 308's (Magnum P.I.'s Ferrari remember?), Testarrosa's (the Miami Vice car), Maranello's, and of course probably one of my all time favorite cars of all time, a number of 365 GTB's...

The downside to these exotic car shows is that it isn't easy trying to relate to the car owners. Although they are pretty laid back and are more than willing to engage is "car talk" there is no doubt that we are different kinds of people. I'm pretty versed when it comes to cars but as I paced the boulevard I couldn't think of what to say to these guys. "Hey nice car" would seem too cliche' and "Hey how much is this one?" would seem irresponsible and ignorant (and not to mention probably annoying). That being said and to look at it in a different perspective, who says one had to talk to these guys? After all i went to see the cars not to get chummy with the owners right? Right. Anyway as i was strolling the boulevard and taking as many pictures as i could, I spotted something i had never seen before. It was a typical 360 Modena with the Stradale grills and wheels but that wasn't it the drew me to the car (we see a lot of these Modenas with Stradale Trims), it was the color. It wasn't quite silver and wasn't quite pearl or white. The color was dim (not what Ferraris are know for, color wise)but wonderfully so because the car looked beautifully different. The owner seemed to read my thoughts or perhaps my face betrayed my curiosity because he answered before i was halfway through my question. Not only did he answer my question but he gave me historical facts about the particular color that harks back to Enzo Ferrari's formidable years in Italy. "Only 139 of these exist in the entire World" he proudly proclaimed (I may have that number wrong)... Isn't that cool? I asked about a color and i get history in return. Not only that he also showed me in the car and explained every single detail about the interior from the special "Daytona Seats" to the special leather dashboard, and special paddle shifters etc etc...

My response to this special treatment? "So how much is this car?". The nice gentleman smiled sublimely, patted my back and said "Too much my friend, too much" as he lets me out...



See the rest of the Ferrari Gallery HERE

Posted by: Marc Gabay
Monday, May 19, 2008