Author Topic: Driving a Ferrari: one of the greatest experiences I've ever lived! (Read 1085 times)

danidmas · « **on:** 12-Jul-2010, 17:45:25 »

Well. Where do I start? I've had my fair share of "great" moments on four wheels: I've seen the sunrise after a long night in a 24 hours race, I've got a passenger ride on a Ferrari F430 Challenge GTB, started on the first row in a race with the Clio... But none of them comes close to the one I'm gonna tell you: the very first time you drive a Ferrari is something you can't forget...

As you might remember, last Easter I visited Holland and Belgium, meeting some TAUers during our journey with my girlfriend Mireia. One of those TAUers was pterps (along with Stradale), who took us to Mark's place. Mark is a cool guy. The coolest car guy I know I'd say. Serioulsy, and I'm not ass licking anyone here. You'll see why I say this.

Last year, during the Rebel Run 2009, me and my brother offered him passenger rides around the Nordschleife. He wanted to lap the track with someone "experienced" behind the wheel... and apparently, he loved those 2 laps. Not so much the second, actually, when he came back half sick to the car park

Talking in the cafe, you know... one of those things you say... next time I'm in Holland you should let me drive your Ferraris.

You know, this is one of those things you just say without expecting anything in return, just chit-chat... but when I told pterps that I was coming to Holland, he answered me that Mark would let me drive the Stradale. Wow!

I was quite shocked I have to say: someone allowing me drive his precious toy... a Ferrari nonetheless... so much responsability in my hands! But it's not everyday that you get to drive your dream car... so I said of course!! And some weeks later, we were having dinner with Roland and Peter in Zwolle, moments before heading to Mark's garage. I couldn't wait!

First we went to his home, where he showed us the (by then) top secret Ferrari 599 GTO brochure. He had ordered one, so he spent some time explaining us all the details and "hidden secrets" (he got to see the car in the "potential customers" private premiere!). So after discussing about the latest Ferrari hypercar, it was time to move to the hangar where he keeps his 2 Ferraris.

When we arrived, both cars were covered. And unveiling those beauties is something quite special I must admit. Like undressing a woman. Moments later, a gooorgeous black Stradale and the superb red Scuderia 16M Spider. Such a nice sight! And so hard to pick just one. Since the 16M was on german plates, we only took the Stradale out... but well, I can't really complain considering the Stradale is one of my alltime favourite Ferraris... ever, along with the F40 and the 250 GT SWB. The noise, the stance, the racing roots (the car was based directly on the Challenge racecar as far as I know, and not the other way round).

While the black Stradale was getting warm outside the shop, I snapped some photos of the other beauty:

At this point, you know... you start thinking... well... may be that "you can drive" comment was a nice comment but anything more than that... that all I'll get is a passenger ride (I wouldn't have complained anyway!)... I didn't want to say anything... but then, Peter told me "are you ready to drive?". My answer? Something like errr... brrr... yeeeah... Hands sweating, legs shacking. I was out of words.

The car was sitting outside the garage. Such a menacing stance…

At first I thought Mark was gonna sit alongside me in the 360… but no, it wasn't him but Peter. And this is why I said Mark was the coolest car guy I know. He came all the way from his place, after dinner, just to open the garage, start up the cars… and see how his friends (a guy I barely knew!!) drove the Ferraris. Can you get any better than this?! I don't have any problem to let people drive my cars (cheap cars afterall), and even if I had something fast and unique, I think I'd be happy to share the experience with someone else (always after making sure he's not crazy at the wheel). But most of the time, the owners don't like other people driving their cars... happens all the time. Matteo is another cool and generous car guy: he offered me to drive his Esprit S2, the Fulvia and the 964! Extra kudos for them!

But back to the Ferrari, Mark started explaining me the commands, and helping me to fasten the 4 point seat-belts. That car really feels like a fucking racercar! Everything was simple, a very clean design, everything but stressful… so you can focus on the driving. And only the driving. The car had been idling for a while, getting warm… and once everything was all ready, he showed me the thumbs up: here we go…

I was driving a Ferrari… not "any other Ferrari"… but a fucking 360 Stradale!! I was in heaven!!

Obviously, I was scared like shit. Legs shacking like crazy. The kerbs looked closer than ever (especially coming from a rental Corsa!), and I had to keep an eye on pretty much everything: don't drive too close to the front car, because of the little stones… check the temp… drive in 4th better… no, better in 3rd…

Until we left the roundabouts behind, and we could see that looong, endless stretch of road ahead of us, I could relax a little bit. It was something like a 5 km straight… or at least that's the feeling I got. The first run was used basically to warm the engine and fluids, so no maniac acceleration or crazy top speeds here. I was just enjoying the moment. Which was priceless in every single possible way. Really.

The first thing you experience behind the wheel of such a unique car, so related to the racing Challenge, is that there is no sound protection… at all. You can even hear the chipstones hitting the inner wheel arches. Just like I hear on the Clio Cup!! The steering is super direct. I don't know exactly, but I had the feeling that I could go from lock to lock in pretty much nothing. And the noise... oh the noise...

The moment of truth was close, and Peter told me turn around in the next intersection. Ok, everything was ok. Temperature. The right driving position. My balls, all in place. And off we went.

We had been driving in 4th all the way to the U-turn… so when Peter told me to drop 2 gears and give full throttle to the car I thought to myself "are you freaking sure?! these dutchs are nuts!!".

As I told you before, it's not everyday that you get to drive such an awesome piece of machinery, and I still couldn't believe what I was about to do...

3rd, 2nd… full throttle. In 2 seconds we were already well above the speed limit, enough to back off back to 4th. I got goosebumps. Plenty of them. Chicken skin. What a freaking awesome sensation. Batter than anything else I've experienced before on four wheels. And we got to repeat that 4th-3rd-2nd-full-throttle sequence a few more times before heading back to the garage. Such an extraordinary car! Seriously. It was awesome in every single way! The way the engine pushes your back, the noise of the engine just behind you... Everything in that car is memorable.

Way more relaxed than I was when we left the garage, I step out of the car with a stupid grin on my face. I was ecstatic!! The experience of a lifetime. One of the things I remember (I remember as if it was just yesterday) is that I needed water. My mouth was so dry I couldn't even speak properly. All I could do were some strange noises of approval, keeping always the stupid smile on my face. LOL!

After that epic drive, I started discussing the "experience" with Mark. I noticed that Peter and Roland were getting ready to get out (Peter at the wheel)... and I was a bit like... WTF?! That was unbelievable! Mark was not going to drive any of his cars. He was there just to make us happy as kids. Do you understand now why he's my hero now?!

One of the things I did mention is that if I had the money, I'd rather get a 997 GT3 RS… but it was true that the porker could not match the whole package, the full experience of the italian supercar. It's something special, something hard to tell, something… let's say… philosophical… mystical… about these cars that you just cannot explain. After Roland, it was my girlfriend's turn to get on the passenger seat. And by the face of her when she came back… I guess she just loved it!

Here we are... the four Musketeers: Peter (pterps), Mark, me and Roland (stradale).

It's funny because I'm writing this now, months after that epic, unforgetable day, and it's like I experience all that just yesterday. It's so fresh in my mind. And you never know... may be in the future I get to drive Lamborghinis, more Ferraris, Porsches RS... classic cars... I don't know. But this little run, on that amazing evening in Holland... is something I won't easily forget!

Thanks Mark for your unbeliebable generosity, and Peter for setting everything up!!

PS.- Looking forward to drive the 599 GTO...

ARMAN · « **Reply #1 on:** 12-Jul-2010, 18:46:41 »

fantastish!

what a read.... i need a water, nao

thanx for writeup Dani, its like(well hypothetically) driving it with you, very cool from Mark to let you drive it he, must have a trust in you

stmoritzer · « **Reply #2 on:** 12-Jul-2010, 18:54:02 »

I enjoyed every line of this report, congrats!

The magic of Ferrari, the Stradale beeing also my favvourite F, the situation, the acceleration ... must be mindblowing as you wrote it

Very kind of Mark (where do you live exactly!!? j/k) to share this experience with the TAU'ers.

Reminds me to write/post asap about my recent epxerience.

Saadie · « **Reply #3 on:** 12-Jul-2010, 19:41:16 »

People like Mark are true rarities .. im glad people I know know people like him

I read every singly little dot of your experience dani .. I am glad you had goosebumps For When I Get TO Drive A Ferrari .. i will not piss my pants

MIHALS · « **Reply #4 on:** 12-Jul-2010, 19:53:26 »

very nice reading! you wrote it by heart dani, I can say! Congrats for the drive of your dream!

big thumbs up to Mark for letting you drive that beautie - it really is BELLA MACHINA!
I know how exactly what you think about the difference between Ferrari and "the others", dani. it's the soul, that huge aura that Ferrari has! It surely is a dream car

and I also know about the feel when you first time sit behind the wheel with the "Cavallino Rampante" on it... I experienced the same feel just 2 weeks ago...

regele · « **Reply #5 on:** 12-Jul-2010, 21:09:38 »

Sounds exactly like what a car guy imagines it to be and I'm glad you got to experience it Dani

for the owner as well, that was a very nice gesture, one that less and less people do nowadays.

Skaala · « **Reply #6 on:** 12-Jul-2010, 22:02:34 »

fantastic writeup

pzgren · « **Reply #7 on:** 12-Jul-2010, 22:44:05 »

how cool is this?

chest3r · « **Reply #8 on:** 12-Jul-2010, 22:52:28 »

If someone said I could drive any car in the world, I would probably choose the Stradale.

I already had the pleasure of driving an F430 on the track, but it was just for one lap, and I didn't even had the time to assimilate the sensations I felt. Everything was very fast!

I kinda paid for the driving experience on the Ferrari and I was driving on the track, so I wasn't very worried about the car. But, in your position, driving someone else's car on the road, I think I would be scared too.

Thumbs up for the owner of the car, not only for letting a friend driving the car, but mainly for showing his cars.

MartinR · « **Reply #9 on:** 13-Jul-2010, 00:49:05 »

Very well written, I almost felt I was there. Whenever I read stories like this I remember what a special place cars have in my, and a all of our lives. Even if we don't all race or tune them up, there's that little something that would make driving a Ferrari for the first time an unforgettable event in all of us.

I hope to get that chance one day as well and if I do, I'm sure I'll remember it as vividly as you.

And like everyone said, bug thumbs up for Mark. Sounds like a great guy!

ZfrkS62 · « **Reply #10 on:** 13-Jul-2010, 06:03:01 »

dani you bastard. I don't think anyone has EVER captured the complete envy of an entire forum before, but you've done it

I'm tingling with excitement trying to put myself in your shoes from just reading your account of the events. Hope this isn't the end of your exploits

Mireia · « **Reply #11 on:** 13-Jul-2010, 11:01:10 »

I had the fortune to share with Dani that day and even so I'm still touched when reading his experience. It was such an unforgettable day!!! And it meant so much to him!!! (Truly he was sooooooo happy!!

)

I'm very grateful to Mark (and Peter) to make it possible.

stradale · « **Reply #12 on:** 13-Jul-2010, 11:22:20 »

Very well put, Dani! It sure was an extraordinary evening! I can only imagine what it must have been like to be behind the wheel. BTW, your story helps a great deal when trying to imagine that!

Thanks for the pictures as well. Great memories…

Again, huge thanks to both Marc and Peter!!

mrmojo77 · « **Reply #13 on:** 13-Jul-2010, 11:58:03 »

Thank you Dani for the excellent report.

I read it slowly just to imagine everything. Congrats for the experience!

brembo · « **Reply #14 on:** 13-Jul-2010, 12:33:58 »

This is what being a car guy is all about...Mark really got it the right way

To be able to own such great machines are one thing, many people can do that, but to be a car guy is something totaly different and Mark have this by the heaps from what I can read.
To share his passion for cars with other car people like he did that evening is admirable and I bow down to him for giving you that experience..

Youre write up really caught the moment there I think I dont know how it wasm but I feelt like I could put myself in your place, the toughts about the cars the feeling when you realize you are going to get to drive it, the worries to that you will do something to hurt this generous mans cars and so on..

Then the feeling of total joy when you drive it, the feeling of butterflies in your stomach it is a great feeling and I am glad you experienced it and shared it with us here...

Thank you for a great writeup and thans to Mark and Peter for making this happen for you, and us to read..it was great..

sentra_dude · « **Reply #15 on:** 13-Jul-2010, 20:01:02 »

Dang Dani! Just like everyone else has said, great write-up, you were making me nervous just thinking about what it'd be like to drive someone else's Ferrari and all the worries about hurting it! Mark sounds like a really awesome guy too! Great pics to go along with the writing too. I'm jealous as hell!

pterps · « **Reply #16 on:** 13-Jul-2010, 21:00:06 »

Great story Dani, it was my pleasure of course! I am lucky I get to drive the CS every now and than. I need to find some time to write about my last trip with the CS to a meeting with some friends. I drove the CS for about 400 km and boy did I enjoy that day! There are some photo's and video's so I will share them soon.

I heard Marc already offered you a ride in the GTO....he didn't offer me yet.....

We loved driving around the ring with you and Ignasi so we were glad we could do something for you.

You are absolutely right about Marc, he is a great guy and a good friend!

danidmas · « **Reply #17 on:** 13-Jul-2010, 23:04:54 »

Quote from: pterps on 13-Jul-2010, 21:00:06

I heard Marc already offered you a ride in the GTO....he didn't offer me yet.....

Schwalbe · « **Reply #18 on:** 14-Jul-2010, 05:06:06 »

Wow !!!! What a driving report.

It was so nice to read your experience Dani, I feel like it was me behind the steering wheels for the first time onboard this nice exotic Ferrari.

Glad you enjoyed and special thanks to Mark.

bmagni · « **Reply #19 on:** 14-Jul-2010, 05:10:55 »

Awesome writeup Dani! glad you had such a great time and that you're sharing it with us!