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The Ferrari Shoot

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Ryan, Jun 18, 2007.

  1. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    Really interesting to read all of the comments. Some folks get it and some folks don't... I knew that would be the case when I wrote it and even made a comment to VonWrench on the way home about how the comments on this story would be really fun to read.

    The question remains though - why do some people see the connection and some don't? That's impossible to answer analytically because the tie between the three cars is really more of an emotional one for me... and I suspect the others that liked the article as well.

    I spent some time in Europe and while there, I was heavily influenced by the road car enthusiasts... I knew one fellow that wasn't a rich man by any stretch. He was just a car guy with a passion for the mechanical things in life and a love of form and fashion. Alot like many us do for our hot rods, he subsidized his life in order to own an F355. It was every thing to him.

    And when I was racing, Ferrari wasn't quite back on top of the hill yet. Even so, any driver in that league would have given up everything to race for that team. They are the Dallas Cowboys, the LA Lakers, The NY Yankees... They are everything.

    They are all of this to so many people because of their legacy of speed and performance. Being around that and learning about the company, about Enzo, about their history... left an impression on me... And that same impression of speed, passion (all of the words I seem to be using over and over), etc... Reminded me so much of the feelings I get when I think about traditional hot rods and the salt flats and everything else that makes what we do special.

    It's just a car guy thing.

    In the end, it's very much a personal thing... And this article was a selfish one, but one I would do again in a minute.

    --------------

    Now, as for modern Ferraris - It's impossible to say they are a "notch in the bed post" if you go to the factory and take a tour. Tell Mary (whose mother performed her job 40 years earlier) that her hand stitched seats have no passion behind them and she is liable to kick you in the nuts. :)
     
  2. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    Ohhh... and what's all this talk about people/owners? This isn't a people thing. This is a car thing.
     
  3. Im surprised nobody has mentioned the idea that Ferrari sells cars to the
    public to support their racing efforts.

    That makes a statement right there, first priority is to race, second is to
    sell cars so they can afford to WIN the race.

    I guess that supports the passion about cars argument.
     
    Tman likes this.
  4. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    Ferrari S.p.A. is actually owned by someone else now. The racing team and the factory collaborate quite a bit though and when they go full on with a project together, cars like the Ferrari Enzo are the result. Completely hand built.

    I should also mention that all of the arguments for and against the idea of there being some parallels here have been really well written and expressed. I absolutely love discussions like this... and I think it's cool we can have them without us all hating each other.
     
  5. I did a post last year about another italian hot rod I was trying to buy. I guess my Italian link is stronger than I thought.

    http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140837&highlight=iso+rivolta

    This a a link to my ISO Rivolta post, kind of a cross between Italian style and US horsepower.

    Ryan,
    If you can arrange a photo shoot with one of these I'll drive my truck down to park in the background.
     
  6. Kreb
    Joined: Oct 26, 2005
    Posts: 32

    Kreb
    Member

    Can you seperate the two?

    Har! I don't see how anyone can say that the cars themselves lack passion, it's just that most are owned by needledicks (Oops, can I say that?!)

    But this is a sidetrack. The journal entry is great, although an even better comparison would be a vintage Ferrari that was trully handbuilt.
     
  7. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    You have to seperate the people... How many people do you know that own a Ferrari? As of two weeks ago, I now know 4 and each of them are good folks... with good heads on their shoulders...

    The guy that owns this 575 is actually a hot rodder... And a very nice guy.

    It's easy to see some dude on the highway in a Ferrari with his cell phone to his head and call him a schmuck... But do you really know that? I mean, REALLY?

    Regardless, I've always seperated people from cars... One I'm bad with and the other I live for.

    ------

    And Flt-blck, I'm on it...
     
  8. chuckspeed
    Joined: Sep 13, 2005
    Posts: 1,643

    chuckspeed
    Member

    I felt kinda bad being in the opposition on this topic, FWIW. I love the early Ferraris; just feel as if the marque has been diminished (stateside, at least) by the demographic attracted to it.

    I understand where you're coming from, but for me, at least, a hot rod is so intensely personal that comparing it to a shelf vehicle - no matter how exotic - just feels 'not right'.

    A long time ago, a guy offered Pop an even trade for his Model A on a then new T-bird. The face value of the A at the time was about $3500; the 'bird was twice that.

    Pop's response?

    'Look - any damned fool with a credit rating can walk in with empty pockets and drive out with that car. It takes someone with a real love of cars to find one of these - and then keep it running. Go find one - and make it your own.'

    That was 30 years ago. The T-bird is dust; the A is still running.

    That's passion.

    thanks for being cool on this, man.
     
  9. chuckspeed
    Joined: Sep 13, 2005
    Posts: 1,643

    chuckspeed
    Member

    You only think you're bad with one, FWIW. Actions speak otherwise.
     
  10. mcload
    Joined: Apr 20, 2007
    Posts: 539

    mcload
    Member

    Well, there's always two sides to a fence, and if I could easily afford a Ferrari, fine Cuban cigars, and a trophy wife, by God, I'd do it too!!
    (and I'd have a "high-end" hot rod as well).


    Wait a minute! I can buy nice cigars; my wife married me which makes her a trophy; and I have some nice project cars......so I guess I'm there already!!
     
  11. graverobber63
    Joined: Sep 8, 2004
    Posts: 4,134

    graverobber63
    Alliance Vendor

    I wouldn't mind a ferrari....






    AS A PARTS CAR!!! haha
     
  12. The comments about the people who can afford the exotic cars makes me remember what a wise person my mom was. She told me that fairy tales, especially Aesop's Fables, contained important lessons about life in general.

    "I can't reach those grapes. They must be sour any way. I don't want them ol' Sour Grapes".

    Chili Phil, cut rate philosophy.

    As Wrenchski says: Reality checks that won't bounce.
     
  13. loudpedal
    Joined: Mar 23, 2004
    Posts: 2,202

    loudpedal
    Member
    from SLC Utah

    Am I the only one who wouldn't buy a Ferrari if I could afford it?
    ...I guess so.

    For the same money, I'd rather have a stable of cars with soul, than one 'shelf car' with none. Most of those early cars that people have mentioned have soul for sure... not the new one though. To me it looks the same as every other shiny dick with two seats.
     
  14. Probably not, Kris. But are you a fan of engine sounds? A Ferarri 12 cyl at full song is something to hear. I've heard Burkland's streamliner make a hard pass and I get the same sort of chicken skin feeling. Taste is a subjective matter, but bitchen is bitchen. A pack of Can-Am car picking gears up going into the straight is the same thing too. Motor music gives me a chubby. It IS a sickness, I know. I hope I never get well from it.
     
  15. SinisterCustom
    Joined: Feb 18, 2004
    Posts: 8,277

    SinisterCustom
    Member

    No Kris, you're not alone....I appreciate Ferrari's for what they are and their history.....but buy one? Nope......If I had the $$$ to buy ANY ONE 'exotic-type' car, mine would be old and German...........

    I understand the connection Ryan is making to a degree....but Chuckspeed (and a few others) has said it better than I ever could about Rods/customs, being more individualistic..........
     
  16. 53chevy
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 1,570

    53chevy
    Member

    Kris, I'm right there with you. Hot rods and Customs are a different breed (To me). They didn't come out of some Factory but someone's garage or small shop. It's taking what they/we had and making it better in both looks and engine. It's just not the sound, but everything about a Hot Rod and Custom. I can appreciate the European breed though, but my love and passion fall for what I know and that's an American Hot Rod and Custom. I'll take a Pepsi challenge any day with, let's say the Doane Spencer roadster or Ralph Jelik custom against any Ferrari.

    Ken
     
  17. mtm0078
    Joined: Jan 29, 2007
    Posts: 15

    mtm0078
    Member
    from Chicago IL

    I also know two guys that at first glance many a folk would assume they are ego maniac broker types. One is a guy in his mid 30's that drives a red Viper, he don't know a thing about stocks. He's a cylinder head man at a 60 year old hot rod shop. The other, is actually a buisness man, but drives a BMW station wagon, never mind it's got some head work and a good sized centrifigul blower. You think a Modal A gets some looks, wait till you see a Viper get pulled and passed by a station wagon on the highway and that is exactly why he owns it. To educate those that think they belong up there on their high horse, they don't sit so high once the legs get sawed off.
    Bottom line, if you drive a Vette, Ferrari, Lead Sled, Camaro, Volvo, 32' or whatever, don't be a dick and look down your nose at someone elses ride. Don't like it, don't look at it.
     
  18. gearhead1940
    Joined: Nov 18, 2002
    Posts: 93

    gearhead1940
    Member

    Bravo Ryan, Bravo! Love the shots, love the story.
     
  19. ot0_m0t0
    Joined: Sep 18, 2006
    Posts: 64

    ot0_m0t0
    Member

    Nice story. My country actually borders Italy and yet I am here, on the american car forum. I like the Ferraris look. The problem with them is that here in Europe, only dickheads mafia or soccer players drive them. The statemen that car makes here is: I got the cash and a big inferiority complex. There is no love associated with them, just ego and money. Ughhh....
    I see hot rods as a way of art and expression of its creator, and I respect each of them.
    Also please note that Italyans are well known to be the sloppyest of all people. I wouldnt know how well a Ferrari is built, but I know that everything else they make is total rubbish. Even Yugo is better then an italyan car (newer production vehicles).

    And yes if I could afford a Ferrari, Id buy a dozen 'rods and some tools instead :D.
     
  20. 54BOMB
    Joined: Oct 23, 2004
    Posts: 2,109

    54BOMB
    Member

    "Also please note that Italyans are well known to be the sloppyest of all people."


    that cracked me up, I used to work with some guys from Bosnia and one of them had an Alfa and sometimes he's be so proud of the "forza italia" and sometimes hed cuss them out , it was really funny.
     
  21. Slammed88
    Joined: Aug 23, 2005
    Posts: 1,331

    Slammed88
    Member
    from Canada

    I agree completely. For a good 99% of Ferrari owners, it's just a status symbol. The comparison between them, and the people who drop a quarter of a million dollars for the latest Foose creation, just to show it off is dead on. :D

    The ONLY Ferrari I would ever like to own is a 1961 250 GT California. (Okay, okay...I also wanted a mid-late 90's 355 Spyder, but that was when I was 11 or 12, so that doesn't count. :D)

    That being said, I understand that the article is about the cars themselves, and not the people who own them. In that sense, I can appreciate it.

    But, I must admit that I am a custom guy at heart. So, to me, the major appeal of a car is to just crank some Morris Day music, drop the top, and cruise. I couldn't care less about how fast you can go, or how big your engine is. Maybe that's why It's hard for me to get into Ferraris. :D

    The day I can afford a Ferrari is the day that I'll build 5 or 6 customs/sleds. Haha.
     
  22. Kreb
    Joined: Oct 26, 2005
    Posts: 32

    Kreb
    Member

    Don't get me wrong. If I was in an income class where I could buy a Ferrari I'd be happy to. And as soon thereafter as possible I'd be at the track flogging the shit out of it. Y' see, having a Ferrari and keeping it locked up is kinda like being married to Angelia Jolie and sporting seperate bedrooms!
     
  23. kustomkat
    Joined: Sep 4, 2006
    Posts: 558

    kustomkat
    Member

    Talk about judging a book by it's cover...... I almost passed by this post without reading it, but I'm glad I took the time out of my busy WORK day to read it. Definately, food for thought... Thanks Ryan for making me look deeper into the post....
     
  24. Deadender60
    Joined: Sep 3, 2004
    Posts: 980

    Deadender60
    Member

    I really enjoyed the article... and great photos ( I loved the composition). I'm not the biggest ferrari fan, but I think we as "car guys" should appreciate and applaud what other "car guys" like, it shouldn't matter if they're into hot rods, low riders, ferraris, kustoms, hondas, trucks.. whatever... As long as they're truly passionate about the cars.. then more power to them.

    "The question remains though - why do some people see the connection and some don't? That's impossible to answer analytically because the tie between the three cars is really more of an emotional one for me... and I suspect the others that liked the article as well."

    - Thats how I feel about low riders (as you can see from or site) To me they go hand-in-hand with kustoms and hot rods... I don't understand when people look at low riders (or whatever kind of car) and automatically make assumptions. I always hear people say... "thats a cholo car" when pointing at a low rider... and I can kind of undersatnd why they think that but for the most part it's not true... most low riders we shoot for our site are owned by family men with god jobs that spend hours on their cars and don't have time to be "cholos"

    Sorry for the rant.. I'm a little bored at work.. which I should get back to.
    -Juan
     
  25. Good stuff, Ryan.

    Couple years ago I was parked at a burger joint with my red 41 Ford P/U. I was sitting at an outside table and a new red Ferrari parked next to my pickup. The driver went inside to order. Then a car of about 5 people showed up. As they got out they admired both cars. Someone asked "Which one would you all want?". They all pointed at my truck.

    Needless to say, this probably had to do with the image of a Ferrari driver: snooty, rich, whatever.

    Though I was pleased to hear their choice, in my head I was saying "Wrong!" I'd easily take a 6 figure Ferrari any day over my truck. I could sell the Ferrari and have a virtual fleet of hot rods to play with.
     
  26. Interesting is the introduction of each. Car mentioned along with builder except with the Ferrari. In that case, a check was simply written. If you want one today, do the same. If you want one of the others, start concepting, start sweating, start bleeding and hope it comes out anywhere nearly as nice.
     
  27. As I think further on this…
    Enzo intially was a hot rodder at heart who's vision came together with excellent craftsmanship. Is this any differnt with say, The Foose Coupe. High design and execution, made to order.
     
  28. bluebrian
    Joined: Dec 7, 2004
    Posts: 576

    bluebrian
    Member
    from dallas

    Well put. i like where you went with it.
     
  29. oktr6r
    Joined: Feb 14, 2006
    Posts: 724

    oktr6r
    Member
    from Tulsa

    Very true, yet so many seem to overlook that when ripping others choices about what cars to build. You don't have to like the make and model to admire and enjoy the work and ideas someone else has to share.
     

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