One Ferrari Driver's Race - California Dreaming
Jun 30, 2010 | 05:56 PM
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One Ferrari Driver's Race - California Dreaming 
Profile: Richard Stein
Ferrari's driven: Testarossa, 355 Spider, 360 Spider, various F430's, 599 GTB, Enzo, California, 458 Italia.
As Richard Stein walked out of the Denville Dairy ice cream parlor, he noticed a group of teens gathered around his parked Enzo, about to snap photos with their phones. When they saw him approach, one asked, "Is this your car? Do you mind if we take pictures?"
It was a familiar occurrence for Stein, a tax attorney. "Yes, I would mind," he retorted. "The only way I'll let you take photos of my car is if you're sitting in it and you start the engine!"
The stunned youngsters then found themselves taking turns in the Enzo's driver's seat, starting it and marveling at the V12's roar when they revved it. And then Stein treated the kids to his customary flourish: free ice cream and a short speech on working hard in school to achieve your dreams, even owning a Ferrari. After one such encounter, Stein addressed a local high school's assembly.
The man who has owned 10 Ferraris with two on order — a 458 Italia and a 599 GTO — recalls his own days as a teen growing up in Irvington, New Jersey. "I'm from a modest background. I'd go up the hill to a famous ice cream parlor in South Orange called 'Grunnings at the Top.' The wealthy kids from the area would park their sports cars and hang out. When I'd ask to see their cars and look at the engines, they'd brush me off," Stein said. "I swore then that if I ever had the means to have a really nice car, I'd do the exact opposite."
While in college, Stein bought his first sports car, a used 1965 Corvette. After landing a "Big Eight" accounting firm job after college, he bought a new 1968 model. By the 1980s, he'd moved to a Porsche 911. Then, seeing the Ferrari Testarossa on "Miami Vice" changed everything for him. "I had to have one and got a black 1989. It was loud. I loved it," Stein said.
Stein's next Ferrari was a 1997 355 Spider, which he replaced six years later with a 360 Spider. He hadn't driven his Ferraris on a track, but about five years ago, he entered the race of his life; he was diagnosed with Parkinson's.
"I was told I might not be able to drive in five years, so I decided to step it up," said the man who calls himself the Tax Doctor. "I would buy and drive as many Ferraris as I could and enjoy them as much as possible. I never wanted to look back and say, I should have."
An F430 Spider replaced the 360, and then Stein added a 599 GTB. He began using Ferrari Financial Services to facilitate owning several Ferraris at once.
"Two weeks after trading the 599 toward the Enzo, I saw my car in a road rally and decided I'd made a mistake, so I got another 599 GTB," he said. Then came an F430 Scuderia Spider 16M (his third F430) and a California. He's now making room for the 458 and 599 GTO. "The California was a great car; it totally surprised me."
Stein drives his cars — often. "I drive the Enzo at least once or twice a week. I've put over 7,000 miles on it in less than two years and almost as much on the Scuderia," he said. A passerby who saw the Enzo parked by Stein's office in the rain one day snapped a photo and posted it on Ferrari Chat; that has since grown into a nearly 30-page thread about Stein and his cars. Many of the postings are by people who've met him and had their pictures taken with his cars or even driven them. Some of the posts are by students thanking Stein for inspiring them to reach higher.
Stein is always happy to show off his cars, but his favorite way to enjoy them is to get out on the road around sunrise, a few hours before traffic starts. Five years have passed since Stein's diagnosis. "I'm still OK. I'm in good shape. I'm enjoying my Ferraris." And his ice cream, too.
YouTube - Ferrari California Dreaming
