Impressions of a Ferrari 250GTO
Jun 8, 2011 | 01:11 PM
#206
Thread Starter
| Teamspeed Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 299
From: Los Angeles/Paris
Elysée Wednesday
Elysée Wednesday tonight--No one lives any nearer than town. No one will come any nearer than that. In the night. In the dark.
Look for us Wednesday evenings on the patio from 7:45 pm (or shortly thereafter) until about midnight at Caffe Primo, 8590 Sunset Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069. Underground parking on Alta Loma just east of the Cafe and south of Sunset or on the street.
Look for us Wednesday evenings on the patio from 7:45 pm (or shortly thereafter) until about midnight at Caffe Primo, 8590 Sunset Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069. Underground parking on Alta Loma just east of the Cafe and south of Sunset or on the street.
Jun 10, 2011 | 10:30 PM
#207
Thread Starter
| Teamspeed Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 299
From: Los Angeles/Paris
Matthew Ettinger
Yesterday I sat with my friend Matthew Ettinger and talked on camera about Ferraris, the Ferrari Owners Club, meeting Enzo Ferrari and what it was like living the life of ‘free Ferrari radicals’. We easily filled an hour and could just as easily have filled two or three more. There was never a dull moment when we were enjoying our adventures together and mixing it up with his Breadvan and my GTO. Many of them we can actually talk about.
I always like hearing about people’s encounters with Enzo Ferrari. Mine was much out of the ordinary in the paddock of Monza during practice for the Italian Grand Prix. Ed Niles tells a great story of showing up at Maranello unannounced and miraculously getting an audience with Il Commendatore. Matthew tells of having lunch with Diane, his beautiful wife at the time, and a rep from Ferrari at the restaurant across the street from the factory. In walks Enzo Ferrari and guess which table he selects to sit down for lunch. That’s right, he sits right across from Diane and commences with some polite flirting. Loved the ladies did Enzo!
Matthew was president of the FOC when I joined and he arranged for some outstanding guest speakers at the monthly dinner meetings—Phil Hill, Bob Bondurant to name a couple. Even Franco Lini appeared which led directly to my meeting Enzo Ferrari months later.
Matthew now drives a Ferrari 550 Maranello for which he has nothing but high praise. Apart from the famous Breadvan, he misses his SEFAC short-wheelbase berlinettas. His two biggest regrets are selling the Breadvan and not buying my GTO. My two biggest regrets are selling my GTO and not buying his Breadvan. Now there’s a friendship!
I always like hearing about people’s encounters with Enzo Ferrari. Mine was much out of the ordinary in the paddock of Monza during practice for the Italian Grand Prix. Ed Niles tells a great story of showing up at Maranello unannounced and miraculously getting an audience with Il Commendatore. Matthew tells of having lunch with Diane, his beautiful wife at the time, and a rep from Ferrari at the restaurant across the street from the factory. In walks Enzo Ferrari and guess which table he selects to sit down for lunch. That’s right, he sits right across from Diane and commences with some polite flirting. Loved the ladies did Enzo!
Matthew was president of the FOC when I joined and he arranged for some outstanding guest speakers at the monthly dinner meetings—Phil Hill, Bob Bondurant to name a couple. Even Franco Lini appeared which led directly to my meeting Enzo Ferrari months later.
Matthew now drives a Ferrari 550 Maranello for which he has nothing but high praise. Apart from the famous Breadvan, he misses his SEFAC short-wheelbase berlinettas. His two biggest regrets are selling the Breadvan and not buying my GTO. My two biggest regrets are selling my GTO and not buying his Breadvan. Now there’s a friendship!
Jun 17, 2011 | 03:52 PM
#208
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| Teamspeed Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 299
From: Los Angeles/Paris
Ferrari FF
Last night I attended the unveiling of the Ferrari FF at the Ace Gallery in Beverly Hills. Marco Mattiacci, president of Ferrari North America, pulled back the fitted, red car cover to reveal a Ferrari that is not unlike the famous Breadvan of yore, at least in silhouette. The FF (Ferrari Four, as it has four seats and four wheel drive) was said to be the only one currently in the US and was striking in silver with dark blue leather. I noted how nicely the camera and lights package would fit in the back with the rear seats folded down as I go about shooting the GTO documentary. Hmmm...
A couple of familiar faces from Elysée Wednesday were present at the unveiling--Roberto Prado of the Ariadne Media Group, who graciously arranged for my invitation, and Kenny Lombino of the Ferrari Club of America. The event was well attended by people who knew what they were seeing and the talk was appreciative of the FF's specification. A Polish prince I spoke with had already placed his order.
I told Marco Mattiacci that I had been prepared not to like the FF for any number of reasons but that, upon seeing the car and getting a sense of it from behind the wheel, I think it will be a successful model for Ferrari. This put a smile on his face and I suspect that he has heard the same sentiment many times. It is truly a high performance car in a thoroughly modern idiom. I would have one.
[The photo of me at the wheel was taken by John Evans]
A couple of familiar faces from Elysée Wednesday were present at the unveiling--Roberto Prado of the Ariadne Media Group, who graciously arranged for my invitation, and Kenny Lombino of the Ferrari Club of America. The event was well attended by people who knew what they were seeing and the talk was appreciative of the FF's specification. A Polish prince I spoke with had already placed his order.
I told Marco Mattiacci that I had been prepared not to like the FF for any number of reasons but that, upon seeing the car and getting a sense of it from behind the wheel, I think it will be a successful model for Ferrari. This put a smile on his face and I suspect that he has heard the same sentiment many times. It is truly a high performance car in a thoroughly modern idiom. I would have one.
[The photo of me at the wheel was taken by John Evans]
