A car connection can happen in the least likely of places. Maybe a distant relative has a passion for cars, a co-worker who does customs on his spare time, or a closet rat rod builder at your church. I too have met people whom are well invested in the collector car world by chance, even after knowing them for years. However, this might be the most far fetched way I’ve ever met a Ferrari owner.
It’s your typical Thursday morning in Daddy-Land where my most important task of the morning is getting my half awake seven-year-old in the car, on time, and over to Monterey Bay Charter School– a Waldorf inspired institution located in Pacific Grove, Calif. Traffic was thick and there was a accident near the Casa Verde off ramp halfway through our trip. This would be my first truancy in my three years of taxiing my daughter to school. But I wasn’t alone. There were many children and parents at the school affected by the accident. While in line to get our hall pass, I was standing next to a young boy named Preston who just happened to be in all three of my daughters classes since kindergarten. I’ve always noticed but dismissed the fact that he constantly wore Puma sweatpants and t-shirts licensed by Ferrari. At a school based upon language and local arts, nature and de-commercialization, seeing a child with exotic sports car attire is a rarity.
“My Dad has a Ferrari!” exclaimed Preston with his familiar smile and bold voice. “Yea, its really fast, but not as fast as this Bugatti I’ve seen at Pebble Beach..” Pebble Beach and Ferraris in the family? I had to meet his father, whom I’ve only seen a few times in as many years. “He’ll be here today to pick me up! One day he said he would bring his 355.” Now we were getting somewhere.
That afternoon I met Kris who was just delighted to talk cars. He mentioned that he was ready to move his F355 to a new home and that I should see it in the coming week for appraisal and to find a prospective buyer. With the car located in the East Bay of Northern California, I made plans to see the car in Blackhawk for myself. Kris lived in the hometown of one of my favorite concours, the Danville Concour d’Elegance, where I was fortunate to judge a class of Ferraris and drive a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 in the Tour d’Elegance. He also lived a few miles away from one of my favorite advertising clients, the Blackhawk Museum. This museum is best know for its illustration of automotive treasures that represent the art, technology and design developments of over 100 cars. It’s also curated by longtime friend Timothy McGrane.
Pulling up to the house, I spot the prancing horse in the driveway dressed in Canna Di Fucille on tan. It was staggered beautifully in the noon time sun. The low idle grumbled and the oil temperature suggested it was ready to take a drive. I snapped a few shots of the exterior, engine bay, front bonnet and interior before pulling the lever on the passenger door per Kris’ request. It was time to stretch her legs. Right away, I could feel the power of the mid-engine, rear wheel driven V8. With only 4,871 Ferrari F355 GTBs produced between 1994-1999, this is was one of 3,829 equipped with the 6 speed manual gearbox. The rest were fitted with the brand new F1 style gearbox, which you’ll find to be more popular today in modern super and hyper cars.
With only 23,800 miles on the F355 Berlinetta, which is Italian for ‘little saloon’ but was popularized in the 1950s to describe a coupe. It had no problem waking up the neighbors with its fitted Tubi Style exhaust. Kris calmly shifted into the lower gears as we paraded around the back roads of Blackhawk heading toward CA-HWY 680 North. Little effort shot us over 80 MPH as we entered the freeway and traffic seemed to shift away from us, giving us a lane to put her through the paces. Rubberneckers never had a chance. This car performed beautifully with little interior chatter aside from the crisp notes of the V8.
After three or four exits down the road, we pulled off and Kris hoped out of the car without saying a word. I pick up on body language and gestures very well, so I knew it was my time to get behind the wheel. Little was left on the table after I was done with my drive. High revs, quick shifting and smart lines on side streets all the way home. It was my first time driving this models GTB, but I have had some experience with the F355 Spiders and it was just as impressive.
Now offered for sale by my brokerage, I am proud to represent this car. It has a clean ownership history and the exterior matches the miles. Little to no wear on the interior other than the need for a sticky button replacement- common on cars in this period. Service records are fully documented with the current owner and it just went through a major service totaling over $20K in receipts. This car is ready for a new home so contact me for more details!
stevensportscar@gmail.com
Steven Sports Car 