RE: yes, there are good alternatives

that is a great story Colin.

________________________________

From: Colin Comer [mailto:colin@colinsclassicauto.com]
Sent: Fri 4/8/2005 12:37 PM
To: mikeldrew@aol.com; rogerhol@willapabay.org; =
ShelbyMustang@carmemories.com
Subject: Re: yes, there are good alternatives



Ok, this is slightly off-subject, but I think sums up the feelings of =
both
Roger and Mike.

I had lusted after a Ferrari 275 GTB since grade school. In high school, =
I
got to know a guy who had a 275 GTB/4. After driving that, the desire =
became
even greater to own one , what a magnificent machine! As my restoration
business grew, I actually restored a few more, even sold and brokered a =
few.
I had owned Dinos, 308s, TRs, the usual suspects, but never the elusive =
275
GTB. Even the Daytona I had was a disappointment. Fast as hell, but =
heavy
and not much fun around town.

One day, a 275 GTB/2 was offered at auction. It was from an estate , and
needed work, paint, engine smoked like a train, etc. But it was Daytona
money, and I just happened to have the Daytona money from the one I just
sold burning a hole in my pocket. So I bought the tacky 275 GTB. Over =
the
next 8 months, I restored the car myself, ground up, seven days a week =
and
damn near 20 hours a day at times. Painted it Fly Yellow, just like the
picture I had in my room as a kid. The car was gorgeous, I won a few =
major
shows and also used it on some tours and even did track time in it at =
Road
America. Early am banzai runs at 7400 RPM in 5th gear were not unheard =
of .
What a magnificent machine!

At the time I owned this car that I dearly loved and was a hell of a lot =
of
fun, I also had a girlfriend that was, well, a hell of a lot of fun. One
weekend I convinced her to take a weekend trip with me in the 275 - in =
spite
of the fact that "it doesn't even have a radio!". When we arrived at the
hotel a few hours away, not much to my surprise but unfortunately to =
hers,
our luggage smelled of unburnt fuel and oil, a lovely smell to me.

This (at this point not-so-lovely) girl demanded on the spot that we go
shopping to buy her clothes that did not smell like Ferrari exhaust. =
Along
with it was an ultimatum - find another car to drive home or she would =
find
her own way.

I always have wondered just how she got home. Of course, I never talked =
to
her again to find out! But boy, did I love that car. We had a great =
weekend
together tearing up back roads , just the two of us.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and I sold the Ferrari to get
some money to expand my business. And the next year I bought CSX 2327. =
Which
I love just as much, but is entirely different than a Ferrari. More of a
"bull in the china shop", easier to work on, and easier to get parts for =
at
NAPA.

I still have my Dino, and usually there are no expletives between the =
"my"
and the "Ferrari". Usually.

Regards,
Colin
----- Original Message -----
From: <mikeldrew@aol.com>
To: <rogerhol@willapabay.org>; <ShelbyMustang@carmemories.com>
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 11:16 AM
Subject: Re: yes, there are good alternatives


> Roger wrote:
>
> They say the 2 loveliest words in the English language when spoken
> together are "my Ferrari."
>>>>That's only about half the time. The other half of the time, the
> two most aggravating and obscenely expensive words in the English =
language
> when spoken together are "my Ferrari." Except there are usually a =
bunch
> of expletives between the two words (like, when your 308 sputters to a
> stop because of a cracked distributor cap, and find out that there are
> NONE available new, anywhere, and used ones sell for $500 each--and =
that's
> for one of the most mass-produced Ferraris ever made!)
>
>>I'd like to be able to use those words sometime.
>
>>>>Ferraris are guaranteed to both please and disappoint in equal
> measures. It takes a strong character and a strong wallet to put up =
with
> one. And yes, I love them too. :>)
>
> Mike (whose Pantera disappoints from time to time, but it's easy on =
the
> wallet!)
>
>