First Ferrari: James May
Posted by James May at 3:20PM on Monday 11 June, 2007 4 Comments
Some ponce once said to me, rather predictably, that the first time you drive a Ferrari is like the first time you make love to a woman.
Imagine my disappointment, then, when I pulled away in the Mondial QV sometime in 1991 and discovered it to be a bit like driving a car.
In some respects it wasn't even that good. In other cars the gear lever changes the gears, but in the Mondial, at least while it was still a bit cold, it was there to remind us what it was like to pump your own water in Victorian Britain.
And some of the switchgear felt like it may have come from a contemporary Fiat Tipo, ie: the dark side.
At a time when the Bertone-bodied 308 Dino is gaining credibility, the Mondial may just be the least-loved Ferrari of all time. It never actually looked quite right and it wasn't really that fast.
Even so, I fell for it a bit, and I began to understand all that whittering nonsense about the evocative clack of the open-gated gearshift etc etc ad nauseam.
Of course, I've driven plenty of - let's get this over with right now - prancing horses since, and loved lots of them. So the first was the worst.
Bit like the first time I made love to a woman, come to think of it.
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4 Comments for "First Ferrari: James May"
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It makes me laugh in a fairly undignified fashion when men compare any driving experience as being the equilvalent of, "Making love to a woman."
The question that always pops into my head is, "How?" quickly followed by, "What women are these guys meeting?" So you're right to scoff, James, and I salute you. And at least you didn't crash your first Ferrari, unlike some other person I could mention.
I admire James's restraint in only calling that person a "ponce". Any man who makes such a stupid bloody comparison is worthy of a much more venomous insult.
My first Ferrari drive was much better. It was a 246 Dino early in the moring on the Hwy99 outside of Vancouver BC. At what would be ticket-inducing speeds but fun non the less.
A few years later I would get to drive a 308 GTB four times all of which were great the old gearshift problem came up once or twice. Yes, having a great drive in a Ferrari would be like having the pleasure of Monica Bellucci in the bedroom.
And there you have it James, the power of the intangible pull of a metal box on wheels.