New Arrival

I did tell you that I had a new toy in mind didn't I ? well now is have to spill the beans and confess all.

After many years of resisting the urge I have finally bought a Ferrari. The 'why' is difficult to explain. I can try and justify that prices are going in only one direction on the 360 modena and that it's the first lower maintenance Ferrari and so on. Utter crap. I just really really wanted one.

I started looking in October and thought I would be a higher mileage 1999 or 2000 car...yeah and so did everyone else. Within a couple of weeks the market was bereft and all that was left was the expensive stuff. So I had to find some more money down the back of the sofa and take a deeper breath...

...and then I found it, a lovely 2003 car in dark grey with burgundy leather, at Simon Furlonger in Kent. Now I know that Rosso Corsa is the colour of choice for most fans but for me it's all too much. Ferraris are inherently flashy so they don't need a flashy colour too. I would have ideally liked Tour de France blue but there are so few UK cars in that colour.  Dark grey was second choice for me.

My experience with Simon Furlonger was really positive. The car is very straight, they serviced it and made sure it's mechanically A1. They did the dreaded cam belts and fitted a Stradale rear anti-roll bar and did the geo too. And when we found out that the tracker didn't work any more, they simply got it replaced. No fuss and no messing about.

So what's it like to drive ? amazing. Simple as that. It's like a cross between a luxurious lotus elise and a Saturn V rocket. I love it. We drove about 350 miles over the bank holiday weekend and the car was comfortable, plenty of storage space and even reasonably quiet. The only problem is the lack of a decent stereo and no Sat Nav.

Ooops, I lied, there is another problem. It likes a drink. I mean REALLY likes a drink. If you are making fast progress on B roads then you can watch those bars on the fuel gauge disappear before your very eyes. I don't know what it does with the stuff. Perhaps it uses the fuel to make the nice noise or perhaps to keep the cam covers extra red. I dunno. Small price to pay for such enjoyment (at the moment anyway).