The thrill of a lifetime

Today I had the ultimate experience any car guy can have. Before I started my fleet service business I was Group Sales Manager for one of the largest megadealerships on the east coast. We sold just about any brand you can name. One of them was not Ferrari but when I was still racing, in the sixties, among the cars I got to drive was a Ferrari.

One of the partners called me and ask me to evaluate a Testarossa that a customer wanted to trade on a Ford GT that was scheduled to arrive at one of the groups Ford dealers. I said sure, who would not want to drive a Testarossa. I drove down to the dealership and there sat a mint 89 Testarossa with 19K on the clock. The owner was a 28 year old guy that worked as one of the Super tech at one of the groups MB dealerships, about 50 miles away. I put the car on the lift, gave it the one over, top and bottom. It indeed was mint. I asked him where he got it. He told from an old guy like you that was afraid to drive it anymore. I asked him what he paid, if he didn't mine telling me. He told me, 50K in 1999 with 14K on the clock. I ask for permission to truck it up to Pocono raceway so I could evaluate it off the highway. He said NO, lets drive there. I made a few phone calls and about an hour later I was flying around the track at 150 MPH for two laps. I was thinking, what I life I lead, how many car guys ever get to see a Testarossa let along drive one at

150 MPH on a race track with the owner telling me to "It will go a lot faster," with a $1,000 check in my pocket for performing the evaluation??

On the way back he asked me what I thought it was worth. I told him I needed to consult with the dealership owners. When we got back to the dealership there was a big orange covered tractor trailer sitting on the lot. There must have been twenty dealership employees, some taking pictures and a dozen customers and a two local police officers standing around the van. I thought maybe the truck ran over somebody because NOBODY even looked at the Ferrari as we drove on the lot, strange.

I soon discovered why we went unnoticed. The van was dropping of their Ford GT. There were still three on the van since we could see when the driver open the side door. The one the dealership got was a red with white stripes that add $7,000 to the sticker total of near $160,000. The driver dropped a gate from the back of the truck that went straight back, backed the GT unto that ramp then lowered the car to the ground. No taking that thing over and pitched ramps it seems. As soon as he was off the ramp he asked the assembled who it responsible for receiving this car? The Poor Sales Manager, who probably never saw a car in the dealership worth more then 50K said I guess I am. As he walked over to sign the delivery form I said, "Don't you think you should do the check in process first?" Every one ot the employees was afraid to drive the GT and nobody knew where to put it. I offered to ask the dealer since I was going to call him anyway. He told me to take it to the *** building (where the group stores the expensive brands they sell.) I suggested 50K for the Testarossa and 65K retail but he said I just had a call from a guy in Oklahoma, seems the delivery schedule for all Ford GT's is available to dealers all over the country, offering $225,000 and no trade. Ford is only building 1,500 GT this ones number was just over 700 The Testarossa was a 16 year old model but its like new. In my opinion the guys at Ferrari should drive a supercharged V8 Ford GT before they build anymore $250,000 cars

I could not believe my good luck. Not only did I get to drive the Testarossa, I was also getting to drive the GT for nearly 25 miles. Most people will never get to see cars like this in their lifetime and here I was getting to not only see TWO of the greatest cars ever built, on the same day, and I'm getting to DRIVE them as well and on the same day. Wait till I see my friend Mario. We raced on the old dirt track in Nazareth but HE got to race and win in cars like this all over the world when we were 50 years younger. ;)

mike hunt

Reply to
BenDover
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snipped-for-privacy@mailcity.com wrote: snip

Y'know 'Mike', I have no real idea whether this is a true story or not but it's certainly a great yarn and I enjoyed it immensely. Thanks.

If it -is- true then might I suggest that you use your real name?...this cutesy cutesy 'handle' merely detracts from people's impression of you. I hope that wasn't too offensive to you, it wasn't meant to offend, it's just the way I feel.

Reply to
Gord Beaman

Sorry Mike..... my ultimate experience had nothing to do with cars. You may have missed something in your life.

Reply to
Art

In order to experience something in life, he needs a life to begin with.

Reply to
Imminent Vengeance

Your story reminds me of one of a couple of Testarossa stories.

One of the Ford/Toyota dealers I used to call on in New Hampshire, who had a Testarossa that he had hard-plated, and the license plate was 1 or 2, obviously a prestige plate.

The TR had broken down on his way to a Toyota dealer meeting, and when my boss drove by, he notices the TR on the side of the road because nobody in the car business would miss a Testarossa on the side of the road, especially in rural New Hampshire! My boss stops and picks up the dealer, who asks to borrow the boss's cell phone, when cell phones were new technology and not portable. The dealer calls his service manager and asks him to call their towing vendor, and for my boss's benefit, he's telling his manager "tell him it's the RED one with license #2" like there are going to be so may Ferraris on the road that the tow truck driver might pick up the wrong one.

Another dealer went to buy a Testarossa for his wife for her birthday because she thought it was pretty. This guy was a multi-millionaire in his

60's, owned several dealerships and half of Rhode Island but was very low key. He drove older used Toyotas from his lot, wore dark-colored Sans-a-belt polyester pants, white socks, sneakers, and knit shirts with his t-shirt showing behind the unbuttoned top of his knit shirt. Unfortunately, the salesman at the local Ferrari dealership didn't take him seriously when he saw the older used Toyota and the way Fred dressed so he tells Fred to take a hike when Fred said he wanted to get one for his wife's birthday. Fred says F.U. and takes a hike.

Fred is now under the gun because it is around noon and he is taking his wife out for dinner. He called another Ferrari dealer about an hour and a half away and asked them to hold the Testarossa they had. The salesperson, thinking that this old guy on the phone might be yanking his chain, asks for a $50K deposit on a credit card to hold it for the afternoon. Fred gives him his number, which of course went through, so when he showed up to pay for the rest of the car and pick it up, he gets the usual royal treatment. Fred pays for the car, puts one of his own dealer plats on the car, and drives home at warp speed to pick up his wife.

His wife oohs and aahs, gets in the driver's seat, and at that moment, Fred remembered that his wife didn't know how to drive a stick shift. I wouldn't be surprised if that car is still sitting in their garage

Reply to
Ray O

Please, we know guys that get their opinions of cars from Consumer Reports are not car guys. We don't expect your type to understand. ;)

mike hunt

Art wrote:

Reply to
MelvinGibson

Only a fool would use their real name or address in a NG for obvious reasons. Mike hunt is somewhat close to my real name and easier to remember. The names on the 'From' line are those used by the station through which I access the NGs while conversing via satellite to that station. I rarely ever post a new message in a NG. Normally I only reply to things that I read in them that I know not to be correct. I thought many car guys would appreciate hearing about that rare type of event. Whether anybody chooses to believe what I post is up to them, I could not care less. I spend only a few minutes at a time in a NG, why would I take the time or need to post something like that if it were not true? I'm 79 and the good Lord has given me a long successful life. I've worked in mostly high profile positions for over 55 years in all aspect of the automotive industry, manufacturing, retail, and service. I've been active in politics, have a son that is a State Senator, one son that is a well renowned Heart Surgeon. My name and picture was, at one point in my life, in several Automotive magazines. The walls of my office are covered with pictures of me with politicians and many famous prominent people, names you would know, even with three Presidents. I could write a book about my life that would surly sell well and my children have urged me to do just that. To reveal myself in a NG would not be in me or my families best interest.

mike hunt

Gord Beaman wrote:

Reply to
MelvinGibson

Reply to
jor

Dude, you serious? 1. getting to drive two of the hottest cars on the planet, and 2. Mario....

If you're putting us on, good one. If you're not, AWESOME!!!

BTW, I posted a story about Rick Mears here about a year ago. At the same time I got Mears' autograph, I also got Mario's. When I was relating the story to a friend at work he said "Damn man, you even piss off celebrities!" I had forgotten to bring a pen. I went up to Mario with my pit pass and asked him to sign it. "Where's your pen?!" "Um, I haven't got one..." "You want me to sign something and you don't even have a PEN!!!" Luckily, the guy in the suit with him said, "Mario...Mario..calm down...use this..."

Whew...

Reply to
hachiroku

Well, guess that about tells the story then doesn't it?

Most of us who do use our real names are not fools but then of course we have nothing to hide.

Reply to
Gord Beaman

A perfect recovery would be: "It's yours, honey. But first I need to take you out in the Camry for a few weeks to teach you how to drive a stick. And when you get that down, we'll go together for a his-and-hers Bob Bondurant Driving School course to learn how to drive this little beastie."

(The part he DOES NOT say out loud: "We'll let you learn to drive stick in a car where a simple clutch job costs $400, not $8,000.")

The shocker would be, she'd get it on the first try, and he'd be mowing down hay bales all over the road course through overconfidence for the first few days. Ladies tend to listen to their teacher (Gasp!), but for guys Testosterone & Machismo often overrides common sense - at least until they get it shoved in their face a few times.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

I'll never forget the first time I raced with Mario. I was driving for a oil distributor. We were running duce coupe on the dirt tracks in NJ, eastern PA and DE. The owner entered a race at Nazerith Pa. He said; "Wait till you see the Italian guy that races here, he's nuts. You know how we latch the gear shift to the dash, in second? I swear this guy latches the throttle to the floor. He either wins, blows the engine or wrecks." I won my heat and raced with Mario in the feature. He move me out on the second turn of the second lap and won the race. I spoke to him after about the push and he told me in some very broken English that I was in his way and next time I should just get out of his way. ;)

mike hunt

hachiroku wrote:

Reply to
MajorDomo

This guy had more money than he knew what to do with so the thing that struck me when he told me the story was that he made a bigger point of wasting a day shopping for a gift that she didn't use than letting a car that cost more than most people's houses at the time collect dust in the garage. Oh well, the rest of us can only dream!

Reply to
Ray O

How about higher tax rates for the rich. That will help cure that problem.

Reply to
Art

Does that include Art? Yes or no please sir.

Reply to
Dbu,~'

I believe you are confused, the federal income tax IS a graduated tax not a flat rate for all taxpayers. Not only do the rich pay a lot MORE in taxes, the rich also pay taxes at a higher tax RATE as well. Up to a 38% tax on their income. The top twenty percent, with incomes over $200,000, pay 80% of all the taxes received by the federal treasury. Under the new temporary tax laws, forty nine percent of Americans pay NO federal income taxes at all. No matter who tries to tell you that tax cuts went to the rich the fact is the largest cuts went to the bottom 17%, of those that do pay federal income taxes. The new Bush tax rate is only

10%, 1/3 less tax than in prior years. Those with children received an even greater tax cut, many went down to ZERO

mike hunt

Reply to
MikeHunt2

LOL. What a bunch of OBVIOUS bologna. You expect anyone to believe your ridiculous fairy tales, top-poster? Idiot.

Reply to
dizzy

Kinda sounds like Paul Tracy in the Champ Car series. You know Paul; he's the one that has the "Punt To Pass" feature...

Reply to
hachiroku

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