I was driving up the M6 last week with the wife in the car. We ended up tracking a mid-90s Ferrari 456. Nothing special in Ferrari terms but looked in very nice condition, a lovely understated and unusual claret/burgundy colour with contrasting tan leather interior (I followed it, overtook, got overtaken quite a bit ). Just a pretty car on a nice day.

After regaling my wife with my (very) limited knowledge of this Ferrari, a few years old, vaguely practical as a 4 seater, not ******* shrinking expensive, she turns to me and says something. She turns to me and says "If I hadn't given up work and we hadn't had a child after our wedding, we would have got a car like that..." And that, made me speechless.

I don't know why I've posted this but I just wanted to share it and go off for a weep :'(

are you a failure?

never mind...

Failed Italian sports car owner, definitely.

Besides, I really want a Quattroporte in dark brown/burgundy, tan leather upholstery with dark piping. There's a few locally and it does my box in to see them all the time.

Daiking,

Get yourself into therapy immediately. Clearly, your not consuming enough of the right sort of products in a demonstrable enough way. My life !

Shame on you.

(In Dr Ruth mode), "Did your parents have a liking for Perry Como and ferreo rocher ? "

As far as HID is concerned, you've obviously done something far worse than passing the port the wrong way. Take yourself off to wooded-glade in Northumbria and do the decent thing ! (Bad taste).

Or persuade her to lower her expectations.

Meself, I'm going to shave me head, get a fanta tan and start touring the district in a viva Italia mobile sporting cricketers sunglasses on my bonce and a fistful of Krugerrands on me digits. Why not. Seems to do it for the Thatchers idiot children in this locality.

Nick

Edited 10 July, 201015 yr by Clunkclick

Daiking,

Get yourself into therapy immediately. Clearly, your not consuming enough of the right sort of products in a demonstrable enough way. My life !

Shame on you.

(In Dr Ruth mode), "Did your parents have a liking for Perry Como and ferreo rocher ? "

As far as HID is concerned, you've obviously done something far worse than passing the port the wrong way. Take yourself off to wooded-glade in Northumbria and do the decent thing ! (Bad taste).

Or persuade her to lower her expectations.

Meself, I'm going to shave me head, get a fanta tan and start touring the district in a viva Italia mobile sporting cricketers sunglasses on my bonce and a fistful of Krugerrands on me digits. Why not. Seems to do it for the Thatchers idiot children in this locality.

Nick

I don't know where the suggestion came from, it was truly a bolt out of the blue. Beleive it or not but its not something I've ever hankered after let alone asked her once in a flight of fancy. We have toyed quite a few times with getting a second car but only a banger with spanner appeal, not a sports car and even canned the banger idea multiple times because of various impracticalities. Having the sports car brought up when you are travelled too far down the other road to reverse up it and change course is a bit of a shock. It must be like finding out that your unrequited adolescent crush would have said yes back in the day. Its a bit late finding that out when you're happily married with children.

Instead we'll stick to the boring Japanese hatchback that will be nursed, ahem, from cradle to grave. That in itself being a truly middle class behaviour despite our simple upbringings. If I had some Krugs the last place I'd put them is on my fingers but I'm no gold bug anyway, I have but a single silver dollar to my name. I still plan to be rich though but rich without having to have any money so I'll probaby never get my Maserati or Ferrari.

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=25285

Am I missing why so low?

If it makes you fell better could you really stand single figure MPG at todays prices

That interior shows it's italian racing pedigree. Have a look at the gear stick. Mint.

They drilled the dash for the car kit!

If it makes you fell better  could you really stand single figure MPG at todays prices

That's not so bad, a gallon would get me a few trips up and down the Manchester airport tunnels on a quiet sunday morning. I wouldn't suggest running an Italian V12 as an everyday driver, more like a highly strung mistress.

I have moved forward from 2 years ago as we are now a 2 car family. Second car is an automatic micra not a Ferrari but its a start. In time we'll replace the micra with an auto family sized car adn I'll be able to replace mine with something less practical. I've got a few years till I'm 40. Haven't bought a house with a garage yet which is another stumbling block.

You really are starting to sound like a failure, 2 already, no Ferrari and no garage, any other failures you like us to hear about

You really are starting to sound like a failure, 2 already, no Ferrari and no garage, any other failures you like us to hear about

Well there was this one time but to be fair, I was very tired and I had had a lot and I mean a lot to drink...

Besides, I really want a Quattroporte in dark brown/burgundy, tan leather upholstery with dark piping. There's a few locally and it does my box in to see them all the time.

Once you've experienced their slushmatic this week next week sometime never/might decide to change gearbox, that'll cure you of wanting an Quattroporte... :wonder:

A friend had a new Quattroporte , in the 2 years he owned it it spent 9 months off the road , he said the only good thing about it was it gave him the chance to drive a large range of upmarket courtesy cars .

Once you've experienced their slushmatic this week next week sometime never/might decide to change gearbox, that'll cure you of wanting an Quattroporte... :wonder:

Not that I've driven one but Clarkson made a big noise last week about the gearbox in the GT but didn't when they did the sportscar limo feature a while ago. I know the early semi auto gearbox in the early QP (possibly the GT too) was apparently a dog but the conventional auto in the newer models is an improvement. It's not going to be a lightning fast double clutch change in a slush box is it? I'm sure I'd be quite happy with it.

A friend had a new Quattroporte , in the 2 years he owned it it spent 9 months off the road , he said the only good thing about it was it gave him the chance to drive a large range of upmarket courtesy cars .

Ok, you've convinced me, I'll keep the Mazda as well. At least I know it'll start every morning.

Ok, you've convinced me, I'll keep the Mazda as well. At least I know it'll start every morning.

Dont give up on a dream , just modify it slightly to be more affordable and practical , check out old Lotus cars , still problematical but affordable , the original 1.6 Elan can still blow the doors off a lot of supercars across country and is that small you can almost put it on a shelf in your garage.

Yeh, give up on that dream, it will end in tears. Plenty of other nice nice cars around that are affordable and useable.