At Concours, A Ferrari Owner Flips His Lid
By Gunnar Heinrich
THE Ferrari owner is a special breed of car collector.
Usually, he’s a very proud man who in bursts of unrivaled egotism, shows the world his vanity through the thick veneer of an all-business and time-is-money attitude.
Even when he’s just standing next to his car.
But there was one good natured fellow at the Concours, who owning a certain characteristic flair for showmanship minus the typical bluster showed a crowd of enthusiastic onlookers just what his 575 Superamerica could do.
“Do you wanna see a trick?” the gentleman asked a crowd of camera armed car nuts and star struck children.
An expectant hush fell over the crowd.
Unlocking his car with a remote (the resulting beep sounded similar to a Jaguar) he got in, fired her up, and then proceeded to open and close the roof via electric switch.
I say open and close the roof, because in point of fact the time it took for the really simple sequence to take place would put any German operation to shame.
The roof top on the Superamerica is one panel of glass that simply flips backward and forward opening or enclosing the car’s cabin in as little as six seconds.
Another cool aspect of the roof is that the level of transparency is electronically controlled via a dial inside the cabin. That feature, the owner didn’t show, but for his first act he did receive a collective thumbs up from his greatly amused audience.
And for any Ferrari owner, that’s a thrill of its own.
[Linked: popsci.com]
About the Author: Gunnar Heinrich is publisher of Automobiles De Luxe online and is executive producer of the Automobiles De Luxe Television series on PBS member station CPTV.
