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Like
a Bangalore tycoon who owns a couple of Ferraris — a superb 246
GT Dino and another F355 — Kolkata too has its Ferrari-man: a tea
estate owner who drives yet another F355. Things are looking up. Ah, there’s
that young willow-wielding bloke who’s about to get a spanking new
360 Modena. Best thing you never bought, Sachin.
Some of the most delicious Maranello metal screaming around belongs to
. . . you guessed it . . . another Mr Anon. This ‘rather-be anonymous’
business tycoon from South India owns a fleet of supercars from every
continent. To get you his cars’ pictures we had to blank out the
plates, conceal the owner’s identity and location and only then
did he invite us for a ride.
Unlike many poorly maintained supercars which suffer in India for want
of spares and proper service, this collection is kept at the other extreme.
Each car is hermetically sealed and stored in giant plastic covers that
are tightly zipped to keep out dirt and dust. Humidity- controlled air
is pumped in from one end to keep the leather and rubber parts in top
shape. Taking pride of place is an immaculately kept 246 Dino which looks
absolutely stunning in the metal, the harsh Indian sun glinting in every
curve as it pulled out of the garage.
 You
appreciate the compactness of this ‘baby’ Ferrari as it burbles
onto crowded streets teeming with cyclists and autorickshaws. Floor the
throttle and that umistakeable scream from this legendary V6 has everyone
within a 100-metre radius first looking, staring and then gaping at you.
What you see from the inside apart from those wide-eyed faces is the classic
and functional Ferrari interiors wrapped up in black pleated leather that
still smells fresh. The view over those sensuous front fenders that rise
above the bonnet line and then drop away is like running your eyes over
the torso of J Lo. This car is all about feel and character and not horsepower.
It does something to your senses that’s hard to explain and the
fact that it works so well in India, riding gamely over pockmarked roads,
makes it even more desirable.
 Possibly
the most desirable Ferrari on the sub-continent is an immaculate F355
Spyder belonging to the same collector. The fly-in-the-ointment is the
unpalatable blue colour but come within 10 feet of it and you’re
hooked solid.
Stunning looks, brilliant handling mated to a brilliant 3.5-litre, 375bhp
five valves per cylinder V8 engine that wails to 8250rpm makes the F355
one of the all-time greats of the prancing horse stable.
The F355 with its F1-style paddle gearshift is also one of the easiest
Ferraris to drive and immensely practical. This one is the owner’s
favourite who drives it hard and mainly at night. And the fact that he
has to buy drums of 100 octane fuel at Rs 65 per litre doesn’t seem
to bother him much. Oh, to be rich!
Like Alice in Wonderland or an F1 car screaming down a high street past
everyday traffic, a Ferrari on one of our roads is simply unbelievable.
Snatch a glimpse of one in the flesh and you’ll do a double-take.
Yes, yes, we’ve seen numerous Ferraris in the flesh, driven a couple
too, but driving a Ferrari here on Indian roads, howling past autorickshaws,
pedestrians and cows is nothing short of surreal. It’s like being
between two worlds — the real and an imaginary one. |
December 2002