At the same time, Brian Burnett and his friend Richard Rivoir had the idea of starting a Ferrari dealership. The Dealer tells the story of how Ferrari of Los Gatos fueled the rise of the iconic Italian sports car in the U.S. market on its way to becoming the number one Ferrari dealer in North America. Even Enzo Ferrari took notice flying Brian and other dealers to Italy to show his appreciation.
Jim Ciardella is a storyteller, Ferrari enthusiast, and native Californian. Born and raised in Palo Alto, he grew up in the heart of Silicon Valley and witnessed the dot.com boom and the changes it created.
At one point, he met Brian Burnett, owner of Ferrari of Los Gatos. Over the years, Brian told Jim numerous stories about Ferrari of Los Gatos and finished each tale with: “And someone ought to write a book about it.”
One night, after many stories and Brian’s predictable conclusion, Jim told him, “I’ll do it. I’ll write the book.”
The Dealer, How One California Dealership Fueled the Rise of Ferrari Cars in America was published by Prometheus Books, a part of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., and released in July 2022.
The book, and Jim, have been featured in Ferrari Club of America Prancing Horse Magazine, on the Sports Car Market Magazine Buy, Sell, Hold program, Cars Yeah, Midlife Classic Cars, and Lit with Lloyd podcasts, as well as Gary Nolan’s USA Radio Daily station.
Jim still lives in Northern California near his two daughters and four grandchildren.
He not only reads stories to his grandchildren; he writes for them as well. Jim believes, “The written word weaves memories into amazing stories.”
