Midlife Classic Cars Interview
Ever wonder how Ferrari became so popular when annual sales were under 100 cars in the early 1970s? Ferrari of Los Gatos opened its doors in 1976, and by the early 1980s, annual sales weremore than a thousand, and the dealership became number one in North America, maybe theworld. So how does a Ferrari dealer […]
The Muscle Cars of Ferrari of Los Gatos
I lived in Silicon Valley from 1988 to 1991 and remember going there many times on the way to Santa Cruz. I took a Ferrari 308 GTS for a spin there once. The biggest memory I have is they used to rebuild muscle cars from scratch and take Polaroids of the rebuilds in a book […]
Ford vs. Ferrari Advance Film Review
The movie, Ford v Ferrari, debuts on the big screen Friday, November 15, 2019. As a guest of the Peterson Auto Museum, Wallace Wyss had the opportunity to attend a preview of the movie a few days before its official opening. Here is a reprint of his review courtesy of Mike Gulett from mycarquest.com. By Wallace […]
Think Big – Thought Ettore Bugatti
So he did – but his timing was off. In retrospect, I gotta hand it to car builder Ettore Bugatti because not only did he build cars that ended up winning 1000 races, but for a while, he built the world’s most expensive car. By Wallace Wyss The car was called the Bugatti Type 41 […]
Time Moves On and So Do Famous Car Dealers
The corner of East Main and Pageant Way in Los Gatos, California has been home to an automobile dealership since the 1920s when Spotswood Dodge moved in. Ferrari of Los Gatos occupied the space from the mid-70s through the mid-90s, followed by Silicon Valley Auto Group, and Los Gatos Luxury Cars. 66 East Main Street […]
Giotto Bizzarrini, The Great Engineer
He was fired by Enzo Ferrari for his role in the failed ‘Palace Revolt,’ fought back by trying to out-do Ferraris on the race track, briefly produced cars under his name before being swindled into bankruptcy, and ended his career as he started, teaching mechanical engineering at the University of Pisa. Giotto Bizzarrini’s journey through […]
The Time a Blind Man Drove a Ferrari
Ferraris have appeared in many movies, but only one Ferrari had a blind man behind the wheel. In Scent of a Woman, blind Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, played by Al Pacino, drove a Ferrari Mondial T Cabriolet on the backstreets of New York. This scene from Scent of a Woman took place in a New […]
No One Could Buy a 1995 Ferrari F50 in the U.S.
Ferrari never liked people buying their cars with the sole intent of flipping them for a profit. In 1995, it launched the new model F50 with a program to beat the speculators. No matter how much money you had, you couldn’t buy one. If you wanted one, you filled out an application and hoped Ferrari […]
How Can the Average Man Afford a Ferrari?
To car enthusiasts, Ferrari is well known. For everyone else, hearing the word gets their attention, and the sound of an approaching Ferrari will turn their head regardless of age or gender. Combined with its distinctive red color, they’re hooked until the engine can no longer be heard and the red blur has faded into […]
Formula One Racing and Life As Seen by a Dog
Something magical takes place this week. On Friday, Garth Stein’s novel The Art of Racing in the Rain is coming to the big screen. This is a movie everyone should see. Lead actor Milo Ventimiglia said, “The making of the movie was like leaves falling on the ground, all landing gently in place and creating […]
