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 […]
Hey, “PLEASE NO TOUCHA MY BODY”
I found you on Ferrarichat.com. This blog is great! I’m mildly obsessed with Ferrari of Los Gatos. I actually reproduced their “PLEASE NO TOUCHA MY BODY” window stickers. My Dad bought at least one car, maybe more, through Brian at Ferrari of Los Gatos. I also have a Ferrari of Los Gatos license plate frame […]
Rise and Fall of the Best-Known Ferrari Dealership
Los Gatos, California, was the home of a Ferrari dealer. As a kid, that’s all I knew about that little town. I grew up in Palo Alto, 45 minutes north. And the thought of a Ferrari made me shiver with excitement. Seeing or hearing one stopped me from whatever I was doing to watch the […]
He Purchased 11 Cars from Ferrari of Los Gatos
What an interesting project about a very interesting place. I bought my first car from Ferrari of Los Gatos in 1984 and was still doing business there when it closed. I was a Porsche guy when I came to Ferrari of Los Gatos. I loved cars, and over the years I bought eleven of them […]
Reader Stories & Pictures
Below are stories and pictures from our readers. If you have a story or photo from Ferrari of Los Gatos, or another classic car story or photo, please visit our Share Your Story page to submit it.
He Could Identify every Car on the Road
My son, Joe, was 14 or 15 years old and totally into cars – I mean really into them! We’d be driving and he’d call out the name and model of every cool-looking car on the road. Next came the details. Engine size, horsepower, transmission type… He knew them all! I knew there was a […]
The Ferrari of Los Gatos Story
Brian Burnett has been referred to as a rebel. From the time he started ringing doorbells on weekends if he noticed a classic car in the garage, Brian was making deals. When he succeeded in buying one of those cars, he’d sell it on Monday, or trade it on Tuesday, in the library parking lot across the street from Los Gatos High School.
Fourteen years later, about a half-block away from that library, he would use what he learned to differentiate Ferrari of Los Gatos and become the number one dealer in North America, and perhaps, the entire world.
His journey travels through the world of Ferrari only a few people have ever seen or experienced. On the way, he made friends, created enemies, made millions of dollars, and lost everything in the blink of an eye.
This blog highlights some of the history of Ferrari of Los Gatos, recalls other interesting Ferrari stories, and corresponds with a book, THE DEALER—How One California Dealership Fueled the Rise of Ferrari Cars in America, that is a work in progress. If you have a Ferrari of Los Gatos memory, please share it share it here.
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Below you’ll find the first post. Welcome to the Ferrari of Los Gatos story.
