I have no idea what they were doing there, but a line of Ferraris, all red of course, were lined up in the driveway of Star City. And yes, photographically it would have been far better to cross the road to find a place to shoot them from.

However my bus was due (and actually turned up for once), and the only reason that I shot this was... I didn't have anything better to do for a PAD. Ferraris have never interested me. I haven't personally driven one outside of a simulator (which left me thinking of that old line from The Hitchhikers' Guide To The Galaxy "Looks like a fish, moves like a fish, steers like a cow") but I can't think why I'd want to. A Porsche, yes, especially the Cayman. However your standard gunmetal grey Porsche tends to be more about the business of motoring with excellent road holding and a big, throaty growl from the engine, while the cherry red of your standard Ferrari seems to scream "look at me, look at me"! (Or, though this may not have been the owners' intention, "Run a 20 cent coin along my duco"!) There are a limited number of places that you can safely park the things (especially the open tops; I recall a story of one Ferrari owner who parked on the street on New Years' Eve and returned to find that his car has been used as an improvised latrine), you're going to be in stop start traffic unless you get out on the open road, and if you do get out on the open road you're crammed into a tiny space for the trip... oh, and I've seen how these things hold up when they hit something. I'd rather be driving something made from Coke cans. Actually I'm now wholly convinced that I wouldn't be. And that doesn't even count the little issue with spontaneous combustion that the 458 Italia had.

No, I've never really wanted a Ferrari. And this is not sour grapes, for the car I want, covet, desire, is... more or less the car I have. Maybe the one two models up, I won't deny... and perhaps if some of the shares that are sucking the life out of my portfolio (hello Leighton Holdings) start to get their crud together then it will be mine. If I really start performing with my investments then maybe I'll be able to afford that Porsche too... except I won't, I'll still buy the one I want.

Last Year