A rare model Ferrari Daytona from Hawke's Bay, in Whanganui for the Ferrari Owners' Club NZ AGM. Photo / Paul Brooks
A rare model Ferrari Daytona from Hawke's Bay, in Whanganui for the Ferrari Owners' Club NZ AGM. Photo / Paul Brooks
A Ferrari of any age or model is guaranteed to get attention, but when Whanganui hosted the annual meeting of the Ferrari Owners' Club of New Zealand over the weekend, that attention was magnified by 62.
The club alternates between the North and South islands but last year's meeting in Whanganui was cancelled by Covid-19.
The carparks of two accommodation establishments in Victoria Ave attracted onlookers and camera phones as Ferraris from all over arrived to park, unpack and be seen.
Greg Foothead, one of this year's organisers, says they were expecting about 60 cars, and that's nowhere near the full membership of the club.
"Behind Switzerland and Italy, New Zealand has the highest ownership of Ferraris per capita in the world."
A 2018 Ferrari 488 70th anniversary model. Photo / Paul Brooks
On Friday they held their AGM at The Avenue Kingsgate Hotel with a busy weekend to follow, including a river cruise on the Waimarie, a drive around the district and a formal dinner.
Greg says the club has been most grateful in that bookings they made for last year were honoured and deposits held in credit.
This is the first time the club has held its meeting in Whanganui.
Ferraris just kept on coming! Photos / Paul Brooks
Greg is from the Wellington club, but he says members arrived from the South Island, having stayed in Wellington after crossing Cook Strait, and others came from all over the North Island. They booked out all of Aotea Motor Lodge and most of Kingsgate.
He says there are 112 attendees at the meeting. "So 112 post-Covid is really good."
A 1986 Testarossa. Photo / Paul Brooks
Greg arrived early in his 1986 Testarossa to arrange things. He's proud of his flat 12, rear engine model.
"An iconic car," he says. "I drive it a lot: it's done more than 100,000km. It's what I call a lazy 12 cylinder: it's 400hp, which is not a lot for a 12 cylinder engine, but it's got loads of torque. You really only need a couple of gears, but it's got five. It's a very 'analogue' Ferrari, compared to these new 'digital' ones.
"It's got no power steering, no ABS, no traction control, nothing, no driver aids — it's just you and the car. You've got to treat it with respect or it will bite you.
"The attraction is I get out of my daily driver, which is a BMW which does everything lovely and is nice and smooth, and I get into this and it's raw."
His was the only Testarossa at the meeting. He says they're becoming rare in New Zealand as they fetch big money overseas so many are being sold off shore.
"I won't sell it: I've had it for 14 years and I'll continue to keep a hold of it."
He says it's the epitome of 1980s excess.
"That and the Lamborghini Countach were the two cars that were like spaceships compared to anything else out at the time.
"It harks back to a time in my life when I coveted the boldness of the Italians building something that was so in-your-face."
Ferraris lined up at Kingsgate. Photo / Paul Brooks
Kingsgate carpark was filling with nothing but Ferraris as we spoke, including a 2020 model in silver grey.
A 2020 model Ferrari with all the mod cons. Photo / Paul Brooks
A 1970 Ferrari Daytona was parked nearby.
"That model car was the first Ferrari I ever had a ride in when I was 12 years old, and it just blew my mind. V12, front engine, six carburettors, it just sounded and handled sublime. That car is probably worth north of $2 million," says Greg.
Organisers estimate there was probably more than $30m worth of cars at the meeting.
"It's a passion for a lot of people. There are those who own a Ferrari because they can, and there are people who own one for the marque and its history. A lot of these guys will be watching Formula 1 on Sunday. We're just into the whole Ferrari scene, really. It's the motoring purity and the epitome of performance design. The Italians know how to design cars that look beautiful."
Greg is a mechanical engineer by profession and he enjoys the technology aspect of Ferrari.
"It's all Formula 1 technology that's been translated into road cars.
"The development and speed of progress between models is phenomenal."
Hugh, the driver of the Daytona, says he looks after a number of prestige cars for owners who haven't got the time to do so. While he has his own Ferrari, he says the Daytona was one he saw when he was 10 years old.
"It's got huge New Zealand provenance because it's an original New Zealand-new car, brought in by Bruce Lindeman, who was the concessionaire for Ferrari for three years before PDL took it over. This car held the New Zealand production car speed record of 166mph in 1972."
The Daytona is right hand drive, flexiglass headlight model, of which only about 67 were made. The car is unusual in that it has no wing mirrors.
