Driving a Ferrari 308 GTSi in Lonavala

Mr Fali Dhondy's Ferrari 308 GTSi, which I drove in Lonavala back in 2003!

I had dreamt of driving a Ferrari ever since I was a schoolkid and my first shot at piloting a car produced in Maranello came sometime in 2003, when I was working with Motoring magazine, which was at that time published by Business Standard. Srini, the classic cars specialist at BSM was going to Khandala for one of his drives/photoshoots and I offered to tag along. Little did I know then, what was in store for me that day.

Esperienza Ferrari at Buddh International Circuit

Being an automotive journalist has its occasional perks and getting to drive a bunch of Ferraris at an F1 track is one of those perks. Driving a Ferrari 458 at BIC was an incredible experience

Back in 2012, I had an opportunity to be a part of ‘Esperienza Ferrari,’ which was held at Buddh International Circuit, where I got to drive various Ferraris. Driving not just one but three Ferraris, all in one day, on an F1 circuit?! Yes, as you might imagine, it was a dream come true for a Ferrari fanboy like me. Here's the article I wrote for Man’s World magazine, about the entire experience.

I have no other way of starting this, so let me say it right away – I love Ferrari cars more than any other. Having spent more than a decade writing about cars, I’ve had the good fortune of driving high-performance cars from almost every manufacturer. But even then, Ferraris remain something exceptional, something truly special. The ‘Ferrari’ name conjures up images of glorious, low-slung, sexy supercars, all painted red. Cars like the 250 GTO, 308, 328, Testarossa, 348, 288 GTO, F40, F50, F355, F430 and the 458 Italia. As a schoolboy, I grew up staring wistfully at posters of Ferraris from the 1970s-80s, which were plastered all over the walls of my room. For many, many years, I always wondered what it might be like to actually drive a one of those Italian beauties.

The Day I Drove a Ferrari FF

Back in 2012, my dear friend (and former colleague from Business Standard Motoring) Murali K. Menon gave me an opportunity to drive the mighty Ferrari FF and write about it for Man’s World magazine. Murali, or MKM as we call him, was Managing Editor of Man’s World at that time and he spoke to Ferrari’s New Delhi dealership and arranged for me to drive the FF. That car, along with two Maseratis – the GranCabrio and the Quattroporte – had been brought to Jaypee Spa Resort for an event of some sort. All I had to do was, go to the Jaypee Resort, which was just 2km from my house, pick up the car from there and drive it as much as I wanted. Could this really be happening? Could it be real? On that day, it was. A dream come true.