Tutti Ferrari
Monday September 07, 2009 | Contributor: Jennifer Wright

Ferraris hold something of a legendary status in my family. When they were young, my parents toured Europe by car. One afternoon, they drove into the town of Modena, Italy and found a large, but nearly desolate, parking lot for their sad little rental car. The garage operator welcomed them effusively, but looked somewhat bewildered.


The reason for his confusion was obvious the next morning. Upon returning to the lot, my parents found their Fiat surrounded by a sea of red vehicles with prancing horse logos. And very affluent Europeans, mostly clad in leather, were carefully polishing them. The garage owner waved his arms expansively and proudly proclaimed, “Ferrari! Tutti Ferrari!” It turns out that Modena is the home of the Ferrari factory. Several times a year, select Ferrari owners were invited to the town to have their cars tuned by specialists. To this day, when faced with an ocean of excess, my parents can be heard to mutter, “Tutti Ferrari”.





Thanks to man-about-town (and Shutterstock founder) Jon Oringer, I had my own “tutti” moment this weekend when we visited the First Annual Hamptons Ferrari Rally. I have to admit, I’m generally more of a Jaguar Roadster sort of girl. (Men, invariably, respond, “I’m glad you said ‘roadster’ – I have no idea why, as my puny knowledge of classic cars only goes as far as letting me know what different models look like and being able to pick the prettiest ones.) However, I couldn’t help being impressed by the astonishing collection of Ferraris on display. According to officials, the combined worth was slightly over $30 million.





Participants in the rally piloted their beautiful, beautiful cars through Easthampton, South Hampton, Sag Harbor—and even the polo fields. At the tour’s conclusion, everyone gathered at Georgica restaurant, where we enjoyed champagne and cocktails as luxurious as the cars. (I think swilling complimentary Piper Heidsieck again at events is a sign that we’re truly leaving the recession behind and moving into recovery!)


The event was sponsored by Nikki Beach Midtown (which I will forever associate with Finance meets Fashion) and by nightlife impresario, Nathaniel Christian. He has been hooked on Ferraris for several years and has collected a few, telling the crowd that they’re like potato chips— you can’t have just one. He hopes that the rally will encourage more people to take an interest in classic cars. It’s certainly a break in routine for New Yorkers who depend on cabs and the subway, and maybe Town Cars if they are very, very fortunate.





I may not be ready to trade my MetroCard in for a Ferrari just yet, but I can at least don the cute Ferrari t-shirt from my goody bag.


Pics via Hamptons.com