2006 French Quarter Classic...what can I say, the first day was awesome! This year we didn't miss the cars leaving their hotel to head out to the track as we did in 2004, and it was an awesome sight seeing 50+ Ferraris driving through downtown New Orleans. 8)
We sort of tried to follow the police-escorted convoy of Ferraris, but obviously, we got left behind almost immediately.
We made it out to the track around 10:30 or so...and damn, what a sight! So many Ferraris in one place.
Well, lets get to the good par, the F40.
8)
All day I was hoping,
hoping I could get a ride in an F40, but I kept thinking, that will never happen. Lucky for me I was wrong!
The F40 drove out to the track with one set of wheels and tires (90 mile drive), and then fitted slicks (black wheels) once they arrived. According to the owner, modifications include: new ECU, upgraded turbos, and new exhaust (i.e. test pipes
). After these modifications, 500 horsepower at the rear wheels.
:shock: 8)
My friend brought his video camera, and made some video of the F40, he apologizes for unsteady hand & crappy quality, but still some good stuff.
I'd been looking at the F40 all day, but despite that, I never realized just how
low it really is. To get in its quite a process...the sill is tall and wide, so you have to step over, and the seat is very deep, so its hard to be smooth about getting in, but once you are in you are in!
This particular F40 had 4 point racing harnesses as well, and I'm glad it did!
Once sitting down in the car and all strapped in you notice...first there is hardly any leg room, I'm about 6'2" but even a much shorter person wouldn't have much leg room. The car is insanely low, it feels like you are sitting on the ground, and the interior is sparse, but very purposeful.
The next thing I know, we are lining up to enter the track...and the flag man waves us on and the driver floors it from about 10-15mph...and damn its fast, and then the
turbos hit, and :shock: HOLY SHIT its fucking
fast! There's a slight kink in the track and then we are on the straight away, 2nd gear, BAM 3rd gear...my body is literally slammed back into the seat. You can clearly hear the wonderful turbos whistling over the awesome sounding V8. And then its hard on the brakes...holy shit this thing stops as well as it goes! :shock: 8) Then we take a
corner, it feels like we are going way too fast...we're going to just go straight off the road, instead the cars bites in and grips around the corner, and now I know why it has 4 point harnesses and the deepest seat I've ever sat in! The way this car goes around corners is the most amazing part about it. And then we are back on a straight bit of road and those turbos are giving us a tremendous kick.
God damn this thing pulls, and god damn this thing goes around corners!
We even got to chase a 360CS, which after one lap, the driver easily passed in a storm of turbo-charged power! 8) We stayed out for 3 laps, and I saw roughly 120 or 130mph on the straight...it was simply unbelievable how quickly we got to that speed. The
sound of that car was astonishing. Ferrari V8 coupled with whistling and popping and whooshing turbos...8)
A
huge thanks to Wes, the driver!
---------------------------
Cars in the track parking lot.
3 C6 Z06s in the lot, and if there hadn't been 50 Ferraris waiting for me I would have taken more pics...
An awesome ZR1, and the RS4 passed us on the highway while we were driving to the track, it sounded sweeet!
French Quarter Classic: Day 1, I got a ride in an F40!
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