Maybe it's because I watched the TV show. You have to admit, Magnum PI was a great show. Great location, great cast, and great characters. Sure, there's a bit of 80's foolishness in the story-lines, but by the standards of the day, this was great--definitely better than anything else on screen. And, of course, there was the Ferrari. Magnum would open each episode by giving you that cool look of his, right before popping the clutch and laying tracks on the side of the road as peeled away in that awesome car as the guitar riff played. (The guitar riff started in season 2--go back and watch the first season for a much more lame opening theme music.) And he didn't even have to BUY the car, because the shadowy Robin Masters was apparently cool with him zooming all over Oahu with it.
I was smitten.
Also, there was something cosmic about the Ferrari and me. I wasn't a car-guy as a kid. I didn't collect hot-wheels or have other car toys. I didn't even know much about cars. But I did, as some point which I can't remember, get a matchbox Ferrari 308. It stayed with me for years, getting tossed around in that box of miscellaneous stuff that kids seems to collect and keep.
In fact, I think that the toy pre-dated my watching the show. I was such a car-rookie that I didn't probably make the connection between the show and the toy until much, much later. But I loved that toy car, and it was the only one that survived from the half-dozen or so that I did have in my childhood.
BECAUSE THE FERRARI 308 RULES.
Just look at it. Perfect proportions and classic Pininfarina design. Beautiful.
Over the years, I've thought about buying one. Ironically, if I had kept my car-buying compulsion in check, I could have gotten one years ago--a topic I'll cover in other posts. The prices of this Ferrari, among all others, dropped lower and stayed down while the rest of them quickly ascended to lottery-ticket heights. Almost as if the universe was trying to let me know: "Hey, this is your chance! Get one!" Now, as it passes 30 years old, collectors are getting wise. Classic car magazines have started to write articles about what a great car it was and it, and prices are on their way up. By the time I'm in a position to get one, it may be too late.
So, I'll start this blog, which I hope will focus my car-enthusiasm away from the dealership lots, by paying tribute to the most awesome care that ever was.
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