Famished Ferrari Fans Frolic in the Fog then Feast on Fine French Food

Article and photos by Tino Mingori

The ad said that on October 29 the "sky will be sunny and the air crisp" and "the scent of tall pine trees will hit you in the nose while your eyes vibrate to the colors of late autumn."

This seductive tale lured more than 20 carloads of Famished Ferrari Fans to send their money to the club office and assemble at the secret starting point hidden in exotic La Cañada. Only a couple of timid Ferrari owners were convinced by the likes of Dallas and Fritz that bringing their Ferrari on this drive it might cause it to get (gulp) wet! One optimistic couple arrived with the top down on their newly acquired Daytona spyder. The rest of us figured that we had already sent in our 20 bucks and we wanted our damn brunch. Thus, 40+ adventurous Ferrari owners set off on a scenic drive through the Angeles Forest.

As our drive began, the road was dry, and the scenery was dramatic - then everything began to disappear in the fog. Visibility dropped, headlights were turned on and speeds were reduced. Turns along our "interesting and scenic backroad route" were missed and part of our group motored East toward Mt. Waterman while the rest headed North toward Palmdale. Eventually we managed to collect everyone together at a lower elevation where the sky again revealed a clear view of the landscape. For the next 30 or 40 miles we enjoyed a spirited drive along well banked two lane roads. This good fortune did not last, however, and as we entered Bouquet Canyon, the sky darkened once more and serious rain came down. We all got wet, but managed to negotiate the last few miles to the restaurant without incident.

Once inside, our group enjoyed the advertised "Fine French Food" in the pleasant, dry atmosphere of the Restaurant Le Chene. Ferrari Tifosi flags adorned the walls, and at one point a red wig was donned briefly in honor of Ferraris' impressive Formula One championship. With the exception of a major oil leak that was not weather related, nothing happened to any of the cars that could not be set right by an hour or two with a bucket of soapy water and some rags. On our next drive we hope the blue sky and sunshine will be back, but the experience of driving a Ferrari under more varied conditions was an interesting change.

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