My Time in a 458

Amazing, perfect, incredible; are the first words that come to mind. Driving a 458 is everything you would expect. The acceleration is exhilarating, the handling complete perfection, and the body is of course beautiful. Mere mortals stop to admire the car and peer through the windows to see who could be driving this machine. 

So how does a kid from Detroit score 20 minutes in a €200,000 piece of Italian perfection? 

Fiera campionaria is a festival held in the city of Padua, a small college town just outside Venice. At this festival, you can find camping gear, home goods, used cars; seriously anything your heart desires. 

While strolling through the event with some friends, I stumbled across two gorgeous Ferrari 458s. Any car fans heart skips a beat when a Ferrari is in the vicinity but this time I managed to keep my composer. We walked over to get a closer look when an Italian man approached us. 

"Are you fans of Ferrari?" Years of magazine articles, F1 races, and clips of Jeremy Clarkson bolting around race tracks ran through my mind. "Absolutely!" I said. 

"€100 for 20 minutes in the 458, you drive." Now my heart started to miss beats. I instantly accepted the offer and within 10 minutes my hand graced the door handle of a bright red Ferrari, the proper color. 

I sat down and strapped in. The Italian in the passenger seat instructed me. "Place your foot on the break, turn the key forward, and press the start button." A symphony of tuned exhaust, cheers from friends, and a feeling of euphoria consumed me. 

We set off though the festival and onto the motorway. This being my first time driving in Italy, I was a bit nervous. Not to mention the fact that this was my first time behind the wheel of a Ferrari. Not knowing what to expect I put the pedal to the floor as we merged onto the freeway. A flurry of red lights filled the dashboard as the engine waged war on the tires fighting for grip. I was thrown back against my seat as a grin formed from ear to ear. 

"How do you feel?" The Italian asked. I stumbled and struggled to find words. I believe I muttered something along the lines of incredible. But either way you get the idea. This car is like nothing else. They say money can't buy happiness but I fairly certain it is impossible to be as while driving a 458. 

www.ferrari.com for stats and more info