Exotic Cars are Boring

"RightFootDown" (rightfootdown) 01/13/2014 at 14:21 • Filed to: exotic cars, boring, exotics

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In terms of exotic car visibility, Northern Virginia is in no way comparable to Hollywood. I've never been to LA, or Hollywood, or anywhere in California south of San Jose but I'm still sure of this. That said, northern Virginia has it's share of wealthy upper class. We have Ferrari of Washington – a dealership with all glass walls showcasing Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati models of all years. It's located ten feet from CARMAX and without a doubt attracts more tourists than potential buyers.

Northern Virginia has several major highways and ass loads of traffic. I saw half a dozen exotic cars just this morning. I sat behind a silver Aston Martin Vantage, and passed two Corvette Stingrays and a blue R34 Skyline GT-R on Route 28 alone. While on Interstate 66 a black Diablo zoomed by in the HOV lane, an orange Lamborghini Aventador passed the other direction, and shortly after, a yellow Ferrari 458. I didn't oogle once. The Aston Martin's V8 did sound damn good, though.

There is no shortage of weekly meets (Burger King Manassas, Cars&Coffee Fairlakes, Cars&Coffee Great Falls, ChicFilA Sterling) where exotic cars can be seen and enthusiasts corral to shoot the shit and sip their favorite brew. These meets have a lot of the same exotic cars and same faces, if I'm honest. I didn't even get to mention the smaller niches that gather on the weekday evenings across various shopping center and commuter parking lots.

Photo by !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

The very term 'exotic car' is relative based on your location. To me, the prancing horse and raging bull barely qualify as exotic cars since they seem to be everywhere in this area. The density of Ferrari's and Lamborghini's in northern Virginia should be enough to get any car enthusiast excited. Sadly, short of a Pagani Zonda, there isn't much that gets me revved up.

Built. Not Bought.
Yeah, I had a Lamborghini Countach poster on my bedroom wall. The first time I saw a real one I nearly pissed my pants. It was that awesome. In those days, you were about as likely to see a Lamborghini or Ferrari was you were to get hit by space debris. Ah, the 90s.

I think I know why supercars do nothing for me these days and it's not because I see them often. It's because as long as I could remember I've always been tinkering, taking apart and rebuilding anything I could get my hands on. It started with !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! then moved on to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , model cars and building custom BMX bicycles. I studied art for years through grade school and discovered my higher appreciation for craftsmanship and personalization than something produced for the masses.

My dad had a 69 Chevelle through a good portion of the 80s and still has a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! handed down by his father. My dad spent a lot of time in the garage tweaking and restoring those cars. When his brothers or friends came by they could always be found in the garage or driveway. That must have rubbed off on me. All of my cars have been modified in some way that makes them personal. I think the selection of parts I chose carried a certain flavor and while each car was different I think my personal taste showed through on each model I owned. Even after deciding I didn't like the car any longer (read:had become bored with it), I would find myself gazing upon it from all angles admiring the body lines, the stance. I was searching for beauty I hadn't previously found.

Aren't Italian cars all about craftsmanship and exclusivity? Sure. And repair shops but I digress. There is nothing personal about a Ferrari. I guess you could order one with unique colored exterior paint and interior materials. If that qualifies as personal to you, then sure. BMW Individual, anyone?

Photo by !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Now, a Ferrari with truly individual touches? That's something I can dig. The choice of aftermarket wheels, exhaust and other components tell a story. The Ferrari now becomes a unique piece of art and the Ferrari is simply the canvas. The !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! qualifies. Granted, I'm not a huge fan of the Liberty Walk Ferrari 458, but it does tickle me in ways a showroom Ferrari 458 simply can not.

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Jagvar > RightFootDown 01/13/2014 at 14:25

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I live in Tysons, and I too might let an Aventador and a 458 go by without much of a head-turn. But a Diablo...I'd be picking my jaw up off the floor. I never see those, except for the one that occasionally comes to C&C.

TrackRatMk1 > RightFootDown 01/13/2014 at 14:33

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I lived in NoVa for 4 years and the only real surprise was seeing and HEARING an F50 blow by on the George Washington Parkway. I'll turn my head at an exotic when I actually get to witness it doing something exciting... but when they're driven like a Corolla, I'm not impressed.

TrackRatMk1 > RightFootDown 01/13/2014 at 14:34

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By the way, and off topic... does RightFoodDown accept article contributions?

camaroboy68ss > RightFootDown 01/13/2014 at 14:38

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Living in and around Portland, OR I have rarely seen much exotics outside of the autoshow every year. But even when I do it never gets my juices going. I've grown up in the garage around my grandfather always working on something. Usually a hot rod, custom, muscle car and with the mindset of doing as much as you can when building it so I usually am always drawn to older cars and cars built by the owner because I give those guys respect because I know how much work it is to build a car and honestly that's half the fun for me.

Textured Soy Protein > RightFootDown 01/13/2014 at 15:00

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I think it's funny that now there's all these exotic cars driving around the DC area. I grew up in Montgomery County and visit pretty regularly.

Used to be hardly anyone around there wanted to risk coming off as too posh, regardless of how much money they had. It was gauche to drive around in such an expensive vehicle. There was a general understanding that you shouldn't go higher than a 911, S-class, 7-series or Range Rover. My dad's boss in the 80s had a succession of Ferraris, but this dude owned his own healthcare public policy wonk-tank that he eventually sold to AIG.

Now...not so much.

offroadkarter > RightFootDown 01/13/2014 at 15:18

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Built. Not Bought.

What did you do, steal the parts?

RightFootDown > TrackRatMk1 01/13/2014 at 15:23

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Thanks for asking. We are always looking for talent.

TrackRatMk1 > RightFootDown 01/13/2014 at 15:25

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Where would one submit such a thing?

atrombs > RightFootDown 01/13/2014 at 15:33

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I love seeing the cars around NOVA. Yeah I'm sure they're better in Miami or LA, but I think It's pretty decent to see a Ferrari and an Aston in the same drive to work, as I did the other day. My camera roll is full of pics of cars around town.

CobraJoe > RightFootDown 01/13/2014 at 15:40

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Boring to look at?

Yes, after you've seen more than a few of them.

Boring to drive? I kinda doubt it.

RightFootDown > TrackRatMk1 01/13/2014 at 16:19

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Head on over to our Contact page.

HiredDriver > RightFootDown 01/13/2014 at 16:24

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As much as seeing the same Ferrari F458 bores me, I certainly wouldn't get sick of driving one.

iLikeCarsAndSkiing > RightFootDown 01/13/2014 at 17:40

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All I got from this was that you saw a blue R34 GTR....

Dsscats > RightFootDown 01/13/2014 at 22:40

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I saw that 458 in person. Fucking. Gorgeous.

Sunray09 > RightFootDown 01/14/2014 at 14:57

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If all the warts and blisters actually are covering something the factory did not make possible OK. If the form follows some superior function Ok. It would have to offer me some great performance advantage or I wouldn't do it. Underground Racing does it right a stock look with superior performance.

shitheelandtoe > RightFootDown 01/23/2014 at 22:05

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Agree about NoVA. I can never empathize with people who say stuff like, "I get hate because I drive a BMW." In NoVA, BMWs (like mine) are like cockroaches: everywhere, all the time. Nobody even notices you have a BMW. You have to be in a Ferrari before anyone cares.

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > CobraJoe 01/24/2014 at 01:16

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On a public road where most of them are driven? Quite boring. Unless you're at a track day every weekend, you'll have far more fun in a sporty compact.

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > RightFootDown 01/24/2014 at 01:23

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This is exactly how I feel, but I've never been able to articulate it quite so well. I'm sick of the fairweather "enthusiasts" who only care about supercars and think the more absurd looking and powerful the better, even though they could never handle one if their life depended on it. Honestly, when I see a supercar on the road, I see it as just as douchey as a Brodozer. They belong on a track, not being driven on public roads by someone who passed our joke of a license test and has no concept of it's capability.

Dest > RightFootDown 01/24/2014 at 08:58

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I don't understand the point of this article. Author sees supercars every day, gets bored with them. Wah wah.

vorspringing > RightFootDown 03/22/2014 at 16:25

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Yeah. I live about 10 min from the Ferrari/Lambo dealer, and what I mostly hear and see is cars being driven in for service, slowly. Meh. Now, the odd Lotus or Aston, or the TT RS I saw on the Toll Road the other day - I find those a lot more interesting because there are a lot fewer of them around, and because they're generally being driven properly.