"David Ruddock" (rdr0b11)
04/07/2015 at 13:40 • Filed to: None
4
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"David Ruddock" (rdr0b11)
04/07/2015 at 13:40 • Filed to: None | 4
| 13 |
I was young (eighteen). I was foolish (eighteen). I was really, really excited about my new jacket (eighteen).
It was a bright red Ferrari rain coat with a removable black fleece inner, just like the ones the Scuderia Ferrari F1 crew wore in the paddock when the weather was foul. I got a really, really good deal on one on closeout, well over $300 off the original sticker.
At the time, I had no idea this was basically just a licensed facsimile, nothing near the quality or specialness of the jackets the actual team members wore. But it certainly looked the part, and it was actually a pretty decent rain coat. I wore it, off and on, for two years. Eventually, I think I lost it, as too did I lose my Ferrari baseball cap.
I wasn’t a particularly huge Ferrari fan when I bought the coat, and I believe I did so only because I had recently been to the Monterey Classics weekend at Laguna Seca. Awestruck by nearly everything I saw, I felt surrounded by a culture of enthusiasts and car gawkers who could understand just what it meant to be excited by dozens upon dozens of vintage steel and aluminum masterpieces. And when I bought that jacket, I felt secure: those people would understand. Those people would think it was cool. Those people got it.
A decade later, I look back on that decision with mild though forgiving regret. It was a stupid, ugly jacket that was ostentatious as it was red, and I wouldn’t be caught dead in one today unless I was actually for some unfathomable reason involved with Ferrari racing. I am not involved with Ferrari racing.
Certainly, many of us had the car posters growing up, the calendars, the Hot Wheels, and even the scale models and die-casts. (Confession time: my dad actually decorated my room in full Jeff Gordon livery (complete with accent wallpaper) when I was 10. I was in it, and I was in it bad.) But equally many of you, I assume, never had any of that stuff in any serious quantity, and instead are just here as wrenchers, lovers of all things car , and quiet examples of automotive enthusiasts that don’t go around telling everybody about your passion for cars. It’s just something you enjoy for your own sake.
Today, I have no automotive clothing, aside from an old 034 Motorsports shirt I occasionally use when I’m frying up something particularly greasy in the kitchen. And I’m fine with that: I have no desire to own car paraphernalia anymore. It doesn’t interest me in the slightest. And yet, I see many enthusiasts who do accessorize themselves with car and aftermarket supplier garb, even outside the no-judgement-zone of a race track or car meetup. There’s also, of course, freedom in youth: no one’s going to blame a 15-year-old kid for wanting a Ferrari shirt.
I am all for the personal choice of the individual, of the right of everyone to dress and appear as they choose, though don’t think I’m not judging the 40-year-old guy at the bar wearing a Ferrari pullover or a Porsche Design watch - I am. I am judging a lot . Because I know it’s all overpriced crap that really doesn’t even bother with the pretense of quality, it’s just about a logo. And guys, how many ladies do you think are going to look at that Lamborghini polo and think “he’s a real catch”? I’m going to spill the beans: it’s not many.
So why do people wear it? What does it accomplish? Well, for some, it’s just about being a sycophant to the brand - living the “Ferrari lifestyle.” If you have a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, sure, there is an argument that matching garb is just about “completing the look,” but we all know that’s silly and doesn’t make any kind of logical sense, and does make you look like an utter goob.
But we’re all guilty of it sometimes, probably - the logo, the lifestyle, the luxury; it gets to us. It tells us that maybe, just maybe, we too can live the kind of life and have the kind of fun and excitement that these halo brands offer to the customers which can actually afford their vehicles or to join a gentleman’s racing league.
And I say poo on that, because it’s just marketing successfully convincing us to drink the kool-aid. There’s nothing fun about wasting your money on a silly Ferrari jacket, or a McLaren hat, or Lamborghini sunglasses: you’re just telling yourself this is something you want as a substitute for the thing you can’t have. In reality, you probably want a real Ferrari, a real Lamborghini, or a new Porsche 911. Or perhaps just something as simple as a fun sports car. But these brands are using that lust, that clout, to convince us that perhaps a jacket or some crappy baseball cap made by some poor soul in an Indonesian sweat shop will give us a taste of the lifestyle we can’t afford.
To each their own, but for me, the car lifestyle isn’t about what you wear or who you cheer for. It’s about getting into your car and enjoying the experience of driving. And every time I see a Ferrari coat, shirt, or hat, I think: I’m actually glad I lost that jacket.
ACESandEIGHTS
> David Ruddock
04/07/2015 at 13:47 |
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I had a Bianchi Campione del Mondo shirt once. It totally conveyed to the world my love of bicycles. and the color Celeste.
I have absolutely no idea when I ceased to own it and do not care. Probably about the same time I gave away my Campagnolo cycling cap.
CalzoneGolem
> David Ruddock
04/07/2015 at 13:49 |
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But are you involved in Ferrari racing?
My citroen won't start
> David Ruddock
04/07/2015 at 13:50 |
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I have shit tons of car branded jackets, gilets and sweaters. Every time I'm at a race-track or those boutique car shops (citroen loves those) I get something, they are always quality stuff.
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David Ruddock
> CalzoneGolem
04/07/2015 at 13:52 |
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can confirm: am not involved.
Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
> David Ruddock
04/07/2015 at 14:03 |
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I don't have any car-related apparel, mostly because I have an abnormally long torso and no one makes a t-shirt in my size.
If they did, however, I would waste all my money on Blipshift shirts. They're smart, funny, and well designed. But they're mostly just inside jokes for car people, like this one, called Unicorn:
But I think there's an important distinction to be made between "brand experience" clothes, like Ferrari's fashion line, and "race fan paraphernalia" to show you support for your favorite driver or team. I don't have a problem with the latter. The former is just tacky. But if I was into printed tees, I might get one of these, because I'm a big fan of the driver.
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CalzoneGolem
> David Ruddock
04/07/2015 at 14:16 |
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Mood : Skeptical
Anon
> ACESandEIGHTS
04/07/2015 at 14:18 |
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But Bianchi bikes are obtainable by most people, maybe not a top of the end ones, but most people can buy one. Also as someone who owns a Campagnolo groupset, I wish I had gotten a shimano 105 one, campag shifters just don't work with my hands.
Jonee
> David Ruddock
04/07/2015 at 14:59 |
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That's not that bad of a Ferrari jacket. I don't want it, but there is much much worse out there.
desertdog5051
> David Ruddock
04/07/2015 at 15:00 |
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I think F 1 fans do it better. You see hundreds of flags at each race proclaiming who they are a fan of. After the race, you roll it up and forget about. You don't have to look at the dumb shirt I bought and will never wear again each time you go in your closet or dresser drawer.
norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
> David Ruddock
04/07/2015 at 15:23 |
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Pretty much all of my t-shirts are racing/car related. Mainly even shirts I get every year when I go to said race. I usually wear a sweatshirt so unless you know me you don't really see that I'm into cars.
I do like it because it does show that I'm into cars and racing. Idk, opinions will differ on the matter.
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ACESandEIGHTS
> Anon
04/07/2015 at 15:26 |
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Campagnolo's superior. 1: prettier. 2: the brake lever moves along exactly one axis, which is preferable, and likely more efficient. 3: no ugly brake/shifter cables protruding from the top or the side of the handle/hood, and that's a scientific fact. 4: intuitive—the thumb lever moves the chain down, so down on the left thumb, lower gear, down on the right thumb, higher gear—more muddled with four different levers being manipulated your fingers, it's another documented scientific fact. 6: In an emergency, the brake lever might slip out of your grip with a Shimano lever, no lie, think about it, it might get pushed out of reach of your fingers, and that's a design flaw. Statistics show this has been responsible for over 306,000 deaths to date. 7: Cooler logo 8:
Breaking Away.
5: I forgot about five. 9: The hubs are fantastic. Shimano's hubs, well, you could go slap those on a mountain bike for how ugly they are. 10: Same goes for cranks and everything else: far less utilitarian.
Bonus: Has actual names. Veloce. Record. Chorus. And they aren't made up either, like, say,
Ultegra. Dura-Ace.
PowderHound
> David Ruddock
04/07/2015 at 18:40 |
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I own a few blip shift shirts. Apex everything, stay in spool, 'murica. A lot of the ones I see on there are just way way to far fetched for me. I guess for the most part I will wear some subtle car related stuff but that goes for damn near any of my clothes
Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> David Ruddock
12/31/2015 at 20:18 |
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Being a car enthusiast since childhood, my mother gave me two backpacks—one Porsche and one Ferrari. I have been fortunate to eventually own a car from each brand, but until I did, it was rather uncomfortable to use them at all as an adult. They were the real deal, i.e. expensive, i.e. letting them sit unused was also bad for my conscience.