The Ferrari Myths Hollywood Has Sold You On

“Everyone dreams of driving a Ferrari, it was my intent from the start,” Enzo also famously said. With so many people dreaming of owning a Ferrari, it was only normal for it to become the stuff of urban legends. Hollywood – and showbiz, in general – tapped into it, to give birth and perpetuate certain clichés that still hold water today.

As is the case with most clichés, they aren’t necessary true. So here is a short list of some of the Ferrari myths showiz has sold us on, through movies, music videos, print and TV ads, and the like.

No mid-life crisis is complete without a Ferrari (or a Porsche)

Ah, the mid-life crisis, the ever-so-popular topic of discussion of many ‘80s and ‘90s productions on the big and small screen. It isn’t as hot of a topic today, when the age when it should happen moved up from 40 to 60. You know what they say: 60 is the new 40.

For Hollywood, any decent mid-life crisis for men involves getting a divorce, getting a much younger girlfriend (preferably a younger copy of the wife that was just dumped), and buying a Ferrari. Or a Porsche, both seem to work just as fine, as long as they come in bold colors like red or yellow, and are open-tops.

This cliché became so pervasive that even bona-fide celebrities, who you would think could see through the smoke and mirrors of moviemaking, came to believe it. “Here comes 40. I’m feeling my age and I’ve ordered the Ferrari. I’m going to get the whole mid-life crisis package,” Keanu Reeves once said. (He is believed to own a Ferrari 488 GTB and a Ferrari California T, both of which he tested at the Maranello Factory during separate visits.)

All Ferrari cars are tacky

This one is closely linked to the mid-life crisis cliché. Because movies and other fictional content pushed the association between Ferrari and a man going through a rebellious stage by turning against everything he’d represented until that point, the Prancing Horse became a symbol for all that is fake. And tacky, overpriced, noisy, and not even that good in terms of build and engineering. And almost all are red.

As showbiz would have you believe, those who buy Ferraris are old or aging and feel inadequate, displeased with their life, so they buy a flashy car to show off. However, we know that a Ferrari is more than just a flashy car, just like we know that the majority of Ferraristas buy these cars because they love everything about them – and couldn’t care less what others think of them.

Ferrari will buy you happiness, bring all the babes to the yard

In movies, there’s little that a Ferrari (or a similarly powerful, fast and noisy car) can’t solve. It will bring about happiness, herald in a new era, make all the problems go away and, last but not least, bring all the babes to the yard.

There is some truth to that last part, as women (as any other human being with eyes, for that matter) will be attracted to a gorgeous machine. But in movies, they tend to be drawn like moths to a flame (a cliché we’re allowed, since we’re on the topic), even when the man behind the wheel isn’t particularly attractive or nice.

Becoming a first-time Ferrari driver will automatically turn your skills up a notch

This one is somehow related to the previous cliché. Ferrari or any other powerful, expensive car takes your worth and just about everything else up a notch – or a million. Your driving skills improve to such an extent you only have to jump behind the wheel and you’re already doing burnouts and handling the car at incredible speeds like a pro.

Ferrari is only for the very rich

Ferrari is a dream, one which you can only attain once you’re rich. As Michael J. Fox once said of his rise to fame, “By 21, I was earning six figures a week. By 23, I had a Ferrari. It was nuts.”

It’s true, you need a lot of cash to buy a Ferrari from a dealership, regardless if it’s a new or older model. You need more than cash to buy a limited edition car, as we explained in a separate article on Ferrari ownership.

But that’s not to say that you have to be filthy rich to get a taste of Italy’s finest in carmaking. Like any other marque, Ferrari does have some duds in its lineup – models that failed to rise to the same standards of excellence as the rest. These duds can actually sell for peanuts (which is a relative term, used in comparison to the price tag of a new Ferrari bought from an authorized dealer).

For instance, you could get a Dino 308 GT4 (we know, the Dino is not a “true Ferrari”!) for around $25,000, a 400i for $20,000, a Ferrari 348 for $35,000, or a Mondial for $25,000. They’re cheap compared to the hundreds of thousands you’d have to fork otherwise for a Prancing Horse.

The very important caveat is that you should expect the Ferrari driving experience without the Ferrari ownership experience. Yes, they are separate things, and the latter is part of the Ferrari brand. You won’t get invites to gatherings and clubs, don’t get warranty and will have to pay for the high maintenance costs out of pocket. But hey, you’re driving a Ferrari.

That said, this list of showbiz clichés about Ferrari isn’t exhaustive, nor does it pretend to be so. Feel free to drop a line in the comments with your own ideas on the topic, and get a conversation going.