Exactly! Could you imagine them meeting for lunch at a roadside barbecue place like used to happen? Nope. Gotta be somewhere really fancy. Nothing at all wrong with fancy as long as that’s not all or the majority of what you do. IMO, it’s gotten really over the top. Way to country club for my taste.
In forty five years and hundreds of transatlantic flights I would expect that your frequent flyer miles were really worth something! I cannot count the number of car shows where we have met. Best regards old friend, Robert
Ummmm...are you confusing us with the Porsche club? LOL! All kidding aside, this does not sound at all like the guys that join here on Long Island. They are the most welcoming, down to earth guys you can imagine. Is there the occasional DB? Of course but very few and far between. The one thing I never do is ask what a newbie member does for a living. I couldn't give a rats butt! We welcome them in and get to know them and make sure they get involved with the club and our events (and we have many). Then if it comes up in convo that he is an MD, so be it. What I find most amusing is that I get asked how much the yearly dues are by a guy in a $500k Pista! Come on! Trust me the FCA is worth every penny. Come to LI and we will welcome you with open arms
I'm the former President of the FCA GA chapter. Membership is what you make of it, but I've been a member for 25 years, and loved it. I highly encourage membership you will meet life long friend, and it will impact your life for the better. Not to mention some cool cars.
i joined and continue membership. I really like the Southern California chapter, I’m in Hollywood area. I have gone on several of the group rides and have enjoyed each one. I haven’t met as many people as I would like because of COVID but I hope that changes in the future. Of the people I have met, they have all been super nice. I recommend it, I certainly can’t speak for other areas of the country but this group is cool.
I just joined last week, but I’ve been going to the public FCA meets for about a year now. It’s been great, great people and pop up events. Good organization to be a part of, money well spent.
We are pretty lucky in Queensland (Australia) the club has been flat out with more events than previous years. They are good social events where you get to drive and look at other Ferrari’s happy days!
If you have all the friends you need or want, and do not want any new experiences to liven up your life, Do Not join the FCA. It is said a Ferrari is the ticket to more fun life experiences. Joining the FCA has made my ticket (488 GTB) good at places like the country gas station and cafe where I meet for a cheeseburger and two hours of mountain driving with three or four of my FCA buddies. Or to Maranello for a personal tour of the Classiche Dept and the unveiling of the new F1. People and places I would never have even thought of without the FCA. Sorry though I am one of those MDs that another FerrariChat member was concerned about (retired surgeon no less) It’s all good! Enjoy
I recommend joining FCA and getting involved at local events. We have been members for almost 20 years with several Ferraris (F430 one of my favorites!). Here is a video link to an event we just did last Saturday at a local distillery - drive + 'tasting': Great fun! (Play the whole video - drone was awesome)
I am sure the 'old timers' will agree with two things; 1) to a certain extent you can be an influence; at some level within FCA; and 2) it is no longer 1974 (when I joined) and change is inevitable; within any group. Avoiding judgement on whether it is for better or for worse means you are adjusting. FCA is not at all hard to enjoy.
I’ve been a member for about five years since I bought my car. We have a pretty active Central Florida chapter with many events each year that make it well worth the cost of membership. The annual national meetings are also lots of fun and provide the opportunity to talk with fellow enthusiasts, have your car judged by national experts (if you wish), do road rallies and track time, and other events as well. Of course, the meeting moves about the country so some years it is easier to attend than others. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
If you have the time, get involved and increase the activity level. Once someone takes the initiative others will often join in. Every member has ideas about what they would like their local chapter to do. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Seems like a few 45ers are on here. I joined in May of 76.....when I bought my first GTC from Ed Waterman at Thorobred Motorcars in Arlington VA. Have been active in both the FL [Naples] and now just getting started in NC. Once I have my many projects at my home completed I will host and organize some drives in the NC mountains. NC and FL both have active Chapters. One day I gotta do the VIR event w/ the NC/SE region!!!
I was in the SC Chapter for 3 years but dropped out with all but one event occurring at least a 2-hour drive or more from our area. I'd estimate there had to be nearly a dozen F cars locally, and maybe 4 FCA members, but it was difficult to get local non-members interested and most of the events within range were oriented towards "fine dining." Best experience was attending the national meet in Daytona - worst was having my input brushed off when the chapter was planning the one local event in our area. I'll probably try again now that I live in AZ.
Glad you came to the Daytona event. My job was to run the Awards Ceremony Dinner. Typically these Annual dinners ran for 5+ hours and every attendee would become bored to tears. I bucked/ignored the FCA execs and ran it on my own tight schedule. Including the 1 hour cocktail time I got the entire ceremony over in 2 hours and 58 minutes. My target was 3 hours. As a 45 year FCA member I stopped going to these Award Ceremony dinners until I was given the job to right the ship. I doubt anyone will ever beat my time. [patting myself on the back...lol]
I’m a new member in CO and I’m signed up for Colo Springs! Should get a chance to meet some of you before then. Looking forward to it! Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
I have belonged since buying my car in 2007. Lots of great events and have made some life long friends. I am now president of our Central Coast chapter