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Driving through Italy in a small rental car with no air conditioning, college student Milton Chu nevertheless felt pleased that he’d convinced his very understanding girlfriend to take a several-hour side trip to visit the Ferrari factory in Maranello. He didn’t know -- as the couple did their best to keep comfortable in the summer heat -- that he would need to be a Ferrari owner or have some other previous arrangement to get a factory tour.
“We couldn’t even afford to eat in the little restaurant across from the factory,” said Dr. Chu, recalling the story for
Ferrari News today. The Los Angeles area ophthalmologist and inventor, who now owns two Ferraris, explained that all was not lost that day, as the young couple was able to create their own little Ferrari tour.
“We walked around the back of the restaurant and saw men wearing Ferrari overalls, on their lunch break,” Dr. Chu said. The restaurant had a small area where the factory workers could order food and beverages. We were able to order paninis and then sit with the guys who built the cars. We watched the transporters leaving the gates with new Ferraris. Then we drove over to the track and stopped near a curve where people would climb up on a fence to watch. We saw them testing F1 cars.”
Today, Dr. Chu drives a 2009 California and his first Ferrari, a 2003 360 Modena F1 that he bought new, as well. Both cars share space adjacent to Dr. Chu’s home lab where he has spent much time developing a new intraocular lens that he patented. The invention, he explained, is designed to make cataract surgery easier and safer.
His Ferraris have not been sitting idly during his development work. He drives both regularly -- usually one every day – enjoying more than 20,000 miles in the California and 61,000 miles in the 360. The factory’s newly announced seven-year complimentary maintenance plan for the 2012 California, 458 models and FF holds special appeal for him as he ponders buying a 458 Spider.
“Ferrari designs these cars to be driven,” Dr. Chu said. He has driven both cars up the coast to San Francisco and down to San Diego. Many of the miles were accumulated via commuting and driving in the sprawling Los Angeles area. Both cars, he added, have been reliable in that role. “The 360 Modena is still humming along beautifully.”
Los Angeleno car enthusiasts looking for driving excitement know how to escape the area’s infamous traffic to find its many great roads. Some are hidden gems, while others wait in plain sight just beyond gridlock’s grip. “My favorite is probably the PCH, especially the section between Malibu and Point Mugu,” said Dr. Chu. “With the California’s top down, there’s nothing better. You’ve got the ocean on one side, mountains on the other and plenty of twisty sections. You can often see crews filming for TV commercials there.”
Which Ferrari Dr. Chu takes out of the garage each day depends on his driving mood. “I enjoy the very different power delivery characteristics of both cars,” he said. “The 360 changes character as the revs climb. It really comes on at high rpm. The California has more low-end torque and feels more progressive. The California is heavier than the 360 but feels light when you drive it. If I take a long trip, over six hours, I definitely will take the California. With a convertible hardtop, it’s really like two different cars.”
Dr. Chu’s first sports car was a Porsche 911. When that was stolen, he waited a few years to replace it with the
360 Modena. “I promised myself that when I could afford a Ferrari, I would drive it -- I wouldn’t leave it in the garage under a cover all day,” he said. Dr. Chu kept that promise with the 360 Modena and described “love at first sight” when he saw photos of the California a year before it debuted at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.
“I spent a lot of time on the Ferrari configurator, but it’s never the same as seeing the car in person,” he said. His red-over-tan California arrived at
Ferrari of Beverly Hills equipped with Magneride suspension, forged 19-inch wheels, navigation system, aluminum colored calipers, heated Daytona seats, Scuderia shields and the central tunnel in matching leather.
“I always have both cars serviced there,” he said of the dealership. “The service manager, Graziano Negroni, is extremely knowledgeable and professional. He used to work with a racing team.”
Dr. Chu has the newest Ferrari on the mind. “I’m looking forward to possibly buying the new 458 Spider,” he said, adding that a return trip to the Ferrari factory is also in the cards. “Now, I can get in.”
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