Driving the ultimate icon, in France, on ethanol… Is this heaven, or what?
SNAPSHOT of the way to La Turbie. Photos by Tessa R. Salazar
For those in the local motoring beat who know my little eccentricities, they know that it takes a lot to get my butt off the office swivel chair and have it flying halfway across the Earth. Either the lost city of Atlantis has been discovered (with all the gold still intact), or an entire country’s population has literally quit cold turkey and gone vegetarian.
Okay, getting a bit more realistic here, what would make me drop everything I’m doing here and go to Europe? The answer came in the form of an epic solo journey across central Europe that included trips to seven countries and eight auto museums. For this I would have to extend my heartfelt gratitude to BMW for making the trip to and from Europe possible (it was the launch of the new BMW 1 Series in Berlin late this July that kickstarted my Euro Solo tour).
The icing on the cake, no doubt, was the grand finale of my trip—a 30-minute drive behind the wheel of a Ferrari F430 F1 Spider starting in a perfume factory on the south of France in the medieval Eze Village and then in Moyenne Corniche between Nice and Monaco.
Ferrari F430 F1 Spider (F1 for the gearbox and Spider for the convertible) has been considered as close to motoring perfection as it gets: As its curves blows you away, its performance knocks everything else off.
This time, revisiting the scenic roads of Eze Village after 11 years, the horse I would be prancing on would be a Ferrari. I could literally smell my excitement as I entered Parfumerie Fragonard near Eze Village to hook up with instructor Philippe Bardonett.
Serious, serious power
In turn, he introduced me to the star of the show, a topless, red 2009 model F430 F1 Spider with serious, serious power under that skirt (490 hp and acceleration from zero to 100 kph in 4 secs). It turns out this model was a Miss Earth of sorts, for it was powered by super ethanol flex fuel. You cannot imagine how wide my smile was when I learned that the ultimate sports car could also be a vegetarian. That smile must have been tinged with naughtiness, as well, because now I knew I could roar through the French Riviera and not feel guilty about some environmentalists’ middle fingers angrily hoisted up towards me.
Bardonett related to me that Jean-Marc Ayache, 51, owner and GM of the Liven up Driving Experience, it turns out, was a well-rounded sports car guy, driving not only Formula 1 cars, but Nascar and Harley Davidsons as well. He was a nifty businessman, to boot, not only making money providing thrills and chills on his for-rent Ferraris, but also providing Monaco Grand Prix Apartment Terraces rental units on the Start Line above the Pole Position near the Prince’s seats.
Beet and wheat
Ayache told this author during an interview a few weeks after the drive that he makes nature work to his business advantage, as well. He uses bioethanol, a renewable fuel sourced from beet and wheat, to offset the CO2 emissions of his Ferraris and other vehicles, then purchases carbon credits in partnership with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. HSH Prince Albert created the foundation to support sustainable and ethical projects that focused on addressing climate change and developing renewable energies.
The super ethanol mix Ethanol 85 sourced from Total also costs lower, at 0.95 euros/liter, compared with the 1.61 euros/liter of the high-octane gasoline.
Ayache explained that in 2009, when he converted his three Ferraris to run on ethanol (he has two other Ferraris, by the way, both F360 Modena Spider), it was important for him “to be sure that super ethanol was compatible and safe with Ferrari engines. And of course the FlexFull kit must be installed by authorized FlexFull technicians,” he said.
ALL smiles at a rest stop near the Vista Palace Hotel at Route Grande Corniche, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, on a hill overlooking Monaco. The hotel was said to be a favored stop for F1 drivers, a rumor receptionists readily denied.
He hasn’t regretted the change. His only complaint was that the engine was difficult to “wake up” on cold starts.
This Ferrari, however, was already battle-scarred, bearing signs of damage on its right rim. Ride instructor Bardonett related that a tourist who was used to driving in a left-hand-side traffic country was the culprit.
After making sure the video recorders were working properly, I pushed the start button and right away a thunder-like hum broke the monastic silence of the perfumerie, the engine sounds that fueled countless legendary Formula 1 drivers. People’s heads turned as I drove my way out of the narrow pathway of Fragonard, turning onto the highway. Philippe reminded me to use the brake pedals sparingly, and instead use the engine brakes more.
I liked how my butt felt right at home on the driver’s seat, not feeling at all like a small girl hanging onto the steering wheel, her eyes barely able to peer over the windshield, which would be what normally happens to a petite woman on a low-slung seat. In this sports car, I could actually see the road ahead. Buono!
After gingerly passing through a populated area, I slammed on the accelerator on the short straightaways of the mostly twisty route on the edge of a cliff. I drove on the Moyenne and Grand Corniche roads, my brain torn between appreciating the view and playing with the car.
With the majestic views threatening to distract my driving, I was still able to tinker with the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. The paddles were spaced perfectly, and for me who didn’t really profess a fondness, nor appreciate the necessity of, the paddle shifter, I was reintroduced to it, and this time the reintroduction was so, well, engaging.
Approaching La Turbie, the infamous route where Princess Grace Kelly met her end in a driving accident, I drove slowly, out of a mix of respect, curiosity and fear as the next curve of the road the Devil’s Curse (as the locals called the stretch after the tragedy) may rear its ugly head once more. Having “survived” that (with some hearty laughter from Philippe for good measure), I then visited the cathedral where she was finally laid to rest.
Euro conscious
After an exhilarating 30-minute ride (which obviously is too short on a Ferrari, but that’s all my 235 euros could buy), Ayache gave out more giddying figures: The price for a new Modena would be around 190,000 euros, while a F430 could cost 200,000 euros. He said he usually spends an estimated 8,000 euros a year for maintenance on each of his for-rent Ferraris. In contrast, a Ferrari driven only by its owner would require just about 3,000 euros a year in maintenance (for mileage of between 5,000 and 10,000 km/year).
Driving the Ferrari felt like a dream. I wouldn’t have believed that it actually happened, if not for the pictures and video that I brought home. I owned the most expensive horse in the south of France for 30 minutes, and all I got were these pictures. But it was all so worth the trip.
