What if we told you it was time to take driving lessons again? Except this time, instead of parallel parking a minivan in a high school parking lot, you’ll be double-clutching a Ferrari on the marque’s private Fiorano Circuit racetrack in Italy?
That’s what’s on offer at the Prancing Horse’s Ferrari Classiche Academy. The two-day course is put on by the automaker’s classic car department and aims to teach drivers both about the history of the brand as well as “techniques used to drive cars produced before electronics had entered the automotive world,” according to a press release. In other words, this is much more than a stick shift lesson.
Yes, that means you’ll get your hands (and feet) on an old-school Ferrari. During the first round of courses, which took place this month, the cars included “four 308 GTS and GTBi models, all with various mechanical developments from the base models, and a Mondial 3.2.” And while there are general lessons on the basics like heel-and-toeing and double-clutching, the experience changes based on your personal knowledge — if you’re a total newbie, that’s OK, and if you’re looking to get into the world of regular racing, experts will show you some of the techniques it takes to do so.
But like your driving lessons of yore, they won’t be throwing you in the driver’s seat right out of the gate. In fact, the course starts in a classroom of sorts, except instead of an overhead projector and desks you’ll be in the Ferrari Classiche garage checking out the cars you’ll be driving to get a full sense of the mechanics involved. Compared to the high-tech vehicles on dealer lots these days (including Ferrari’s own), these cars are relatively simple when it comes to mechanics, and getting a better idea of how the pieces work in tandem will give you more confidence on the track.
Sound like the kind of education you’ve been missing? Unfortunately, the Ferrari Classiche Academy is currently only open to Ferrari owners, and at a cost of about €10,000 (about $11,100). But if you check the first box and are willing to fork over the cash, the second round of courses are slated for spring 2020, and you can learn more from your dealer or on Ferrari’s website here.
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