The first time I saw GTO 3987, it was being driven by Mark Slotkin who acquired the car from Ferrari dealer Otto Zipper after Otto had entered the car for Richie Ginther to drive at Riverside Raceway. We were going in opposite directions on San Vicente Boulevard by Brentwood Elementary School though I was a passenger, still too young to drive. The GTO took my breath away and I turned around in my seat to watch as it disappeared down the road. It looked and sounded wonderful! I needed that car! The next time, some months later, the GTO pulled up next to the family Cadillac (I was was still too young to drive) at a red light on Wilshire Boulevard at Gayley Avenue--a couple of blocks from where I would later begin holding the Elysée Wednesday meetings--I took in as many aspects of 3987 as I could, admiring the body contours and gleaming red paint, the orange lights on the roof, the sound of the engine idling at 1000 rpm, the Goodyear Blue Streak racing tires on Borrani wire wheels. It was a lot to take in and the light turned green much too soon and the sound of the GTO accelerating away was almost too much to bear. That particular GTO had embedded itself into my psyche! The next time I saw 3987, it was already mine. I purchased it over the phone without a moment's hesitation. Sal DiNatale tells me a GTO is in the shop and the owner wants to sell it and I placed a 'buy' order without needing any further information. It was only when I arrived at Sal's shop to inspect my new purchase that I realized I had acquired that red GTO with the orange lights on the roof! I had purchased the car from guitarist/bassist/producer William Rinehart though I never met him in person and what lay before me was a rebuild of the engine that would take months as Rinehart had cooked the engine. Patience is a (hard won) virtue. (continued in comments) #ferrari #ferrarilife #ferrari250gto #thencamebronson #budekins #stevemcqueen https://www.instagram.com/p/B00P4A2ln9p/?igshid=1g5paxqn0o0vx
