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Crashing a Ferrari was the best life lesson I've ever had

I screamed out a string of expletives as the gleaming Rosso Corsa-bodied F430 spun sideways through the curve, locking up the brakes, and sending the $240,000 Italian masterpiece sliding into the forest, coming to an abrupt and grinding halt, narrowly missing the tree line and avoiding my untimely death. As the proverbial dust had settled, I knew that I had been through one of the most harrowing experiences of my life and I was alive to tell the story. I knew for sure I would never live this down, not financially and definitely not socially ... or so I thought. Big mistakes often have a polarizing effect where on-one-hand we don't have a real way to know the scope of the damage and this results in fear of the unknown, but on the other hand we usually know we're okay and this results in strange internal calmness. For me this experience led to a major life lesson, an amazing story to tell, and a level of humility that served to be instrumental in all of my future endeavors. Throughout my entire childhood I had built up an obsession with Ferrari. I grew up with a poster of a yellow F355 Spyder above my bed, and like many kids I admired fast, ridiculous, and unattainable cars. Fast forward to adulthood, I found an opportunity that coincided with my love for these cars and a chance to drive one from the lauded brand as a birthday present to myself. A local exotic car rental business had a package that allowed you to test drive six exotic cars from various manufacturers, each more colorful and ostentatious than the last. I knew this was my chance to come up close and personal with the cars of my dreams. That is, until the whole experience went awry. On the day of my dream car tour, I drove myself and a friend to the New Jersey headquarters of the rental company. Greeted by nearly two dozen of the finest exotic vehicles available for purchase, doors open, the visual experience alone proved to be astounding. In addition to completing a slew of legal paperwork, we were all required to watch an introductory safety briefing, complete with photos of various past mishaps on the tour. The instructor stressed the importance of safety and actions we should take care to avoid. Our carefully planned route along the winding hills of Harriman State Park were detailed prior to departure. Each of the six drivers for that day would take their allotted turns at commanding two-Lamborghinis, two-Bentleys, one-Maserati and one-Ferrari.

Ferrari Purosangue SUV test mule spied in video

We all know Ferrari has lost its shame and is working on an SUV, but here's the first hint of it with this video of what's most likely a Purosangue test mule. Yes, Ferrari Purosangue is the terrible name reportedly being given to the upcoming vehicle that Ferrari will not want you to call an "SUV." But what we're looking at here is the body of a GTC4Lusso with some obvious SUV hints. Just look at the ground clearance and wheel gap on this thing. That's clearly not typical Ferrari style. The video was captured by SupercarsNews on YouTube, and is actually quite comical too. As soon as the driver of the Ferrari notices the videographer standing by the fence, he jumps on the brakes and backs out of there behind the cover of trees. All was for naught, however, because we got to see and hear the test mule anyways. We don't imagine the Purosangue SUV/crossover thing will end up looking like this when it comes out. It is the first physical "proof" of the Ferrari utility vehicle, though, with a launch sometime early in the next decade forthcoming. Unfortunately, the quality of the video is on the poorer side of things, so it's difficult to pick much out beyond the high ride height. The sound of a modern Ferrari engine is evidently there — we wouldn't doubt this car being offered with an electrified powertrain too eventually. There's no information on where this video was shot, but chances are the videographer is right next to Ferrari's home in Maranello with this kind of a vehicle out and about. So go ahead and watch the video above -- it's a pretty weird sight to see a lifted Ferrari. Related video: Rumormill Spy Photos Ferrari Crossover SUV Luxury Performance

Here's the first production Ferrari Sergio, and it's already been delivered

Not even three months after its production announcement, Ferrari has already delivered the first Sergio, a wildly modified 458 Spider meant to honor Sergio Pininfarina, founder of the eponymous design studio that has turned out so many memorable prancing horses. Unsurprisingly, the roofless Ferrari, the first of six, was delivered to the Middle East, going to the SBH Royal Auto Gallery in the United Arab Emirates' capital, Abu Dhabi. Ferrari handed over the keys at the Yas Marina Circuit, which is currently playing host to the Finali Mondiali Ferrari, the same place the FXX K debuted earlier this week. With a 605-horsepower, 4.5-liter V8, the Sergio can hit 60 miles per hour in just three seconds, although this particular Ferrari is about a lot more than performance. The Pininfarina styling is the real focus here, giving a few lucky owners the opportunity to enjoy concept-car styling in a road-legal machine. Unlike the original Sergio, that debuted at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, though, the production model is somewhat tamer. Blame the necessity that is the windshield. That, though is the most significant change in evidence. All the very best parts of the concept car have seemingly made it through to production, including the lovely forward-swept rollbar and the stylish black element that defines the profile. Take a look up top for the official images from Ferrari, and then scroll below for Maranello's press release. The first Ferrari Sergio arrives in the UAE Abu Dhabi, 5th December 2014 – The first Ferrari Sergio has arrived in the United Arab Emirates. It has been delivered today to its new owner, the SBH Royal Auto Gallery in the UAE, at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit, where the Finali Mondiali Ferrari are being staged and which is home to the Ferrari World theme park. Designed by Pininfarina, just six of this incredibly limited edition roadster are being built. The car was created to celebrate the spirit and core values of the historic Cambiano company in the 60th anniversary year of its collaboration with the Prancing Horse. Needless to say, Sergio was the only possible choice of name for the model, in homage to great Sergio Pininfarina, who sealed the unique, longstanding partnership with Ferrari. The Ferrari Sergio is a genuinely radical car. It is both exclusive and spare in the sense that every single element aboard is focused entirely on performance.