Sempre Jul-Aug 05d.qxd - Ferrari Club of America - Southwest Region
Sempre Jul-Aug 05d.qxd - Ferrari Club of America - Southwest Region
Sempre Jul-Aug 05d.qxd - Ferrari Club of America - Southwest Region
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10<br />
PARAMOUNT RANCH ’05<br />
Article by Tino Mingori Photos by the author, Kevork Hazarian and Tex K. Otto<br />
It is May 28, 2005 and we are sitting quietly in the parking lot <strong>of</strong> Cheviot<br />
Hills Park and Recreation Center in West LA. The sky is a misty grey as is<br />
typical for this time <strong>of</strong> year. As 8 AM approaches, the first sounds <strong>of</strong> high<br />
revving <strong>Ferrari</strong> engines can be heard as admirers <strong>of</strong> the Prancing Horse begin<br />
to arrive and park in formation.<br />
The occupants <strong>of</strong> these vehicles anticipate a scenic drive through city<br />
streets and country roads that ultimately lead to the fabled Paramount Ranch,<br />
a working film and TV set that was once the scene <strong>of</strong> thrilling but dangerous<br />
sports car races. Friends and acquaintances are greeted; forms are signed,<br />
instructions and maps are given out; speeches are made and finally something<br />
close to 140 participants in 70 <strong>Ferrari</strong>s are sent on their way with signals from<br />
an FCA <strong>of</strong>ficial holding a formula one style starter’s paddle.<br />
Seventy miles <strong>of</strong> city streets and two lane canyon roads are negotiated<br />
without mishap. Finally the line <strong>of</strong> multicolored <strong>Ferrari</strong>s pulls into the Paramount<br />
Ranch meadow and parks alongside a paved section that once served as the<br />
straightaway <strong>of</strong> the historic Paramount Ranch Racetrack. The mist is now gone,<br />
and the sky is clear and blue.
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