Growing up in a multi-generation car dealer family, my passion for cars was stoked from a young age. As a teenager, I had subscriptions to all of the major car magazines and would pour over them front to back. The most special editions for me were when they would review the newest from Ferrari and Lamborghini, which was a rare event back then.  Eventually, 5th Gear & Top Gear would bring the reviews and comparisons to the small screen. It seemed that was about as close as I would ever come to experiencing these cars… Until one day in the Spring of 1997, an enclosed transporter showed up to our family dealership. It was there to pick up a car that needed to head west, but before the driver could load it, he took several cars off to arrange them in order of delivery. One of the cars was a brand new TDF Blue Ferrari 550 Maranello. According to the driver this was the first one in the States. He let me sit in it, start it up, and even inch forward a few feet so I could now say I had driven a real Ferrari. That experience left an impression on me, and it is the peak moment of my car-loving youth.

As one grows up the world naturally gets a little smaller and dreams sometimes become a little more accessible than you’d once thought possible. In the intervening years I’ve been able to experience some of the world’s greatest cars through involvement in car clubs and even working for Maserati and Porsche.

This brings me full circle back to my small hometown in Iowa where I once again reside – an unlikely place for a classic supercar dealership. Though the automotive world has moved on from the 1990’s and 2000’s, that is still the “golden age” of the supercar for me, and I wanted to get involved with them again.  I’ve realized that was the best era of the analog cars and that might be because it was the end of the analog cars.  Late in this era, manual transmissions started disappearing and driver aids became increasingly utilized to improve performance. Unfortunately, in that quest for better performance, the driver interaction and experience often became much more insulated.

In a day when a cheap electric SUV can put down better performance numbers than a 90’s supercar, these old analog era supercars still have so much appeal. Similarly, beautiful and well-designed mechanical watches are still sought after an age of cheap digital timekeeping and smart watches.  No matter how good the smart watch gets, it can’t beat a Richard Mille to those in the know.
However, unlike the mechanical watch, true analog cars will never be made again. Luckily for us, the supercars of this golden age have generally been well preserved and can still be enjoyed by those of us who lusted after them in our formative years.

In fact, the argument could be made that there has never been a better time to own one of these legends. The values have been steadily growing as enthusiasts are realizing how good they are.  The enjoyment factor does not always directly correlate with the performance numbers.

If you are ready to pursue that dream car from the 90’s-00’s, I’d like to help you find it.