Let Me Sell You a Ferrari

The moment in 1958 when a sports car–crazed youth in Massachusetts saw his first Ferrari changed his life. The black 250 GT coupe’s seductive lines, purposeful air and already hallowed name seized Robert E. Guarino’s imagination; just a few years later, he would be selling such cars. And in 1967, with two partners and an investment of just $6,000 apiece, he would open a Ferrari-Porsche-Datsun dealership.

This memoir follows his lifelong journey with Ferraris and other remarkable automobiles, as an enthusiast and dealer. Highlights include a nonstop drive from Chicago to Boston in a 308 GTB; rides with important figures like Piero Ferrari at Fiorano and Dario Benuzzi at Mugello; visits to the Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini factories; the horror of watching a delivery truck crash onto a row of new cars; and time at the wheel of such icons as the 365 GTB/4 “Daytona,” 250 GTO, 288 GTO and F40.

Robert E. Guarino has been involved with all the excitement of Ferrari automobiles since his role as salesman at Auto Engineering in Lexington, Massachusetts and then as co-owner of his own Ferrari dealership, Autohaus, of Cohasset, Massachusetts from 1967 until 1993.

Robert E. Guarino
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 310
Bibliographic Info: 191 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2021
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8122-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3969-7
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1
Introduction 3
1. Carless 5
2. The Speedster 14
3. Auto Engineering 30
4. Off to the Races 46
5. Autohaus 59
6. Porscheless 71
7. Automatico 84
8. And Then There Were Two 99
9. Sixes and Twelves 109
10. No Gas for the Speedy 121
11. The 308 135
12. The Boxer 149
13. Snowbound 161
14. Mondial 176
15. Madame Ibarra 185
16. Maranello 197
17. The Red Machine 211
18. Il Commendatore 220
19. GTO 231
20. Italy, Italy 242
21. 200 MPH! 253
22. Ciao, 328 266
23. The Blue Prince 279
24. Mugello 289
Epilogue 296
Index 299

“a joy to read. It’s inspiring. You might even want to pick it up on days when you need a little pick-me-up. … [an] engaging autobiography … very enjoyable”—Prancing Horse