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Loving life in the fast lane
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www.kapanlagi.com
Ferrari wants to ensure its cars end up only in the hands of real enthusiasts, and prominent lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea happens to be one of them.
Hotman says he has long adored the car because it flaunts the idea of luxury.
“I love it simply because of its luxurious character,” the flamboyant lawyer says. “This kind of car can really reflect my pride and how successful I am in life.”
Hotman says he has been collecting top-of-the-range cars since 1991; as for his Ferrari, he already changed it three times.
“The one that I have now is a cherry-red Ferrari Spider. I just got it this year,” he says, adding he had to pay about Rp 30 million (US$2600) a year just in tax for the car.
“I just love to see that Spider. It’s so beautiful. It feels so great to drive it at a high speed on the toll road.”
But of course, like other Ferrari lovers, Hotman cannot drive his baby every day.
“No way. Not in Jakarta, where you encounter heavy congestion and damaged streets. Everyone wants to drive a Ferrari because that would help us deal with our stress. But driving it here would stress us even more,” he laughs.
“Because of traffic jams you have to drive your Ferrari very slowly. But you know, Ferrari isn’t made for slow driving. Your Ferrari will shake terribly if you drive it that way.
“And the damaged streets hurt you even more in two ways: physically and mentally. I often think like, ‘oh my God, don’t let this precious thing be broken … This is very expensive,” Hotman laughs.
Instead, he only takes his Ferrari to special occasions about twice a week, usually on the weekend.
“Sometimes I drive it to my office too,” he says. “Or race it along the highway early in the morning, when there are no cars around so you can drive it really fast.”
Like Hotman, Ruhut Sitompul admits he only drives his Ferrari at the Sentul racing circuit in Bogor, West Java.
“The members of the Ferrari Owners Club Indonesia often race their cars there for exercise. We often invite a special coach from Italy to train us,” Ruhut says.
“Yes, most people buy these luxurious cars just for a hobby, not to really use them. Believe it or not, there was one time when I didn’t drive my Ferrari at all for a whole year.”
Ruhut tells of one of his friends who bought a Ferrari just because he loved looking at it, rather than driving it.
“He could spend hours just staring at the car. He said, ‘I get stressed out, but when I see my Ferrari I get over it … I feel like I’m seeing a sexy lady,’” Ruhut laughs.
Ruhut says he even knows of two Indonesian men who chipped in to buy a Ferrari together.
“They love their Ferrari so much that they don’t mind taking turns to use it. They have their own schedule.
“Yes,” Ruhut admits. “People really will do anything for hobby.”
– JP/Dian Kuswandini
