We read about them, we ogle them and lust after them; but only a few get to enjoy and experience supercar ownership first hand. Secret Supercar Owner, Mr S, is one of those fortunate people. He has agreed to share his journey with us through all the joy and pitfalls. In Secret Supercar Owner – Chapter 4 he tells us about buying his first ‘real’ Ferrari. You can read previous chapters at this link.
After our experience with the California (in chapter three), we knew we needed a proper Ferrari. The California was nice, but it was more grand tourer than real supercar. I can still remember the day we went for the test drive it felt like a champion’s day. Our beloved Springboks had just won the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the team was doing their celebratory bus tour. We saw our champions that morning then headed off to Johannesburg for something special of our own.
Walking into the showroom felt surreal. There was just about every modern Ferrari you could imagine. But we had a rule, so we were there to drive the oldest Ferrari on the floor. And there she was: a Ferrari 430 Scuderia.
This has been a dream car of mine. I had a Ferrari-themed party for my 21st birthday, and the F430 Scuderia was printed on the invitation. For the younger readers yes, we used to send physical invitations for parties, not just text invites.
Before the drive, we walked the showroom floor. I remember my father pointing at the car and laughing. He questioned if this was the Ferrari I wanted; it had no carpets, no proper seatbelts, and even a roll cage. It was raw, stripped, and completely unapologetic.
Then We Drove It
And everything made sense. After the test drive, my father understood what made the Scuderia so special. It wasn’t just a Ferrari it was something shaped in part by the great Michael Schumacher himself. The car felt alive. Raw. Analogue in a way that modern cars simply aren’t anymore. The steering is razor-sharp, the gearbox snaps through shifts in 60 milliseconds, and the sound… the sound was like a perfect note straight out of Andrea Bocelli’s vocal cords, pure Italian passion.
The condition was just as impressive. The car was completely original, still sitting on its factory wheels from 2009. We didn’t need much convincing. A week later, it was in our garage. Ownership, thankfully, has been kinder than expected. Like the Gallardo, the Scuderia runs a single-clutch gearbox, so clutch replacements can be expensive. But we’ve been fortunate so far. A minor service cost under R5k, and a major service comes in at around R17k;, both done at the main dealer.
A Scare
The lightning-fast gear changes suddenly slowed to a painful 1–2 seconds during a morning drive some time back. Expecting the worst, we loaded the car onto a trailer and sent it to Ferrari, bracing ourselves for a big bill. Luckily, it wasn’t.
About R3k later, the issue was resolved. We learned that the gearbox requires around 50 bar of pressure to function properly when that drops, so does performance. A simple gearbox oil change brought everything back to life. That has been the only major issue to date.
After nearly three years of ownership, I can honestly say it’s one of the best cars we’ve ever had. Its exclusivity makes it even more special. There are just 19 examples in the country, and ours is accident-free. The gold rims took some getting used to, but now I wouldn’t change them for anything. From an investment perspective, it’s been just as rewarding. We’ve driven it properly, put real mileage on it, and yet it’s still worth more than what we paid. Not many cars can offer that.
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