It's a very true statement. Similar thing happened to me while negotiating a tight turn with snow on the road. Wasn't going fast at all but it didn't matter. As under the condition, anything greater than 2 MPH was "too fast". In order to avoid oncoming traffic I turned with the skid. Going over the curb and finding myself on the town common in N Reading Massachusetts lol! And while "In the grass" I was exactly that! A passenger! Not the driver as my inputs were irrelevant to what the momentum of the car had planned for "us". "Us", meaning "The car and myself". The car slid down the side of this steep town common. About all I could do to direct the car was to slightly ease the steering wheel. The brakes being useless.
I wish we had more John stories. I go on break at 10:20am and he makes the rest of the day bearable. Guess I could just get a different job but this pays very well lol.
John just summed up my entire racing career. From formula fords to formula Atlantic over a period of ten years I never crashed a car because I could never pay to fix any damage. The only damage that ever happened when I was racing was when a piston rod decided to exit the side of the block in an Atlantic RT- 1 at the exit of turn 1 at Mid Ohio, that was fun. Fortunately it was later determined that the rod just gave up the ghost and I didn’t have to pay for it. But it’s really tough to race and have to hold back at the same time.
I got a Lotus Elise a year ago as my first sports car. I found it on Autotempest too! I love the thing to pieces and I've learned a ton about driving. I don't miss any creature comforts from larger cars.
I wanted an exige (U.S) but I can’t even get my hands on one even if I had the money . Sad that one of my dream cars is now un-obtainable unless I got 100k sitting ready to go.
I feel your pain. I love the look of the flush rear hatch of the Exige. For what it's worth, modern supercharger packages make it so that the Elise can have a charge air cooler just like the Exige, so there really isn't that much of a point to them other than looks. Along with that, the Elise is a bit more livable.
@@leadfoot1432 yeah man the us spec exige is just the coolest looking car IMO. The front end is so unique. Kinda reminds me of a spider. Especially when they have fog lights in the grill it’s like 6 eyes and that functioning roof scoop yeah that’s it’s right there.
Awesome! I actually got to drive an Elise SC for the first time a few months ago, and had an absolute blast. Don't know if I'm hardcore enough to daily one, but I couldn't stop grinning driving it. The only thing I'd change is to put an aftermarket shifter in, as the stock one seemed really vague. But the car is just so raw and awesome. And with the SC the throttle response is just silly.
@@ForzaWiz11 $50k or so will still get you one. Got my 2005 Elise for $29k in 2018 with 17k miles before the Elise/Exige stopped being made. Check out the 1997 and 1997 S1 Elise and Exige. 25 year law, can import them now, RHD :)
John is a much better story teller then he realizes. His channel he started is great but he’s not posted anything there for a while. Glad that VinWiki has I’m on 👍🏻
My buddies Elise got backed into in a parking lot at a super slow speed. It broke the clamshell in a couple spots and insurance totalled the car. It honestly looked very minor. He bought it back from insurance for next to nothing and had it repaired. The car is still around with a turbo Honda k24 swap. The repairs are still holding up fine but he did pick up a used clamshell just in case.
Car guy code of ethics is alive and well! UGH! I can't imagine that happening. I've been fortunate to basically just cut grass IF I went off the track (which happened twice in all the years I've been racing). Love the stories. Keep them coming.
I had an Orange Elise for about a year - drove it all over the western US putting 15k miles on it before the Air Force moved me to Japan - LOVED that thing and hope to get another one whenever I go back - made money on it too after driving so much - great times!
I sold an orange Elise to an Airman in Austin back when I worked for Lotus for a number of years there starting in 2006, curious if it might be you lol
These guys down by Miami wanted 70k for an 08 with 8k miles lol no way. He’s said you can make money on it with us too lol. I’ve seen the same car listed for 50k when it was in another state. It wasn’t selling so it ended up in Miami for 20k more lmao
Time for more additions to the unofficial and incomplete list of "Ficarraisms". "This Can be Red." " This car needs Vent Windows" "It's NOT my car, It's NOT my car, It's not MY car". "Sniff! Angelina Jolie? NICE!" "If you're in the grass, at speed, in any car you're a passenger.". Hey Tony! Carbon fiber!
I was doing a shakedown run on a Lancia Beta Coupe (FWD) Club rally car decades ago on some forest roads I knew well with the owner sitting next to me navigating and he got a lil excited and urged me to go a lil harder, We snapped a front wheel at about 80 kph and I binned the car backwards down an embankment and grabbed the harness straps and tucked my feet up watching the front of the car disintegrate (Lancia quality). Failed the shakedown run, I felt bad and we trudged back up the hill to find the rim and tyre minus center snapped clean off. The owner was amazed we walked out and I made a deal that id help build his next "Rally" car, no bad blood at all and he still tells a fairly truthful account to this day although his Rally days ended at that moment :-)
I try really hard not to borrow someone else's car or any expensive tool...Murphys Law tells me I might as well buy it for myself instead of replacing it for someone else..
I did a Lemons race at Nelson Ledges in 2011(?). A wet, cold miserable weekend. The puddles on the infield roads were like shallow lakes. Our car blew up 45 minutes in, we then spent 8 hours finding and trying to install a new engine, but it wasn't a match. So we got drunk. Good times!
it takes a very chill and brave person to let others drive their car on the track. cause IF they crash it and refuse to pay....... you are in for a nightmare
Dude, I know you have your own channel. Present anything the way you tell your stories here. You sound like that cool uncle or bro who has a lot of stories to share over a couple of 🍺. Trust me, you'll blow up as "that guy who has car stories to share." More power dude!
Best advice I got before my first motorcycle race at The Sledges; back off rebound and compression 5 clicks front and rear, keep a really loose grip on the clipons and pretend like you're at the rodeo 😁
I’ve done similar. Was riding four wheelers and target shooting. My buddy had a brand new “race” gun that we were using. When it was my turn, somehow the gun came out of the holster, bounced off my leg and wedged between my leg and the chain. I was mortified too. Felt awful. Cost me a lot too.
These guys must be running out of stories….. I used to enjoy the variety of content they had (lost super cars, scammers, general funny or entertaining car stories, esc.) now it’s all cannonball, weird British guy, some rich guy talking about his escapades…..I wish you guys would get back to entertaining stories, cannonball stuff is such a niche audience! Fingers crossed for more Doug/Rabbit/Ed (non-cannonball), Christopher/Hoovie/ even euroasianBob content!
I also am one of the nicest guys on the planet. i tell people... don't worry about it, it's okay. but deep down i get mad and don't show it. I think most people want their car back the way they loaned it to you. John took care of it. and that's all you can ask for in this case. Love you John!
The local SCCA autocross has a guy with an Elise who drives with the entire lower front end of the car armored in painter's tape and rollcage foam. Why? Because he also found out how expensive an Elise front clamshell is the first time he hit a cone with it.
I've been to Nelson's ledges, and its such a shitshow. They don't even have running water, and the tires they do have stacked up came from cars that's manufacturer went out of business decades ago. On top of all that, it's a FAST track.
Dude when you showed the picture of the crash you cracked the front clamshell. That’s a total loss on that car 😮😮the entire front clam needs to be replaced that’s huge money on this car which is why a lot these cars are rebuilt titles
Its just a fact that they are much more fragile than most all modern USDM cars. They had a limited term DOT exemption for not having impact bumpers, a major reason why they quit selling them in the US. Ive seen front clamshells destroyed from very minor hits, a 3mph rear end destroys the rear clamshell and is a 10k+ repair. At worst a rear bumper cover in a conventionally constructed car. A minor off at HPDE can destroy the front suspension pick up points totaling the car. I had both an exige and an elise for a total of 12 years and you always need to drive defensively. Tons of salvage title and written off elises from very minor impacts. Absolute joy to drive in anger though makes a 911 feel like an SUV in comparison.
"If you're in the Grass at speed in any car, you're a passenger " truest quote of the day, John Ficarra is one of the best!
Dale Earnhardt “hold my beer”
@@randyshardluckgarage5081 "You win some, you lose some, you wreck some" legend
Same with snow ❄️ any New England drivers feel this today ?
It's a very true statement. Similar thing happened to me while negotiating a tight turn with snow on the road. Wasn't going fast at all but it didn't matter. As under the condition, anything greater than 2 MPH was "too fast".
In order to avoid oncoming traffic I turned with the skid. Going over the curb and finding myself on the town common in N Reading Massachusetts lol!
And while "In the grass" I was exactly that!
A passenger! Not the driver as my inputs were irrelevant to what the momentum of the car had planned for "us".
"Us", meaning "The car and myself".
The car slid down the side of this steep town common. About all I could do to direct the car was to slightly ease the steering wheel. The brakes being useless.
Not always the case, even over 70mph.
Who knew "it's not my car" could be used in 2 different driving styles! haha
I wish we had more John stories. I go on break at 10:20am and he makes the rest of the day bearable. Guess I could just get a different job but this pays very well lol.
John just summed up my entire racing career. From formula fords to formula Atlantic over a period of ten years I never crashed a car because I could never pay to fix any damage. The only damage that ever happened when I was racing was when a piston rod decided to exit the side of the block in an Atlantic RT- 1 at the exit of turn 1 at Mid Ohio, that was fun. Fortunately it was later determined that the rod just gave up the ghost and I didn’t have to pay for it. But it’s really tough to race and have to hold back at the same time.
Again at Ohio
I have hurt friends’ cars too. Terrible feeling.
"Hurt" or parked them in a flood plain to buy them on copart later.
Much love Ed
Lmao I had to do a double take when I caught Ed red handed trynna keep that algorithm happy wit that early positive engagement 🤣
It's because we're Gearheads. It's who we are and how we should be.
The sign of a true gentleman, taking responsibility for their actions. Class act
I got a Lotus Elise a year ago as my first sports car. I found it on Autotempest too! I love the thing to pieces and I've learned a ton about driving. I don't miss any creature comforts from larger cars.
I wanted an exige (U.S) but I can’t even get my hands on one even if I had the money . Sad that one of my dream cars is now un-obtainable unless I got 100k sitting ready to go.
I feel your pain. I love the look of the flush rear hatch of the Exige. For what it's worth, modern supercharger packages make it so that the Elise can have a charge air cooler just like the Exige, so there really isn't that much of a point to them other than looks. Along with that, the Elise is a bit more livable.
@@leadfoot1432 yeah man the us spec exige is just the coolest looking car IMO. The front end is so unique. Kinda reminds me of a spider. Especially when they have fog lights in the grill it’s like 6 eyes and that functioning roof scoop yeah that’s it’s right there.
Awesome! I actually got to drive an Elise SC for the first time a few months ago, and had an absolute blast. Don't know if I'm hardcore enough to daily one, but I couldn't stop grinning driving it. The only thing I'd change is to put an aftermarket shifter in, as the stock one seemed really vague. But the car is just so raw and awesome. And with the SC the throttle response is just silly.
@@ForzaWiz11 $50k or so will still get you one.
Got my 2005 Elise for $29k in 2018 with 17k miles before the Elise/Exige stopped being made.
Check out the 1997 and 1997 S1 Elise and Exige. 25 year law, can import them now, RHD :)
There’s something surreal about watching it happen and standing in the pits next to Tony. What a moment.
John is a much better story teller then he realizes. His channel he started is great but he’s not posted anything there for a while. Glad that VinWiki has I’m on 👍🏻
10:00 best use of inflection, brilliant!
My buddies Elise got backed into in a parking lot at a super slow speed. It broke the clamshell in a couple spots and insurance totalled the car. It honestly looked very minor. He bought it back from insurance for next to nothing and had it repaired. The car is still around with a turbo Honda k24 swap. The repairs are still holding up fine but he did pick up a used clamshell just in case.
Always a good day when there's a new story by our friend Ficarra!
The stories never get old. You are a good person for repairing the damage.
Love a John Ficarra story since they are all good. This can be red.
Car guy code of ethics is alive and well! UGH! I can't imagine that happening. I've been fortunate to basically just cut grass IF I went off the track (which happened twice in all the years I've been racing). Love the stories. Keep them coming.
I had an Orange Elise for about a year - drove it all over the western US putting 15k miles on it before the Air Force moved me to Japan - LOVED that thing and hope to get another one whenever I go back - made money on it too after driving so much - great times!
I sold an orange Elise to an Airman in Austin back when I worked for Lotus for a number of years there starting in 2006, curious if it might be you lol
@@Shidoshi578 no lol I was in Oklahoma and bought the car from a guy in Florida, this was only 2021/2022
These guys down by Miami wanted 70k for an 08 with 8k miles lol no way. He’s said you can make money on it with us too lol. I’ve seen the same car listed for 50k when it was in another state. It wasn’t selling so it ended up in Miami for 20k more lmao
John Ficarra could sell used cars to Rabbit...John Ficarra could sell bibles to the Pope... I LOVE John Ficarra stories!!!
Salesman are usually suckers for other salesman.
@rabbits_used_cars would definitely be selling John Ficarra something lol
These are the kind of stories we come for, Excellent. Please no more rich daddy's girls or warranty scammers.
Time for more additions to the unofficial and incomplete list of "Ficarraisms". "This Can be Red." " This car needs Vent Windows" "It's NOT my car, It's NOT my car, It's not MY car". "Sniff! Angelina Jolie? NICE!" "If you're in the grass, at speed, in any car you're a passenger.". Hey Tony! Carbon fiber!
I was doing a shakedown run on a Lancia Beta Coupe (FWD) Club rally car decades ago on some forest roads I knew well with the owner sitting next to me navigating and he got a lil excited and urged me to go a lil harder, We snapped a front wheel at about 80 kph and I binned the car backwards down an embankment and grabbed the harness straps and tucked my feet up watching the front of the car disintegrate (Lancia quality).
Failed the shakedown run, I felt bad and we trudged back up the hill to find the rim and tyre minus center snapped clean off.
The owner was amazed we walked out and I made a deal that id help build his next "Rally" car, no bad blood at all and he still tells a fairly truthful account to this day although his Rally days ended at that moment :-)
I try really hard not to borrow someone else's car or any expensive tool...Murphys Law tells me I might as well buy it for myself instead of replacing it for someone else..
Ficarra never disappoints.
Crashing or breaking someone else’s car is something we all want to avoid!
The only thing worse than crashing your really nice car is crashing someone elses!
I did a Lemons race at Nelson Ledges in 2011(?). A wet, cold miserable weekend. The puddles on the infield roads were like shallow lakes. Our car blew up 45 minutes in, we then spent 8 hours finding and trying to install a new engine, but it wasn't a match. So we got drunk. Good times!
My mantra for rental cars: “Drive it like you stole it!”
Nelson Ledges Raceway was refinished a couple of years ago, it's supposed to be phenomenal for bikes and cars now.
it takes a very chill and brave person to let others drive their car on the track. cause IF they crash it and refuse to pay....... you are in for a nightmare
It's not my car...
It's not my car...
It's not my car...
This was a great story. I think many of us can relate to this in many aspects.
A true gentleman.
Thanks Johnny
Remind me to not let John drive "my car" - LOL - great story. And great matra.
Oh Ficarra
Oh Ficarra
Oh Ficarra
Good man John very Admirable
A John Ficarra Story is guaranteed to be a great story!
LoL good story
If I had a kid, I'd invite John to tell him/her a bedtime story :)
Dude, I know you have your own channel. Present anything the way you tell your stories here. You sound like that cool uncle or bro who has a lot of stories to share over a couple of 🍺. Trust me, you'll blow up as "that guy who has car stories to share." More power dude!
Mr. Ficarra always gets a thumbs up.
10:07 Yes the good ole rental car clause. C7 Z06 from the SFO Hertz for $420 with the extra insurance was good time at Thunder Hill, CA.
“Just change the inflection”, that was golden!
Somebody should've told that mechanic that totaled that supra it wasn't his car
Another great story 👏
I have a hard time letting people drive my Lotus! Lol
Especially since it's not stock n a lil rowdy 🤣
Old-fashioned values... good man.
They become the last lap...
Why is there no "Lap around America/Cannonball Run /Coast 2 Coast Runs" to Seattle, Washington State?
Stop the rain and move it closer to the middle of the country.
I haven’t watched the video yet just on the title. Man crashing your friend’s lotus
In the words of Jeremy Clarkson; a rental car is the fastest car...in the world.
I wrote off a friends car at MO about 10 years ago. He saw it too, from the passenger seat.....!
That poor Lotus didn't deserve that.
Great video, always a pleasure to hear John's stories
John Ficcara!!!!! Always happy to see his stories
That ending is amazing
Nice story, brilliantly executed. "It's NOT my car" vs "It's not MY car" 🤣
Unrelated but to all the car guys out there what's a good cheap first car for a car enthusiasts
He's the f'n best.
Lotus remember
There was only one who wouldn't lose position in grass and dirt...we lost him in the 01 Daytona 500
That’s the best ending to a VINwiki episode
Best advice I got before my first motorcycle race at The Sledges; back off rebound and compression 5 clicks front and rear, keep a really loose grip on the clipons and pretend like you're at the rodeo 😁
I’ve done similar. Was riding four wheelers and target shooting. My buddy had a brand new “race” gun that we were using. When it was my turn, somehow the gun came out of the holster, bounced off my leg and wedged between my leg and the chain. I was mortified too. Felt awful. Cost me a lot too.
Nelson Ledges is in MUCH better shape these days. It was recently repaved
These guys must be running out of stories….. I used to enjoy the variety of content they had (lost super cars, scammers, general funny or entertaining car stories, esc.) now it’s all cannonball, weird British guy, some rich guy talking about his escapades…..I wish you guys would get back to entertaining stories, cannonball stuff is such a niche audience! Fingers crossed for more Doug/Rabbit/Ed (non-cannonball), Christopher/Hoovie/ even euroasianBob content!
The rental car is your car! Great Story John.
Cheers 🇨🇦
Guy at a bar: it’s not the same at a track, you can go as fast as you want and you’re still safe.
Me: Want to know how I know you’ve never been?
Kept your word, Righteous!
Sigh. I want a lotus exige s, preferably 260. My dream car.
I haven’t seen the Porsche of Roslyn logo for a long time and good riddance. They were terrible.
Fantastic story about owning your life.
I’m going to use this in leadership development!!!
John is the best story teller of all 😎
Good guest. One of the better and more interesting ones you've had on in quite some time TBH.
That’s so great! Haha Lotus are so wild!
I also am one of the nicest guys on the planet. i tell people... don't worry about it, it's okay. but deep down i get mad and don't show it. I think most people want their car back the way they loaned it to you. John took care of it. and that's all you can ask for in this case. Love you John!
Ficarra is a legend
I would love to meet John.
As always an amazing story, told well.
Ficarra!!!!
Come in high and head for the telephone pole, that's your line.
luv that track!
Ugh, that's the worst!!!
There is a reason no one drives my Lotus!
You made it right John. That's what counts.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is once again the proof that mister John Ficarra is one of the greatest (car) guy out there! 😊
I have unfortunately only experienced me wrecking my own cars… only because nobody will let me drive theirs… lmao
Anyone know anyone with a lefthand headlight for one of these. ?
Dying laughing at the last line.
It's not my car. It's not my car!
Hey Ed, do us a favor and ask John when his next upload is.
LOL at the end of the vid! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Great story
Change the Title to 'It's not my car....'
The local SCCA autocross has a guy with an Elise who drives with the entire lower front end of the car armored in painter's tape and rollcage foam.
Why?
Because he also found out how expensive an Elise front clamshell is the first time he hit a cone with it.
I've been to Nelson's ledges, and its such a shitshow. They don't even have running water, and the tires they do have stacked up came from cars that's manufacturer went out of business decades ago. On top of all that, it's a FAST track.
Haha ! I HAVE a orange Lotus Elise and my plate is "O SKITLE" !!! And how do I get a shirt like that!!?
I'm pretty sure I've seen this car in person here in Detroit!
Dude when you showed the picture of the crash you cracked the front clamshell. That’s a total loss on that car 😮😮the entire front clam needs to be replaced that’s huge money on this car which is why a lot these cars are rebuilt titles
Nelson Ledges is 15 minutes from my house. Who knew?
Only here cause it's a Lotus.
The paradox of elise/exige crazy fun on track but too fragile to take any risks. Good on you for taking care of it.
Don’t kid yourself, ANY car breaks when you hit something in it.
Its just a fact that they are much more fragile than most all modern USDM cars. They had a limited term DOT exemption for not having impact bumpers, a major reason why they quit selling them in the US. Ive seen front clamshells destroyed from very minor hits, a 3mph rear end destroys the rear clamshell and is a 10k+ repair. At worst a rear bumper cover in a conventionally constructed car. A minor off at HPDE can destroy the front suspension pick up points totaling the car. I had both an exige and an elise for a total of 12 years and you always need to drive defensively. Tons of salvage title and written off elises from very minor impacts. Absolute joy to drive in anger though makes a 911 feel like an SUV in comparison.
I'd really appreciate it if John would drive & wreck my car. ;-) Another *fantastic* story from a *fantastic* storyteller!!! 🙂
that was a good one! LOL
It was a lotus not really that big of a deal,a new top of the line dually pick up cost the same so it was just a lotus.
Great fun
I liked this one haha