The Film [Fantasy]. The Reality [Ouch]. A Tale of Two Ferraris

Back in 1987, Ferris Bueller's Day Off hit the screens, and the unsuspecting public was introduced to one of the most irreverent, wild, and playful teen movies of all time. In a nutshell, it’s about an American high school student who fakes illness to skip school, embarking on a spontaneous day of fun with his best mate and girlfriend—all while his suspicious Dean attempts to catch him in the act.

And, of course, there’s the Ferrari.

The car in question? A stunning 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder. Today, this automotive masterpiece is worth somewhere between £10 and £12 million. Without giving too much away, in the universe of cars, this one is truly iconic. If you haven’t seen the film yet, do yourself a favour and watch it.

Fast-forward a few decades, and we’re in my own little Ferris Bueller moment, except, unfortunately, without the Hollywood ending.

We decided to spend the weekend in Dublin, leaving our 17-year-old son home alone. On the way back, we made a quick detour to Leeds to visit our daughter at university. So far, so good.

But this is where the two worlds fantasy and reality collide. And it all comes down to another Ferrari.

This one wasn’t a 250 GT, but a 1990 Ferrari 348 TS. A beautiful machine, and new to me at the time - just two months into ownership.

Before

Now, my son had always had a knack for cars. At 14, he decided to earn some pocket money by cleaning neighbourhood vehicles. But being a budding entrepreneur (or just incredibly picky), he only accepted supercars - Porsches, Bentleys, Ferraris, and Rolls-Royces. In fact, he once turned down cleaning a client’s wife’s BMW because, in his words, it "wasn’t expensive enough."

Fast-forward to him at 17, and my absence for the weekend proved too tempting. As an "experienced" car valeter, he asked if he could clean my Ferrari. I agreed—on one strict condition: he could take it out of the garage and put it straight back in. Absolutely! No driving on the road. He didn’t have a licence, had only had a few lessons in a humble 1.3-litre Fiesta, and this was a 300bhp, V8-powered thoroughbred.

But of course, teenage confidence is a wonderful thing. Without telling me, he decided he could handle it.

Reality struck fast. What he didn’t know was that Ferrari 348s have an infamously stubborn gearbox when cold, making gear changes practically impossible. He found this out the hard way at the bottom of the hill we lived on when he couldn’t shift from first to second gear. Cue panic. And then, inevitably, cue a collision.

A lamp post and a low wall became unfortunate collateral damage. Neither survived. And neither did the Ferrari.

In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ferris needed to remove some mileage from the odometer after secretly taking his dad’s prized Ferrari out for a spin. Unfortunately, things spiralled when the dodgy valet guys also took it for an unauthorised joyride, adding even more miles. Ferris’s bright idea? Try to reverse the mileage. Naturally, this plan failed spectacularly, leading to an even bigger disaster.

In my case? There was no undo button. The car was a write-off, as was the wall and the lamp post. And here’s the kicker - no insurance covered any of it.

After

After

At least in the film, the Ferrari was just a replica, built by Modena Design, so no real financial harm was done. For me? Let’s just say my wallet and my mental health took a significant hit.

Moral of the Story

Some life lessons come cheap -this wasn’t one of them. Whether in the movies or reality, Ferraris and teenagers don’t mix well. Trust, responsibility, and horsepower don’t always align, and sometimes, the cost of learning is measured in more than just money.