I was involved in several acting programs in my formative years, with those opportunities available to me by living in a city with a vibrant cultural center. In addition to the Flint Youth Theatre, there were also chances to audition, act, and work in many different facets of production of the shows put on at my high school. I was a lousy actor and far too self-conscious to effectively lose myself in any role, however small. While I never participated in any of the plays at Flint Central High School’s theater program, I enjoyed enrollment in many FYT programs held at the F. A. Bower Theater. While I didn’t necessarily love learning lines or the prospect of being on stage in whatever capacity, I enjoyed being included in such a fun, colorful group of individuals.
F. A. Bower Theater. Cultural Center, Flint, Michigan. Friday, July 10, 2009.
It was while doing theater that I first had started to really embrace the absence of conformity merely for its own sake. I knew I wasn’t going to follow in the footsteps of anybody in even my extended family. In these small groups of fellow aspiring actors, coaches, and teachers, it had started to solidify in my young mind that maybe… just maybe… it was okay that I wasn’t like everybody else immediately around me, and that this was nothing to be ashamed of or apologize for. I theorized that some thespian hopefuls who had come from a place of pain were more driven and successful in putting on different personas for the sake of entertainment. There were still others with innately gregarious personalities who were charismatic, enjoyed making people laugh or smile, and were great at memorization of lines and blocking.
One might assume that since I was used to participation in piano recitals in front of many people that I might have craved the limelight. The difference was that while playing the piano and unlike with acting, I could throw myself into the former without fear of my mannerisms of speech and gesture being put on display and picked apart. I was lanky, gawky, not terribly masculine, and didn’t like the way my voice sounded. Being on stage and projecting lines of dialogue made me feel even more self-conscious about these things. One great benefit of the theater program was my exposure at a crucial time to many confident non-conformers who not only embraced themselves, but loved what made them different and sometimes even played these things up as strengths.
In front of the auditorium at Flint Central High School, shortly after its permanent closing. Cultural Center, Flint, Michigan. Friday, July 10, 2009.
I’m not trying to lean into any stereotype that everyone in my theater groups was “out there” for no reason. There were also solid, stoic types who interacted with the more colorful personalities with natural ease. It was all about the range of personalities. I was drawn to the sense of genuineness that came bundled with others’ ability to simply be themselves with no fear of judgement or reproach, ideas which were foreign to me up to that point. The seeds of the strength of true authenticity had been planted within me during my time dabbling in theater as a teenager. The only times I would get irritated were when I felt manipulated by personalities who felt over-performative. There were divas, male and female, and I did not like the ones who seemed mean or fake. Most people were just interesting, cool, and inclusive.
When this 2015 Ferrari California T came into view in eastbound morning rush hour traffic in front of the CIBC Theatre (originally opened in 1906 as the Majestic), that one word came to mind: diva. It was not enough for this person to have a Ferrari. It also had to be pink, and it also had to have the colors of Italy’s national flag in a narrow stripe running lengthwise over the top of the car lest anyone not recognize that this car is an Italian exotic. I was so floored in the moment that I texted my teenage niece (also an aspiring actress) a picture of this car to ask her if she’d let me drive her pink Ferrari convertible once she was a star. Without missing a beat, she replied that a pink Ferrari wouldn’t do and that a pink Bentley would be much more to her liking. I laughed out loud on the sidewalk.
With no prior experience with or exposure to one, I used to think of the California as a “Ferrari LeBaron” – a nice, cushy, entry level model for those who wanted bragging rights to owning a Ferrari without actually needing experience with piloting a powerful, capable car. This is no LeBaron. There’s a 553-horsepower, 3.9-liter turbocharged V8 under that hood. It’s stupid-fast, capable of jetting from 0-60 mph in just 3.6 seconds with its 7-speed, dual-clutch, automatic transmission. The featured car is from the first year of the California’s midlife refresh for 2015 (when it was rechristened “California T”), during which it acquired external styling tweaks inspired by more expensive Ferraris (the F12berlinetta was cited as particular inspiration), a revised, turbocharged engine with smaller displacement and more horsepower, an updated interior, and a revised chassis.
California production spanned from 2008 to 2017, with final tally being around 17,300 units, including just over 2,600 examples in 2015. The starting price of this ’15 model was just over $202,700 (about $264,800 in 2024). Its engine is up front, which is atypical of a Ferrari. I grew up watching the original Magnum, P. I. television series and had dreamed, like so many others in my age group, of driving a beautiful, red, mid-engined Ferrari 308. A bright pink 2015 California is about as close to one-hundred eighty degrees from the image of that other Ferrari as possible. It also takes literally half as long to get to sixty miles per hour. Maybe the owner of this pink California convertible isn’t necessarily trying to rub her (or his) Ferrari-ness in the faces of those in lesser vehicles and just wants a fancy car.
This driver isn’t getting a completely free pass from me, as on no planet would any car voluntarily painted this color qualify as a Q-ship or subtle in any way. I just think that it’s possible, especially given that it was turning into the alley behind the CIBC / Majestic Theatre, that the owner and driver is an actor or producer who has all the confidence in the world to be behind the wheel of a pink Ferrari for the joy of doing and being just that.
Downtown, The Loop, Chicago, Illinois.
Tuesday, January 24, 2023.
I’ll put my money on a wrap rather than a paint job. Much easier to remove and go back to the original color when it comes time to trade it in. And way less damaging to the resale value.
My ex-wife (graphics artist, costumer, and fantasy novelist) did the same to her latest Honda Insight, only going for purple (her favorite color). Ten years or so from now, the dealer who takes it in trade will be breathing a sigh of relief. More so, because she’s in Johnstown, PA, a town as far as you can get from woke, trendy, or any form of lifestyle that doesn’t include NASCAR, football, and a shot and a beer.
The very mention of ‘piano recitals’ stood the hair up on the back of my neck at 0630 this morning, and I’m barely into my second cup of coffee. The joys of having a mother who was convinced she’d brought the next Van Cliburn into the world, the reality being that her kid was competent technically but had absolutely no creative spark. Happily, a complete lock-up on the stage at age 16 put an end to that nightmare.
I imagine it would stand out in “Johnstown”! lol Does that incline car stil run “up/down” the hillside these days?
Great point. Come to think of it, I think when I had seen this car last year, I think there was a mini discussion on wraps in the comments on a piece that ran. I think you’re probably right on the wrap, not only for the reasons you mention, but I think the finish might have been glossier.
Reminds me of Pepto Bismol. Now I can’t get the taste out of my mind.
A perfect description.
I’m a subtle person. For all my loud personality and New England brashness quirks, my cars are subtle. Don’t understand people who drive cars that scream “LOOK AT ME”.
This makes me wonder (legit question) how much my enjoyment of a car like a new Mustang convertible (in a factory color) would be driven by my want to be seen in said car. Maybe a part of my subconscious would be saying, “Hey!”. Certainly not as loudly as with a pink Ferrari, but I get what you’re saying.
My first thought was, “Wow, that person must sell A LOT of Mary Kay cosmetics!”
Ding-ding-ding… we have a winner!
Damn… you beat me to it, Adam.
A neighbor when I was little did the Mary Kay thing… Her MK pink car was a ‘67 Cougar XR-7, which surprisingly, was not as hideous as you’d think!
That pink Cougar should have been nicknamed the Pink Panther!
Perfect! – Cue Henry Mancini’s theme. 😉
A bigger flex is driving ANY Ferrari on salty, winter Chicago roads. Won’t be a nice car for long…
You know, this winter in Chicago (like the last one) has mostly free of any lasting snow. It’s all a bit concerning. To your point, though, I’m sure this car wouldn’t be out and about if it was even a little salty or slushy on the road.
I stopped in at my local muffler shop for a quick welding job yesterday and Lo ~ there was a Lamborghini with the Mechanic doing some thing to the passenger side door latch .
Here in La La land cars like these are commonplace ~ I’d not want one for free but they’re certainly fun to look at .
-Nate
“Certainly fun to look at” – my philosophy, exactly. Cheers
Seems like “no traffic” in those pics.
It was just a regular rush hour morning, if I recall correctly. Monroe is one-way going east, so it’s possible the light at Dearborn (next intersection) was red when this car came along. Made it easier to get my shots.
It now strikes me for the first time – red on a car is the only color that cannot be “toned down” by making it into a pastel. Because when you do, you get pink, and pink on any car is the opposite of toned down.
I think you hit the nail on the head with identifying this car with a diva.
It is interesting to think about the various groups that high school kids gravitate into. I was with the band kids – I guess we were the ones who had a little artistic expression within us, but were not about to go out on stage and do it alone. But there were divas (both male and female) in the bands too.
Pink is the exact opposite of toned-down, especially on a Ferrari. It is a statement. I’m trying to remember if I had any band friends in high school. I’m sure I did. I’m more aware of my friends’s kids who are now in band in high school. 🙂
I guess Barbie decided to trade in her Corvette.