Epic Road Trip

This past Spring, I had about 6 weeks of mad travel. Especially so, for someone who isn’t much of a road warrior. But my travels were nothing compared to my buddy Marshall’s.

My spring fling looked something like this:

-Grand Cayman (5 days; last minute getaway from NY winter)
-FutureProof Miami
-La Jolla, CA (surprise 50th Wedding Anniversary)
-Road Trip (see below)
-San Francisco, CA for Live Masters in Business/RWM client trip
-Montreal (overnight)

The Caymans and La Jolla were personal travel; everything else was work-related. And in the middle of all this was an unusual road trip. Actually, the first of its kind – part of a 48-state, cross-country run in a 12-cylinder classic Ferrari.

There is a story behind this.

I have known Marshall for almost as long as he has been an emerging markets manager (decades). He worked at a large shop, where he put up very impressive numbers — especially getting Grexit dead right. As so often happens, the big shop got gobbled up by an even bigger shop. And despite achieving better returns on every metric, the acquirer decided to merge Marshall’s fund into its own larger (but worse-performing) EM funds.

He still had years left on his guaranteed contract, which Acquirer simply bought out, putting him on well-paid “Garden Leave” for two years.

But Marshall is not much of a gardener; previously, he was a competitive Formula 3 racer (nationally ranked). He began as a homologated Miata stock driver and, after winning continuously, worked his way up the circuits. Mind you, this was his hobby, not his job.

What does a bored fund manager do when he suddenly has plenty of cash and 24 months on his hands?

Something no one else has ever done before:

As it turns out, no one has ever driven a 12-cylinder Ferrari across all 48 contiguous United States. The closest account we could find was the Magnum P.I. Ferrari 308 GTS being driven cross-country by P.J. Rourke so it could be shipped to Hawaii.

But that was 1) A brand-new car; B) with only 8 cylinders; iii) and not across all 48 states.

So Marshall spent a year deciding what car would be most suitable for this adventure, then hunting down the best version he could find. He went out and found a 2003 Ferrari 575M. It’s a classic V12 up front, rear-drive, F1 transmission, GT cruiser. Lots of power and handling, but designed for long highway trips, not the track. It took less than six months to get everything mechanical sorted out.

He then meticulously planned every stop, all sleeping accommodations, nearly every meal, what the fuel consumption would be, when required maintenance breaks would occur (including oil and tire changes); also,where repairs could be made along the way if necessary.

Oh, and where were the greatest back roads, scenic byways, twisty mountain passes, auto museums, and cool national parks along the way?

He shared his itinerary and planned routes with a few of us.

On the day he left Boston, I was about to have a few days of nothing major on my calendar. I recorded a podcast at Bloomberg and hopped on an Amtrak from Moynihan Station to Poughkeepsie. Marshall picked me up on the first day of his adventure.

From Upstate New York, we meandered, taking in the sights and discussing the journey ahead. On the first night, we stayed at a small motel/dump. Despite the pleasant April weather, we were shocked at the ice-crusted Ferrari in the morning, which had endured 24-degree, overnight temps.

Marshall is good company; you don’t want to be cooped up in a small cabin for nearly 24 hours a day, four straight days with just anyone.  (I had it much easier than he did…)

We traversed some amazing scenery, including a few parks and waterfalls, making it to Pennsylvania the next evening. On Thursday, we toured Gettysburg, Antietam, and several other Civil War and Revolutionary War battlefields. Botanical gardens, lakes, and mountains were also part of the scenery. Into New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and then Virginia, where I jumped a quick flight home.

That was just 4 days – Marshall kept going for another 53 days straight.

A lot of his pals were kept apprised of this insanity throughout each stage before and during this epic adventure. Several of his pals were able to meet him for anywhere from one to ten days. During the 8-week trip, he sent out regular missives – a beautifully written and photographed travelogue that I am urging him to publish somewhere.

The trip made me consider going cross-country with the boss lady. Drive to California, the slow route in one of the fun cars. We shall see…

Check out the video at the top. Some of my photos are below.

Truly, a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Pougkeepsie

Tight Squeeze

Your Captain

Our first night led to a frozen Ferrari

Gettysburg, Antietam and more

I love this idea:

American at its finest

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