While Ferrari superfans may not have seen their driver Fernando Alonso win pole position in the Formula One race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Saturday, they still live and breathe everything about the classic Italian sports car.
Fifty members of the Ferrari Club of Quebec converge weekly at their headquarters, the St. Laurent garage of retired Ferrari salesman Luigi della Grotta.
The garage is a shrine to della Grotta's history with Ferrari, who was the first Canadian to ask Enzo Ferrari for a dealership.
"He said no, no for Canada, because Canada is too cold," said della Grotta, who eventually convinced the luxury car mogul to let him open a dealership, where della Grotta went on to sell hundreds of Ferraris.
In retirement, he recollects memorabilia, including items from legendary Montreal Ferrari driver Gilles Villeneuve.
"This is the hat that Gilles Villeneuve gave to us with the signature," said della Grotta, pointing to a cap. "This hat, he gave to me when he won the Montreal Grand Prix."
Ferrari owner Mario Cretella knows the pleasure of getting behind the wheel of the masterful piece of Italian engineering.
"To enter a Ferrari is to enter another world. It's getting out of this world, all the problems, and getting in another world," he said.
Cretella, della Grotta and other members of the Ferrari Club are expected to don red Sunday and cheer on Team Ferrari for the Canadian Grand Prix.
