You enter the garage and approach the vehicle with a sense of excitement and trepidation.  It sits on its concrete pad, in a low aggressive stance with a sensual presence.  The design suggests a promise of speed and danger, with a suggestion of sheer excess.  The vehicle sits at a total height of 44 inches at the rooftop, with a long, low thrust of anterior sheet metal designed to pierce the air with high efficiency.  The windshield is huge, with a long single wiper arm, holding a large main blade and a small satellite blade at the lower end.  As you walk around the "rocket ship" sitting in your garage, you notice the massive rear tires and the bulk of the posterior, which houses the power plant, transaxle, oil sump and two gasoline tanks.  Four exhaust pipes exit at the lower section of the rear valence and there is a beautiful curvature to the sheet metal that forms the rearward end of the bodywork above the taillights.  Few long straight lines comprise the visual impact, aside from the air box covers for the four three-barrel carburetors that feed the five-liter flat twelve-cylinder engine with oxygen and fuel vapor. 

As you approach, the second impression is an olfactory one…the scents of leather and gear oil.  At first glance, the designer has forgotten to provide a means of entry, but you soon notice the small upright tab at the upper rear edge of the door above the keyhole, at the level of the wallet in your pocket.  A light pull on the latch results in a new sensation…. the proximity of the driver's seat to the ground.  There is a problem now !! How does one enter a car of sophistication and style without embarrassment ??   The best method for the average person is one derived from experimentation.  Place your left hand on the roof near the upper corner of the windshield and your right hand on the edge of the seat back.  Place your right foot on the floor in front of the pedals and ease yourself down and into the seat, while your right leg moves under the steering wheel and your right arm moves behind your body until you can settle into place.  You may then move your left leg into the correct location and survey your surroundings.  Sounds awkward, but with some practice, the entire maneuver will involve one smooth motion. 

As you settle into your leather seat, your eyes focus on the dashboard and you grasp the wheel with a firm grip.  The "cavallino rampante" sits in a yellow field at the center of the three-spoke wheel and you wrap your thumbs over the horizontal spokes in anticipation of the need for firm control.  Two large dials face you, one recording engine speed and the other road speed.  The gearshift lever sits in a chrome steel gate, gently nudging your right thigh with a suggestion of thrills to come.  Smaller dials indicate oil (temp. olio) and water temperature (temp. acqua), oil pressure (press. olio), fuel (benzina) supply, alternator (ampere) output and time of day.  No frills, just the basic information required to propel oneself over land at high velocity.   

The next bit of excitement involves awakening the mechanical device under the rear bodywork.  Ignition key slides into the switch and a clockwise rotation to the last position before "start" results in current flow and the hum of the dual electric fuel pumps.  Allow the fuel to circulate through the Weber carburetors until you can hear it spill back into the tanks.  Depress the throttle pedal two times with full force, depress the clutch pedal and turn the key.  The electric starter motor will begin to spin the crankshaft and, with a few light pumps on the throttle pedal, the engine should fire and begin to thrive on combustion.  Hold the engine speed to 2,000 revolutions per minute (rpm), release the clutch in neutral and maintain engine speed until the water temperature gauge needle lifts off of its pin and rises to 90 degrees Centigrade.  The oil pressure gauge should indicate 6-7 kilograms per square centimeter [85-100 pounds per square inch - psi] and there should be absolutely no vibration.  The horizontally opposed cylinder banks provide exquisite balance and the engine will idle at 750 rpm with no problem.  Should water temperature exceed 110 degrees Centigrade, the electric radiator fans will provide airflow over the device to assist in heat dissipation.  As the engine brings itself to operating temperature, heat will rise off the aluminum block and provide a bizarre distortion to views out of the rear window, over the louvers in the rear deck.  

It is time…….!!!  Depress the clutch pedal;, ease the shift lever into first gear (left and back) and release the clutch with a slight depression of the gas pedal.  The clutch should be released fully and smoothly as the vehicle moves from rest, with a slight snarl at the exhaust tips and a sound of the camshaft drive belt behind your head. 

To be continued, after the adrenaline rush dissipates……………