With that glorious F355 Modificata featuring on PH earlier this week, we've been in rather the mood for Ferraris of the 1990s. And why not? This was the era that front-engined flagships returned with the 550 Maranello, the 355 righted the 348's wrongs and, of course, the 456 made the big GTs great again after the forgettable era of 400s.
Born at the start of the decade, PHer 'idealstandard' (aka Alex) was the perfect age to be very impressionable around this golden era for Ferrari. Having endlessly watched 'Top Gear Supercars 1994' way back when, he was able to fulfil a childhood dream in 2015 and buy a 456.
That didn't quite go to plan - will leave him to explain the story behind that one - but this is one PHer not to be deterred. His tribulations led to the acquisition of the second 456 seen here. An imported car from Japan, it's not exactly standard: the leather upholstery has been swapped for suede, racing suspension had replaced the standard set up and a sports exhaust fitted.
Despite all that, and despite not initially enjoying the car, Alex persisted and took the car on a Euro road trip down to Switzerland. That didn't exactly go to plan, either, but the commitment to the grand tourer cause is laudable. As is the willingness to keep a 120-litre fuel tank topped up. It seems that the 456's future in Alex's garage is uncertain, but we can't help but admire it regardless. The thread was only started late in October, though there's plenty of discussion already sprouting from it - get involved here!