$100, it took him a while to sign 550 of them.
I then called American Express to verify the
checks were good. A week later the car left for
Europe. Our deal was complete. So I thought!
A few months later, two men in matching
black trench coats wearing dark sunglasses
looking like Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith,
walked in and asked for me. When they flashed
their gold US State Department badges, I knew
whatever this was, it was certainly serious. They
told me they wanted to talk to me in private.
They asked to see my file on the sale of the
Mondial. They rifled through it. Then ASKED me
to make them a copy of everything in the file.
Next they showed me the bill of sale sent to
them by their counterparts in the Netherlands.
They asked if I signed one showing a selling
price of only $30,000. My answer was definitely
not. The signature was mine but I suggested
someone was very good with a copier.
With a thick file of paperwork in hand, they
donned their trench coats and sunglasses
and left me with this order: Do not contact the
customer! I didn’t.
Ambassador for Ferrari
As a Ferrari sales representative, I felt it was
important to introduce people to the history of
Ferrari automobiles and help them discover the
amazing story of Enzo. It was also to prepare
them for the changes owning a Ferrari would
make to their life. If they had never owned an
exotic car before, readying them for the attention
it would generate. Lastly, urging them to attend
Ferrari events and be an active participant in the
family of Ferrari owners.
Over the years, I was happy to help hundreds
of people visit the factory in Maranello . . . the
birthplace of every Ferrari.
Memorable Moments
1979 shooting the Daytona 24 hour for
Autoweek. That year the Otto Zipper 365 GTB/4
“Daytona” finished 2nd overall in the race. A few
years later, I tried unsuccessfully to purchase
that Daytona for Scotty.
In the fall of 1989 having to tell Steffi Graf
there were no new 328 GTS left when she called
me from NYC after winning the U.S. Open.
Black dress socks borrowed from a customer
for the awards dinner at the 1989 Ferrari
National Meet in Atlanta.
Sending a truck load of Ferrari to the Ferrari
National Meet in D.C. in 1990 that included
a 250 GTO and a 1967 alloy 275 GTB/C that
finished 1st in class at Le Mans in 1967.
During the 2016 Ferrari Mondiali event at
Daytona, standing atop the infield garages
alongside Cathy Roush, as seven 333 SPs. . .
six red and one yellow. . .hurdled out of turn four
and screamed across the finish line. A spine
tingling moment!
A New Beginning
Following two years of retirement, I started
2020 off by joining the sales team at Merlin Auto
Group in Atlanta. While I missed the Prancing
Horses, even more, I missed interacting with
people who love these amazing machines.
If you want to share your love of Ferraris,
F1, sports car racing or cars in general, call or
come visit me at Merlin Auto Group. My email
address is seckhoff@merlinautogroup.com. I
look forward to hearing from you.
Glad to be back in the saddle again.
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