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Detroit's Slice of MaranelloCauley Ferrari Welcomes EnthusiastsBy Mac Morrison
“We definitely welcome anyone to come in,” owner Jeffrey Cauley, who opened the doors to his Ferrari showroom in April 2000 after a year of selling the legendary brand out of his Chevrolet dealership, said. “When I made my first proposal (for a Michigan dealership) to Ferrari, we kind of set it up that way. I wanted to create a combination museum, retail store and dealership. We wanted to set ourselves apart, because I had been to a couple of other Ferrari dealerships in the country and you didn’t always feel welcome there.” Mission accomplished. Walk through Cauley’s doors and prepare to be stunned, not only by the smiles of the staff and finely engineered beauty of each car on display, but by the unique architectural and design elements at work in what is far more than a simple showroom. “I wanted (the building) to be high-tech, yet warm,” Cauley said. “We’ve got a nice blend: if you look at our floating, aluminum ceiling, which was our own design, it’s quite modern; but look at the tile on the floor: it reminds you a little more of old-world Italy.”
“That was kind of what we were looking for,” Cauley said. “We had a lot of fun designing (the building). We’re real pleased with how it turned out.”
While exclusivity is an integral part of the Ferrari mystique, Cauley is quick to point out you don’t have to be a dot-com tycoon before ownership of more than a scale-model or poster becomes a viable option. “You can get a really nice, pre-owned Ferrari for around $35,000,” he said. “The nice thing is, when you show up at a Ferrari event, a Ferrari’s a Ferrari. It doesn’t matter which year you have or which model you have. It’s kind of like owning a Picasso: If you’ve got a Picasso, an original, it doesn’t matter which one it is.” Indeed, owning a Ferrari entitles one to certain privileges not to be bestowed on the masses. Cauley Ferrari has organized track-days so owners may unleash the neck-snapping performance of their machines without fear of constabulary retaliation. Buyers are encouraged to visit Italy for a tour of the Ferrari factory in Maranello, a tour open only to owners and which also includes access to a performance driving school on the private Fiorano test track. Future plans include a mini-concours extravaganza, as well as a fund-raising event for the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan. And then there’s Maserati. In March 2002, Cauley Ferrari began taking delivery of its first Maserati Coupes and Spyders. The famous Italian manufacturer has returned to the U.S. market for the first time in over 10 years, with parent company Ferrari distributing vehicles through its previously established network of Ferrari dealers. Cauley couldn’t be more thrilled at the prospect. “We’re excited,” he said. “When Maserati left this country, it didn’t hold the greatest reputation in the world. Now, it’s a whole different car completely. There’s no connection to what it was when it left. The Ferrari engineering behind it makes it a phenomenal car and a lot of car for the money.” Listening to Cauley, it’s clear that a passion for Ferrari, and not always the bottom line, is the lifeblood of his business. The only prerequisite for sharing in the passion is to pay a visit to his dealership. “We always have to remember we’re around the cars every day,” Cauley said. “Sometimes you get a comfort level, and all we have to do is remember back to the day we got our very first Ferrari in to our Chevy dealership, and our Chevy dealership was suddenly elevated--became more holy--because of the fact that it had a Ferrari on its premises. A lot of people have never even seen a Ferrari, so we feel honored just to let them have a place where they can come in and look at the cars up close. We want to share our love for the car with everyone else’s love for the car.” CONTACT:Cauley Ferrari: |
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TM
It’s no surprise to learn that some first-time visitors
to Cauley Ferrari in West Bloomfield, Michigan walk through the door with
apprehension. Some have asked aloud whether it was OK to enter, as if
anticipating “the look,” a facial expression achievable only by high-end
automobile salesmen with an inflated view of their own importance, and
unless you’re carrying a large sum of cash, your lack thereof. For
automotive enthusiasts prone to showroom visits in order to gawk over the
object of their desires, “the look” is to be avoided at all costs.
Ferrari enthusiasts, rejoice. Avoiding “the look” is no
problem at Cauley’s 17,000 square-foot Mecca to all things Maranello, where
not an eyebrow is raised towards visitors, most of whom are about as likely
to purchase a Ferrari as they are to become fond of “the look.” 
Up-front, a large room houses new cars along with the
most desirable pre-owned vehicles, as well as merchandise displays and staff
offices. Sojourn down the hall to the rear and you’ll find another display
room tempting you with even more pre-owned Ferraris. Visitors can expect to
find several examples of factory fresh cars and approximately ten pre-owned
vehicles on the premises on any given day. Mechanically-inclined gearheads
who don’t die and go to Heaven as soon as they walk in the front door should
have their defibulators fully charged: the service area visible from the
back-room is the closest thing to a Ferrari Formula One pit-garage this side
of Monza. Should the Smithsonian ever decide to open a Ferrari museum, it
would be well advised to consult Cauley’s blueprints.
While most of the building’s design was conceived by
Cauley along with general manager Dan Cable and architect Dan Park, Ferrari
mandated two details which even the most discriminating traditionalists will
approve of. First, one inside wall is painted yellow, the official color of
Modena, Italy, birthplace of company founder Enzo Ferrari. Second, the
service department is painted in the exact shades of red, yellow and gray
that you would find saturating the Ferrari factory in Maranello. The overall
effect is one of original design while still paying tribute to the proud
history of the marque.
Cauley’s unique vision extends not only to the attitude
of the staff and design of the building, but to the merchandising of the
prancing horse as well. Besides offering for sale a stunning array of
Maranello’s finest, Cauley Ferrari provides enthusiasts of lesser means an
outlet for expressing their devotion to the Scuderia: caps, jackets, shirts
and even a Fila sportswear line. If you’ve been searching for the perfect
piece of Ferrari memorabilia, chances are you’ll find it here. T-shirts and
hats not exclusive enough for you? Check out the $6,500 Girard-Perregaux
watch. Too flashy? The cuff-links, then.