The whole thing started when Walter Haas bought San Francisco’s oldest coffee roaster and stumbled across mountains of automotive magazines in the office. Turns out the previous owner, 81-year-old Luciano Graffeo, had spent decades driving Ferraris and Alfa Romeos. Someone in a creative meeting threw out a wild scenario about serving coffee from a Ferrari trunk. The joke refused to die.
So they bought a 1984 Ferrari 308 Rosso Corsa and handed it over to the Church of the Air Cooled workshop, which typically works on Porsches but apparently enjoys a challenge. The team installed a commercial-grade espresso system in the rear trunk right next to the 3.0-liter V8 engine, connected everything to the electrical system, fitted a water tank up front, and ran pumps throughout the car. The result? A fully operational Ferrari that also happens to be a fully operational café.
The machine debuted at Concorso Italiano during Monterey Car Week, where it became an immediate sensation. People crowded around with smartphones at the ready, snapping photos of what might legitimately be the world’s most expensive coffee maker. The combination of V8 rumble and fresh espresso aroma drew steady traffic all day. Richard Petty stopped by. San Francisco 49ers players stopped by. Wedding planners started calling.
The Ferrari can still hit its original top speed of 158mph, though presumably not while actively brewing. Graffeo continues serving shots at NASCAR VIP areas, private events, and car meets, leaning hard into their Italian American heritage. Haas is already plotting his next move, wondering aloud about mounting a grinder on a Vespa. While some marketing stunts feel desperate, this one feels like it was meant to be all along.
