Car enthusiasts are not always the most practical of people. Given the choice between a Ferrari and a home, most will probably pick the Ferrari. But one very lucky car enthusiast went the other way. Meet Gatis Ruiga, a taxi driver in Guernsey, the second largest of the Channel Islands near the UK, who went with his head over his heart.
As the lucky holder of a 20-cent lottery ticket, Ruiga won a splendid Ferrari 488 thanks to BOTB, a UK-based company that runs luxury car competitions. Once over the initial shock of winning his dream car, Ruiga made the hard decision of choosing practicality over the Prancing Horse.
The Ferrari 488, though pre-owned, is still worth around $180,000 on average, making it one of those exotics that most people can only dream of owning in their lifetime. The 488 has been called the perfect supercar for many reasons.
For starters, the turbocharged V8 engine puts out 670 horsepower, tamed by Ferrari’s finest traction control including torque limiters in each gear. This makes putting the power down easier and safer, even in less-than-perfect conditions. When conditions are perfect, the 488’s 0-62mph time of 3 seconds is on par with even modern Ferraris.
While it’s not the easy choice to give up the adrenaline-pumping performance of a Ferrari, this taxi driver chose the cash equivalent prize instead. Ruiga plans to pay off the mortgage on his home and further expand his taxi business, one that was started just a few months prior. It would’ve been quite a sight if he had decided to keep the Ferrari, and run his taxi business with it. Though we’re not sure how much of a market there is on the island of Guernsey for white-knuckle taxi rides.
