If you frequent the Bal Harbour Shops and drive by valet, you have likely spotted exotic, limited edition Ferrari’s parked right up front. If it was not a Ferrari, perhaps it was a one-of-a-kind Rolls Royce with piano white wood? No, these glamorous automobiles do not belong to our local dealerships and they are not on display, nor for sale. They belong to a local, extremely under the radar gentleman who is always dressed head-to-toe in Ralph Lauren Purple label.
Joey Harrari, the man who manufactures the Apple Charger’s we use daily and sells every charger under the sun to Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and beyond, sat down and spoke with me at La Goulue about his exotic and very desired car collection and walks us through the experience of customizing what he considers to be his “art.”
EN: So, what is your dream car?
JH: I don’t have one. I get every one I want, there is no dream. The dream girl, that is the better question.
(Ladies, he is available.)
JH: I’ve been collecting high-end cars for all of my life. I started off with Corvette in ‘67 and now I’ve evolved to Ferrari’s and Rolls Royce. Its like women, I like them all. Blonde’s, Brunette’s…..
(Ladies, he is available.)
EN: So, this Ferrari we are looking at now, it is one of a kind?
JH: One out of 80. It is called Sa Aperta.
EN: So you ordered it from Italy?
JH: I bought it here. I can order them from Italy but I must have my transactions through my dealer.
EN: Special color you love?
JH: I buy all colors, the Sa Aperta is red.
EN: How many do you have?
JH: I keep two here and one in Italy.
EN: What other brands of auto’s do you fancy?
JH: I started buying Rolls Royce in 2009. I was buying Bentley’s before and I decided the Arnage in 2008 was the last year so I test drove a Phantom Coupe, the car was great, nimble, comfortable and so that was my first Rolls… Now I have the Phantom Drophead.
EN: But yours is special, right?
JH: Rolls Royce builds the cars and premier their cars in Geneva, so that’s where my latest car came from. I commissioned them to build it for me. At first they declined my special requests.
EN: Why?
JH: The special piano white wood was made custom for me. I saw it on a car in Switzerland at the show, and it was only for one special car. They didn’t want to put it in my car, but they eventually agreed. Seven months later, I received my special order.
EN: How does one go to the Ferrari factory in Italy? What is it like?
JH: I requested to visit the factory in Marinello, Italy seven years ago. The experience always changes. Most recently, when I went last month, my experience was completely different. Now, there are two choices of designing a car, if you choose to order one while there. The options include Taylor Made and-or Atelier. In Atelier you choose what they offer, which is way more extensive than what the US dealerships offer, colors of leather and paint. In the Taylor Made department, it is all about choosing. It is completely custom. You can pick out things that don’t exist in Atelier. You pay a fee before you even enter. Automatically, you are charged $50,000 just for this visit. From cashmere to denim, it is truly every fabric conceivable.
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