F1 car spotted in Austin

Something caught my eye on North Lamar Boulevard as I was driving home today. It was red and looked fast. I knew I’d seen it before.

What I saw was a Ferrari F2001 that’s currently sitting in the showroom of the Ferrari of Austin at 4108 North Lamar. I had to turn in.

The car has been on display in the showroom for a little more than a week, when it was brought in for an event, said Stacy Burlison, the dealer’s receptionist. It’s owned by the dealer, she said, and previously had been sitting in a warehouse in Houston.

She said the car — technically a chassis since it has no engine — has brought in “tons" of interest, mostly from people walking or driving by like myself.

Shortly after I began snapping photos, an F1 fan named Jeff came in for no other reason than to take pictures with his iPhone. We chatted F1 for a few moments, the grands prix we’ve seen and how we’re developing a new generation of fans in our 3-year-old daughters. Jeff correctly guessed that the car in the showroom is an F2001, a car I saw Michael Schumacher win at Spa that year.

Formula One races are planned for a purpose-built track southeast of Austin beginning in 2012. For now, if you want to see an F1 car up close, there’s one on North Lamar. The Statesman