Macari started trading cars to help finance his dream of being a racing driver, but a racing accident led him to focus on the business, which he did no less passionately. ‘Like everything, the competitive side of you comes out and you want to be the best,’ he says.
Today, the Joe Macari Group consists of an active, independent used car sales business, an official Ferrari and Maserati after-sales business, and a racing and accident management business, with a magnificent showroom in south-west London.
He was granted an official Ferrari and Maserati franchise for a new purpose-built service centre in 2007, and also has the rubber stamp to authorise Ferrari Classiche certification. If you love Ferraris, Macari is your man.
‘I’m dealing with kings of countries, one day a pop star, then a City broker, then someone who runs a building company. That’s the thing about cars, there’s no class – it’s just about the people who love them,’ he says.
He entertains fellow Ferrari fanatics in his showroom, which can seat 120, holding regular events and banquets for clients.
‘If I wasn’t a dealer, I’d be a collector of old Sixties Ferraris – there’s something about them,’ he enthuses. Ultimately, though, his heart is with the Ferrari 250 TR.