Childhood fascination with sports cars sparks lifelong passion

It was throughout a camping excursion with his mom and dad around Parry Audio that Lucas Scarfone noticed one thing that would alter his lifestyle: a Dodge Viper.

“The initial Vipers were being just radical,” he reported. “They have that glimpse that captured me as a 13-yr-old.”

When the family members returned to their house in Hamilton, he investigated every thing he could about the sports activities car or truck. He even emailed the president of an region Viper club, who wrote back inviting Scarfone to go to one particular of is impending situations and take images. Scarfone convinced his parents — who are really considerably not motor vehicle lovers — to drive him there.

The teenager soon started attending additional activities and track days, photographing the automobiles. He grew to become obsessed with luxury sporting activities autos and would pedal his bicycle to the nearby IDA to select up copies of the duPont Registry — a magazine showcasing automobiles, yachts and households — and plaster his area with cut-out photographs of Vipers, Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

Right now, he’s the a person having the shots. As an automotive photographer for automobile manufacturers, Scarfone travels the globe taking pictures some of the most glamorous, unique autos in existence. In the course of his journey from obsessed teen to pro shooter, Scarfone reported he’s gained nothing but assist and encouragement from high-end automobile collectors, many of whom he now counts as close friends.

Scarfone is also co-publisher of Autostrada, a journal that capabilities some of people exact same vehicles and collectors. Nonetheless Autostrada, which is publishing its 30th concern this spring, is about extra than just large rollers with extravagant autos.

Established by automobile fans for car or truck enthusiasts, the journal shines a light on all method of fanatics, no matter if they be mechanics, artists, racers or even comic Jay Leno, whose assortment was highlighted in the December 2019 difficulty. And, of program, numerous of the publication’s tales are brought to life by Scarfone’s luxurious pictures.

In a full-circle minute earlier this yr, Scarfone picked up his very own luxury sports car, the initial he’s at any time owned: a Porsche GT3. We spoke to him about his really like of automobiles.

You are at the rear of the wheel of your brand name-new sports activities vehicle for the 1st time — where by do you go?

I drove it to my grandparents’ household. They the two signed the trim under the trunk. I even took my grandmother for a short drive all over the block. It was a incredibly special day.

Let’s go again to when you 1st began out. Do you try to remember your to start with compensated gig?

When I was 15, I went to photograph a Lamborghini for a customer. My dad and mom drove me to his residence, and I took a bunch of pictures. He requested if I could make him some prints. I’d hardly ever built prints prior to. He claimed, “You’re going to master.”

I uncovered a printer in Hamilton and developed three big prints. I gave my customer the invoice, telling him they expense me 25 bucks just about every. I’ll never fail to remember this: He pulled out a wad of money, and gave me $300, which was a insane amount for me then. “Here’s a tiny style,” he reported. “Keep subsequent your passion. You’re going to make some dollars one working day.”

You took his tips — you have due to the fact satisfied and photographed some of the most important automobile collectors from about the world. How do you retain your cool about these significant-profile aficionados?

These fellas are good, honestly. There’s a large misconception about persons who possess expensive cars. Ninety-9 per cent of the folks I operate with are the sweetest in the globe.

I’ve been so lucky in that these persons I’ve developed up with, many of them have turn into buddies and they’ve been so supportive in just about every ability. And, by the way, these are individuals whose time is really worth a lot more than anything they are well worth hundreds of thousands and thousands or billions of dollars. But it’s fun for the reason that when I clearly show up at their workplace, I use a T-shirt and shorts. I do not search at them as the CEO of this or that substantial corporation, to me he’s “Jimmy with the Ferrari.” I take care of them as human beings.

I experience very blessed to know them on a amount the place they are just automobile people. Their passion for cars and trucks is outweighed by their passion to share them with people today.

You and co-publisher Sean Patrick started out Autostrada in 2015. What did you want to attain with the journal?

Suitable from the begin, we did not want a large-stop journal we wished a vehicle-individual journal. We’re about the passion, which is more intriguing than rate tags. We really do not do motor vehicle evaluations. There are a whole lot of other publications that concentration on superior-finish sticker shock. We didn’t want that at all.

We’re fully commited to showcasing people in our nearby automotive community. When men and women imagine of high-finish automotive, they believe Italy or Europe, but the group in Canada is so deep. Until eventually I begun undertaking what I do for a residing, I had no strategy how lots of cars, collectors and proprietors there are even just in Ontario.

We want visitors to discover with the magazine, not be overwhelmed by it. I’d rather tell the tale of a guy who’s developed a Camaro in his garage with his dad vs . some person who walked into a dealership and purchased something just because he could pay for it.

I’ve been incredibly privileged when it comes to chances. I employed to shoot European tours for BMW Canada, I have shot tumble rallies for Ferrari of The us, observe days for Lamborghini. If you rewind to when I was 13, when I went to my initial Viper club meet, I could have hardly ever predicted any of that.

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