He shares his passion for Ferrari with his daughter, then she takes the wheel of his 599XX: "Maybe I shouldn't be doing this".

For some, Ferrari is a symbol of success. For others, it's an obsession with V12s, carbon and extreme performance. For Ken Modell, passionate collector and LASIK surgeon in New York, Ferrari is much more than that. It's a common thread. A family history. An emotion that crosses generations.

"Ferrari has always been more than just a car," he explains. "These cars ask more of you, but they give it back a hundredfold: the sound, the speed, the excitement... They stimulate all your senses." Behind these words, there's nothing abstract. In his home office, surrounded by his cars, Ken works every day with what he calls his "inspiration". A setting that says a lot about the 10- or 12-year-old he once was.

If he could take this young Ken into his garage today and show him what he's built, the reaction would be simple: "He'd faint." For Ferrari's passion is not improvised. It matured at a very early age, well before financial means were available. Mentally, the collection began at the age of 12. Concretely, it now spans more than 30 years of relationship with the Maranello brand. And despite the passage of time, despite the supposed habit, one ritual remains intact: the best moment of the week is when the engine starts.

The cars he chooses are not insignificant. They are the most visceral, the ones that "make you feel alive". A philosophy that explains the presence of mythical models in his collection, such as the F40, still capable, 36 years later, of making any enthusiast's heart beat faster. Or the LaFerrari, which he describes as the absolute pinnacle. "What could be better than a V12 in a central position, right behind you, with such exterior beauty, that you have the privilege of owning?"

But the story takes on a more intimate dimension when he talks about his family. Being a member of programs such as Corse Clienti or Club GT has not only enabled him to drive on circuits or travel the world. It also brought him closer to his daughter, Samantha. One of his most vivid memories is of Italy, watching his daughter take the wheel of her 599 XX. A moment charged with tension and emotion. "I was shaking. I was thinking: maybe I shouldn't be doing this...". And then there's this sentence, from her own father, like an echo between generations: Why not? Why couldn't she drive that car, like anyone else? Samantha did. With speed, control and confidence. And that day, Ferrari became a common language between father and daughter.

Over the years, dinners with club members, events and trips have shaped much more than a network of collectors. They have contributed to the growth of the man: the businessman, the father, the enthusiast. Ken makes no secret of it: he's proud of his career, proud of what Ferrari represents in his life. Not as a material achievement, but as the extension of a state of mind built on hard work, high standards and passion. Today, he's no longer content to live this dream. He shares it. Working surrounded by these cars, going down to the garage, still feeling the emotion, and above all passing it on to his daughter. At that precise moment, tears are never far away. "This is the culmination of many years' work. And now I can share it with her."