Road Trippin' with Cody Leibel

At $1.2 million, the Ferrari Enzo is hardly an affordable car for even the rich. And while the car has an MSRP of $643,330 it sells for more than double because of its scarcity. Furthermore, the Enzo is a car which commands respect and never demands it. It's a car of astronomical proportions and the only time you'll probably ever see one is if you go to a car show or visit a website to view pictures.

But if you're a Hollywood socialite or keen on the club scene you might have already seen this particular Enzo not once, not twice but probably five times a week. You see, Cody Leibel, the 23-year-old owner of this 2003 Enzo Ferrari, and C-Note Records, not only owns the vehicle but also drives it nightly; that is, if he's not driving his Ferrari 550 Barchetta. But to add insult to injury, Cody not only owns another Enzo (a yellow one which is in Canada) but also a Ferrari 550 Barchetta as well as a soon to arrive Maserati MC12! But more on that later.Originally this story was intended to be a piece on what if feels like to stroll around town in an Enzo Ferrari, but as the pictures reveal, the day turned out to be a lot more interesting--and expensive--than originally planned.

9:30 a.m.

The day began at roughly 9:30 a.m. when we made our way up to Cody's house. The home, which mimics the size of a small shopping center, is nestled up in the hills of Bel Air. As we made our way up and into the mansion, we were greeted by a half-awake Cody, who in turn tossed two sets of keys down from the second floor. "Here, guys, the cars are a bit dirty, but I'll be down in a bit. I just need to shower." Like two kids in a candy store, we walked down the hallway and as we passed at least five or six signed jerseys, a Michael Schumacher-signed helmet and a host of other memorabilia, we hit the garage door where the two Italian "felines" awaited our rude awakening.As we pulled the cover off of the Enzo, it was obvious that the car was just recently driven. With layers of dirt, which you'd commonly find on your daily driver, we had to remind ourselves, that this indeed was a daily driver--and also one of just 399 rare specimens.

10:15 a.m.

As both cars sat in idle, the audible difference between the two was like night and day. The conservative tones of the Barchetta were easily swallowed by the high-pitched and ear-piercing sounds of the Enzo--which also happens to be straight-piped. With side-by-side comparisons of two of Italy's finest, our discussion was cut short as Cody was prepped and ready to roll. After looking over both vehicles, we all came to the conclusion that we needed to get them cleaned so we hit Black Car Detailing in West Los Angeles.

It was there that Sebastian Olszewki, the general manager, took care of each of the cars as we lounged in the lobby getting ready for the day. Quickly consuming the Snickers bars in the candy bin, the topic of conversation between the four of us was what kind of car would absolutely stand out in either a hot pink or baby blue paint scheme."I want to paint a CL55 hot pink," says Cody. "I think it'll look pretty hot. I just want something that'll stand out." But as the conversation gets deeper we all agreed that shock factor is not only in the paint but also the car your playing with.

"I think you should do a Bentley GT Coupe," said Mike."You think?" says Cody. "I'm not too sure, it looks a bit small."

At that point we all began talking about the GT Coupe and compared it to the shock factor of the much larger and much more expensive Rolls Royce Phantom. After debating the point, we decided to take a trip to Beverly Hills Rolls Royce and Bentley where all of our questions could be answered. With each car receiving the final touches, we hit the city streets as we trekked our way over to the dealership.

11:15 a.m.

Upon arrival, we pulled into the dealership and were welcomed by the silence of a construction crew as they stopped working and climbed down the scaffolding to gawk at the Enzo, and, of course, the Barchetta. As our conversation continues we were greeted by general manager Tim O'Hara of Beverly Hills Rolls Royce, Bentley & Aston Martin, and as we all gathered around the Phantom for a look, a crowd of construction workers, would-be Bentley buyers and even staff surround the Enzo in an attempt to get a first-hand look at the wonder car.

Meanwhile, Cody is inside with a curious look backed by a serious intent that can only spell "INTEREST." Cody says, "Snap a shot of me in the car so I can see how I look." A moment later he's looking at the LCD of my camera and nodding his head saying, "It's not that bad, I thought I'd look small in the car." But before making his making decision, Cody is quick to jump into a Bentley GT Coupe for a test drive, which for Cody, was fun, but not appealing enough to have him bite.

So back it was to the Phantom. Pointing to the price of the vehicle, it's a picture perfect opportunity as the diamond bracelet that chills his wrist easily draws attention. The bracelet, which is made by jewelry meister Leore of Las Vegas, carries a retail price of $150,000 and is quite the complement for a car which is only another $150,000 more."I'll tell you what, Cody," says Tim, the sales agent, "I'll let you borrow one for the weekend so you can see what you think of it. If you come back at 5, I'll have the silver one outside ready for you to pick up."Interestingly enough, the silver Phantom (the "weekend loaner" vehicle parked outside) happens to have been formerly owned by Jennifer Lopez. Actually this was the infamous Rolls Royce which Ben had originally purchased for her and the same one which was traded in for the new black GT Coupe which she now rocks.

Moments later we're off again to an appointment Cody's got to look at another Beverly Hills Mansion which sits just north of Sunset Blvd. "There's nothing wrong with my current house," says Cody. "But the cops keep coming up there and complaining about the volume of my music." As the self-admitted partier explains, "I guess the music echoes in the valleys below and it seems louder than it actually is."

3:30 p.m.

But the shock factor doesn't end here. Cody's realtor Rick also happens to be the Rick Hilton of Hilton Hotels fame, and father of Nikki and Paris Hilton. He's showing Cody a home listed at 6 million dollars and a quick peruse through the neighborhood suggests that the atmosphere and neighbors would pose a huge problem in terms of purchasing the home as yet another entertainment palace.

4:15 p.m.

So as this meeting came to a wrap it was back to the city streets, which would take us to the Sunset Plaza where parking in the red to stop for soda would pose no problem for either the Enzo or Barchetta. And as both of them exited the vehicle a fine blonde would soon find herself tickled silly as the two of them made their way out. Had we done this in a Hyundai or even a Benz we're sure that the owners would've instructed us to move but not today.

5:30 p.m.

Tons of L.A. traffics hinders our ability to get there on time and as we arrive the silver Phantom is sitting pretty and ready to go. At 6 p.m., both Cody and Roady have a charity auction to attend and their time is sparingly thin. After a quick run-through, the car and his signature, the Barchetta is left in the parking lot like a stepchild and all three of us hop in the Phantom (Mike, of course, is left out of the fun as he's stuck with the tedious job of taking the Enzo back home where a tow truck will be waiting to ship it back to Canada).

Getting acquainted with the Phantom is something which takes Cody by surprise as the vehicle seems to be larger than a Suburban. As we navigate back home, an older fellow in an H2 stops us. "How do you like that Phantom?" he says to us. "I don't know I just picked it up," Cody says. As conversation continues, the older gentlemen's wife wants to know what movie Cody acts in, not knowing that he's actually the owner of his own label called C-Note Productions. With traffic slowly piling behind the Hummer no one seems to care as the cars behind him are incessantly staring at the front of the Phantom, which is facing them. Star struck, they're all wondering whom the driver is.Gunning up the hill in a quiet silence, Cody seems to be impressed with the performance of the Phantom. Hitting each corner in the beastly automobile seems to be fun, and he's further acquainted with the vehicle but a calm silence comes over him. He' thinking. He's debating and as we arrive back home, I pop off the last few shots to end my day where his will typically only begin.

6:00 p.m.

Cody's late for the event, but he's still enthralled by the presence of the Phantom. "I don't know. I like the car a lot but I think we have a problem," he says. "The car won't fit in my garage!" But if you think this stopped him from his decision to purchase the Phantom, think again. He ended up buying it.