Guys in Toyland

How They Play

The expo is a venue for folks of leisure to mingle and these members of the "New Florida" community are as laid back as they come. Here, any demographic can wear a Harley shirt.

Co-regional director of the Ferrari Club of the American Desert Region Rick Mukherjee and members Allen Faulkner and Ron Stafford killed my idea of "that sports-car guy."

Mukherjee remains modest about owning a 1993 Mondial (one of only 30 in existence with a Valeo clutch).

These guys field every question like pros and explain that there are two kinds of Ferrari owners: collectors and drivers.

When I dared to ask what kind they were, they simultaneously yelled, "Drivers!"

Instead of waxing their cars in showrooms, these men tear rubber from Salt Lake to Monterey. "We always take the back road, with lots of curves," says Faulkner, with a grin.

So why the appeal of this toy to these Arizona residents?

"A lot of it is the Ferrari lifestyle and mystique," explains Stafford. "There are a lot of cars that are faster."

The club provides Ferrari owners in the area, most of whom are from Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, camaraderie and a break from the showy car-owner types.

The 200-member club has one meeting and drive a month, and dues are $135 a year.

High Rollers and Aviators

The two busiest exhibitors demonstrated that Arizonians love thrill rides and a good smoke.

Cigar smoking is popular in the state, as it's still not overly regulated. No small wonder Payne-Mason's booth was buzzing all three days of the expo.

Owner and founder Bob Payne uses the event as an avenue to expose his cigars to the general elite, as opposed to the usual celebrity functions and five-star hotels.

Only 3% of cigars in the world are hand-rolled, and Payne employs the skills of master rollers and traditional Cuban wood presses to do it right.

Guillermo, a man who has been rolling for over 40 years, showcased this dying art while a lit cigar dangled from his mouth, making passersby drool.

Payne opened the company's members-only Web site to the public two weeks ago. "The affluent want to separate themselves," he says, and fine cigars, like most toys at this expo, are a good way to do it.

	Rich Flavors

Payne's cigars are not in stores, but you can now buy them online or join the cigar club.

Expo goers were also busy booking flights with one exhibitor to see if they might like to try the pilot life for themselves.

For $1,700, you can learn to fly a plane (and gain an FAA sport pilot license) and be going cross-country in a matter of days (in a $55,000 Light Sport Plane) -- a perfect escape for the guy whose parents doomed him to business school for his own good.

Known as "The Garden Guy" on a local Phoenix TV station, Sport Planes Unlimited owner Ed Snyder and his wife were completely booked on prospects by Sunday's end.

Snyder builds and sells light-category planes. What that means to the layman is that you can land the planes on a dirt road or at any airport and fill them up at a gas station.

I asked Snyder if he could fly me back to New York. "How big is your backyard?" he replied. He wasn't kidding.

Their youngest pilot is 16, so here's mud in your eye, Dad.

I ended my trip with a Stevie Nicks' garden burger at Cooperstown, Alice Cooper's sports bar in Phoenix. Cooper, I learned, is a local celebrity and quite a golfer, which in a state like this didn't surprise me.

For those of you wanting in on the Maricopa County luxe toy scene, the next expo is July 20 to 22.

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