Ladies and gentlefolk, welcome to another episode where I figure out what the hell car I want in the future. Today, I present to you my thoughts on an Italian supercar.
I don't like Ferrari. As a brand, I mean. T-shirts, caps, key rings, amusement parks, Massa being Alonso's bitch: None of that appeals to me at all. It's cheap, tacky, and a little bit OTT. That said, I was the exact same with Porsche before I drove one and I still ended up in one, so clearly I'm capable of judging a car on merit not badge.
I wasn't actually planning on driving a 458 Spider. I don't really like convertibles any more as they compromise the drive, however when you have both a coupe and a convertible in front you and a 4.5L V8 midships, it would almost have been rude to pick the tin top over movable tin top. Even more so when the sun's out, like it was this morning.
Rosso Corsa may be incredibly common, but it's hard to argue with it as a colour when the sun is shining off it. I don't like the typical cream leather inside though, so my car was encased in black leather with subtle red stitching (much like my 911), with deep red carpets. Why they can't get the carpet to match the exterior I don't know, as with the door open you've got both colours next to each other and they jar the eye a tad. Having sat in numerous Ferraris over the recent years, I deliberately picked one with the standard seats too. As good as the carbon buckets look, they're very hard and a little too big on the seat base to be comfortable for me.
I'd say the interior was well finished, but really it still suffers compared with the Germans. The leather is good quality but nothing special (some bolster wear already showing on the seat), but the fit is much better than it was a few years back and the plastics are supreme. There was a few bits of carbon fibre trim dotted around, but it's not really to my taste. Did go nicely with the carbon steering wheel with shift lights, though. It feels a massively spacious place to be when you're sat down, far more so than you would think with it being a 2-seat sports car. You could do long tours easy in one, if it wasn't for one small thing which I'll touch on later.
Any observations about the interior are soon dispelled when you do three things:
1. Insert key.
2. Turn key.
3. Press 'ENGINE START' button
Oh my. That really is something very, very special. It fires up with a thwump and a whoop of exhaust noise, as it gives just enough throttle to open the exhaust flaps up. It's a raw bark, like an untrained pitbull hungry for flesh, and it's a sound that doesn't disappoint once you get moving. I left the car in auto to get a feel for it, as it's substantially wider than my own car plus I didn't feel like picking up the tab if I grazed it against a wall. It's very docile, with just a hint of V8 grumble as you pootle along under 2500 RPM, and you could do a subtle drive anywhere if it wasn't for the fact you're driving a bright red convertible Ferrari with the roof down. It shifts to 7th much quicker than mine and at lower speeds, I think I saw it change as early as 35mph at one point. Which is all well and good if you only use it for popping to the shops, which I wouldn't. I found the first bit of clear road, dropped it to manual mode to enable the carbon paddles, and nailed it.
**** me. **** me backwards. *** me backwards with a wet fish.
I wouldn't say it's savage, as that's not true. I wouldn't say it feels particularly quick either, because it doesn't. What it does do is give you massive rush of adrenaline as you scream round to the 9K redline and you hear the exhaust truly open fully, and then as you bang into the next gear once the steering wheel is showing full red lights you get the whole noise again. In truth it's much, much quicker than I think it was: 562bhp isn't exactly scrimping on the horses. The gearshift is odd, as even though it's a dual clutch type they've engineered some clunk into it, which gives you the proper feeling of "Oh yes, here we go again!". I suspect the flywheel is made of feathers, as there's pretty much no inertia at all and it simply flies round the rev counter. It's as smooth an engine as I've ever experienced, but with an edge.
IT'S VERY LOUD WHEN YOU'RE REALLY GIVING IT BEANS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE ROOF DOWN.
Which is good, 'cos that's exactly how a Ferrari V8 should be. Road width aside, there's close to no such thing as too small a gap for an overtake, as long as you're in the right gear. 3rd is massively flexible, as I found out when a hay cart decided to spoil the fun by pulling out in front of me.
The suspension is a little hard for UK B-roads really, as it jitters and fidgets when really you want it to flow. It's self-adjusting too, so although the suspension button on the steering wheel should give you the option of changing modes, all it does is tell you that you're on 'bumpy roads'. Well, thanks. Tyre roar was quite intrusive, but then it's on Pirellis so I expect nothing less. I found the steering light, too light really for what I like, but there's no denying that it's accurate. I had no trouble placing the nose, despite the width and the dullness around 12 o'clock. When you find a smooth-ish piece of tarmac though and start attacking it, and I mean properly attacking it, it all comes together very nicely. Twist the manettino into Race, and the steering weights up along with the throttle being more sensitive, and you can really start to feel where your £200K is going. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say it does become a rather large go-kart, albeit one with an engine made from the finest Italian aluminium rather than put together in someone's shed from lawnmower parts. By the end of the drive, I was comfortable turning in and using the power to move the rear around, which certainly gives credence to the fact that this is an almighty supercar.
Downsides? I do have some. My first one, and I go back to my earlier comment about touring, is that there's no cruise control. Apparently only 5% of owners spec it, so it's almost impossible to find. Now, I can see why they might not prioritise it over a carbon fibre fuel cap, but surely if you're doing long trips it's a must have? What doesn't help is that I found the throttle to have a lot of dead zone at the top, so I was constantly on/off/on throttle to maintain an even speed. Maybe I'd get used to it, but it's never been an issue in other cars. Is it a Ferrari thing? I don't know.
My biggest gripe, and I find myself almost hitting myself over the head with a crowbar for saying this, but it didn't feel like a supercar. Sure, it's quick, but it didn't feel as quick as an M6. It clearly is (3.4 to 60 says so), but it makes 100mph feel like 70mph and that's not good in this country. In Europe yes, I'd love it, over here it's not quite the same. There were times I'd go to overtake on the dual carriageway and end up shooting past significantly quicker than them, and a quick sanity check on the speedo was required. On a track I can only imagine the weapon it would be.
In terms of outright "Is this a good car?", my god yes. The handling, the noise, the looks (which have grown on me since it was launched, I'll admit), it's every inch the supercar. Do I think it's worth £200K? I don't know. In relative company yes, but is it twice my own car? Or 6 times the 350Z? I'm just not convinced. As a lottery win car, I think I'd come away disappointed. Now the 458 Speciale that was next to it, on the other hand...
More drives to come soon!
