All Entries in the "FERRARI" Category
This Weekend: Park Ferrari, Take Piaggio
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Piaggio Aero ::: Piaggio P180 Avanti II
THE weekend’s upon us. So let’s say you live in New York and want to go chill with Barry on the Vineyard. Roadtrip? Great! And you just took delivery of a spanking new Ferrari 458 Italia – what better excuse than to stretch its nimble legs cross New England? Except for one bloody problem – traffic. Brutal, democratic traffic.
What to do? Well, if you’ve thumbed through this month’s DuPont Registry you might notice an advert for the Piaggio P-180 Avanti II.
It’s an unusual Italian prop plane with two sets of wings, aft-facing Pratt & Whitney propellers, and features a very slick fuselage that looks just like a jet from your wildest James Bond fantasy but – Piaggio claims – the plane costs a (sizeable) fraction of the price to own and operate.
Attaining a jet-like max speed of Mach .7, max ceiling of 41,000 ft, and a max range of 1,800 nautical miles, for the well financed traveler the P-180 seems to represent upward mobility at a relative bargain.
How relative?
An entry level Gulfstream with similar performance (though longer range @ 2,500 miles) costs $11 million to acquire to say nothing of the higher maintenance costs that are associated with planes powered by jet propulsion.
The P-180, by contrast, will set you back $5 million or so and consume fuel at just under 100 gallons an hour which is better they say, though it makes the 458 Italia look very frugal.
Still, what price to be above the weekend fray and with friends in no time?
eBay Watch: Ferrari 512TR
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img via eBay ::: 1992 Ferrari 512TR (Testarossa)
FOR those who find the Ferrari Testarossa too much the 80s hit single (problema?) and take issue with the final styling modifications of the 512M (per che?) the 512TR steps in as the happy compromise.
Blessed with the magical 4.9 Liter flat-V12 heart and soul that made the Testarossa so memorable but with the softer 90s touches that blessed other Ferraris like the 348 and 355 (five spoke, starfish wheels, for example), the 512 represents la bella figura e la bella vita.
This particular M.Y. 1992 Texan car is for sale with a buy-it-now price of $93,980.
While that’s less than advertising $94K, the number, particularly for an early 90s Ferrari with 18K on the clock seems somewhat high. Many Testarossas can be had for $50K-$60K. No word on whether any major service was completed (perhaps reason for the inflated price point).
This rosso corsa 512TR still strikes that gorgeous balance – the exotic cocktail that’s Pininfarina styling bridging the 80s and 90s. Almost irresistible…
[eBay]
Ferrari 348 Review
Ferrari 348 TS Serie Speciale
BEHIND your head an eight cylinder chorus is channeling Pavarotti as it crests towards a redline of High-C’s.
-Vincero!
Off the throttle, exhausts crackling, you cut into a sweeping left-hander. Rear steps lively behind front. Tyres grip asphalt. Helm telegraphs everything while registering a meaty resistance. Corner’s dispatched with typical, mid-engined Ferrari poise.
- Si, Si, più veloce!
Back on the power.
An induction whistle! Like a turbo spooling – the 348’s chorus of eight breathes in deep to touch higher notes. Higher speeds! The tach races faster toward the 7800 rpm max. Snap ball-capped lever into third and torque takes you to triple digits and your furthest sight-line.
Nose lift’s perceptible and the non-assisted, all-natural steering lightens. Roof off, both the howl of wind and formula-tuned 312 hp V8 compete relentlessly for your attention. Your senses tingle. So this is what having fun while driving fast feels like? Gives sex on wheels a new meaning…
– Basta!
With 20/20 hindsight’s impartial lens, the world of automotive performance has long overtaken the 348. Indeed, when the world was new to the model, the Italian whip fell somehow short of expectations.
By the numbers: Zero to 60 – 5.3 – 5.6 seconds. Top speed – 171 – 175 mph. One owner posted claims online that his car reached 179 mph. Certainly possible. With limiter removed, a Subaru WRX STI can not only match that, it’ll arrive there faster.
There is another, more brutal element to the 348’s story that continues to plague 348 owners like Tosca’s curse on Rome. It’s an aspect that to this day weighs upon the 348’s legacy and, possibly, value$.
The story is that not long after Enzo’s death in 1988 and Luca di Montezemolo’s ascent, the new chairman had a mind to clean house and breathe fire back into the flagging sports car maker.
For Sr. di Montezemolo, part of mission critical meant trash-talking the 348. In a now infamous interview with Automobile, Ferrari’s boss dispassionately wielded a cleaver to a lovely limb in Ferrari lineage.
“[...] with the exception of its good looks I was utterly disappointed. This was clearly the worst product Ferrari had developed for some time.”
This despite the fact that the 348 succeeded the relatively simple 328 and was sold alongside the controversially styled Mondial.
Some years later, in an interview with Motor Trend, Sr. di Montezemolo expounded on his rationale for distancing Ferrari from the 348. Per MT:
He’d finished the World Cup flushed with its success and decided to reward himself with a yellow Ferrari 348. But just after taking delivery, he was beaten away from the lights by a Fiat Strada hatchback-the hot Abarth version admittedly, but an indignity nonetheless.
“So, at my first meeting as Ferrari chairman, with the MD of our road car division,” he asked, ‘How is the 348? Fantastic?’ “I said, ‘Listen, don’t say this to me because I’m a customer.’ I knew well the problems with the car, and I made a list of them.’”
That list included not only a lack of gusto (the first 348s’ 3.4 Liter V8 advertised 300 hp) but also pointed to a wooden gearbox, instability at high speeds, unyielding ride, and the 348’s bad habit of backstabbing the driver at the limit.
Stereotypical behavior of a temperamental Italian sports car, certamente.
Sr. di Montezemolo charged Ferrari boffins with extracting some Diva from the machine. Hence, this nero su nero 348 TS Serie Speciale.
One of one hundred 348s slotted for the North American market in 1993, among the Ferraristi this evolution of the 348 design marks something of a patch fix in the run up to the 1995 launch of the popular F355.
The Series Speciale compensated for stability issues with a revised suspension and adjusted aerodynamics. Stylistically, the slats over the rectangular tail lamps were removed, a chrome Cavallino added, a new grille in front, but the signature straked side intakes (“cheesegraters”) remained. To improve function and reliability, Ferrari added a new gearbox, Bosch engine management system, a Made-in-Japan starter, and, for good measure, a new AC system.
Ask Lane Baker if he’ll ever sell his 348 (with 40K on the clock) and he’ll answer you with a laugh, “This is my coffin. I’ll never sell it.”
Mr. Baker is an engaging car enthusiast.
An engineer by trade, he can list, point-by-point, the adjustments that he and other Ferrari owners have made to their 348s. He chalks it up to the experience of hands-on ownership and the bond between man and machine. More to the point, owning the 348 has been his dream come true.
“It’s my baby,” he confides. He shows pictures of the car being delivered off a truck all the way from somewhere west of the Mississippi and jokingly points, “it’s the truck’s giving birth to my car.”
Mr. Baker is an active member of the online forum FerrariChat. He describes the community of 348 owners as a “brotherhood” and notes that there’s a healthy rivalry which exists between 348 and 355 owners. In one instance, he recalls exchanging choice words with another member over acid remarks made about the 348’s design.
He and the 348 community are similarly vexed by Luca di Montezemolo’s remarks. It’s as though the full merits of Ferrari ownership are, in some important way, being denied them. Imagine Porsche execs publicly discrediting the 996 generation as a misstep in 911 evolution.
Inconcepible!
Which brings us round back to time behind the wheel. Fortunately for the 348, actions speak octaves louder than words.
After miles of piloting through corner after dip and straightway after onramp, you conclude that the 348 exudes a kind of charisma that only Maranello seems to procure.
The 348 is a monocoque bodied marriage of traditional driver-centric values and the first taste of technological modernization. For instance, press on the 348’s firm brake pedal and you have not only the value of true stopping power, but the added assurance of ABS. That said, overplay your hand and there’s no electronic safety-net to keep you from casting a line into the great unknown.
To wit: the 348’s from a golden age when you as driver are responsible for your actions.
Likewise, the 348 summons your active engagement, not passive participation. You cannot help but savor the machine’s Italian bravado which is matched by a technical finesse that’s absent in something so blunt as an American muscle car or so aseptic as a Japanese sports car.
Add to that organic character all the functional idiosyncrasies of two-decade-old Italian sports car design (entry and exit are a challenge) and what you have is an original car with genuine charisma. It’s as complete a package as one could ask for.
Which leaves you to happily forget 0-60 times and allow your senses to embrace the finest pipes this side of La Scala. The 348 and Mr. Baker’s TS Serie Speciale, in particular, represent in their fallible form, quintessential Ferrari virtues.
In the automotive context, there’s no higher compliment.
-Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle! All’alba Vincero!
Many thanks to Lane Baker.
On The Horizon: Ferrari 348 Review
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img ADLX ::: Ferrari 348 TS Speciale
GOD I love this gig.
Next week, we’ll review the 1993 Ferrari 348 TS Speciale – a mid-engined V8 stallion that pranced its way into the North American market during a time of monumental change at Maranello.
The 348 (produced in 1989-1995) is in many respects one of Ferrari’s more controversial objets d’art; a model that received both Enzo’s blessing and Luca di Montezemolo’s condemnation.
Put simply, it’s got all the earmarks of a good story worth telling.
Eye on Design: Lambo/Ferrari Role Reversal?
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: Ferrari v. Lamborghini
RICHARD Wolf and I have been having a discussion lately on Italian car design.
Loyal to his E39 generation frosty blue M5, Richard’s quick to call a spade what it is and even quicker to pounce on what he sees as bad design. When his baby was in the shop for cosmetic touch ups recently, he shared his displeasure in having to bear the weight of driving a retrotastic Dodge Challenger, “the essence of cheap,” he said.
Sorry to confirm, he was right about the Challenger.
And he’s right about what he sees as the trend in Lamborghini and Ferrari design. To Richard’s keen eye, it seems the two car makers have switched roles. Thirty years ago, the Lamborghini Countach was wild and wildly flamboyant to its core. Complicated, over-the-top design that was more provocative than beautiful was Lambo’s raison d’être. NACA ducts met Stealth bomber wings. It’s as though Lambo had an inside guy in the US Airforce.
Ferrari, on the other hand, was the quintessence of restraint. Symphonic, yet subtle curves were the Boxer’s forte. And even the wild Testarossa made certain geometric sense in its iconic horizontal air slats and gently wedged profile. Ferrari was wild, yet paradoxically the more conservative of the two exotics.
Today, German management at Lamborghini has rerouted and trained the raging bull on being both sharp, clean, almost too efficient. Consider the Gallardo, a masterpiece of minimalist edge and clean surfacing. Ditto for the Murcielago and even the wildly imaginative Reventon – whose cleaved angles are all brilliantly purposed.
Ferrari on the other hand has grown fat- as if overly content with its own largesse. No longer lean, contemporary Ferraris seem like heavier GTs that are taking an ungainly focus on creature comforts. Taking their eyes off the prize as it were, the classically beautiful lines are gone for bold but ultimately tone deaf styling cliches.
It’s as though Maranello’s external sheetmetal seems oddly at the mercy of wind tunnel shaping and the whims of auto stylists who’ve abandoned taste.
The “low-cost” California is emblematic of this shaky route to excess at the expense of beauty. It’s high, fussy boot with vertical quad exhausts recalls not so much Ferrari as it does Fiat.
In another thirty years, if we’re still driving exotics, it’ll be interesting to note whether Ferrari and Lamborghini maintain their current trends. For now, we have to marvel at the role reversal.
Garage Current’s Current Offerings Are Just Wonderful As Usual
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Garage Current ::: 1991 Ferrari Testarossa
SOMEWHERE near Yokohama, Japan exists what must be one the greatest car dealerships on the planet.
Garage Current is a perennial favorite because of the dealer’s magical, magical offerings. Chiefly, inventory includes German cars along with the occasional Italian exotic (as indicated by the rosso corsa Ferrari Testarossa above). All seem to be in the mintest of conditions and are what one might describe as “modern classics.”
You know, luxury performance cars that feature soul as standard equipment along with important engineering and technological milestones like passive-cell safety cages, ABS, and power accessories.
eBay Watch: 1990 Ferrari 348 Spider
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img eBay ::: 1990 Ferrari 348 Spider
IN so much that I’ve been bitten by the Ferrari bug recently and can’t seem to shake it – fevers, chills, visions of chrome horses prancing wildly at night – yours ventured over to eBay and low and behold found this red on beige M.Y. 1990 348 Spider with 15K on the clock.
Mindful of the maintenance pitfalls that can come with Italian exotica, the 348’s current bid is nevertheless at a tantalizingly reasonable $21K.
Ferrari buffs note that the 348’s cubic corners don’t quite stand up next to the 355’s fluid curb appeal. In theory, I’d agree though that’s kind of like dismissing Fort Lauderdale for not being Miami. Florida’s twin cities are both sexy (though Miami still wins handily).
Much the same for the sweet 348. Grrrr, baby.
[Tap the link: eBay Motors]
Ferrari F512M Review
“YOU break it, you buy it.” Famous last words?
Nothing instills instant dread quite like the specter of cracking up another man’s Ferrari. I mean, I’d always wanted to buy a Ferrari – just on happier terms.
The owner, Paul McCollam, a level headed car collector who graciously (some might say bravely) agreed to drive down to the Connecticut shoreline so that you, dear reader, could have a vicarious spin in his rosso corsa on beige F512 M was, up until the moment I sat behind the wheel, rather jovial. He’s now a little tense.
And rightfully so. This is a gorgeous machine. Irreplaceable, really. The old saying – they don’t make ‘em like they used to? Very true.
Earlier, when Paul pulled up in his red prancing horse with flat V12 thundering through quad exhausts, he seemed as electrified as a rock star running onstage. I’m quite certain that I would have done my best Beetles’ fan imitation – tugging at my own hair and screaming loudly – were it not for some preserving shred of self respect.
A Ferrari gives you both instant celebrity and a carpe diem outlook.
Lucky then for Paul, he has two. The 1995 F512 M (née Nov., 1994) is his more recent Italian acquisition. Previously, he purchased a gray ’76 308 GTB that’s certified as being one of the most authentically preserved 308s extant. In point of fact, Paul’s 308’s run only 1,200 miles. This mint 512 has more than 17K.
It’s clear which Ferrari Paul actually drives.
FERRARI V12
Aside from the disparity of age and rarity of condition, the F512 M – “M” for “Modificata” – has an advantage or two over its older stablemate that make it the more attractive driver. For one, that Ferrari V12 whose sound alone is said to make some gear heads weep tears of joy, is incredibly potent.
Four hundred forty horsepower @ 6750 rpm and 369 lb-ft of torque @ 5500 rpm. Zero to 60? Four point five seconds.
That bar’s been past, you sniff. And you’d be correct.
I’ve driven the 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost which boasts an “adequate” 563 hp and 575 lb-ft between 1500-5000 rpm! But here’s the catch – the Rolls weighs 5,445 lbs and is the length of a small yacht.
The 512? A relatively scant 3,200 lbs. That’s 7.2 lbs per horsepower versus the Ghost’s 9.6 lbs. Needless to say, the weight-to-power ratio makes the 512 feel so much fleeter on its feet than the Rolls and certainly more capable than the vintage, V8 powered 308.
Tut, tut, say you. Apples, pears, and oranges. Quite right.
Which brings us nicely to where the F512 M actually fits, you know, in the cosmic scheme of automotordom. Fact is the 512 was just a blip on the radar.
FIVE HUNDRED AND ONE
Maranello made 501 in less than two years; 75 of which were sold Stateside (at roughly $220K each) and none were sold in Canada. Sorry Canadians. The F512 M was the last iteration of the fabled Testarossa line; following the 512 TR. The Testarossa’s an exotic whose power coupled with iconic cheese grater side air intakes and low/wide proportions made it the pin-up car of the 1980s. It’s one of those sports cars that hardly needs introduction.
Sour-grapes critics slight the F512 M with its NACA hood ducts and integrated lexan covered headlamps (instead of the gator pop-ups) as way too much of a good thing. Personally, I tend to take Mae West’s view that too much of a good thing is always wonderful. And in the 512’s case, her maxim couldn’t be more true.
To wit: the F512 M has the nicest ass of any car anywhere.
The 512’s bow starts low and narrow and ends wide and slightly higher; culminating with a ridged rump that’s punctuated by four sweetly circular tail lamps (as opposed to the Testarossa’s 80s rectangles). The vertical and horizontal wedge effect trumpets the message that power heralds from the back, not the front. Both proportions and “the look” have become the signature blueprint for super cars ever since.
Despite the overall design’s palpable air of age back in 1995, we can with hindsight now see how the F512 M beautifully bridges Ferrari design between the 80s and 90s; between the Testarossa and the 550 Maranello (bear in mind that the 550 was powered by a front engine V12).
What makes the F512 M more of a purist’s machine and sexier than some of its successors is that the design is so brilliantly lean. Further, there’s just enough amenities but not enough to larden the Ferrari into a big, fat, cushy GT.
We have power windows, door locks, a leather lined cockpit, AC, and a radio and that’s it, mi amici. Oh, and a nice touch: the manually adjustable seats have leather covered pull-handles.
For the driver, there’s no electronic launch modes. No wiz-bang safety nannies. No flappy paddles. No power steering. No dead pedal either. There’s just three small pedals in a tight row, a meaty helm, a chrome-gated standard shifter that is as God intended, your wits, and all the power you can handle mounted right behind your head.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
And now, back to Paul’s offer/warning.
Nod. Breathe in. Insert thin metal key into the right side of the steering column. It has an oddly flexible plastic fob which momentarily distracts. Twist ‘n pray.
Tweeee, barroum! Bubububububub…
You stare out of a sharply raked windshield. The wipers seem strangely poised as if to swat at a moment’s notice. The edgy slant of the red hood appears briefly than disappears into the tarmac. There’s precious little front ground clearance, so mind the bumps.
Orient yourself – it’s crucial in this car as the Italians did not design this space for drivers over six feet and the confines do impose a bit on vehicle operation. Size 11 Docksiders seem to want to cover two pedals at once and you have to keep your left knee bent, such is the prevalence of the wheel well into the footwell.
That said, once you’ve found your position, the leather seat provides the right amount of comforting support and with that you can forgive the F512 M its limited ergonomics.
Find first by moving the ball shifter all the way to the left and backwards. Unlike an old Porsche, there’s zero play with the lever and the engagement is a precise and beautifully sprung action.
FERRARI SWITCH GEARS
Feed a little gas and the car wants to move forward but seems well tempered. Still, in no time at all you need second. That’s a forward push of the lever, then a brief right turn and then straight home. Man, that feels good!
And with that you’ve experienced the infamous dog-leg 1st-2nd shift of which R&T and C&D staff used to grouse. Loudly. It’s a design that lends itself to racing but not to the blistering one-two swaps needed for traffic light showdowns. You can master the action with practice and it does feel natural with time.
Funny thing – in the twists, second’s all you really need – that sonorous V12 wants to rev high and loud all the way past 7000rpm which means you can travel way faster than road conditions and sanity permit.
Approach the inside of a corner. It’s a right hander that begins with a subtle trajectory only to wind into a tight bend. Here’s where you once again adjust – and quickly – to the F512 M’s unique dynamics.
TURNING THE CORNER
Turn-in seems strangely non-linear. That’s not to say the steering’s sloppy. Far from it – it’s one of the most directly engaging helms you’ll steer.
But odd as this may seem, you find yourself correcting your angle of entry as the car seems to run wide of the apex. It’s almost as though you need to use big, elbowy motions to get round tighter bends; twisting the wheel further than you originally had anticipated.
Porsche’s original 911 provides a similar sensation. It’s much to do with the fact that there’s so much at work behind you, driver. Push harder into corners and both Ferrari and Porsche feel like the front end will eventually run wide and understeer. But in truth unlike the 911, the F512 M’s is much more forgiving.
This is thanks largely to the engine being mounted midship before the rear axle which in turn allows for much more balanced handling.
The traditional RWD 911 gives the driver a more hair raising (read: alarming) cornering experience.
Hit the brakes and swift progress is taken by the scruff and yanked back hard. Remember – there’s no ABS to help keep them from locking. It’s you and Physics mono e mono.
Take it into second (or third, doesn’t much matter) hit go and the V12 explodes each time, every time into an F1 car. The engine note soars high and shrill as tach and speedometer both race upward in relation to your liquefying horizon.
FERRARI ADDICTION
It’s addictive. It’s thrilling. Paul, who’s now enjoying himself, wants you to push harder into that next bend. Felt that? Yeah! Seat-of-your-pants fun. You and Ferrari are one, melding with Connecticut asphalt. You want more and more of it. You’re thinking this is automotive heroin.
And it is.
And then, just as soon as the day with the 512 had begun, it’s done. You watch as that fabulous tail burbling that brilliant V12 music drives off into the distance.
So this is what the fuss was all about. Ferrari V12s, Testarossas, Italian performance. Paul about buying your magnificent car, can I have the right of first refusal?
Ed. Note: Many, many thanks to Paul McCollam who proved himself to be fun, friendly, and game.
Ferrari Concorso in Hartford, Connecticut
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img ADLX ::: Concorso Ferrari Hartford
THREE years straight, yours has been chided by various pushy people concerned parties into driving to Hartford to see the annual Concorso Ferrari on the grounds of the state capitol. And for three years, I didn’t go for one perfectly good reason or another.
Finally this year yours went to what was billed as the largest assembly of Ferraris on the east coast. That claim’s certainly plausible. There were Daytonas, F355s, F430s, Mondials, 330GTs, Testarossas, the new California, and the odd Maserati and Bentley – to name a few.
All told, more than 100 prancing horses were said to be in attendance.
Ferrari Club of America’s New England chapter coordinated the party faithful. And the event – held in honor of the Connecticut Children’s Hospital – included a parade through downtown Hartford followed by a judging on the grounds of the capitol.
A lovely afternoon and worth the trip. Pics to follow.
Next Week: Ferrari 512M Review
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img ADLX ::: Ferrari 512M on the Connecticut shoreline
IT’S been something of a 90s week here on automobilesdeluxe.tv. And that trend’s set to continue into next week as we’ll look at Ferrari’s bridge between the 80’s Testarossa and the 90’s 550 Maranello – the 512M – “M” for Modificata.
Paul McCollam who owns a rosso corsa 512M was kind enough to drive down to the Connecticut shoreline and have us review this gorgeous prancing horse.
A preview to Italian power then ~ the 512M has a 4.9L flat-V12 engine that makes 440 horsepower @ a raging 6750 rpm. Torque? Three hundred and sixty nine pounds feet @ 55oo rpm. Weight: 3200 pounds.
Devilish fun.
