I've been very fortunate to drive a lot of cool cars over the years but one car that has always eluded me was Ferrari. I once got a ride in a Ferrari F355 F1 and right when I was about to drive the car the battery started to act up and the electronics gave up. The salesperson had to drive the F355 back to the dealership with the portable charger attached to the battery and the engine cover up!! So it wasn't quite the first impression I was expecting.
The closest that I came to driving a Ferrari was by driving the Maserati Quattroportes and Gran Sports. The Maserati's are amazing cars for the money and heck of a lot cheaper than Ferrari's.
So a few days ago I finally got the chance to drive not one but two Ferrari 575M Maranello's. Both car's had the
essential manual transmission. I couldn't have asked for a better Ferrari to drive for the first time...one with a
front-mounted V-12 engine...classic Ferrari layout. One car had the GTC package with sports suspension and a Tubi exhaust. The other car had the standard exhaust and suspension.
I first drove the standard car and what surprised me at first was the compliant ride. I was expecting a much harsher ride. The steering wheel was perfectly weighted...not too light nor too stiff. Although I must say that it was no Lotus Exige in terms of directness or feedback. So I was dissapointed...but then again it's hardly fair to expect such feedback from a car weighing more than twice as much as the Exige. The clutch travel is quite stiff initially as expected but is smooth afterwards all the way to the floor.
The gated shifter is such a joy to use that itself alone is worth the price of a Ferrari. The clack-clack sound from the exposed gate shifter is so addictive that I found myself shifting more often than necessary. When choosing a gear you have to be quite decisive as the gear lever requires a bit of effort. Rev-matched downshifts are nicely rewarded...if you know what you're doing. The only other car i've driven with an exposed shift gate was the Lamborghini Murcielago and in that car the clack-clack sound wasn't as pronounced.
After driving through town for a few miles and getting used to the car I decided to check out the performance. I was stopped at a red light and the road ahead of me was wide open with four lanes, as soon as the light turned green I accelerated all the way up to 7000rpm in first gear and proceeded to do the same in second gear.
The acceleration from the V-12 was very strong and the torque seemed to continue right where I had left off in the previous gear...in another words the car had perfectly matched gear ratios and a very linear torque curve. In-gear acceleration was also phenomenal in the 575M, the car seemed to take-off even on the slightest hint of throttle.
I was really surprised at the amount of squat during hard acceleration and in those terms the car reminded me of the Aston Martin Virage and the Pontiac GTO...hardly the best company for a 575M. Even with the car in sport mode there was a decent amount of squat. The brake feel was excellent although I didn't get a chance to do a full-bore brake test.
The car with the GTC package and Tubi exhaust was an even better driving experience. First of all the GTC package made a massive difference in the feel of the car. I believe the springs are stiffer in the GTC package and a rear anti-roll bar is added. With the sport button switched off the ride was smooth and compliant but there was a little bit of roll. With sport mode on the suspension firmed up quite a bit and any hint of roll disappeared. When launching the car through the first couple gears I was relieved to find out that the squat that tainted such an amazing car had been completely eliminated. The steering also felt a lot more direct. So essentially the GTC package takes care of any shortcomings in the 575M.
The Tubi exhaust had a very deep note at idle and opened up nicely all the way up to 7000rpm...although it didn't quite have the banshee wail that I was expecting from a Ferrari V-12 mated to a Tubi exhaust.
Both cars had nice interiors but I especially liked the special-order Daytona seats in the GTC car. The navy blue interior on the standard car, however, looked much better than the gray interior in the GTC car.
Overall these two 575M's rank at very top of the list of cars that i've driven.
