Ferrari’s entry-level Roma has had its time and has been sent to the sweet life in the sky, replaced by the coastal-themed Amalfi.
It’s not really a replacement, more of a medium-level facelift, but the new Amalfi looks pretty good. Ferrari says it’s their grand tourer – and who am I to deny them? – going up against things like Aston’s Vantage and if you squint a bit, the Bentley Continental GT.
The Roma’s exterior design was something of a departure for Ferrari, with McLaren-esque surfacing that I thought worked quite well, but not everyone was convinced. It was good fun to drive and I liked the minimalist interior.
The front end has had a mild reworking, with an updated face echoing the 12 Cilindri but more successful and resolved. The rear looks roughly the same and if I were in charge, I wouldn’t touch it either.
Inside is where the bigger changes have been wrought, but again, it’s not revolutionary. There are still three screens laid out across the dash, with the instrument pack and media screens both updated and another screen in front of the passenger. But it all looks a bit more sleek and in place, if that makes any sense.
More exciting for a lot of buyers will be the return of physical buttons on the steering wheel and not those idiotic touch-sensitive ones. Glory be.
The annoying gear selector slider, set among three sliders to look like an old gated shifter, remains. It all looks good but I don’t like it.
The Amalfi’s interior, like the Roma’s, presents a lot better in the flesh, I would say, and it is a really lovely cabin, working to focus on the drive rather than how much crap they can cram into a luxury car.
Engine and Drivetrain
Bizarrely, Ferrari hasn’t offered up a picture of the engine which is a colossal shame because Ferrari is that rare company that knows how to dress an engine.
The twin-turbo 3.9-litre V8 continues its glorious life spinning up 471kW at a lovely 7500rpm while delivering 760Nm of torque between 3000 and 5750rpm. Ferrari’s eight-speed twin-clutch also continues on.
Ferrari says it will headbutt 320km/h and complete the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.3 seconds. 0-200km/h is over just nine seconds.
Chassis
Front brakes are 390mm, the rears 360mm and contribute to a claimed 100km/h to zero stopping distance of 30.8 metres (no doubt the 245/35s and 285/35s are useful here). 200 to zero stopping distance is 119.5, both impressive. With a 50:50 weight distribution and a dry weight of 1470kg (let’s call it 1600-ish with a full tank of fuel and fluids on board), it’s light for a modern car.
The Amalfi will be along at some point in Australia as European and American customers no doubt hoover up this lovely evolution of an already-lovely car.
We get a taste of the 488’s replacement, the Ferrari F8 Tributo, around Sydney Motorsport Park on a cold, clear winter’s morning.
The Ferrari ownership experience is one most of us will never even consider let alone do. But, sometimes, an invitation lands in your inbox inviting you to do the kind of thing owners do – thrash their hugely expensive purchase around a racetrack.
It’s part of the Esperienza Ferrari program for owners and genuine prospects. Obviously things have been a bit quiet at racetracks for the last few months, but Ferrari and the local team has worked out how to make things COVID safe (like the Roma roadshow).
It’s kind of funny, really – you get your own garage with a lounge area, food menu and Ferrari Australia folks weaving around and saying hello. It’s all very civilised, with coffee on tap and plenty of people to talk to.
The Experience
On hand this morning were the F8 Tributo, F8 Spider and the 812 GTS, the convertible version of the colossal 812 Superfast.
But I was super-keen on the coupe, the F8 Tributo.
Sending most people out at Sydney Motorsport Park on their own is madness, but especially so in a Ferrari.
As with other similar programs, the team includes a bunch of instructors and mine for the morning was Tim Brook (2018 Toyota 86 champion). Folks like Tim are the bravest people on earth, sitting in a car with a total stranger while they drive a 530kW supercar.
Pulling out of the pit lane with an instructor can be a little unnerving, but it’s something I have grown used to. Basically, they get you going fast very, very quickly. And boy is that challenging and fun.
Listening is super-important and Tim has a good set of simple hand signals to make sure you’re seeing what you’re hearing.
Eastern Creek’s Turn 2 is a fast-entry, long double apex 180 degree corner and straight away you can feel how much grip the F8 has packed into its compact chassis.
It’s a very talkative chassis and you know what’s going in underneath you, which is critical on a track, even more so than steering feel. You can lean on this so hard.
What I’m not saying is that you’ll find its limits. That’s for colossally talented folks like Tim, not for me. But what you’ll get from the Esperienza is a taste of what your car can do.
F8 Tributo on track
I’ve never driven a Ferrari on track, so this is a first. I’ve done a lot of track work with Jaguar, Audi, Lotus, BMW, Mini and Lamborghini. It never fails to exhilarate and terrify me all at once, no matter what I’m driving.
The F8 is by far the lightest and most user-friendly car I’ve driven on a track. It’s also – by some margin – the fastest. Coming off the other double-apex left-hander, SMP’s final turn, flooring the F8 sees you rushing towards 260km/h.
For a road car not being driven as well as a proper gun to reach 260km/h down the main straight means that it’s deploying 760Nm.
A firm prod of the brakes into the monstrously fast Turn 1 and the F8 holds on at well over 150…then 160…then almost 170km/h attainable by this coward.
The steering is typical Ferrari – light and communicative and it never blunts the messages you’re feeling through the seat.
The SMP layout may very well flatter the F8, with its smooth surface, but I think that’s unlikely. On the road, this thing must be a delight. The 488 was, so with all the Pista goodness added into the F8, it should be wild.
In two quick runs, I got significantly fast, especially as I was now used to Tim’s excellent instruction. It was just a taste, but it gave me a very good idea of just how massively capable is the new F8 and how big a step up it is from the 488.
Ferrari’s new 2+ GT, the Roma, evokes the 1950s with its La Nuova Dolce Vita tag line and a gorgeous new design that looks much better in the flesh.
Well, when I say it has landed, I mean that there is one in the country. A left-hand drive Roma in the stunning signature blue will be touring dealerships. The photos – believe it or not – were taken in Sydney despite looking like the other side of the world.
Obviously, things aren’t normal at the moment, so Ferrari Australia took me through the way customers will be introduced to the car. If you’re passing a dealership in the next few weeks, you might see a large black box with Roma branding on it.
Half of the structure is a lounge setup, where customers will watch a couple of videos presented by Ferrari folks who can’t travel due to the pandemic.
Then you’re led through into another room where the Roma is set against a Rome-themed backdrop. It’s pretty cool and set up for safety, allowing the dealer team to clean the environment and car before another customer rolls through.
Look and feel
I’m happy to admit I wasn’t entirely convinced by the car in the launch photos. I liked some of the elements and the usual internet hue and cry afterwards suggested not everyone was happy.
And, no disrespect to the photographer, you don’t really get a sense of the car’s beauty in these photos either. The body work is incredibly smooth, the kind of smooth Rob Melville at McLaren would be proud of. That really changes the feel of the car and it’s a design that I think will age well.
The bonnet’s shapeliness is more obvious in the overhead shot above, but it’s genuinely lovely in the same way the 812 Superfast‘s is, and you get a similar view down the bonnet from the driver’s seat.
Those controversial lights look much better when they’re not darkly lit as in the photos. I think they work well, but less convincing is the grille, which I found a bit flat-looking.
The car in the photos has a carbon front splitter, skirts and diffuser and the retractable wing can also be had in carbon. As can pretty much everything else.
Interior and tech
You’re probably ready to furiously write me an email/tweet/text about the 2+ typo in the intro, but that’s what Ferrari is calling the Roma because the rear seats are fundamentally useless – they’re bottom shaped bucket behind the front seats. A cut-price GTC Lusso it isn’t.
The Roma introduces some new technology bits, though. The 16-inch digital dash is really cool, although I will miss that big central tachometer with the analogue dial. I know, oh the humanity.
Also new is the 8.0-inch portrait-oriented media system sprouting out of the centre console. Ferrari calls it Human Machine Interface and packs in the kind of stuff you find in McLaren’s terrible IRIS system. It seems (and looks) much better in the Ferrari and yes, you can still spec the hideously-priced Apple CarPlay into it.
A new steering wheel frames the digital dash, with a lovely new touch concept. The start-stop button sits at the top of the lower spoke and responds to you brushing your finger over it to activate the electrics (or “turn on the reds”).
And the centre console sports a new shifter for the eight-speed twin-clutch transmission, shaped to resemble the old gated shifter of a classic Ferrari.
The cabin itself is split in two and is rather cosy. The seats felt super comfortable and, naturally, the driving position felt spot on.
It really, truly, is gorgeous.
How much is a Ferrari Roma and when can I get one?
Australia: $409,888 + ORC New Zealand: $386,888 +ORC
Shots fired, folks. The Roma is about ten grand more than a Portofino and has a whole bunch of new stuff in it. Ferrari says its parts are 70 percent new compared to the drop-top with which it shares a fair bit of stuff. They didn’t say how that 70% was calculated, but it doesn’t look like a Portofino with a fixed roof.
$410,000 buys you a lot of car (relatively-speaking) and takes on the Aston Martin DB11 and AMG’s GT range, from where Ferrari expects to garner 70 percent of the Roma’s sales.
The first cars will arrive here in the first quarter of 2021 while Maranello sorts out the European and US left-hand drive markets.
The Ferrari 812 Superfast is an ode to the V12 and the glorious idea that a GT can be both fast and furious.
The Ferrari 812 Superfast is one of those dream cars. Soon, it might be just that – with ever-tightening emissions laws and the draw of hybrid power, the road going V12 might soon be a memory.Then again, we always say that…
The first Ferrari I ever drove was an f12berlinetta. It was completely mad, madder still because it had a ragged set of rear tyres. But I loved it. It’s one of only two cars to genuinely scare me – the other was the McLaren 720S.
I loved it. We found a piece of road that would shame most high-end supercars – riddled with potholes, rips and tears, the f12 should have given up. But it didn’t and I was hooked.
Twelve cylinders in a V formation can either deliver creamy, seamless power like in a Rolls Royce or angry, brutal force like in an Aventador. Somehow, the 812 Superfast’s 6.5-litre delivers both.
Words: Peter Anderson Co-pilot: Brendan Allen Images: Matt Hatton
Look and Feel
The 812 GTS is a clear evolution of the car that went before it, the f12 berlinetta. Based on the same platform – on which all current front-engined Ferraris are based – the 812 is long and sleek and pretty, particularly in profile. The f12 slightly missed the mark, but the 812’s cleaner, more aero-focussed front and rear ends are more resolved.
That Kamm-style rear-end took a while to grown on me, but I love it now. It looks a bit like a Star Wars stormtrooper looking back at you. I also love the perfectly sized Ferrari logo in the middle of the smooth surface between the lights.
The 812 looks amazing in darker colours and this Grigio Superfast Opaco – a snip at $52,937 – is worth every penny. If you have that many pennies to spend on a colour, I guess.
A Ferrari cabin is a study in minimalism. So often I show people the interior of a Ferrari and they’re surprised by the lack of buttons and screens and knobs and whatever else. They’re so clean and simple. Again, the 812 Superfast interior is a gentle evolution of the f12’s.
I love that big, squared-off steering wheel and the manettino switch setup. The huge, fixed paddles behind the wheel look and feel great, with a perfect action when you reach with your fingertips to grab a gear.
This car has some yellow in it, as you can see. That all costs extra, obviously, with several thousand dollars spent inside and out.
Drivetrain
Six. Point. Five. Litres.
You don’t get to write that very often in this business for a variety of good and sad reasons. Spread across 12 cylinders, the F140 GA produces a screaming 588kW at 8500rpm. The f12 and f12 TDF packed a 6.3 litre version of this engine, as did the original FF and LaFerrari. so it’s got pedigree.
With the extra 200cc came another 44kW and a massive 718Nm, the sort of figure you expect from a turbocharged V8 and more than enough to move the 812’s hefty 1700kg-plus kerb weight.
The Getrag seven-speed makes a return with its hugely fast shifts, driving the rear wheels. Between the 812 Superfast’s rear wheels is Ferrari’s epic F1-derived active rear-differential. As before, the gearbox is mounted ahead of the rear axle to help with the weight distribution, which is 47:53 front to rear with nobody aboard.
The 812 Superfast’s V12 redline is a stratospheric 8900rpm, courtesy of 350 bar injection and a lovely noise partly down to the new variable geometry intake ducts.
Chassis
Key to smile induction is the manettino switch. In the 812 Superfast you have five modes (versus, say, the Portofino‘s three) – Wet, Sport, Race, CT off, ESC off. They’re all fairly self-explanatory but if you need help, you can call them, “Careful-Now, Fun, Lots-of-fun, Hey-don’t-do-that and Certain Death.”
Well, with my driving ability that’s what they are. Obviously CT off and ESC off were completely off limits for me and no sane person without a couple of world championships, or at least national championships, under their belt would use these in anger on the road.
Ferrari’s F1-Trac magic talks to side-slip control to ensure safe sideways silliness without causing blushes.
The power reaches the road at the rear via 315/35s and the fronts steer with the help of 275/35s, Pirelli P-Zero rubber of course. The 20-inch alloys on this car were secured with titanium bolts ($2715).
With all that V12 thunder, braking is seriously important, so Ferrari fitted a set of gigantic Brembo Extreme carbon-ceramic discs. The fronts measure 398mm and the rears 298mm. Ferrari says they’re almost six percent better than the f12’s and I am not going to argue.
The wild f12 TDF brought four-wheel steer to the table and it remained for series production on the 812 Superfast. Ferrari calls it Virtual Short Wheelbase 2.0 which is a ridiculous name but kind of does what it says on the tin.
As you might expect, the dynamic damping is present and correct, known as Magnaride Gen 3 (more silly names).
Driving
The f12berlinetta is an experience burned into my memory. It’s a feeling I can instantly recall and describe without a millisecond’s thought. It was pretty wild, made wilder by the fact I was the last person to drive it before it was sent to a new owner. It had also spent the previous week pounding around Sydney Motorsport Park without a tyre change. So it went from lively to handful very quickly. It was glorious. It was scary. Two cars have scared me – the f12 and the first time I drove a McLaren 720S.
And so I approached the 812 with great care, even greater care than I would normally approach a car from Maranello. The f12 TDF was famed for its even more lively chassis and we know a lot of that car went into the 812 Superfast, particularly the rear-wheel steering package.
I needn’t have worried. The 812 is way more tied down than the f12, partly because the tyres had tread on them but also because customers probably wanted it that way. It has lost nothing of its fury, though. The V12 dominates the experience, with the seven-speed Getrag moving you through the gears with almost alarming pace. The engine itself can pull from 800rpm in almost any gear, so you pretty much have 8100rpm to work. That’s about as wild and flexible as any engine every produced.
It’s wonderful to drive at any speed. It’s noisy, yes – not 720S noisy. But you know what’s going on underneath you. You can drive this on the school run (and yes, I did) and it’s fine. Speed humps aren’t terrifying like they are in the Aventador.
But on a good road – and the roads that get you there – the 812 Superfast is sublime. When you first drive it, you’re aware of its length because of the way the bonnet stretches away in front of you. But the four-wheel steering brings the car in around you. You drive this car on instinct because it so quickly comes to you. The steering is light, as is the Ferrari way, but full of feel and the change of direction is nothing short of astonishing.
And the way you can tune the car on the throttle, both for sound and for attitude, is just so easy and inspires joy.
And smiles. This car makes you feel so glad you’re alive to see and hear it.
Competition
I’ve only driven the Lamborghini Aventador S as far as genuine competition goes, and it’s not a patch on this car. Aston Martin will sell you a DB11 with a V12 and even then it’s a twin-turbo. Mercedes has a new SL on the way but it’s unlikely to be as much fun as this thing is.
Redline Recommendation
Blimey. If you’re stuck with me for any length of time, you will hear me say, “Good cars get under your skin. Amazing cars get into your bones.” As I type that, I remembered the sound of the V12 and it shot up my spine, spreading through my ribs. It’s that kind of experience. The soaring sound of the V12 will stay with me till the day I die.
The kick in the back when you downshift on a floored throttle will stay with me and will stay with every single person who rode in it with me.
The Ferrari Roma was last night unveiled and we know barely anything about it, so we’re going to fill an article with opinions about the looks.
I’m not even joking. The press release has fewer words than this article because, I dunno, they don’t have to worry about Google search algorithms. The McLaren Elva release, by contrast, had about 15,000 words.
We do know a few things. It’s called the Ferrari Roma and to hammer home the point, Ferrari gave us five photos of the car in Rome. Except it wasn’t really there, was it? Because Rome plus tourist attractions equals a gazillion idiots taking the same photo.
Looking at the photos though, you can probably tell why Ferrari left a lot out of the release. This is a new design direction for Maranello. Nobody has messed with the classic profile of a Ferrari coupe – heaven forfend – but there’s a lot to see here.
Wait! There’s a new look!
First, the new rear end ditches the round light treatment for a very modern pair of flat horizontal lights that cut into the bodywork. It’s a very clean, unfussy rear end. You can’t see under the coloured part of the bumper but I’ll take a pot shot and say it’s a big diffuser. The haunches are very Portofino-ish, though.
The headlights sport a new design – no more vertical stacks but a more traditional horizontal arrangement with a what looks like an LED DRL slicing through the middle. The grille is a real departure for Ferrari and I don’t mind it at all. That front splitter looks like it will take some feet with it.
And glory be, those flush-fitting doorhandles actually look alright.
Another thing we know is that under that long bonnet is Ferrari’s awesome 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8, developing 620PS or a monster 456kW. And it’s spread across 5750rpm to 7500rpm. Torque weighs in at the usual 760Nm and no doubt isn’t available until you hit top gear in the new eight-speed twin-clutch. The torque band is nice and fat, between 3000 and 5750rpm.
Ferrari also tells us it will run from 0-100km/h in just 3.4 seconds and crack 0-200km/h in 9.3 seconds.
New interior look
So what is the Ferrari Roma for? It seems to be a dedicated hardtop Portofino with a different body. The Portofino’s rear seats are, shall we say, limited and the only interior shot provided of the Roma doesn’t even show the rears. To be fair, Ferrari does call it a 2+. No number after the plus. Not a typo.
Like the exterior, there’s a fair bit to see in here. Recent Ferraris have been quite minimalist inside but the Roma seems more custom-fitted. The new centre console and screen arrangement is higher and a but easier to reach (and see) than either the Portofino’s or GTC4/812 setup. It also seems a lot more cosy the way the two pods wrap themselves around the driver. It’s a nice effect and blends nicely into the doors.
The target competitor car is most likely the Aston Martin DB11 but I wouldn’t be surprised (depending price) if a few 911 Turbo folks won’t join the party.
The Roma has a longer wheelbase than the Portofino, so hopefully there’s a little more room in the back. It’s also longer than the Portofino by 70mm and weighs 1472kg in its lightest form (“with lightweight options). That’s a dry weight, by the way, in true Ferrari style. Handily, it’s about 70kg lighter than the folding hardtop.
How much and when?
A good compound question. I’m going to guess and say next year and given it has a bit more go than the Portofino, the price will be higher, probably sitting between Portofino and the F8 Tributo.
I guess the car will arrive sometime next year in European showrooms. Local ones? No idea.
Like I said, the press release was pretty light on for detail.
The F8 Spider is the convertible version of the F8 Tributo to replace the 488 Spider.
The F8 Spider is the second Ferrari convertible in one day, following the release of the 812 GTS. I’m half-expecting the SF90 to lose its roof any minute now. The F8 Spider follows on from the epic 488 Pista Aperta but, says Ferrari, is less hardcore but lighter.
The roof, like the 488 before it and 812 GTS beside it, is a retractable hardtop. Despite the hardware to open and close the roof, the F8 Spider is 20kg lighter than its predecessor. Which wasn’t a slouch, just quietly.
The rear of the car is obviously different to swallow the roof. Those changes meant a shift in aero, so Ferrari’s engineers designed a new rear wing that wraps around the tail. The rear wing is still blown ensuring plenty of downforce.
Under the redesigned rear deck is the 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 with a massive 530kW (720PS) and 770Nm torque. Sadly, unliuke the F8 Tributo, you can’t see the engine through a lovely Lexan panel. You also get Side Slip Control (SSC) 6.1, launch control and an 8000rpm redline.
The F8 Spider is no doubt available to purchase now and you can probably expect to see one land early in 2020 and just like the rest of the Ferrari range, you get seven years of free servicing.
Update: Ferrari Australasia’s Herbert Appleroth posted an Instagram story which said the car will land in Australia in the second half of 2020.
The Ferrari 812 GTS is the lifts the lid on one of the finest road cars on sale today.
Today rather feels like The Redline has turned into a convertible Ferrari page, but there you are – that’s what happens when two cars land on the same day. Ferrari appears to have kicked off the announcement with a dirty stinking lie.
The 812 GTS is the first front-mounted V12 spider in over half-a-century.
I thought it was a dreadful fib because I clearly remember 2005’s Superamerica. Turns out Ferrari did too and also reminded me of the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina (2009), the SA Aperta (2010) and the F60 America. The trick with those four cars is that they were specials – the 812 GTS will go into series production at Maranello.
Look and Feel
Lopping the roof off is always a rum business and given the 812 GTS has a retractable hardtop, the engineers had to put it somewhere. So the rear of the car has been redesigned not only to make sure it still looks good. And is still aerodynamically sound.
The buttresses are meant to give an impression of forward thrust (tick) and I reckon they look amazing. There’s still a boot underneath there, too, but it’s probably not the main concern of an 812 buyer.
A new triplane wing integrated into the rear diffuser claws back the downforce lost by the removal of the bypass duct. Ferrari reckons it has recovered the lot, also cutting drag with the vent at the rear of the buttress structures.
The upper corners of the windscreen feature an aero device to force air away from the occupants. A complicated sentence in the press release describes further aero work at the leading edge of the buttresses that improves the aero over the rear deck.
The wheel design is exclusive to the GTS, all the better to see those giant brakes.
The rest, mercifully, remains largely unchanged but you do get a retractable rear window to better hear the V12.
Chassis and Drivetrain
As you might expect, Ferrari loaded the 812 GTS for bear. The 6.5-litre V12 still develops colossal power of 588kW at 8500rpm and 718Nm of torque. It will also smash through 100km/h in under three seconds, 200km/h in 8.3. And will keep going on to the berlinetta’s top speed of 340km/h, despite 85kg of extra weight.
Side-slip 5.0 for heroic oversteer shenanigans is on board. If you stuff it up, the steering system will guide you on which way to to steer to fix it. That’s called Ferrari Power Oversteer and it’s devilishly clever. And it’s got four-wheel steer which Ferrari calls Virtual Short Wheelbase 2.0 for some reason.
How much and when?
It’s going to be a lot, let’s not beat about the bush. If it helps, you do get seven years free servicing on your new Ferrari. And you only have to turn up at the dealer once a year or at 20,000km, whichever comes first. If you’re cracking 20,000km in your 812 GTS in less than 12 months, I would be very keen to meet you.
I’m also quite certain a Ferrari dealer will take your deposit today.
Six years ago, Herbert Appleroth took reins of Ferrari Australia from previous importer ATECO Australia. Over the previous decade and a half, he had transformed both Ferrari and Maserati in Australia before working of Maserati in Modena. In 2010 he returned to Ferrari has head of Ferrari Japan and then in 2013, formed Ferrari Australiasia, taking over from ATECO.
Since then the business has (by low-volume, high-end sports cars standards) exploded. At the release of the new F8 Tributo, The Redline snagged a few minutes with the local CEO to talk about what makes Ferrari tick and why the brand continues to grow in a crowded marketplace.
We started Ferrari Australasia to get closer to our customers.Herbert Appleroth, Ferrari Australasia
Who buys these cars?
The market for sports cars is very healthy in Australasia, despite some impressive competition from Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche and Ferrari’s sometime F1 rival, McLaren. Ferrari continues to grow in sales so I asked what it was that keeps Maranello’s finest in the front of well-heeled buyer’s minds.
“The Ferrari segment [ie $300,000+ sports cars] has gone from about 600 units to over a thousand. That’s obviously not all from us. Some players have come on or weren’t there or weren’t prominent five to ten years ago. And for us it’s fantastic, because they’re different price points and they’re bringing people into a marketplace, which is sports cars. And that’s our business.
“I joke around when people ask me who are your competitors and we mention certain brands. We love them because they’re starter Ferraris. It’s a great way to introduce them to the world.”
I laugh, but I know he’s only half-joking. Herbert has a grin that can coax a lot of money out of Ferrari buyers, but he’s not here to mess around.
“It’s the getting to the point now where there are no compromises with sports cars now. In a Ferrari you push the bumpy road button and it’s amazingly compliant. It’s really smart technology.”
I asked if Herbert thought that it was the entry of those other brands (really, it’s about McLaren and probably the Audi R8) that has spurred Ferrari’s push to be more comfortable day-to-day.
“We talk to your customers. We are absolutely customer-focussed, we ask them what they want and our engineers over-deliver. We bring to market that wasn’t even in the market, we created it. You’re seeing here 44 years of sports car history. The 360 was our first aluminium car, F1 transmission, the true interface in electronics to make you go faster but using smart software, like Side Slip Control now up to version six.
It’s about creating fun. The cars are fun within the limit on track and on road.Herbert Appleroth, Ferrari Australasia
“It’s also about being close to our customers. We do a lot of events, over 200 events per year. The other brands bring people to the over $200,000 sports car market and most people dream of having a Ferrari when they can afford it. If it suits their lifestyle when they can afford it, once they’ve had an experience, there’s no turning back.
What about the SUV?
I asked, but he wouldn’t be drawn on who would buy a Ferrari SUV – “I won’t speculate on future product”.
But…
“I will say we’re about bringing new people to the Ferrari family, that’s what we’re dedicated to. Australia has the highest percentage of new customers coming to Ferrari every year. The products – Portofino, GTC Lusso, the compliance. Even the reliability, the serviceability. Think about it – a Ferrari comes with seven years free maintenance. It’s something we’re proud of – it’s not just product, it’s also about engagement with our clients, we’ve expanded our dealer network. We continue to invest in our people, our showrooms and our facilities.
Will the F8 match 488 sales?
“Who knows? This is probably the biggest even we’ve ever held, 400 people here. It goes on the roadshow right around Australia and New Zealand. We’re already extremely excited about the reaction and pre-orders.
“Why not? It’s a car that works on the success of the 488 and makes it even better. More power, faster through corners. Our engineers have worked on a car that was already regarded as the world’s best sports car.”
The Ferrari F8 Tributo is Maranello’s successor to the lauded – and rightly so – 488 GTB. More powerful, faster and packed with aero cleverness, it broke cover in a huge event in Sydney.
Sydney loves a party and so Ferrari chose to unveil the F8 Tributo on Australian soil in front of 400 guests from all around the country.
Guests filed into a staging area, ringed with heavy black curtains before a sound and light show heralded the car’s arrival. With a final burst of light and sound, the curtains fell.
Flanked by every mid-engined V8 sportscar since the 308 GTB, the F8 Tributo was immediately swamped after bursting out from beneath a huge platform. Ferrari could have launched the car by just whipping off a sheet and saying, “Ta-da” but where’s the fun in that?
It’s about creating fun. The cars are fun within the limit on track and on road.Herbert Appleroth, Ferrari Australasia.
We’ve already covered the F8 Tributo here, but the headline facts are:
If you want to know what the 488 was like, click here
How much and when?
The F8 Tributo will hit dealerships in Australia in the first quarter of 2019, priced at $484,888 before on-roads.
The F8 Tributo is the first of an onslaught – well, in Ferrari terms – of new models, with the SF90 also due sometime soon. A third, as-yet unconfirmed model is also on its way and if I have my rumour mill right, possibly even a fourth.
Ferrari’s GTC4 Lusso replaced the FF a couple of years ago. In a series of very amusing events, it has taken me this long to get a hold of one. I specifically wanted the twin-turbo rear-wheel drive Lusso T because I suspected it would be brilliant.
The Ferrari FF was a special kind of Ferrari. Twelve screaming cylinders, all-wheel drive, a cabin you can fit four people in and, for some reason that will never make sense to me, a boot that fits golf clubs. Mostly because I can’t imagine why anyone would play golf, but there you are.
The GTC4 came along (all new, said Ferrari) and looked a lot like the FF. But with a new name came a new model – the all-wheel drive V12 now has a sibling, the rear-wheel drive, twin-turbo V8 GTC4 Lusso T.
Words: Peter Anderson Images: Rhys Vandersyde
Look and Feel
We’ve gone for dark and moody with this night photoshoot because my goodness, this car looks great under lights. I’ve heard all the complaints about the FF/GTC4. It looks like a breadvan. It’s too long. It’s not a real Ferrari. The usual stuff and I reckon all of it is complete nonsense.
There is so much Ferrari DNA in this car it hurts. Functional shooting brake design (you think the rest of them look the way they do purely for styling? Please), muscular rear end, stacked headlights, wide air intakes. I genuinely love it in the way I don’t adore the Portofino (although it is pretty). It looks special without screaming about it.
I also love this body style – I’m that weirdo who didn’t mind the Z3 M and Z4 M Coupes. Arrest me.
The cabin is lovely, certainly lovelier than the FF’s. It feels a lot more designed and feels unique to the GTC4. Sensible places to put things, cupholders (gasp!), a good size glovebox to go with the almost-usable boot. The central media screen that means you don’t have to faff about with dials while you try and activate Apple CarPlay the way you do in a 488.
Also, the FF I drove had this dreadful tartan interior, so I might just be coloured (I am not sorry) by that.
Drivetrain
Ferrari’s F154 V8 lives under that long bonnet. It’s a lonely existence in an engine bay created for the much bulkier V12. A good number of the cylinders actually live the other side of the windscreen. It looks great.
In the Lusso T, the 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 rustles up 449 kW (610PS) and 760Nm between 3000rpm and 5250rpm. As in the 488 and Portofino, maximum torque is limited by Ferrari’s clever torque management system that ensures the longevity of its seven-speed twin-clutch Getrag gearbox.
People say the engine is quite different in the Lusso T than the other cars, but I disagree. I think the reality is that the exhaust is a long way back and you don’t hear it as well. It’s still amazingly drivable for such a high powered, turbo, with so little lag it’s virtually absent.
Ferrari says the Lusso T will crack 100km/h (62mph) in 3.5 seconds and go on to a top speed of 320km/h (199mph).
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Chassis
Lots of lovely aluminium has gone into the GTC4’s chassis and if you look close enough, there’s probably a lot of the f12 berlinetta/812 Superfast underneath. When you pop the massive bonnet you could be looking at either of these cars. Except if you pop the cover at the front, you’ll notice it’s missing *counts on fingers* four cylinders, so there is a lot of open space.
There is a lot of technology, too. Magnaride adaptive damping, four-wheel steer, Side-slip Control 4, Ferrari’s e-diff and a whopping set of carbon ceramic discs.
This GTC4 ran on 20-inch chrome painted forged alloys (optional) that look a lot better than they sound. They’re not some fully sick chromed wheel, they’re just a very bright silver. The usual Pirelli P Zeros are along for the ride, with 245/35s at the front and 295/35s (!) at the rear.
The carbon ceramics are 398mm at the front and 360mm at the rear. I think that makes the brakes the biggest I’ve ever used, along with the 812 Superfast.
Another weight-saving measure is the very clever (and appropriately loud) ceramic exhaust system. This car had the optional black ceramic exhaust which looked amazing.
Like the Portofino, the GTC4 has the simplified manettino on the steering wheel, offering Ice, Wet, Comfort, Sport, ESC off.
Is it any good with a V8?
I’m no stranger to V8 twin-turbo Ferraris. I’ve been very lucky to drive the 488 GTB, 488 Spider, the California T and the Portofino. It is a brilliant engine. Refined, torquey and it revs as though those two turbos aren’t even there. It shouldn’t do it, but it does because Ferrari put in an absolute truckload of work to reduce the lag.
Much of the credit goes to the very clever electronic wastegate control on the F154. That control does a few jobs, the most prominent of which is controlling the delivery of 760Nm of torque. As with the 488 and Portofino, you can’t have all of that number until seventh gear.
Ferrari has long acknowledged that the turbo doesn’t respond as quickly as the naturally-aspirated V8 or V12, but claims it has reduced the gap over the years.
The V8 is smooth and powerful and even with an exhaust pipe a long way behind your ears, it sounds fantastic. It still revs to a very impressive .
Driving
The driving position in the GTC4 is terrific. Because you have a lot of extra glass to around you and you sit maybe a touch higher than the 812, you get a very good view around you. The reversing camera weirdly useless because it’s mounted in the fog light assembly, but it doesn’t matter.
The seats are, of course, wonderful and there’s plenty of adjustment to ensure you’re comfortable. It’s surprising how much space there is for rear passengers, too. Three of us piled in – one insisting that he sit in the back so he could tell people all about it. We’re all about the same height, just under six foot tall and we were all comfortable. Like, two or three hour trip comfortable. That’s quite a feat, because when you look at the space for rear passengers, it doesn’t look pleasant. Contrast that with the Portofino’s tiny rear seats and the clever shape of the GTC4’s, you soon realise how it works.
Obviously, being tall is not going to be great back there.
As with all Ferrari’s there’s a big red button on the steering wheel to fire up. And fire up it does, with a flourish before settling into a busy idle. One of the things I really like about Ferraris is how drivable they are all the time. Some twin clutch transmission equipped cars are deeply unpleasant when cold. Some big meat twin-turbo V8s with a lot of torque get really shunty as the high warm-up idle clunks against the clutch.
Dispense with the silliness of driving in Comfort. Leave it in Sport and enjoy the sharp throttle response and the well-weighted steering. If you don’t like the ride, hit the Bumpy Road button and let it all smooth out.
The GTC4 is lovely around town. The low down torque and easy feel of the long wheelbase means it rides happily and with four-wheel steer is ludicrously manoeuvrable for a car of its length, 4922mm (193.8-inches). That’s just a touch shorter than an Alpina B5. Or just a few centimetres shorter than a Mazda CX-9 seven-seater. It’s longer than a Honda CR-V.
Don’t be afraid to get on it, though. The four-wheel steering turns this car into right animal, along with the more purist rear-wheel drive. Fire it at a corner, even if it’s bumpy and messy, the long nose swings in like a much lighter and smaller car.
You can be fairly brutal on the throttle on the way out, too. Between the huge rubber, e-diff and steering, it will swing a bit and then settle down, getting on with the business of getting you out of the corner.
High speed stability is also amazing, with a planted high-speed lane change behaviour as well as unbelievable grip in long sweepers. It really does everything and it does it while still managing to be comfortable.
And it does it while being a Ferrari.
But you know what else it does? It won’t draw the wrong kind of attention. Nobody really knows what it is – at least in Australia – and so will leave you be. You can park it wherever you want (within reason) and like an Audi R8, it will only get the attention of people who know their cars.
Redline Recommendation
Well of course. It’s not an 812 Superfast, it won’t scare you or tear strips out of the road. It’s also not for those who really need the all-wheel drive capability if you’re one of those well-heeled types who takes their Ferrari to the snow or, heaven forbid, on gravel.
While I personally would find it difficult to own a 488 or 812, the choice for me would be tricky between a GTC4 Lusso T and the Portofino. And I think, ultimately, it would fall in favour of the Lusso T.
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