So here we have it. What is a landmark for Ferrari and possibly their most important car over a decade has finally arrived.
And we don’t know how to feel.
You see, For many, myself included, the allure of a badge, as prestigious as Ferrari’s prancing pony, is in part thanks to somewhat of a disregard of peer pressure and knowing what its fanbase wants. To me, a supercar and indeed a hypercar, lets go of sensibilities like practicalities and usability for sheer excitement.
Ferrari seemed to share a similar mindset, arriving late the party of Uber SUVs, where many prestige brands dabbled but perhaps quite not conquered.
Make no mistake, we get it. There is a certain lux about wafting around in a more lofty palace that has its undeniable place in the world, but if you want a supercar, then, by all means, buy one.
But as I’m sitting in a place of having used everything from Cayennes, to X5s as dailies, the more I reflect (and the more I play with the configurator) the more I start to fall for it.
Every uber SUV manufacturer seeks to call theirs something different; something ground-breaking. From the Cayennes, the X6’s and the GLC’s through to the Bentayga and Urus however, I’ve always felt that things have been somewhat of a gimmick. I’ve never felt that a manufacturer has truly nailed the SUV that lives up to it’s marque’s principles.
Enter Ferrari.
I must admit I cringed at the thought of Ferrari following the crowd. But after a sleep and a Weetbix, I took another look. And whilst I think the media-release grey understates the car (after all, who purchases a v12 Ferrari to blend in), in the classic Giallo Modena (yellow to the non-Ferrari aficionados out there), it truly is remarkable.
Ferrari have managed to infuse their DNA into a platform that couldn’t be further at-odds from expectations. From the elegant, purposeful side-profile, to the slick suicide doors, it is every bit a Ferrari.
Deepening the lust-at-first-sight is the 6.5 litre V12 that Ferrari have built the F-175 around which is further evidence that Ferrari have taken minimal compromises in crafting their “Thoroughbred” (translation).
They have circumnavigated the need for an iPad mounted in the middle of the dash, citing that whatever software is only ever going to be as up-tp-date as the latest smartphone which really extends the touch of finesse to the interior surfaces.
This is one we are truly excited for and the proof will be in how the car performs both on and off track.
