Supercar Edition 22

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SUMMER 2011 EDITION 22

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Edition 22 of Supercar Magazine

Transcript of Supercar Edition 22

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SUMMER 2011E D I T I O N 2 2

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PIRELLI.CO.UK

PIRELLI. OFFICIAL TYRE SUPPLIER F1.

LET’S DANCE

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The Supercar Group, Broadwell House, Broadwell, Lechlade, Gloucestershire, England GL7 3QS

Telephone: +44 (0) 1367 860805 Facsimile: +44 (0) 1367 860605

[email protected]

www.thesupercarmagazine.com

This magazine is published in house by The Supercar Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibitedwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed are those of the author and not of The Supercar Group or its’employees, and are not endorsed by The Supercar Group. All reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy of information atthe time of going to press. The Supercar Run is a Registered Trademark, and all copyright work is owned by The Supercar Group, whichin turn is a trading name of Vigilant Motor Tours Ltd. In

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Welcome to the second edition of E Supercar.

Finally the summer is upon us and giving us the chance todo some proper driving.

We have just returned from this years Supercar Run, whichhosted a spectacular and extraordinary array of bothmodern and classic supercars including a LamborghiniMiura, Jaguar SS100, Ferrari GTO 599, 458 to name but afew. The event was a great sucess and was enjoyed by all,keep your eye on the Supercar Club gallery to see the newpictures.

Our thoughts are now focused on our forthcoming event‘The Tour Alpina’ in September. We have started researchingthe spectacular route through the Dolomite mountains.

In this edition we have included articles on the ratherhandsome new Aston Martin Virage, the outrageous Ferrari458, Spyker’s flagship the C8 Aileron and a selection ofother fun relevant topics.

We all hope that you enjoy this online edition of Supercarand as always please don’t hesitate to send us yourfeedback to [email protected] as we would liketo know what you think.

Have safe and exciting summer driving.

Tim Julier

a

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by Tom Harding

The latest model to come to us from Aston Martin is the ratherhandsome Virage, and unlike their city car the Cygnet, this hasa proper engine which matches its aggressive and sleek stylingperfectly. ➤

ASTON MARTINVIRAGE

An every day drive

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Aston Martin’s hand-built 6.0 litre V12 engineproduces 490 bhp which is fed through a carbon fibreprop shaft and a six-speed Touchtronic II automaticgearbox which handles the power very efficiently.

In fact gearchanges are very smooth indeed witha very slight delay on upshifts under hardacceleration. Under normal driving conditionsgearchanges are seamless and the car is surprisinglycivilised and quiet.

Aston have however included their own version ofan upchange light too so you can concentrate onwhat’s in front of you on the road rather than keep abeady eye on the rev counter, assuming you are in ahurry and taking each gear to the red line. At 6800rpm the gear indicator which is normally the coolsilver of the rest of the instruments, changes to red,meaning its time to take another gear and go evenfaster. Of course that would mean breaking the law,which surely you will if you press the loud pedal withany effort.

When you do this, the soundtrack from the tunedexhausts is delightful and delivers a wonderful deepfeathered rasp matched to a lovely howl that only aV12 can when at full chat.

The traction control, which everything seems tobe fitted with these days, obviously to protect youfrom yourself, is actually delightful. I am not keen ontraction control as a rule, but on the Virage it is set upto allow just the right amount of slip from rest underhard acceleration and in corners. It is also a must fora car with this much power, as most of them wouldend up in a ditch on the day of delivery without it. Onthe Virage it has a good balance very much as if thecar has been allowed to talk to you, but only if itspolite and doesn’t swear. It means it’s a lot of fun todrive. ➤

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The interior is typically Aston and very lovely,although I am not sure how much leg room someonewould have if they were very tall, as the seat back willtilt to a more verticle position if you put the seat allthe way back.

The dash is a work of art, and super cool. A B&O hifi is an option with speakers that rise out of thedashboard which would be worth having just to seethem going up and down. I don’t like music in the carbut I would have them.

There is a small but to all this, and it’s the sat nav.The car has the fold up screen set into the top of thedashboard that is common in Astons, which I havenever liked much, possibly because the old systemwas so dreadful. The Virage has a new system sothankfully that’s some improvement but it’s still not asgood as it could be. It’s a bit fiddly if you ask me.

Having said that if the sat nav system is the tippingpoint between whether you buy a Virage or not, thenyou are an idiot. ➤

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The Virage is easy to drive and potter about in andgenuinely smooth and comfortable as an every daydrive, but it is also a complete hoot to drive when youlet it out of its box.

This car has a split personality, as it seems modernSupercars these days must. I suppose the peopledriving them want them to be docile and easy to drivearound town, but I can’t for the life of me think why.

Thankfully this Aston doesn’t require you to dig toodeep to find its other side, the side that will make yousmile, grin, hang on to the wheel and thank whoeveryou need to thank for the fact that you are the onedriving it.

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C R A F T E D F O R I N D I V I D U A L S

Spyker Cars, Tel: +31 36 535 8787. For a dealer near you, please visit www.spykercars.com

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ANNA-LOUISEFELSTEAD

Reportage artist

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Anna-Louise Felstead graduated from the Royal College of Artin 2003 after achieving first class honours in Graphic Designat Central Saint Martins in 2001. She is regarded as a‘reportage artist’ as her work is mainly done on locationwithin the environment where the action is taking place. Hermedium is usually ink on A2 paper as it is easily transportablehowever she is beginning to work on a much larger scale withoil on canvas. ➤

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Having been commissioned by the Royal Navy andthe MoD in previous years to paint their harrier jumpjets, helicopters and ships, she enjoyed paintingmechanical objects and found the racing world moreaccessible and painted her first car at the MonacoGrand Prix Historique in 2008. Quite a place to startand her car portraits were a huge success not onlybecause of their quirky vibrant style but because theyoften depict the mechanics, owners and onlookers atthe events the cars occupy which give themmovement. ➤

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Her work has taken her to a number ofcircuits including the Nurburgring, Spa,Goodwood for the Festival of Speed and theRevival, Dijon, the Silverstone Classic, LeMans, Monza and Pebble Beach. Anna-Louise was lucky enough to be a pilot in theMonte Carlo Rally in 2009 & 2010 where shetook part in a 1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Ti.She also received her racing license inSardinia after a course racing Formula Fordswhich enabled her to race an Alfa RomeoGiulietta Sprint Veloce at Monza in 2009 aswell as Silverstone Classic in the Pre-63 GTrace.

Although her car paintings are verypopular Anna-Louise also paints a number ofdifferent subjects from the Cartier Polo inSt.Moritz to scenes of London Fashion Weekand Glamorous London Restaurants. If youlike the look of her work she can becontacted via her websitewww.alfelstead.com

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Lamborghini ReadingAuthorised Dealer

Bennet RoadReadingBerkshireRG2 0QXTel: 0118 965 8678 www.lamborghini-reading.com

LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO LP 560-4 BICOLORE

Available now. Please contact Pete Sanderson of Lamborghini Reading.

PLEASE CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO ARRANGE A TEST DRIVE.

Lancaster Reading Aston MartinBennet Road

Reading, Berkshire RG2 0QX, UK

0118 965 8500www.jardinemotors.co.uk/aston-martin

Neatly fusing the full-blooded performance and striking looks of a thoroughbred V12-engined sports car with the effortless character and lavish style of a luxury GT, the Aston Martin Virage is the perfect choice for the discerning driver who not only demands comfort, but also desires genuine dynamism.

INSPIRED DESIGN. INSPIRING PERFORMANCE.THE NEW ASTON MARTIN VIRAGE

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By Harry Metcalfe

The Spyker C8 Aileron is one of Britain’s newest supercars.Surprised? ➤

SPYKER C8AILERON

Aviation-inspired design

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Before we start looking at the new C8 Aileron, here’sa quick résumé of Spyker’s recent history. The Spykerbrand resurfaced in 2000, having lain dormant since1925, when the original company ceased trading.Debuting at the 2000 Birmingham motor show, thefirst new car from Spyker was the C8 Spyder,followed by the C8 Laviolette coupe and furtherderivatives – all in very small numbers.

Spyker (the sportscar operation, not the publicly-listed holding company of the same name whichowns Saab) is about to be acquired by Coventry-based automotive group, CPP. A Memorandum ofUnderstanding was signed in February of this yearand the transference to British ownership is expectedto be completed shortly. Spyker will be in very safe

hands at CPP, which has produced bodies andchassis for Spyker since its rebirth ten years ago.With 250 employees, it produces parts, prototypesand low-volume variants for Aston Martin andBentley, among others, and has a formidablereputation as an exceptionally capable coachbuilder.

The C8 Aileron is Spyker’s new flagship model. The first thing you should know about the C8

Aileron is that it’s effectively a brand new car: onlyaround 20 per cent of the previous generation SpykerC8s survives in the new model. The big change is anall-new aluminium chassis boasting a much widerfront track (increased by 125mm) and an extra150mm in the wheelbase compared with the earliermodels. ➤

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I thought it looked properly exotic when I firstclapped eyes on it at the Arizona launch, parkedoutside our hotel in the early morning light. Spykerhas really pulled out all the stops with the styling,designing all-new headlights, new ‘turbine’-stylewheels, and deeper, longer doors. The car maintainsthe aviation-inspired design cues of the original C8Spyder, but the longer and wider stance of the C8Aileron makes sense of some of the exquisitedetailing such as the louvered bonnet and sculptedroofline (with its purposeful air-scoop).

Instead of having a key to open the doors, allSpykers come with a brushed aluminium transponder;it’s all a bit ‘007’. Pressing one of the buttons on thiscontroller unlocks the car and sends the driver’s doorgliding upwards, Lamborghini-style. I don’t know of acooler way to enter a car, and it gets even better onceyou are inside. ➤

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NEW 2011 RANGE ROVER SPORTWith its sure-footed all-wheel drive chassis and choice of potent 3.0 TDV6 or 5.0 supercharged engines, the Range Rover Sport is a true sporting all-rounder whether you are powering down the motorway or taking a back road.

• 3.0 TDV6 with Diesel Particulate Filter now EU5 compliant

• 5.0 S/C Autobiography, 0-60mph in 5.9 seconds

• Autobiography Sport in 5.0 S/C or 3.0 TDV6 versions

• TDV6 HSE Luxury Pack option

Call us today to book a test drive.

T H White Land RoverCoped Hall, Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Wiltshire SN4 8EP

0844 558 3006 www.thwhite.landrover.co.uk

Drive responsibly on and off-road.

OFFICIAL FUEL CONSUMPTION FIGURES FOR THE RANGE ROVER SPORT RANGE IN MPG (L/100KM): URBAN 13.0 (21.8) – 25.2 (11.2) EXTRA URBAN 26.3 (10.7) – 34.9 (8.1) COMBINED 19.0 (14.9) – 30.7 (9.2) CO2 EMISSIONS: 348 – 243 G/KM.

TWO GREAT ENGINES.ONE MIGHTY REPUTATION.

RANGE ROVER SPORT

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The C8 Aileron gets a completely new dash, whichretains all the beautiful detailing Spykers have becomefamous for, but now includes a bespoke colour LCDscreen to display things such as sat-nav directions,music details and a web browser. The seats areexcellent, too. Developed specifically for Spyker bySparco, they wrap around you and offer propershoulder support, should you need it.

Getting moving is also an event. Flip up the redcover shielding the main ‘On’ switch, flick the switchitself down, then thumb the starter button that sits justbelow. The 4.2-litre V8 bursts into life just behind you,but before you move off you’ll come across another ofthe big changes: the C8 Aileron is being offered only asan automatic, meaning the ultra-stylish gearlever nowcontrols a ZF six-speed automatic gearbox. Thisgearbox choice is deliberate. By leaning the C8 Aileronmore towards being a GT car, it opens the Spyker brandup to a whole new type of buyer. Flick a toggle switch,though, and you can manually control the gears withthe paddles behind the steering wheel. ➤

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As the miles pass, the first thing you notice is thequality of the C8 Aileron’s chassis. There’s fluidity ondisplay here that moves the C8 Aileron into adifferent league. This chassis feels stiff but absorbsbumps beautifully, inspiring confidence andencouraging you to push it further. Britishengineering is responsible for the C8 Aileron’s newcomposure as I believe that a certain Norfolk-basedsportscar and engineering specialist was responsiblefor the dynamics. ➤

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Despite being pitched as a GT, the C8 Aileron alsoprovides an enthralling experience when pushing on.Steering response is excellent; get some lock on andit doesn’t go horribly heavy, despite the C8 Aileronhaving a much quicker rack compared to itspredecessors. Push the car harder and you canreally begin to lean on the brakes as they’ve gotgreat feel at speed, right up to the point where theABS starts to cut in.

I’m mightily impressed with this car. It’s so muchbetter than I was expecting; it looks astounding, thedetails are glorious and the build quality top-notch.Having survived the lean times and with the take-over by CPP imminent, its order book is starting to fillup again.

There are few cars out there, irrespective ofpower output and brand, that make you feel soexcited just walking up and getting in. The fact thatgoing for a drive is comfortable and thrilling in equalmeasure, and – most importantly – makes you feelas special as the car looks, is a compliment to whatthis small company has achieved with this car.

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2009 / 10

Keltbray is the UK’s leading pre-constructionspecialist, delivering deconstruction and civilengineering services to enable the construction of London’s newest additions to the skyline.

From The Shard to Heron Tower, to the 2012Olympic Park, Birmingham New Street Station,Crossrail and Oxford University, Keltbray work ondevelopments across the commercial, public, rail,infrastructure and industrial sectors, underpinned by a country-wide plant and environmental materialmanagement capability.

Trust in KeltbrayKeltbray St Andrew’s House Portsmouth Road Esher Surrey KT10 9TA

T 020 7643 1000 | F 020 7643 1001 | E [email protected]

www.keltbray.com

Supporting the new skyline

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By Tim Julier

In march 2010, Tilli Antonelli, founder and ex president of thePershing brand, created WIDER yachts. ➤

WIDER 42 The ultimate day boat

Based in Castelvecchio di Monte Porzio, Italy, the Wider facility covers some10,000m2 and from this base, the company designs, constructs and markets openday-cruisers, with a strong focus on excellent all round performance.

The company has developed and created a new concept in yachting, the WiderCockpit. The very first model of the Wider fleet is a 42 foot open day-cruiserfeaturing strong design ideas, and aims to be what Wider call a “floating waterpark” as well as a versatile yacht able to change and adapt to satisfy a wide rangeof demands.

To create more space on board the Wider 42’ yacht features a clever automaticsystem, that allows her to widen out in just 12 seconds thanks to mobileextensions either side of the hull. Wider has thus managed to double the usablesurface and significantly increase the yacht’s stability and comfort when at rest.Smaller boats like this are inclined to bob about and roll at anchor so this makesthe Wider significantly more enjoyable than its competitors as a platform to swim,dive or generally enjoy the sea from.

Thanks to the shape of the stepped hull, which creates an air cushion betweenthe surface of the sea and the hull, the yacht planes quickly and maintains a highlydynamic sailing trim. Unusually and unlike normal hulls, this model is moretrimmed at the stern, especially during planing, guaranteeing the yacht alwayssails horizontally on the water, improving her performance and guaranteeingconstant visibility, too.

A stepped racing hull like this is rather unusual on a pleasure boat. It requiresprecision engineering measurable in millimetres during both the design andconstruction phases to get it right. The design of the Wider 42’ hull was entrustedto Mark Wilson, one of the top experts in the world of racing yachts, who alsodesigned the hulls with which his son won the World Championships three times,once in class P2 and twice in class P1. ➤

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The excellent power to weight ratio of the Wider 42’ means the yacht can reach a top speed of 53 knotsand cruise at 40 knots with just 100 l/h consumption for the two 480 hp Cummins engines. This results in arange of almost 400 miles at 40 knots, unthinkable for a yacht of this kind until now.

The multifunctional steering wheel was developed through the Naviop and Tastitalia partnership and is anew and clever solution to integrate many of the onboard controls into a single instrument. It has an in-builtmultiview display, similar to those used in Formula 1, featuring all the information necessary for sailing, as wellas significantly reducing the number of parts in the helm station.

Equipment includes a GPSMap® 7012 Garmin chart plotter, equipped with a 12.1 inch touchscreen display,and new G-Motion™ technology which allows for extraordinary fluidity when passing from one screen toanother, with imperceptible updates of the different zoom levels and 3D graphics. Another Garmin product isthe VHF 300i digital radio, connected to the chart plotter in such a way as to create a highly reliable, latestgeneration navigation system.

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Some very special materials have been used on this boat with the vertical surfaces inside the cabindisplaying the carbon laminate, whilst the structural bulkheads are clad in a new linen fabric with a polishedfinish. Esthec (www.esthec.com) was chosen for the yachts decking material. It offers all the positivecharacteristics of teak, such as aesthetic appearance and being pleasant to the touch, whilst also beingindestructible, stain resistant, fireproof, non-slip, does not splinter, and requires no maintenance.

In order to guarantee maximum versatility of use, the stern can house a jet ski, rubber dinghy, or even adiving centre, in an uncovered garage.The housing for the jet ski (or rubber dinghy) lowers towards the water,forming a slide to facilitate launch and recover operations. Once the water toys have been launched, the samespace can be converted into an additional sundeck.

The new Wider 42 has to be the ultimate day boat, offering fast pace across the ocean, the very latesttechnology, stability at anchor, more deck space than any of its competitors and many much larger boats, and allthe latest toys to keep you and your friends amused.

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By Peter Wallman

Record-setting collector car auction results from the first half ofthe year reveal a healthy market and positive forecast leadingup to summer’s busy auction season. ➤

RM AUCTIONSPositive forecast for

summer auctionseason

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The collector car hobby is vibrant. Following astrong performance in 2010, the momentum hascontinued in the first half of 2011, with solid resultsrecorded across the board, great cars coming tomarket, and continued interest and enthusiasm fromcollectors around the world.

From our view point at RM Auctions we have hadthe pleasure of offering a magnificent roster ofcollector cars at our first three 2011 events to datewith record sales Phoenix, Arizona; Amelia Island,Florida; and most recently, at its debut Concorsod’Eleganza Villa d’Este sale in Italy last month (May21). €23 Million in Two Hours

More recently, our Villa d’Este catalogue featuredone of the most significant offerings of collector carspresented in recent auction history,most of whichfound new homes.

Interesting to note that our of the 32 cars offeredat the sale came from 6 different countries showingthat the collector car market is becoming more andmore international, but we will look more into thatlater. Total sales sailing north of €23 million in a littleover two hours; six automobiles realized prices over€1 million, with two lots surpassing €3 million – notbad going.

The results indicate a continued healthy marketfor blue-chip collectibles with great cars – rareexamples with important provenance anddocumentation - continuing to attract great prices.

Another interesting point to underline the growthof the markets global reach is illustrated by ourbuyers; bidders represented 23 countries around theworld, including as far away as Argentina, Brazil andJapan – further proof of emerging markets in Asiaand South America.

With the exception of the Talbot-Lago however, itwas Ferraris that dominated the top-sellers list at theVilla d’Este sale and that still command good pricesin the current market.

Interesting that strong results at the auction werealso realized for a visually-striking selection of sixconcepts, offered for the first time from the officialcollection of Bertone S.p.A. and offered for sale forthe first time, illustrating that rare cars withimpeccable provenance, that are fresh to the marketattract a lot of interest. ➤

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Summer Auction

Strong results from early 2011 sales paint a positiveforecast for the upcoming – and traditionally verybusy – summer auction season. In addition to a hostof smaller sales planned for the coming months, thefocus of the collector car world will return toCalifornia, USA in August for the world-renownedMonterey Classic Car Week and Pebble BeachConcours d’Elegance. There will be no less than 5major auctions that weekend, historic racing atLaguna Seca, the high class event at the Quail,Concorso Italiano, to mention just a few of the eventstaking place in the weekend. ➤

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“The original and still the best”“The original and still the best”

For a brochure or more information contact:The Supercar Club Telephone: +44 (0) 1367 860805 [email protected]

The Tour Alpina is the Supercar event for the driver who loves mountainscenery, empty mountain passes and the view from the top of the world!

Limited to just 25 Supercars, both classic and modern, this exciting trip takesfive days and six nights, all at five star hotels. The event follows aspectacular route through the Dolomite Mountains from Salzburg in Austria,via Italy to St Moritz in Switzerland.

Tour Alpina

3rd -8th

September2011

keltbrayFINE JEWELLERS

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From our camp, and our annual sale, August 19 – 20,include no less than 14 examples with estimates over $1million USD, including a superb roster of Ferraris - a1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico Vignale Competition Berlinetta,a 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Spyder Scaglietti; a 1960Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione and a 1962Ferrari 400 Superamerica. Another early attraction? Aniconic 1970 Porsche 911S formerly owned by the ‘Kingof Cool’ Steve McQueen and featured in his epicHollywood film Le Mans.

Next up however, and a little closer to home, RMcontinues its European events calendar in England onJune 23 with its inaugural sale at the Salon Privé luxurycar show and Concours d’Elegance.

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THE BUGATTI ATALANTE COLLECTION Entirely manufactured in

Les Ateliers Parmigianiin Switzerland

H E R I T A G E I N T H E M A K I N G

WWW.PARMIGIANI.CH

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By Greg Hollamby

I didn’t imagine writing about this car would be easy, as thereare few opportunities these days to drive a Supercar in the UKand give it a chance to show you what it is capable of, howeverwe seemed to manage one way or another and now know thatthe 458 is a very impressive car indeed. ➤

FERRARI 458A major step forward

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Having driven it for four days though I am convincedthat only a handful of people who own these will everreally understand what they have in their garage. Theengineering and technology are frankly staggering,and the result of this magic is a car with morecapability than some people should probably betrusted with.

It’s shockingly fast and manages its speed in sucha way that you may well be deceived into thinkingyou are going more slowly than you really are. Add tothis all the clever electronic jiggery pokery and beforeyou know it warp speeds are being achieved inplaces and through corners where few cars couldhope to compete. ➤

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The mid mounted 4.5 litre engine produces 570horse power which is quite a lot for any car, let aloneone that weighs a touch less than 1400 kilos, and theresult is a car that is faster I think than anyone sanecan actually drive flat out.

However, it also does a very good job of being arelatively normal car which really could be used daily,even for commuting. Quite seriously. Much of this newfound comfort and useability comes from the doubleclutch gearbox which means very tidy gearchangesand the real possibility to use the ‘auto’ button andnot be lurching to and fro with each change of gear. ➤

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I was genuinely surprised by how this car can be soexceptionally fast and competent one minute and adocile one handed drive with an auto box the next. Thecar even has a button on the steering wheel to presswhen you hit a bumpy road to make it morecomfortable. If you want to listen to the radio or make atelephone call (from the passenger seat obviously), orjust to have a quiet time, the exhausts can be shut upto a great extent by turning the manettino the left.

Personally I think the car is at its best in the Racesetting which is the most focused while leaving thetraction control and stability programming in place.Perhaps you might want to switch these off on thetrack but to be honest I can’t really think of any otherreason you might want to. ➤

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Dick Lovett Specialist Cars

An already well-established name in the world of exceptional motorcars, the Dick Lovett Group has dealt with the sale of some of

With the experience gained throughout years of trading Dick Lovett

all the modern services you expect from an exclusive car dealer and an in depth understanding of how our customers and friends choose

a professional, expert and discreet service for aspiring and veteran

beautiful cars has been a passion that has both lasted and

particular interest to you, you have a vehicle for sale or would like to

We would be delighted to assist and provide advice on any aspect

or a member of the team on 01793 615000, or by email [email protected]

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The steering wheel has more on it than before withnot just the manettino and start button, but indicators,lights and wipers as well. Having less clutter on thesteering column is good news and the controls all workwell and take no time at all to get used to.

I guess the big question for me is how much betteris it than the car it replaces. The honest answer is thatit’s almost exactly what someone with a 430 wouldhope Ferrari would have given them.

If you are a good driver you will love it, and if youare an average driver it will make you a good driver. It’ssimply that good. Go and try one.

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