Chris Harris is in love with the F12, even when compared to a hypercar.

Hes right.

 

Harris: F12 is "abject hooliganry"

 

I think that's about right.

 

Could not come up with a better description of the F12 if I tried.

 

A fun vid. I am mildly surprised that he got around a little faster in the Speciale than the F12, considering that it is a fast track. Lighter weight, mid rear engine, and ultra software edge out brute hp.

 

The 458 has better tyres. Another driver might have lapped the F12 quicker still though.

 

Good point about the tires. The Speciale comes with Cups. That would make for a second at least.

 

I am happy to say I agree with Chris Harris, I loved my F12 too, it is really a hoot to drive. And I am even happier to trade the Speciale for the F12, giving up a fraction of performance but gaining so much more.

 

I agree. With the F12 you get blasting performance without having to endure the rawness of the Speciale (unless you really like that and track it), and you get the V12 (sigh)..

 

The F12 is fantastic no doubt, but you can see so much power "wasted" into smoke coming out of turns. Yes, stickier tires would help. But really, the right comparison would be F12 special model vs. 458 Speciale. Or F12 vs 458 Italia.

I want one.

 

That's the fun part about the F12, it really has too much power. But I cannot deny the fact that I love booting out the tail just a little bit every time I have time and space on city 90 degree turns. That's actually something that's not easy to do with the Speciale, it doesn't have the power to break traction at will.

 

Harris on the Speciale

How is Ferrari going to improve on this car? Not really sure it can be done.

 

"the only thing better than an F12........is another F12" - love it!

 

I said it before, and I am going to say it again, the Speciale is the non-hybrid version of the 918. It is THAT good.

 

And much less expensive!

 

Very well put!

 

Whoopsy, could you take a moment to compare the Speciale to the Italia for us?

I would like to add the F12 one day. I think its a kind of modern day gentleman's express kind of car.

 

I hate to sound more intelligent than I am, but if the Speciale has more traction, it is not kicking out its tail from a lack of power. Rather, it is not kicking out its tail because it is better planted. One of the many reasons it is faster than F12 on a track. It can get out of corners faster.
I really wish people would stop comparing the V8 vs V12 cars. They are different. Which one is "better" is based on your style/preferences.
Best

 

I will have to go with Whoopsy on this one but maybe clarify that the speciale may have the horsepower to do this but not so much the torque at normal driving RPMs to do it. So driving at 3000rpm in the city and mid turn the F12 will easily spin due to the massive torque while the speciale may not be as impressive at the same RPM. The tires in the speciale are not the factor in this case.

 

You are spreading a rumor and not fact. Check the published times. Also, it is likely the new 458M will be faster than it as well. We will have to see but the rest is in the books.

 

I am not sure what part of Speciale being faster than F12 in this test is rumor? I am commenting on times Chris Harris got driving these cars. Was the Speciale not faster?
We know he loves the F12. I know everyone on this F12 site is emotionally invested in his car being the best Ferrari ever. The simple fact that the F12 is faster in a straight line is well known. The fact that this is a fast track and the Speciale holds its own merely shows that it is performed as designed: to be a great street/track car.
I own a 458 spider. I couldn't care less which is "faster." Unfortunately the majority here do.
Best

 

But other didn't make the statement - you did. The Chris Harris video is a two day end of year review for him to have fun and for us to enjoy just as he clearly states. You can use twitter to ask him if he was running a head-to-head which is faster timed trial. I was just curious what you know that Ferrari does not.

 

Keep in mind that most F12 owners would be much slower around that track than Harris was in the slowest car of the test, the M3. In fact most owners of any Ferrari, including the F12, can not drive their cars beyond 50 - 60% of the cars' capability. In that light all this nonsense about which car is "fastest" is nonsense. Just because Harris is capable of showing the Speciale's speed on a track vs the F12's doesn't mean that anybody on this forum can...

 

I never had an Italia, only had a brief drive in it before. Had a choice on either the Italia and the 12C and I picked the 12C. Personally I think the Italia looks too feminine, the Speciale has more masculine feel and looks like a proper man's car. The triple tailpipe of the Italia is just silly. I know it tried to copy the icon F40, but on the F40 the middle pipe actually had a proper function.

Without the door arm rests, the Speciale feels roomier than the Italia. Well it actually is because of those extra 4-5 inches or so each side.

If you want to talk about driving experiences, nothing mid engine will touch the Speciale unless you go all the way to the very top with the trio of hybrid halo cars. About the only knock I had with the Speciale was the dismal exhaust sound, the Italia sounds miles better, and the lack of low, mid range torque, one reason I switched to the F12.

But I would have kept my Speciale too in addition to the F12 and FF if not for my 918.