217 mph indicated. He shifts into 7th at about 205 mph. Well Sebastian knows how to pass but I would be leery about passing those cars on the right. They might not see you coming. Another thing I noticed is that inside the cabin the F12 sounds different than the FF. Why?
Reportedly, the car's been tuned by PP Performance. (Source: Journo Posts Video Of Himself Doing 217 MPH In A Ferrari On A Highway) Could account for the different sound, as well as the increased top speed. (Ferrari lists the F12's Vmax as about 210/211 miles an hour.) That said, at those sorts of speeds, even a slight speedometer error adds up to a serious difference in speeds. And as others here have noted, Ferraris are a wee bit notorious for optimistic speedometers: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/456-550-575-sponsored-bradan/460254-speedometer-error.html My biggest problem with the video is, well, doing that kind of speed on a public road - with traffic on it! - is stupendously dumb. There are cars in the next lane that are going, literally, a quarter his speed. At those sort of closing speeds, he could go from being a speck in the rear view to right in somebody's blind spot in the two seconds it takes to decide to change lanes. Honestly, I doubt Vettel was driving. First of all, I doubt somebody who just signed to ferrari would go out and then rip it up in a tuned Ferrari. (What would Enzo think?) And secondly, I think he's too smart to risk his career on such a dumb stunt. Then again, I could be wrong.
Am I alone in thinking this is freaking idiotic? Ok, push it to 250kph on an open non speed restricted highway, but 350 and passing cars on left and right...asinine in my book.
Yes, I doubt if the 217 mph is actual speed. As you say speedometer error is one factor; a normal 3% error would take 7 mph off the top. And a small tail wind would add to the optimism. A few years ago I took a Gallardo to 207 mph on an airport runway with the aid of a strong tailwind. In the opposite direction it could manage only 180 mph. And yes it is "stupendously dumb." For one thing it doesn't look like the drivers have the lane discipline that you find on German autobahns or even the Italian autostrada. Let us hope that it was not Vettel.
That doesn't apply for at least a decade now. Quattroruote clocked the 458 at 330 kph real speed. The speedo read 340 kph, just 3% off at that speed. I call that very accurate! So, 349 indicated is well within the capabilities of the ballistic F12. I guess it can do more than that. As for this run, I didn't see anything dangerous.
I agree that this is dangerous because at those relative speeds reaction time is minimal. But newsflash, this goes on all the time, or at least it did back when I used to visit Germany and drive the autobahns. Maybe the speeds weren't quite this high, but as I was always the guy in the right lane in the 190, I have vivid recollections of Ferraris, Lambos, Porsches and big Audis going by at a very similar relative speed. Like, all the time. But aside from all that -- all hail the great F12!
It's the passing on the right that disturbed me most. Whereas on the Autobahns and Autostradas you can pretty much assume that people will see you coming up on the left if they are in the right lane and then know to stay put, here there were people cruising in the left lane as in the US. No lane discipline means that you really have no idea what they are going to do.
I think its nuts to do this on public roads with other slower traffic. Its not the skill of a F1 driver, but spooking other drivers while passing on the right.
I guess there are plenty of driving errors to find fault with in this video, regardless of the impressive acceleration and smooth driving in the F12. That being said, we should also remember the left-most highway lane is only for passing, not cruising and those idiots in the left lane are what started the problems. Unfortunately events like this where people react to right lane speeding tend to obscure and hide the culprits in the left lanes. The cops need to start pulling over left lane hogs.
I'll never forget the first time I drove on an Autobahn. That dot in the side view mirror quickly became the turbo 911 rumbling along at over 150 mph as it passed my Mini. But you quickly get used to it and enjoy the lane discipline. Next time I went back to Europe I rented a BMW 6 and ran with almost all of them except the FCars that seemed to occupy a higher speed level. At no time did I feel unsafe or insecure; the confidence came from a sense that other drivers knew what they were doing. Then I got back to the US
It seems they have been indoctrinated to believe that "speed kills"...... Then again, from most postings on the site most owners just store and wax their cars.
I remember from a top gear episode where they tested the flying spur to 200mph in the Middle East, outside the city limits the roads were unlimited, hence they could do it? Maybe this was done in such an area? The video ends well, why are we worried, I just watched it and enjoyed seeing a competent driver complete the feat without problems, and that amazing car stably achieve those speeds for a few brief moments.
+1....although some of the folk out there are notorious for "out of control" driving this gent seemed to do it quite smoothly
If one drives on an American interstate highway for 20 minutes, one will completely understand the basis for these reactions...
Don't doubt it one bit. Ferrari has low balled their performance figures because of stuff like this. The F12 is very much capable of this speed. If you guys believe the LaFerrari tops out at 217 mph you're very naive.
