CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS - Car of the Year 2014

I think I may choose Heidi over an F12.

 

Great video, the F12 is truly epic.

 

Has the DRIVE+ channel project failed already ?

 

Basically the 458 S performed almost the same a $900k Porsche complete with every trick technology available today.... Hmm, I like how Ferrari does it better! The 458 S is one of those epic cars that will go down in history as "one of the best of the best." I own one and had an f12 that I put thousands of miles on during a 6 mo period. Both awesome cars but the 458 S is a true event to drive and way more satisfying, IMO. Two totally different cars for different purposes of course... I am just talking about how you walk away from that early Saturday morning drive on your favorite road.

 

lol, you remind me, unsubscribed drive+ right away!

 

Chris "How do they make a better car than this [Speciale]?"

- Improve the visuals

The F12 would be my choice. I cant believe that as big and heavy as that GT is, the track times were so close to the Speciale.

 

Not a universal view that. The 458 in all its forms has been considered something of a groundbreaking car visually. I think it's easy to see why. F12 is nice too, except the front is a bit heavy-handed. Much better than 599 though.

Given the forthcoming turbos, have we seen something of a 'driving' pinnacle with the Speciale?

 

Do you not remember it's supposed to be faster ..... See their respective fiorano times. That's why I never believed those times. Too scripted for me.

 

I agree...owners love them, as they should. Some builds look fine, one I've already told the owner I would buy when he eventually sells some day.
I never liked the 16M and now the Speciale lower rocker paintjob or carbon near the rear wheel...that looks tacked on and very 80's in design aesthetics. The hood adn front end clip is a bit over-designed IMO. Rear is fine. I think Ferrari could have done a better job is all.

 

All the guys that teach for the school at fiorano said the same thing. No way f12 is faster around the track stock over a speciale. But you didn't hear that from me.

 

Its clear Mr. Harris just loved the Ferrari's. But when you pick the F12 over Heidi on tape you know its something special. Both Ferrari's are best in class no question.

 

The F12 is equipped with inferior tyres. Given the same tyre, it will be the faster car.

 

The Speciale's problems are in it's aesthetics it looks like something one of those tuners would produce, just too vulgar. Regular 458 Italia was just too nice of a design to improve on.

 

Superb video, probably one of the best I have seen lately.

 

This!

 

Awesome video - thanks for posting it!

 

Not to be a negative nancy, I know Chris was just having fun, but I was annoyed to see him take the "yellow 458 owner=small genitalia" cliche out of the bag.

 

i wouldn't call it vulgar.
perhaps hard edged would be more in line with my thinking.

 

+1 The Italia is almost too good looking...I'm glad they "uglied up" the Speciale a bit. It fits the spirit of this car IMHO.

 

i think the Speciale is the best looking car on the road, but maybe its because i appreciate it for what it can do. Its hard to separate the look from the function. I think the two are interlocked!

 

I tend to agree, but that is probably a function of my age. If the Speciale had been ust a lighter 458, I would have chosen it in a heartbeat. I can take the rear and the fin before the rear arch, but have a difficult time with the front, which is much too busy to my eyes.

John is right, we enthusiasts have a difficult time separating looks from performance. The small details in the Speciale, when I first saw one in the flesh, were beguiling. Fins! Vents! Gills! It was when I was studying photos that I reverted to the Italia. Out of curiosity, I did a test among non-car friends, circulating this photo, and asking them which they preferred, purely from an aesthetic perspective. My wife was president and a trustee of the local metropolitan museum and the national art museum, so I circulated it among her friends, too. They included artists, curators, industrial artists, and book designers. The vote in favor of the left photo was almost unanimous, with only two in favor of the right photo.

It would be nice to have both, but then they are not different enough.
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Firstly, I'll state that the Italia is indeed a beauty and we are just talking about personal preference and aesthetics but,... I could not ever bring myself to buy an Italia due to one reason alone - the front facia/bumper/(especially)fins area. The Speciale for me, fixed this issue. I know I'm probably in the minority camp here, but then that's exactly where I want to be.

 

I only started liking the 458 platform with the arrival of the Speciale. The Italia is too feminine on the front and looks weird from some angles in the rear due to the 2 corners being higher. Kinda looks like an owl. The Speciale's higher real spoiler fixes it. The smaller diffusor on the Italia also makes it look too hollow as well. The Speciale is perfection to me when it comes to looks!