Ferrari F80

About half of the ‘Ferrari’ guys I know use their cars on track and can drive to a good standard. Of course, they also have Porsches which are often a cheaper way to do repeated track days and nothing wrong with that. I’ve used our SF90, Speciale and Pista on track; Spa, Silverstone, Donington, Goodwood plus the TT circuit (during TT week) and admittedly slower laps of Le Mans. But more usually take a GT3/GT3 RS mainly because of cost plus the fact that they are also great track cars. I never drove the LaF on track but would love to take the F80 to somewhere like Silverstone - a track I know well and has long enough straights and high-speed corners to feel the aero working. Wanting to do it and actually doing it will depend on how I feel about the car when it arrives and finding the right opportunity. Probably the Pirelli day is the best. The issue is not putting the car on track, it’s everybody else!

There’s also the need to get the running-in mileage done, which can take a while in these cars since they are hardly daily-drivers. Planning the mileage using transporters to make sure you only drive them in the nicest places such as the Alps etc. is the way to do it I think. It’s an interesting topic on its own - how do you enjoy the use of cars that you consider highly valuable (everyone’s datum point is different so it can apply to any car from an F80 to a BMW M2, to an irreplaceable sentimental car, to a hard-to-get rare older car)?

As for the use of instructors, we always use a young racing driver we know if we can get hold of him. Usually shared between me, my son, a friend etc. If Wimbledon champions use tennis coaches, I think it’s entirely valid for an amateur driver - however fast, or slow - to use one too. These days, most of the best track days are over-populated. Having another pair of eyes watching is no bad thing, plus it’s nice to drive fast with these cars but it’s much more fun if you’re improving your technique and lap times while doing it. I thoroughly recommend finding someone good to call on if you haven’t before.

Having further reflected on what has been said about the F80, I think it will become legendary as a Ferrari ‘big 6’ car. The LaFerrari, in some ways could be considered to be slightly underwhelming when it arrived. It had the most power of the ‘holy trinity’ but it was not conclusively the fastest on track, or possessing of the best technology. Maybe that was to be expected, after all, Porsche and McLaren are hardly trailing miles behind when it comes to racing pedigree. The LaFerrari has been the most successful because it is probably the most beautiful of the three and it most certainly sounds the best, and, of course, Ferrari. The F80 is different. It reportedly merges the worlds of track and road driving better than any of the other recent hyper cars - Valkyrie, Utopia etc. It looks to have raised the bar for what should be expected from super-manufacturers for the future. One journalist concluded “I think I have just driven the best car of the 21st century”. Can it be that good? It would be quite a privilege to get behind the wheel of one if that proves to be true.

 

I’d take the SP3….but mostly because it has a removable roof. They are equally striking (in different ways) but I LOVE open air motoring so I’d do the SP3. I’m not a good enough driver to extract the most performance out of either.

 

I think what's "puzzling" him is that you seem to think that you speak...for the rest of the world.

 

The big question is did the F80 participate in the shootout?

 

Looks like they did not, to bad, would have been fun to see the result

 

Well yes mostly..we taught the same people at the same tracks and did it at the same time. Yes the Porsche owners were awful. When we ran NASA at PIR the Porsche owners were obsessed with what new aftermarket part could they bolt on to go faster. Remember the idiot who bought a GT2 race car car with no experience? Bruce something…I begged him to get an instructor. Never did.

As for rich = bad driver was to me more ego = bad driver. I’ve run many races with Silicon Valley millionaires/billionaires and many had no ego and wanted to learn…and did really well. Lastly, I’m in the list for an F80 and have a deposit on the books. If I get it, I’ll absolutely track it.

 

The guys in the Challenge Series, or Porsche Supercup are the exceptions I was talking about.

Now Ron...... My old friend. If you get an F80 I would love it if you invited me to go pick it up with you, and if you don't let me have a go with it at the track, I at least ride shotgun!

 

For some reason, really enjoyed reading that post!

 

Anyone that thinks more than a handful of F80's will be tracked is kidding themselves.

 

Dutch guy ordered this spec

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Well, not the Valkyrie. Aston Martin doesn't think they should be driven

$3.5 Million Mistake? Valkyrie Owner Sues Aston Martin Over 'Undrivable' Hypercar

 

Ummmm, for all you Valkyrie lovers you might want to read the article, here is a fun quote "Aston Martin’s definition of regular use came under fire. The company claimed that most Valkyrie owners drive their vehicles only between 300 and 1,000 kilometers, interpreting the car’s primary purpose as collection and display. Based on this, Aston Martin maintained that moving beyond this range constitutes atypical use and that any resulting damage is unsurprising."

 

And do people really think this is a good looking car?

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Well, that's an awfully low bar.

Maybe only the Pontiac Aztec is lower.

 

It’s just those headlights…. Wrong shape….. something more modern like led strips would fit better.

Rest of the F1 shape I think is cool though

 

I was shocked Shmee150, Tim, was not invited to the Ferrari press launch of the F80. Nobody gets more excited and enthusiastic than @shmee150

@shmee150 what happened to your invite?

 

I have nothing against Shmee150 (Tom Burton), and I think he's a polite and hard-working guy. However, it seems to me that when it comes to his on-screen personality, in-depth knowledge, and detailed observation of the car's character and how they make him feel, he can't be compared to people like Chris Harris or some of the well-known motor journalists who tested the F80.

 

I understand your view and that's fair. However, I was surprised given that he's been invited to other Ferrari stuff recently and also got a SF90 XX allocation. Just seemed like he had made the Ferrari list.

 

yes, it looks crazy which I think is a good thing and knowing it has a 11,000rpm v12 in there makes it more appealing too!

 

I like the Valkyrie. It sucks as a road car but the looks are good for me.

 

I think the press individuals that were invited were also skilled drivers who could rally put the F80 through its paces and explain in an articulate manners its overall feel and performance as a track car. I don't think Shmee is that copiable of a driver. I do agree he is fun to watch and his ability to do an unedited single take presentation is amazing. He can talk for 20 minutes, unedited without a single pause, its impressive.