Today on MSN- Ferrari Article

MSN.com had a nice Ferrari Article today. Check it out.

A Day in the Ferrari Life

Beautiful weather, winding roads and fast Ferraris made for a perfect day at the 2005 Ferrari Challenge Rally in Napa, California. Photo: Ferrari North America
by Perry Stern

MSN Autos takes to the roads of California's Napa Valley with Ferrari owners during the annual, invitation-only Ferrari Challenge Rally.

This Enzo, which was the ultimate winner of the rally, prepares to head out on the road for the second day of driving.
Our ride for the first part of the day—Ferrari's 490-horsepower F430 Spider.
The F430 takes a number of styling cues from the flagship of the Ferrari line, the Enzo.
With seating for four and a 540-horsepower V12 engine, the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is the ultimate people mover.
The rare Ferrari F50 and Enzo stand out from the crowd, even when traveling with 60 other Ferraris.
Two exclusive Ferrari Superamericas that feature a unique one-piece retractable top attended the rally.
Not only new Ferrais participated in the rally—there were a number of vintage models, including this 1973 Dino 246 GTS.
Ferrari supplied mechanics to keep this collection of exotic machinery in top form on the road.
The high point of the rally was a parade run across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
When auto enthusiasts purchase new Ferraris, they get more than sexy, high-performance automobiles. They actually join a family of sorts, with special privileges, events and access reserved exclusively for members of that family.
Marco Mattiacci, vice president of marketing for Ferrari North America, told MSN Autos that the brand's exclusivity extends far past its limited product volume, due to the Italian automaker's rich heritage in design, performance, technology and craftsmanship. This gives Ferrari the ability to offer its owners unique experiences that the competition cannot match.

2005 Ferrari Challenge Rally
Some of these "family-only" experiences include an owners racing series; the ability to test-drive cars and participate in racing/driving schools in Italy where F1 world champions practice; private tours of the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy; private receptions and events held specifically for owners to view the newest concepts and Ferrari designs before the media or others see them; and additional access to designers, F1 champions and others affiliated with the legendary Ferrari brand.

Rally in the Napa Valley
One such event available to Ferrari owners is the annual Ferrari Challenge Rally. This year the rally took place over three days in August along scenic roads within California's famous Napa Valley wine country, with the last day's drive ending up in Monterey just in time for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The highlight of the rally occurred on the final day when the string of fantastic Ferraris paraded across San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

MSN Autos was invited to spend a day with the rally to meet the owners and get a little seat time in two of Ferrari's newest products, the F430 Spider and 612 Scaglietti. Since this would be an experience of many "firsts"—first time in a rally, first time driving a Ferrari—it was an offer no self-respecting car enthusiast could refuse.


During the rally, drivers and their navigators competed in time, distance and accuracy categories while traveling approximately 800 miles over some exciting, twisty Napa roads. Participants stayed in luxurious hotels with gourmet meals each evening. Ferrari supplied mechanics to keep the cars in perfect running condition, as well as detailing services so each morning owners began a day in the life with a clean machine. The idea behind the details was rather simple: all participants had to do was drive and enjoy themselves—it's like giving your car a nice vacation and going along for the ride.

Cost for the three-day rally, organized by Ferrari of North America, was $5,750 for two people with one car.

A Stable of Amazing Machinery
More than 60 Ferraris participated in this year's event, ranging from 1950s classics such as a 250 PF Coupe and 166 to modern-day exotics that included the Enzo and F50. These cars came from all over the country, with many owners shipping their cars to the rally. However, several owners drove their cars to Napa—including the Enzo, which came all the way from Utah.

On our appointed day of driving we started the morning in an F430 Spider—in Ferrari Red, of course. After some quick instructions on the available and recommended settings, we were on our way.

Ah, the bliss of that exhaust note! With the top down and that big V8 right behind our heads, we actually heard the engine rather than the exhaust. And for sports car enthusiasts, there's no better sound than a Ferrari V8—except perhaps a Ferrari V12—but that would have to wait until we switched cars after lunch.

The F430 Spider's V8, on display under a clear engine cover, displaces 4.3-liters and produces 490 horsepower. "Our" F430 was equipped with Ferrari's F1 transmission, which is basically a manual transmission with an automatic clutch. Gear changes occur via paddles behind the steering wheel: right paddle shifts up, left shifts down, and there's no clutch pedal. Ferrari claims that shifts occur in just 150 milliseconds, and we have no reason to disagree. Shifting is instant, with perfectly matched engine revs for effortless downshifts.

Putting the pedal to the floor in this car doesn't just produce mind-bending acceleration—it creates an entire experience. The powerplant begins its intoxicating roar while quickly passing 2000 rpm, changing to a scream above 5000 rpm. Pinned against the seats we passed 60 mph in just over four seconds and, with shifts happening almost instantly, there's no break in acceleration.

The F430 has a top speed of almost 200 mph. Of course we would never attempt to validate this impressive number on public roads; however, on clear stretches with no other vehicles around we momentarily reached triple digits with little difficulty, and this bright red thoroughbred from the automaker with the prancing horse in its logo showed no sign of tiring.

The reaction this particular Ferrari received from other people was surprising. Drivers waved, honked, and even pulled over to let us by. On more than one occasion we heard yells of "nice car!" as we passed observers on the side of the road.

About midday we noticed a flatbed truck carrying a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti following the Ferraris on the rally route. We offhandedly assumed the car had broken down, but were unsure why the truck would follow the circuitous round taken by the Ferraris. We discovered later this car was a "spare"—in the event that one of the participants had mechanical or other problems, Ferrari of North America had this car in reserve for the participant to use so the rally would not be interrupted for the driver. Talk about a loaner car!

A Ferrari for the Family
After lunch it was time to swap to the family-sized model. The 612 Scaglietti replaced the 456 in the Ferrari stable a few years ago, and its styling is quite different than the rest of the lineup. It also has something unique in the current model line—a rear seat. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the rear seat in the 612 actually has room for two adults.

Our 612 was a light beige color so it didn't' stand out like our red F430 from the morning's drive. Several cows gave their hides to create the leather-rich interior. Even the headliner is made from soft tan leather.

In contrast to the F430's V8 wailing behind the driver, the 612 features a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. It may be a larger car, but it's still unquestionably a Ferrari. Under its hood lurks a 6.0-liter V12 engine producing an impressive 540 horsepower.

Hard acceleration in the 612 produces a different experience than its open-top sibling. With the windows closed, not much of the muted V12's exhaust note makes its way into the cabin. The 612 doesn't give drivers the same sensation of acceleration as the F430, but the bigger car does get moving quickly. A stiff plant on the 612's accelerator got us from zero to triple digits before we even had time to think about glancing down at the speedometer. Inside the cabin the ride was very quiet, the car incredibly stable.

During cornering and braking we noticed the additional mass of the 612 over the F430. The Scaglietti still can out-corner almost any other luxury tourer, but we had the disadvantage (if one could call it that) of having to compare it to the F430, arguably the benchmark in its class.

Only one vehicle we've driven recently could be considered on par with the 612—the Bentley Continental GT. The Bentley held the title as the fastest 4-seat car in the world until the Ferrari 612 came along, but ultimately top speed is just for bragging rights, at least in this country. For acceleration and handling, the Bentley and Ferrari are very close, but the Bentley has a few more horses, all-wheel drive and costs about $100,000 less. However, the Continental GT doesn't have a prancing horse in the grille, and a Bentley won't get you through the door at the house of Ferrari.

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Machine Code: A05 - Date: 2005-11-02T07:04:46

 

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