So let's rewind to when you thumb the start
button on the thick-rimmed, smoothed-off hexagonal steering wheel (which feels
great, by the way). The 4.5-litre V8 pukes out its angry, flat blare and the
whole car fizzes and vibrates. The Speciale is loud. Too loud, I'd say, but
there will be an optional quieter exhaust for people who want to attend
trackdays and don't like tinnitus. Turn the manettino to Race (or CT Off when
you're a bit more dialled in, giving access to the Side Slip Control mode),
flick the long paddle for first, take a little moment to compose yourself and
then go.
The
fixed rear wing is the typical distinguishing feature of the 911 GT3
Immediately the car feels stiff, light and
extremely reactive. The steering is weightier than a 458 Italia's and still
super-direct, but because it's so in tune with the chassis it doesn't feel
nervous at all. Even so, it might take a corner or two before one steering
input creates the perfect arc. The brakes take some adjustment too, as they're
even more reactive than the GT3's and if you've been practising left-foot
braking in the McLaren you'll stand the Speciale on its nose the first time you
try the same. So for just a few seconds the Ferrari can make you feel clumsy,
but it's a momentary thing and within a mile you feel completely dialled in and
you know good things can only follow.
Ferrari's
458 Speciale is powered by a 597bhp 4.5-litre V8
And they do, streaming back at you in a
blur of noise and agility. The engine has the reach of the GT3's and nearly
matches the brutal thump of the 650S's, and its throttle response shames both.
Rarely do you call upon the full 9,000rpm but from 4,500 to 7,000rpm the
Speciale produces a deep wave of power. Upshifts are lightning and downshifts
even better - as I said on the first drive in Italy, it seems to bang in the
gear just before the threshold where it might lock the rear axle, almost
dragging the car backwards as you brake late into a comer. On UK roads you'll
need 'bumpy road mode' (press the button marked with an outline of a damper),
but once selected the body control is superb and the ride is almost a match for
the 650S in Handling Sport mode.
The
650S's 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine develops 641bhp
It's the Speciale's instant response that
defines the whole experience. It never, ever makes you wait. Not for gearshifts
or engine, and certainly not for the chassis to make real your inputs. At road
speeds there is no understeer, and oversteer comes fast but is easily
controlled by that pinpoint steering and throttle response. The car just seems
to react in real-time, compressing the phase between input and output until
your brain can't register the gap. On these roads, on any roads, it's just more
exciting than the 650S and has greater capacity to entertain than even the GT3.
Take your brain out and the Porsche can shadow the Speciale, mainly because it
has much greater traction and the slightly slower steering gives you more
confidence in fast corners. Bring price into the equation and it's simply unbeatable.
But... the Speciale is just more intense, more involving and it literally makes
you whoop with delight. That sunny day in Italy wasn't just new car euphoria
gone mad. The Speciale is the real deal.
