LaFerrari review, test drive

There are no spikes on which to impale yourself, in other words, even if the scenery does appear in the windscreen at a quite unbelievable lick, if and when you press the accelerator hard and hold it there for more than a couple of seconds. Everything the LaFerrari does – from the way it turns into a corner to the way it stops for one, and even the way it accelerates out of a bend – it does predictably. You always know where you are with this car. And considering just how insanely fast it is, that is arguably its greatest achievement; being manageable.

 

On the road, where I also drove it briefly, LaFerrari feels, if anything, even faster still – to a point where you really do need to choose your moment before squeezing the throttle with anything approaching enthusiasm. But even so, the ride quality is still quite amazingly good, the steering beautifully well judged in its response and not in the least bit corrupted by rough surfaces. 

 

The visibility is also nowhere near as poor as I had expected it to be, the car’s general drivability/usability not much less than that of a 458 Italia. Which is extraordinary given how much deeper its well runs in all other respects; including the ability to turn heads, which is something it does more than any car I’ve ever driven.

 

You can’t unfortunately buy a LaFerrari because A) all 499 cars are now sold out and B) you might well have struggled to match Ferrari’s strict critieria for ownership in the first place.

 

If you wanted to buy a LaFerrari then you needed to have bought a minimum of two recent Ferraris via the dealer network from new, and have owned six in total in the last 10 years, and ideally never have speculated on any of them – or something along those lines. 

 

A more appropriate question then; is it better, worse or just different to a McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder? And is it a worthy successor to the mighty Enzo?

 

The LaFerrari is a more than worthy successor to the Enzo. Indeed, it makes the old-timer feel gruesomely under-achieving in most respects, and is also a much easier, far sweeter car to drive in the process. 

 

Does that make it a better hypercar than the McLaren and 918? That’s a question we aim to answer properly in months to come, but my hunch here and now is that it will be one heck of a dust-up. Between at least two of the world’s most exciting cars.

 

And in the meantime, be in no doubt; the LaFerrari is a true masterpiece from Maranello.