Morning CS/TDF drive | FerrariChat

Morning CS/TDF drive

Discussion in 'F12/812' started by George330, Aug 27, 2017.

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  1. George330

    George330 Formula 3

    Oct 19, 2009
    1,342
    Switzerland
    Full Name:
    George
    My TDF has been in storage for the summer -I was travelling too much on business- so I decided to go pick it up and take for a drive as the weather is still wonderful in Switzerland.
    I drove my 360 Challenge Stradale to the storage facility, 60km mostly over twisty mountain roads, marvelling at the driving experience delivered by a car launched 14 years ago. It feels small compared to modern Ferrari, the driving position is spot on, but the 4 point harnesses makes pulling out of oblique junctions tricky, almost dangerous. Acceleration is adequate, although the glorious soundtrack more than makes up for it and the steering feel is from a different era, much more connected, allowing me to position the car perfectly on the road. The gearbox is slow and it feels even slower the faster one drives. I've had the car for a while and I never complained about the speed of the gearbox, but on a road like yesterday, it made me change gear less often and I rely on the torque of the car to pull me through (not bad at all). The smaller downshift paddle is one of the quirks I love about the CS, but in fast driving one needs to be constantly aware of the position of the paddle or risk missing the downshift. The brakes are a huge improvement on anything made back then. You feel like they could stop a car double the size, although they were squealing on all low speed manoeuvres. The surprising thing was that I didn't use them much! The car is so light and responsive that I needed minimal brake intervention to get set up for the bends and then sailed through them with no roll, never feeling like it would exit the scenery. In summary, this is the last "analogue" Ferrari in my opinion. The Scuderia and Speciale are objectively better, faster, but no more exciting. Seriously undervalued car and a classic Ferrari...

    Jumping into the TDF I expected to be disappointed by the size weight, look and feel compared to the CS...Another massive surprise. The car is gorgeous to start with. I can never stop looking at it and I am one of those "vintage owners" that Marchionne thinks they stopped buying Ferraris because it doesn't make beautiful cars.He is right, but the TDF stands proudly next to those vintage Ferraris. Photos don't do the car justice, colour is very important (mine is Argento Nurburgring) but Ferrari have definitely set a benchmark that will beard to beat. Starting the car is familiar: the surge of revs, bark from the exhaust point to an aggressive car, yet the feel of the seat and the perfect climate control remind me that the trip back home will be -if nothing else- more comfortable than in the 360CS. The car pulls out onto the village roads feeling less nervous over bumps than the CS, almost GT-like and feels BIG for the first 5 minutes. The steering is super-precise although perhaps lacking in feel compared to the CS, but the gearbox is a towering achievement. One needs to use it: I was surprised by the fact that the car doesn't like very high gears on low revs. My old F12 was absolutely fine with that, but trundling through a village in Auto with the car in 6th, has the TDF reminding you that this is not what the car was made for! Hitting the first 5 bends, I am blown away by the traction of the car. The process of turning becomes an exercise in picking a single spot in the bend from which to launch forward and as much as I focus on "setting the car up", I quickly realise that these roads are nowhere near the TDF limits. You just aim and fire. The tighter the road gets -and this road can barely handle 2 TDF's side by side- the nimbler the car feels. Ferrari's "passo corto virtuale" works well, and suddenly you forget the size of the vehicle; the TDF feels more nimble than the 360CS! Downhill bends -my biggest worry with heavy cars- are disposed with barely a touch of the brakes and the TDF's average speed over the mountain is substantially higher than that of the CS. You can feel the intervention of technology on the suspension. Where the CS jiggles, gets nervous over bumps etc. the TDF takes care of the road surface for you. Perhaps I would like more involvement there, but this is being picky. Acceleration is as expected; I didn't buy the car for its 0-100 or 0-200 times but on a road like this the engine allows the driver to build speed between bends at a pace that no other Ferrari I've driven could come close to. I arrive at home in awe of the TDF; When I got it I thought this might be a Ferrari built for the track, too big and too powerful to excite on everyday roads. I was wrong. If anything, this is a car built for precisely those roads, a big V12 that becomes smaller than a 360CS when the road demands it, allowing you to forget the car's value and rarity. It is also a much better car than the 599GTO. Great as it is, the GTO never reaches those levels of agility; it is an angry, beautiful car with the best soundtrack in the world, that needs open flowing roads to show its ability

    It is a great pity that many buyers of this car focus on how much money they will make when they sell it. No number is high enough in my view; This is an all-time classic and even when Ferrari make a 812 Limited Series, which will be undoubtedly faster and probably better, I doubt that it will outshine the TDF's ability to become an extension of your hands and feet on a tough road.
    Well done Ferrari and thank you for letting me have one!
     
    -K1-, JagShergill, j09333 and 7 others like this.
  2. F12KID

    F12KID F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Nov 27, 2013
    2,574
    What a lovely morning!
     
  3. -CD-

    -CD- F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Jun 7, 2005
    3,764
    near the Nürburgring
    Full Name:
    Christian
    Great write up and an obviously nice morning! :)

    Some pics would be great so we have a better morning too... :D
     
    JagShergill likes this.
  4. Shack

    Shack F1 Rookie
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    May 2, 2005
    2,503
    Earth
    Thanks for the write up. really enjoyed your views
     
  5. dcmetro

    dcmetro F1 Veteran

    Nov 27, 2007
    8,923
    Paris , France
    Full Name:
    Olivier
    Great write up....

    Some pics of the two beasts side by side would have been cherry on the cake
     
  6. uhn2000

    uhn2000 Formula 3

    Oct 15, 2011
    2,108
    Toronto
    Full Name:
    Joe
    Amazing write up thank you for sharing. TDF is definitely on my bucket list of cars. Perfection!

    Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
     
  7. Lukeylikey

    Lukeylikey F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 3, 2012
    3,053
    UK
    I enjoyed reading that. I would love a TDF and hope to be able to get the 812 version. I owned a CS and sold it for a new Speciale order a few years ago. The Speciale is a wonderful machine but the CS is as special. Although it was way past the stage at which Ferraris truly were analogue, I understand totally what you mean.

    The three best non-hyper Ferraris of this century are CS, Speciale and TDF in my totally subjective opinion!
     
  8. of2worlds

    of2worlds F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Apr 6, 2004
    16,445
    ON
    Full Name:
    CH
    I thought I was reading EVO magazine, only better. Unlike for the journalists the Ferrari's car keys will still be on the shelf next week or next month for another drive. Thank you for sharing this Stradale v tdF comparison here!
     
    JagShergill and Caeruleus11 like this.
  9. Spider68

    Spider68 Karting

    Aug 21, 2010
    209
    Switzerland
    Great description on an even better morning


    Gesendet von iPad mit Tapatalk
     
  10. Traveller

    Traveller F1 Veteran

    Apr 10, 2009
    6,323
    UK
    Full Name:
    Tim
    #10 Traveller, Aug 27, 2017
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2017
    Great description and echoes my feelings about the car. The aesthetics are something special but that aside, I cannot help but feel that some of the Press missed what makes this car special and so very different from every other car they have produced since the F40 and you begin to pick it out.
     
    JagShergill and Caeruleus11 like this.
  11. Scraggy

    Scraggy Formula 3

    Apr 2, 2012
    2,064
    England
    Full Name:
    Scraggy
    Sounds wonderful, will always be sad I missed one and even with lots of new business I am not certain on 812VS, hope one of you will take me out in yours. Anyone at Silverstone in 4 weeks ?
     
  12. Caeruleus11

    Caeruleus11 F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 11, 2013
    10,856
    Thank you for that fantastic writeup! Congratulations on these fantastic cars!
     
    JagShergill and of2worlds like this.
  13. -K1-

    -K1- Formula Junior

    Jul 10, 2008
    698
    Northern Italy
    Full Name:
    Ken
    Thanks for taking the time to write that up.
     
  14. Nutbehinddawheel

    Sep 23, 2016
    14
    West Oxfordshire UK
    Full Name:
    Tony Scott
    Thanks for sharing your experiences of the CS & Tdf.Two phenomenal cars separated by 12 years,but so obviously of the same lineage.Both cars can deliver that seat of the pants drive. The CS, the first F1 gearbox to really deliver, a raw but tasteful interior, great engine with one of the best soundtracks ever. The Tdf delivers all of the above(albeit with more creature comforts) & more- the power delivery is just so linear & off the scale, she sounds great and handling ( in the dry) is reassuring !


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
     
  15. bonneau13

    bonneau13 Karting

    Oct 18, 2009
    137
    California
    Post some pics of these beauts!
     
  16. RichardCH

    RichardCH F1 Rookie
    BANNED

    Jan 16, 2005
    4,661
    George whoever taught you descriptive writing, taught you very well, def an opportunity for a sideline as a motoring journalist ...
     

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