Anybody go from 458 or 488 to an F12? | Page 2 | FerrariChat

Anybody go from 458 or 488 to an F12?

Discussion in 'F12/812' started by PhilNotHill, Jul 27, 2016.

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  1. Ferro458

    Ferro458 Karting

    May 26, 2014
    188
    +F12

    I think that anybody who has spent time in both cars at the track would agree with you, as I do. The F12 does everything.
     
    aukedijk likes this.
  2. italiafan

    italiafan F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jul 19, 2006
    16,110
    Full Name:
    Stickbones Swagglesmith
    #27 italiafan, Aug 7, 2016
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2016
    So many thoughts...hard to organize (especially typing on a crappy iPad, please pardon typos and autocorrects missed).

    I had a 2011 458 Italia that I put about 15k miles on in 18 months, and traded recently for a 2015 458 Speciale (which now has about 600 miles on). And I ordered new a 2016 F12 that I have put about 5k miles on in 12 months; so I feel I speak with a modicum of experience.

    My 2011 Italia was the most "go kart" like. Very raw riding experience, incredible sound, popping almost gunfire sound on the overrun. It would literally make me burst out in laughter when coming to a stop or downshifting and punching it through a turn. Wow, what fun! Jumping in it was instantly easy to drive, one immediately felt completely in touch with the machine and what it was doing every instant. Just about every minute behind the wheel felt like an "occasion." On the track very fast and competent, but I didn't feel as though the brakes were truly up to the task at hand. Interior was well done and nice, leather on carbon fiber racing seats very comfortable, even for multi-thousand mile road trips with friends though the mountains.

    The 2015 Speciale is a whole different beast from the Italia. I don't care if the performance numbers only show an incremental improvement over the Italia, behind the wheel this is no incremental improvement--it is astonishing; but in ways that surprised me. My Speciale actually doesn't feel as "go kart-like" as my Italia did. It actually feels so much more competent, more composed. It carries speed so much easier I find myself shocked at how fast I am going and I don't realize how much I am jeopardizing my driver's license unawares! The car corners like it is glued to the road, it laughs at highway off ramp sweepers. It is actually more comfortable than my Italia was. You know exactly where each corner of the car is at all times, and I feel like I could place it into a corner with the precision of a scalpel. The shifting however, is brutally fast, electrifying in fact. Each up shift slams the car forward, it almost leaps. The Italia did not do this. The downshifts can be so brutal that it almost locks in the seatbelt each time. (Keep in mind it is always in race mode.) the sound isn't quite as insane as my 2011 was, but with the Capristo remote it sounds great. It is deeper, more throaty, but still has that Iatlian sound that makes people walking up ahead stop and turn around to see what is coming. I made the mistake of turning on the radio once...oh my gawd...after 10 seconds of hearing that tinny 1991 Nissan Sentra radio I turned it off and wanted to pull it out of the dash. :) Driving it I feel so much better than I really am. The car is like an elite athlete, playing on your team with you, and thus making you better as well.

    Now..the 2016 F12. What can I say...it is nothing like the others, nothing at all. Firstly, walking up to it there is this elegance it exudes, but it is an elegance with a "piss me off and I will side-kick your knee in half, and as you are falling down will right-hook you to the jaw." It is beautiful and mean at the same time. It's stance cannot be appreciated from 5 feet away, you need to step back 20 feet to appreciate the genius of its design. Only then can you appreciate the impossibly long hood and the curvaceous rear quarter flowing into the small duckbill spoiler at the rear...sublime! The interior is equally as sublime, you feel aw though you have been dunked in a tank of "Italian leather cologne," this car is meant to impress from outside to interior...but not in an exotic boy-racer frame of mind. It is a GT through and through, and it drives like a GT; just a "GT" like a starved 900 lb gorilla shot up with a gallon of caffeine and meth. You better respect this machine! The driving position is relaxed, but you can't let that fool you. You sit back looking over a long hood and judging the front corners is tricky, not a car you can place in the corner as precisely as the Italia/Speciale. The transmission let's you pull out in a slower fashion, almost lazy at low throttle levels, like a slipping clutch. Again, I am always in race mode. The upshifts and downshifts are about 90% as brutal as the Speciale's and much sharper than the Italias. The sound, I have the Capristo remote as well, is to die for...literally to die for, because if you are concentrating on that sound and not realizing how fast those 740 horses are carrying you away...you will die. From 5k and up it sounds like you are tearing apart the air in a screaming wale of agony...no car I have ever heard sounds like this. I love it, just love it. The power seems endless, the brakes if applied too sharply are so good you may need to dig out you dental fillings from where the dash meets the windshield.

    Driving the Speciale you feel like a rock star, or a sports star...in the F12 you feel like the owner of the record label, or the team owner.

    Final verdict? If all three cars sitting in the garage and a fire starts...you can only save one car, which of the three will it be?

    The 458 Speciale.

    In fact if you "condemned me" to ONLY one Ferrari you can ever own/drive again for the rest of your life, of all modern Ferraris (I have never owned/driven a classic so can't comment with any knowledge) it would be the 458 Speciale...and I'd be a very lucky man for it.

    Hope this helps! :)

    Upon further reflection....I'd risk the burns saving the F12 too! lol :D
     
    johnr265, Shamsta, day355 and 2 others like this.
  3. Bundy

    Bundy Formula 3

    May 18, 2011
    2,374
    Arizona & Kentucky
    Full Name:
    Anir
    Nice summary, italiafan. It's mind boggling how good all the modern Ferraris have become, and it's awesome how each model offers a unique driving experience. I feel blessed to own any of them.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  4. dustman

    dustman F1 Veteran
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 12, 2007
    8,935
    Well said and you have me very interested in an F12!

    My Italia experience was the same.

    My Speciale ownership not at all....I felt the car had far less traction and predictability. It broke loose everywhere, regardless of speed or manetino setting. Had tires checked, were fine. I found the exhaust note louder but seriously lacking in wail. But it sure felt like a race car for the street. Wonderful car.
     
  5. patekswiss

    patekswiss Formula 3

    Mar 31, 2014
    1,174
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Lorenzo
    Italiafan that was great, makes me want to pursue a speciale now...


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  6. Caeruleus11

    Caeruleus11 F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 11, 2013
    10,860
    Excellent summary by Italiafan! Really enjoyed reading the thread.
     
  7. jyc1001

    jyc1001 Rookie

    Apr 11, 2007
    14
    Los Angeles, San Francisco
    Full Name:
    J.C.
    I know this is an old post but was hoping to pick your brain based on your post. I am considering a F12 but have concerns on visibility and turning corners due to the long bonnet. I had a 2019 Aston DBS but ended up selling it because of this issue particularly when turning corners and parking. Did you feel any issue with F12? Appreciate any experience you can share. Thanks!
     
  8. hagen111

    hagen111 Karting

    Feb 25, 2006
    161
    I feel it is a difficult car to drive fast...it is big, the steering is very direct, it is expensive...it wiggles and looses traction a lot... That said, even taking tons of margin not to loose or damage it, it is still so brutally fast, so intimidating...that is what it makes so special. So fast, yet you feel you are still far away from its max potential.
     
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  9. Pazzo009

    Pazzo009 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 30, 2014
    354
    Northern Atlanta Area
    Full Name:
    Marc C
    I think the other owners covered it already, but I'll insert my opinion too.

    I had a 430, to a 458, to a F12. I think the variable here is personal preference and driving style. The 458 was more of a Go-kart and the F12 is more a GT car.

    The 458 feels more planted and controllable, where in my opinion, you need to be a little cautious with the F12. That V12 winds up quick.

    Personally, I'm happier with the F12. Pics don't do the body justice. It's more rare, and nothing sounds like a Ferrari V12. The sound is sublime (especially if you do sport cats).

    Good luck
     
  10. colonels

    colonels Formula Junior

    Aug 5, 2011
    807
    had both 458 spider and F12

    many people have posted that the 458 handles better and is more balanced... technically this isn't true the balance of the F12 is actually closer to 50/50 than the 458. the perception is what is throwing people off because the seating position is rear biased. you are almost sitting on the rear axle whereas in the 458 you are sitting closer middle. once you learn this it just takes some getting used to, and as for the body roll people are talking about in the F12 they probably have it on bumpy road mode as i do most of the time. take it off and there is minimal body roll.

    noise the F12 wins hands down. think of it like a harmonica, it's basically a car harmonica.

    458 has that supercar look however so if it's attention you want, then 458 all day long and in rossa corsa!
     
  11. Yumeoikake

    Yumeoikake Rookie

    Mar 22, 2018
    28
    As a previous F12 owner want to share my 2cents here.

    F12 was the regular production flagship car for a reason. The power and noise is definitely better than 458/488. In daily use I found the F12’s long hood is something you need to get used to and the car is not as nimble as the mid engine cars.

    The f12 also loses its end very easily at hard acceleration (especially 1st and 2nd gear) while the mid engine Ferraris have more traction. Overall I feel the F12 is a car that I awe and respect while driving and the mid engine ones are more driver friendly.


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