they are loud, very loud.
Bought a CS new and kept it 5 years and 8500 miles, 1200 of which were spent on race tracks. Great car and loved it! Bought a new Speciale 3 years ago and so far 3500 miles. IMO it's even more beautiful than the CS, though I realize that's subjective. The Speciale is better in all respects than the CS except for sound (still great though), and better by a wide margin. Would I ever sell the Speciale for another CS? No. Cost wise Speciale is double the CS right now. For Speciale money you could have a CS plus a 997 GT3RS which is a nice combo BTW (ask me how I know....). So direct one to one comparison is a little unfair. Best.
Having both would be best. But if you must choose just one, the Speciale - if for no other reason, shifting in the CS is so last-century. The CS is entertaining, but the Speciale is otherworldly fantastic in my opinion.
Well, I have a CS, 16M and Aperta...I rank them the following way - 16M, CS and lastly the Aperta. The 16M is a the car that keeps some of the rawness of the CS (especially the shifts) but with the drop top I get to enjoy the engine sound, also like the steering feel of it. The CS is just raw, awesome and a great drive with the best sounding V8 Ferrari engine...if I had a Scud, the CS will probably take first place given the overall experience. The Aperta is just too perfect of a car...does everything so well, but from a sound standpoint quite a bit more subdued than the CS and even the 16M. My wife ranks them the opposite way - Aperta, 16M and CS, her reason is that the Aperta is the most civilized of the three and could even be a daily driver...I would say it is horses for courses and there is no right or wrong answer.
Interesting. I've always been able to move across f-car generations and find them enjoyable and exciting. Each model has such a distinct character, that it's always been fun. Sorry to hear you lost the love - Stradale is a special car.
What makes one car have a soul is simply dependent on the beholder. Thus, you will have to try it out. I suspect most people will find the CS simply old and slow(er). But you might appreciate the more direct nature of the CS. I would probably go with Speciale. The CS never spoke to me.
CS is a great car not trying to take anything away from it... but if I could only keep one F car in the garage the CS would not be it. Speciale and if possible Speciale Aperta.
I have both cars and if you want to feel like you are driving a race car on the street, then the CS is the car. It’s the closest car to the F40 (past owner) but a little more refined. The Speciale is an awesome car but I still think the CS is a more special and unique car that Ferrari has not duplicated since. As for being slow, there are a lot of cars out there that are much faster than a GTO but that really doesn’t matter, does it.
I’ve had both too. The CS had me completely hooked from the test drive - it is a scintillating drive. I eventually altered the geo to sharpen up the front and make the rear less snappy, which worked a treat. Pros? Looks lovely, someone mentioned small changes? Irrelevant - they were subtle but perfect and you only need to view a CS and a Modena side by side to see what a masterclass the designers gave. Also the sound, nothing like it. Not as sweet as a V12 but harder-edged and just so loud. The first time I drove in motorway traffic with the window down, when accelerating away I made myself jump before I realised I was the one making the noise! When I got the Speciale I had really to let the CS go, which I did. It might sound disrespectful (but in no way is) but I have not missed the CS, despite having some epic road trips in it - Le Mans twice, Irish Cannonball etc. People talk about rawness and the CS certainly fits that description better than the Speciale, but raw does not necessarily mean more visceral - it can just mean not developed. The CS gearbox is certainly rawer than the Speciale’s ‘box but that is not a good thing on any occasion. In fact if you wanted to summarise why the Speciale is a better car to own and drive in one word, ‘transmission’ would be it. But there are other things too. I have never had the desire to alter the geo on the Speciale. It is brilliantly adapted to tread a path for both road and track. The Speciale is more adjustable and biddable than the CS and the CS in race mode gave a suspension setting that made the car buck over uneven back roads at speed. That is raw, but it is also unwelcome, not enjoyable and slower. So you had to soften off the systems (there is no bumpy road mode, so changing setting takes response from the transmission and throttle with it too). The Speciale just has some magic in its chassis that the CS doesn’t. Like 10/10 v 9/10 where most other cars are no better than 6, but almost nothing is 10. In other words, both cars have rare chassis ability, but the Speciale is on the level of those very few cars that possess genius IMV. I just love it, it is an extension of my thoughts. In the end, if you are a collector and don’t drive, if you value sound above everything, I mean everything, else and if you prefer the look of the CS and that is crucial for you, then buy a CS and don’t look back. But if you love driving, drive a lot near the limits of grip or simply want the better car, you have to keep your Speciale. It has always been a genius and I don’t think it will be surpassed for its ‘thing’ like the CS has been because the turbo era is upon us and the hybrid era after that. I will add a Pista to the Speciale but my Speciale will stay. I am growing to love the turbo era - the 488 is a great car and the Pista will be a better drive in many ways than the Speciale, but it will never be the pinnacle of n/a V8 Ferrari-ness.
I got a stradale, made a lot of track events, sold it. Then I got an F40, same treatment, making track events including some down hill races, sold it! In parallel I got an F40 GTE, same treatment: track events for which I bought back a CS to jump to the tracks when the F40 was going there by truck. A lot of fun, but finally I sold all of them, and I am looking for a speciale now, the last atmospheric V8!
Speciale for it's last V8 for sure. it will be a very-very special car. it's hard to compare two things when the value is not near equal. but in the end of the day it comes to your heart. Try to park the car side by side, or drive both back to back if possible, your heart will tell you which one it is.
The CS is an amazing car but is ruined by an old school gearbox. If it had a manual change it would be one of the greatest cars ever made. The F1 change dates it terribly. It is though one of the best sounding road cars ever made. Speciale is one of the greatest cars ever made. Close to perfection. I loved my CS a lot , but the Speciale is really something else, and a complete package.
Here you go then: https://www.ferrarilakeforest.com/2004-ferrari-360-challenge-stradale-with-blu-tour-de-france-metallic-beige-c-1194.htm
I disagree. The older gearbox is more fun than the new one because it takes skill to drive it. You must manually blip the throttle on downshifts ! The new box does it for you. If you don’t blip on downshifts, it will seem sluggish. Do the manual blip and it falls right into gear about twice as quickly. I’m not sure the people that badmouth these 1st generation F1 boxes are even aware this is possible. You have to know how to drive them, it takes skill and is very saltisfying once mastered. You can even heal & toe yourself manually. Not possible on the newer cars. Same goes for the 355 F1. Get a CS, but keep the Special.
They do make manual conversion for 360cs... i personally struggle with the looks of the 360 period... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I suppose the other aspect between the CS and 458S is the (potential) collectible nature of those two cars. If that's something someone's into? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Completely agree. The CS is the rawest car that Ferrari has never repeated; Speciale is more efficient in performance, but it is not as "special" a car as the CS. In my opinion, in beauty and sound it does not win.
I owned a Speciale, and have a CS incoming. I am very eager to have first hand experience in the CS and see what the mystique is all about.
Great car. You will find it very go kart like. Easy to toss and make do what you want. I loved it, more unrefined than the Speciale, but it is slow in a straight line. It's also incredibly reliable. Took mine across country and spent a day at Sebring in 98 degree heat and 98% humidity and the car ran perfect.
I owned both at one point and while I loved the Speciale something about the CS just kept me coming back for more! I kept the CS and sold the Speciale, my CS is a great and clean example quite hard to come by. I would have probably kept the Speciale if I did not have a Pista incoming, in my view they are a little too close in function for what I would use them for. While the CS is just epic old school racing pedigree and the sound it makes is so raw and pure.