Ferrari 575M MARANELLO
Pet projects tend to finish disastrously. Remember Mariah Careys vanity flick Glitter? Or how about Mandelsons Dome? Seriously embarrassing stuff. When it comes to cars, one mans vision has often provided hugely entertaining copy for motoring journalists. However, when that man is Luca di Montezemolo, boss of Ferrari, we tend to sit up and pay attention.
The Ferrari 550 Maranello was his baby, his concept, his personal indulgence from start to finish. Its successor, the 575M Maranello, also bears Lucas touch. Which means that its as good as modern supercars get.
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Ferrari werent accustomed to being the whipping boys of the supercar class. Fortunately, plans were well under way for the 550s successor, the 575M Maranello. Six years is a long time in the rarefied atmosphere of supercardom, and the 550 was getting if not long in the tooth, then at least a little arthritic in ultimate terms. The 575M responds with an extra 29bhp and a whole raft of evolutionary improvements.
The exterior changes are subtle in the extreme. Those who denigrated the 550s styling as being inelegant for a classic front-engined Ferrari will be correspondingly unimpressed by the 575M. No, it isnt any great beauty, but the sheer muscle and purpose of that body shape has wormed its way into the affections of many and Ferrari have seen fit not to tamper too radically. The lower nose section is slightly more squared off and is punctuated by a pair of brake cooling vents.
Less successful is the adoption of a set of xenon headlamps which in an attempt to replicate the voguish jewel effect merely appear more Elizabeth Duke than Tiffany.
"The 575M now joins the true heavy hitters of the 200mph+ club."
The interior has been tidied up agreeably. Much of the trim quality has been beefed up and the instrument panel is now dominated by a large alloy-rimmed tachometer, the speedometer relegated to a minor position stage left. Its a good idea in principle, highlighting the purist appeal of a car centred about its engine, but one cant help but ponder the fact that GATSO cameras dont differentiate between 4000 and 7000rpm, whereas the difference between 55 and 65mph could potentially equal a disqualification. Even for somebody with the £160,845 means to afford a 575M.
One of the key differences between 550 and 575M is the option of a paddle-change sequential manual gearbox. Two fixed position alloy paddles sit behind the steering wheel, left for down changes and right for upshifts. Its about as good as such a system gets, which means lightning quick upshifts and peachy throttle-blipping downchanges, all marshalled by some clever software that prevents the driver from selecting a potentially inadvisable gear. Like the Cambiocorsa system fitted to the Maserati Coupe, youre occasionally treated to the smell of lightly flambéed clutch during low speed manoeuvring and inelegantly timed downshifts can castigate the driver with an embarrassing clonk. Theres also a similar choice of automatic, sport and winter modes. The Ferrari shift is even quicker than the Cambiocorsa system and the artificial automatic mode is smoother. The software that controls the clutch action is also said to be that little bit more intelligent.
Of course, the excellent manual gearbox continues, but given that the F1 sequential box can swap cogs in a mere .22 of a second around half the time of a Ferrari test driver armed with a manual stick Ferrari quote two separate 0-60 times for the 575M, 4.0 seconds for the F1 and 4.25 seconds for the manual car.
Youll have to pay £6,495 for the privilege of shaving off that quarter of a second, but to those who want their Ferrari to have the edge in one upmanship itll be a price worth paying. Both versions have an identical top speed, the 575M now joining the true heavy hitters of the 200mph+ club, the 202mph quoted top speed now well on par with established rivals. Another criticism that has been slightly addressed is that of noise, or lack thereof. The old 550 was always denigrated as possessing something of an anodyne soundtrack and one thoroughly upstaged by the V8 fitted to the 360 Modena.
The 575M still cant set the hairs on the back of your neck on end in quite the same way as its hardcore junior stablemate, but a set of exhaust butterflies neatly bypasses EU drive-by noise regulations and gives the car more of a throaty roar in the upper part of the rev range. Its still not that vocal compared with the best in class. With 509bhp at your disposal and a wet test track to play upon, you may well feel thankful for the 575Ms standard ASR traction control. Switching the 575M into Sport mode raises the ASR threshold and allows a little tail-out fun.
Kill the ASR completely and youll find the Ferrari is a little flabbier and trickier than before. Choose the optional GTC Handling Pack and its sporting focus is restored. Should the notion that the Maranello has gone soft ever trouble your conscience, find a clear road, drop the hammer and then pass judgement. Youll wonder for a moment how a vanity project can turn into something visionary.
Then youll find the next clear stretch of blacktop and tear it up again.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Ferrari 575M Maranello
PRICE: £154,350-£160,845 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 499g/km
PERFORMANCE: [F1] Max Speed 202mph / 0-60mph 4.0s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [F1] (urban) 8.2 / (extra urban) 19.8 / (combined) 13mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags / ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4550/1935/1277mm
