Ferrari 575M MARANELLO GTC   

Firmer, Beefier And Generally More Focused, Ferraris 575M GTC Is Less The Suave GT And More The Pin-Sharp Sports Coupe. Andy Enright Reports

Given their recent record in Formula One, its hard to imagine Ferrari getting something wrong. Yet thats exactly what some commentators reckon happened with their 575 Maranello model. Perhaps wrong is a little harsh. A mild misjudgement would be nearer the mark.

In allowing the car to lapse towards Gran Turismo suaveness, the 575s sporting edge was dulled. With the launch of the GTC Handling Pack, the Maranello is back up to speed.

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It took the launch of the 612 Scaglietti to throw into perspective Ferraris folly. Here was a car that played the GT role almost to perfection, showing the 575 up as a car that fell between two stools; lacking the capacity and poise of the 612 and the sporting focus and thrills of the 360 Modena. Unwilling to allow what was once their flagship sports model to lapse into mid-table obscurity, Ferrari have acted, and how. The £2,215 Fiorano handling pack was but a stopgap measure compared to the lengths theyve gone with the GTC Handling Pack, a suite of enhancements that adds £16,450 to the standard 575 Maranellos £154,350 asking price.

Think of it as the additional ten per cent cost that restores the missing ten percent to the Maranellos sporting resumé. I must admit to liking the 575 Maranello in standard trim. I liked its supple ride and raffish air. In extremis, however, the cracks did show and such faults were unacceptable to many potential owners.

The rear suspension shouldnt be so soft that it lapses into ungainly roll oversteer during extreme cornering. The front suspension should be able to tackle a typical undulating British B-road at speed without threatening to rip the front number plate off.

"Think of the GTC pack as the additional ten per cent cost that restores the missing ten percent to the Maranellos sporting resumé"

The GTC Handling Pack doesnt just restore the 575M to the heights of the 550 Maranello it comprehensively eclipses it in the way the car goes, stops and steers. Much of the asking price is accounted for by a set of carbon-ceramic brakes that offer prodigious stopping power. Front disc diameter goes up to 398mm compared to the 330mm cast-iron rotors worn by the standard 575M and six-piston calipers clasp onto them with ferocious tenacity. Thus equipped, Ferrari have sent a 575M out onto their Fiorano test track to complete 300 laps without significant degradation in braking performance.

That sort of punishment would have most conventional braking systems waving the white flag. Unlike most carbon-ceramic braking set ups, Ferraris system works well from cold with the added bonus of a 10kg weight saving at each corner plus improved wet weather performance. Just dont ask about disc replacement costs unless youre sitting down with a cup of hot, sweet tea to hand. In order to house the monster brakes, Ferrari have upped the wheel size to 19 inches, the five-spoke wheels being slathered in some rather attractive Pirelli P-Zero Corsa rubber.

Otherwise theres little external clue as to this cars intent. Most of the changes have taken place under those purposeful clothes. The suspension has been given a thorough working over. The front springs have been beefed up significantly with the rear springs also being slightly tweaked.

Revised dampers and a massively brawnier rear anti roll bar guarantee a flatter, more poised cornering stance. Ferraris test driver, Dario Benuzzi, reckons these changes give the 575M with the GTC pack a full 1.5-second advantage around the twists and turns of the Fiorano test track. A modified silencer gives the GTC-equipped car a slightly fruitier exhaust note than the standard car but the engine is still a background player.

This is the Achilles heel of the 575M and one which Ferrari tifosi the world over would have liked to have seen addressed. A V12 Ferrari engine should be a thing of aural wonderment. Aston Martin and Lamborghini manage it why not Ferrari? Fully 80 per cent of 575M customers will choose 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.

The GTC Handling Pack sees the 575 Maranello come good. Think of it as a finishing school for the Ferrari.

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

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