There are moments in the motoring calendar that feel less like a product launch and more like a change in the weather. Not a dramatic thunderclap, but something more subtle, a shift in the atmosphere that hints at what’s coming. Such was the feeling earlier this week, when Ferrari quietly, but with the kind of quiet only Ferrari can muster, revealed the 296 Speciale.
So, what do you do with the new Ferrari Purosangue, starting at £312,845? How about getting six of them and tearing around the southwest of France? A luxury tour from Biarritz to Bordeaux with friends, stopping at some of the finest hotels and vineyards along the way.
Gleefully, I hopped on a flight to Bilbao and was chauffeured over to Biarritz, arriving in the late afternoon.
We took the Ferrari Purosangue on a thrilling tour through Somerset and Bath for our review, staying at the delightful Bailbrook House Hotel in Bath for an unforgettable sejour.
The Ferrari Purosangue is an 80s rally car with four doors and four seats, featuring the latest racing suspension plus a V12 monster of an engine and high ground clearance.
We cruised in the Ferrari Roma for a 300-mile tour of the South in the glorious summer heat, passing Hove Lagoon for some windsurfing and wakeboarding.
This is the new "discreet" GT from Ferrari, an upgrade from the Portofino which we loved. Ferrari has changed 70% of the components and you feel that in the driving.
I took the Ferrari on a long, leisurely tour of vineyards with International Excellence Luxury Magazine colleague Darren Lynsdale. We took in the Surrey Hills, the valleys of Hampshire and the Sussex coast. Of particular note were the fine white wines at the Rathfinny Estate, which is a stunning new vineyard near Seaford.
So, the Ferrari GTC4Lusso V12 statistics. It has a 6.3 L V12 engine, with four-wheel steering and drive, 681 bhp, does 0-62 mph in 3.5 secs and has a top speed of 208 mph.
