Car (South Africa)

This would be the one

From Maranello’s illustriou­s lineage of vehicles, which would each member of the CAR team pick for their fantasy garage?

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The last Ferrari in the clean, angular mould, the F355 ushered the brand towards the turn of the century and the gaudier fare that followed. It not only transforme­d the Italian supercar into a town-friendly transport, but the F1-badged model also had the distinctio­n of being the rst Ferrari with paddle shifters. Launched after the original Testarossa but before the F512 M swansong, the 512 TR was essentiall­y an update of what was to become an icon. Naturally, Maranello extracted more grunt from the 4,9-litre at-12 (and added a revised ve-speed manual), but thankfully those signature side strakes remained rmly in place. The romantics can keep their GTOS and F40s; my favourite is a Ferrari you can actually drive every day. I spent a glorious day behind the wheel of a Spider on the tight, undulating roads dissecting Italy’s Umbrian countrysid­e. The 488 was ferociousl­y quick and intoxicati­ng, but also approachab­le and forgiving. To an F1 fan and a Schumacher supporter, there can be no more signi cant racing Ferrari than the F2004. It was the car in which the maestro claimed his seventh title, taking 13 wins out of 18. What could be more appealing than a 3,0-litre V10 that revs to 19 000 r/min and produces 700 kw? One of the most beautiful, elegant and sleek cars ever designed. A huge improvemen­t over Enzo’s early models, the 166 MM put his work on the map with several racing victories. And, it had a top speed of more than 200 km/h... The iconic 250 GTO tops my list of greatest Ferraris. As the name Gran Tourismo Omologato suggests, only 39 V12powered GTOS were ever built for the purpose of homologati­ng Ferrari’s 1960s GT racing car. Given the choice, I’d opt for one of the colours other than Rosso. The Testarossa was Ferrari’s farewell to its at-12 engine and there’s something special in being the last of its kind. Accompanie­d by its striking Pininfarin­a design, it’s no surprise that the Testarossa was often used in pop culture, the Miami Vice television series and Outrun arcade game being just two. The everyday supercar of the 1950s, this fully roadlegal 3,0-litre V12 won many a hillclimb and sprint race. My favourites are the Series III Tour de France models (especially the ones with the two-tone paintwork) that had covered, plexi-glass headlamps and subtle rear ns. Only 18 were made. As a child, this was the car adorning the posters on my bedroom walls and I never thought I would get to drive my hero Ferrari. This all changed last year as part of a bucket-list drive for the May 2016 issue. It is as special and ferocious as I had imagined. I love both the older classics and the modern Ferrari machinery, but I have a soft spot for the 456. Although understate­d, it has curvy lines that remind me of Zagato’s designs plus a classic layout, seating four behind a V12 up front.

 ??  ?? 512 TR Ryan Bubear web editor
512 TR Ryan Bubear web editor
 ??  ?? Testarossa Nikesh Kooverjee journalist
Testarossa Nikesh Kooverjee journalist
 ??  ?? 250 GT Steve Smith editor
250 GT Steve Smith editor
 ??  ?? 456 M GT Peter Palm road-test engineer
456 M GT Peter Palm road-test engineer
 ??  ?? 488 Spider Terence Steenkamp deputy editor
488 Spider Terence Steenkamp deputy editor
 ??  ?? F355 Gareth Dean associate editor
F355 Gareth Dean associate editor
 ??  ?? 166 MM Wilhelm Lutjeharms features writer
166 MM Wilhelm Lutjeharms features writer
 ??  ?? 250 GTO Ian Mclaren senior associate editor
250 GTO Ian Mclaren senior associate editor
 ??  ?? F40 Nicol Louw technical editor
F40 Nicol Louw technical editor
 ??  ?? F2004 Sudhir Matai associate editor
F2004 Sudhir Matai associate editor

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