FOUR GREATNESS SAKE

FERRARI GTC4LUSSO T

WHY CHOOSE BETWEEN A FERRARI AND A STATION WAGON WHEN YOU CAN HAVE A GTC4LUSSO AND GET BOTH? WITH FOUR SEATS, ALL-WHEEL DRIVE, AND A THOROUGHLY CAPABLE V8, IT IS THE BEST OF ALL WORLDS, WRITES BERNIE HELLBERG.

It doesn’t matter that the Ferrari GTC4Lusso is quicker around

Ferrari’s Fiorano test track than its predecessor the FF. This is partly because, essentially, it is an updated version of the same car. But also because the GTC4Lusso is the latest in a long line of four-seat Ferraris that have, most to a lesser degree, moved the bar for what some would argue, should be a dying format for Ferrari.

But it isn’t, and Ferrari has been trying hard to purpose the ‘family’ Ferrari for some time.

And with the V8-powered GTC4Lusso T, they come quite close.

WHAT IS IT?

Our GTC4Lusso T test car is the laughingly called entry model to the GTC4Lusso range. It swaps the entrancing 507 kW V12 all-wheeldrive version of its big brother for a 448 kW twin-turbo V8, and lightens up the drivetrain by reducing the driven wheels to the two in the rear.

According to the team at Scuderia South Africa, the T will sprint from zero to 100 km/h just 0.1 seconds shy of the V12’s time – likely a result of the V8 carrying less weight in the nose, and without the AWD system. Both models have a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

AS FERRARI AS THEY COME

Ferraris are commonly expected to be loud, brash devices that do everything but mind their own business. The V8 GTC4Lusso T wants to be different and tries to muffle its Ferrari drama with double-pane windows, a quieter exhaust, and extra sound deadening for the cabin.