Roadtrip to the South Of France in a 800bhp Ferrari 812 Superfast.

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He doesn't actually rate it that highly. He says that it is dominated by a fabulous engine, but is overpriced (£1k+ for a passenger seat height adjuster) and doesn't live up to the billing of a Berlinetta GR.
 
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Saw it yesterday and was put off by the thing. Thought he was being polite about a £300k toy that he had been allowed to borrow.

Lovely noise, for sure, and so pretty.

I do that trip regularly but wouldn't use a Ferrari to do the job. Simply not fit for purpose. Noise, camber drift, 20mpg, limited luggage space, uncomfortable seats. There are many reasons why most used Ferraris have done less than 3,000 miles a year.

The SL or CL are better choices to take two people 800 miles in a day and a half. You'd get out at the other end as fit as a flea.

Want to take your bikes to the Riviera via Mont Ventoux, as well as bring back a few bottles of wine? Then the E500 is the better choice.





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Great thread. I grew up reading the stories in Car about Mel Nichols & co crossing Europe in all manner of exotics.

Did Scotland to Italy in Alfas twice in the 80's, took my 33 to the Cote D'Azure in the early 90's, France/Pyrenees/Spain twice in my 200's a few years later and been all over France (south, south west and west) in my 3 Merc Estates.

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Saw it yesterday and was put off by the thing. Thought he was being polite about a £300k toy that he had been allowed to borrow.

Lovely noise, for sure, and so pretty.

I do that trip regularly but wouldn't use a Ferrari to do the job. Simply not fit for purpose. Noise, camber drift, 20mpg, limited luggage space, uncomfortable seats. There are many reasons why most used Ferraris have done less than 3,000 miles a year.

The SL or CL are better choices to take two people 800 miles in a day and a half. You'd get out at the other end as fit as a flea.

Want to take your bikes to the Riviera via Mont Ventoux, as well as bring back a few bottles of wine? Then the E500 is the better choice.





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I don’t agree regarding fitness for purpose.

The seats in that car may not be ideal, but as a press car they have been specified for the “wow” factor, and not for long distance or regular use comfort, and many owners will do the same too. If you were specifying your own car - or buying second hand - then you would make sure you have the right seats for the job - garage-queen/track or touring/regular use.

Luggage space is also surprisingly generous in my opinion, and for just two people then you could easily fit enough luggage for a few weeks on tour. It’s a two seater so space for more luggage is not a requirement. However a four-up tour in a Ferrari 456, 612, FF, or GTC4 Lusso would require more careful thought on what to take, and fitting it in would be a job for a Tetris expert.

Same goes for MPG, I thought 20 MPG was good, is not really a concern for £250k+ cars. A big petrol-engined Mercedes would achieve similar, we usually manage around 18/19 round trip to the South of France. Perhaps a CL would improve on that slightly, and a diesel estate would improve further still, but the owner of a super GT will not be too envious of the extra MPG.

For modern Ferrari’s, I think the reason for owners choosing to specify stuff like ”those” seats and using their cars so little is down to so many people being too concerned about depreciation. There is (was) a perception that a supercar shouldn’t depreciate, and using them makes them depreciate. They were right for a few years too.

Vive la difference.
 
17:40 - 19:10 you can just see the digital speedo while he is hoofing the car along those roads. Shortly after this he changes the display to prevent incriminating himself.:cool:

What an engine.
 
Looks like everyone and their dog has been up Mont Ventoux (1910m). My progress was rather more sedate.

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Incidently is it my eyes or trick of the light, but I think that £4.5k diffuser is squint...

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I know many will disagree - but as an old Grunter (© DrFeelgood), I couldn't be ****d driving that particular car!
 
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How fast can (dare) one travel with bikes on the roof?

You can comfortably cruise at 55-70mph with the bikes on the roof. It's noisy, and noticeably slower / aerodynamically inefficient.

So, it's a bit slower, and there's always that risk of theft when you park up, especially at service areas and hotels.

I'm reliably informed that one can go faster with bikes inside.
 
I don’t agree regarding fitness for purpose.
...
Vive la difference.

It's the dialectic. A worthy debate

If someone wants to lend me a standard spec 20 year old Ferrari 360 or 550 Maranello, I'll take that to the Riviera.

But, I'll still say that a 2,000 mile round trip is about the amount of driving that most Ferraris see in an entire year.



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A vacuum bike mount would work on a supercar just fine, not sure where you can put the front wheel though?

 
I'm still waiting for someone to post a photo of them going up Ventoux the hard way. (On a bike)

Dear lord, I wouldn't even dare to come DOWN Ventoux on a bicycle.

A female friend of my son drove to Ventoux one Friday, cycled it twice on the weekend and drove her VW T5 back on the Monday. That is one serious cyclist.
 
I'm still waiting for someone to post a photo of them going up Ventoux the hard way. (On a bike)

Dear lord, I wouldn't even dare to come DOWN Ventoux on a bicycle.

A female friend of my son drove to Ventoux one Friday, cycled it twice on the weekend and drove her VW T5 back on the Monday. That is one serious cyclist.
One of my friends cycled up it 5 years ago on a folding bike while undergoing cancer therapy for terminal prostate cancer. He died within 8 months of cycling up it. A phenomenal amount of determination!
 
Not so interested in that Fezza but I do like Harry's videos.

His relaxed informative but knowledgeable presenting style I find very easy to watch.

His appraisals often seem very balanced and clearly has a lot of enthusiasm.
 

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