Interesting to note that MT's annual BDC test is ongoing right now. Out of 12 cars, only 4 cars remain. They are 488, Camaro ZL1 1LE, 911 TTS, and Cayman S.

 

I've found that I'm quite sensitive to this sort of thing. It's one of the reasons I ended up rejecting the BMW i8, despite obsessing over it in the abstract before actually driving one. The others being the door sills, which were ridiculously thick and tall, and the feeling that the acceleration wasn't enough for me.

 

I've had the pleasure of driving a Ferrari on three occasions in my life. The first was in the mid-1980s. I rented a red Mondial 8 Cabriolet for a weekend in Dallas, Texas. It was great fun, and even the lowly Mondial 8 drew loads of attention. I thought that was great at the time, but I'm not sure I'd like it now. My other two opportunities to drive Ferraris have been on the track. I have turned a decent number of laps in a 458 Italia and also in an F430 Scuderia. The 458 was awesome; like sex on wheels. It was my first experience with a true dual-clutch transmission, and it was one of the things that helped me to make the transition from a manual transmission to PDK. The F430 also had a dual clutch transmission, but it was absolutely a beast on the track. It required more concentration and precision to drive fast than the 458 did.

I would love to own a Ferrari some day, but I would never consider one for a daily driver or really for anything other than special drives. I'm currently browsing the F355 market. There's just something about that car that attracts me.

The Porsche 911 still offers the best combination of performance, reliability, and usability.

 

So do I and I haven't heard that in years. Thanks.

 

I don't drink alcohol for it's effect, but this thread reminds me of an evening after work spent on the mountain roads of Mt. Tamalpais in a Ferrari 575M with the F1 gearbox—and I needed a beer when I got home just to cool the synapses. A far, far more passionate beast than all but a very few Porsches, and even then.

Make no mistake, there is a reason for Ferrari's following. While I was fortunate to spend a week with an F50 (on Hoosiers!) and have driven some others such as F355 6MT and 458 Italia, that 575M remains burned into my memory card...and they say the 550 is even better, especially with that gated shifter.

 

It pains me to think that in the late 60s- 70s the only brand to be considered in my family was a GM product. Anything less was simply unacceptable. Then came the garbage of the late 70s-80s and mediocrity since then. GM has done nothing to dispel mediocre build quality and engineering. There is always a major feature on a GM car way behind the times. Either they were still using 4 speed automatics when everyone else was 5 speed. Or drum brakes when everyone else was 4 wheel disc.
The Corvette is likely a great performing product, but I don't trust the maker. Yes, lots of hp for the money and great styling, but thinking about the possible post purchase regret is too much for me. I haven't owned GM since my 1985 Pontiac Disaster (30 some odd cars ago). None on my wish list either.

 

I know the majority of this thread pertains to newer Ferrari's but any experience/thoughts on the Tesatrossa (non 512TR's or M's)?
I've been considering getting one to have in addition to my '15 991.1 C4S

 

Yeah, there's that as well. I tend to auto-reject American cars because I suspect they won't be reliable.

From what I've read, that even applies to Tesla. The fanbase (which is pretty rabid) will dispute this, but there's a fair amount of objective data saying the model S is barely tolerable in terms of reliability.

Which sort-of ties in to the thread topic. While we've had more issues with my wife's Cayman S than I generally expect (had to replace PADM mounts twice, which is a manufacturing defect since my wife doesn't demand much of the car), Porsche still has a much better reputation for dependability than Ferrari or Chevy.

 

My friend has a buddy that got one that went through some pretty serious maintenance issues (I don't have more details) but then he ended up selling it for more than he paid for it.

You should absolutely get it. That thundering V12 behind your head will be an amazing experience and classic Ferraris are a perfect garage mate for the 991 because you get both the unique driving experience weekender and the reliable precision and comforts of the sporty daily driver.

It may not be a reasonable option down the road since prices are going up so I'd say do it before it's too late.

 

I'd love to drive (but not own) every single one of those cars!

Spoiling it for you - they published their final ranking results:

#1 Ferrari 488 GTB http://www.motortrend.com/news/ferra...t-drivers-car/

#2 Porsche 718 Cayman S http://www.motortrend.com/news/porsh...t-drivers-car/

#3 Porsche 911 Turbo S http://www.motortrend.com/news/porsc...t-drivers-car/

#4 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE http://www.motortrend.com/news/chevr...t-drivers-car/

 

Couldn't resist commenting to your jocular post. There are many who believe that all of the aids in sports cars racing have made the drivers nearly equal. The other worldly power of concentration that enabled F1 drivers to flawlessly execute thousands of shifts during the course of a race is no longer required. So no footwork, no rev matching, no finesse.

When Juan Pablo Montoya left F1 for NASCAR, he was asked about how it felt from going from the pinnacle of race car technology to what is in essence a Neanderthal car. His reply: "It was f*** boring. You didn't do anything! Just slam on the gas and brake!" The reporter than commented about all of the shifting. Juan replied " Yeah, but the car just beeps in your earpiece, and you shift."

So maybe there's a grain of truth in that poseur comment.

 

Here's an enthusiast driving one of those ****ing boring cars....... must be a piece of cake, posers.

 

LOL Comparing that guy to a F1 driver, especially an accomplished one like Montoya, would be like comparing a High School baseball player to someone who is on a MLB team Yes, they both play baseball, but that's about where it ends.

I think Montoya's point wasn't that anyone can drive an F1 car, since clearly they can't. But for those who can, the driving challenge has been lessened considerably with the computer aids. Hence, the driving experience becomes boring, at least it did to him.

My preference is to make the driver's challenge as great as possible. Let's give them an opportunity to make a mistake on a downshift. Maybe that would make it were more passing would be possible in F1.

 

I understand. I just laugh when people discount enthusiasts for not choosing "three pedals". To drive anything well, takes some time and talent. Hammond drives for a living and still struggled to not even stall the car, let alone drive it. Those guys make it look much easier than it is.

 

I understand but imagine how much more challenging it could be. Imagine racing 78 laps at Monaco and having to execute about 47 shifts each lap. And each time you shift, there's a car a couple feet behind you, where the driver is waiting for you to make the tiniest mistake.

I certainly had no intention of making this yet another PDK /MT debate, but I did find Montoya's comments interesting. The context of his comments was in comparing driving an F1 vs a NASCAR race car.