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2007 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Road Test

Ferrari is one of the select few manufacturers which everyone, be they carenthusiast or not, recognizes. The sound, the looks, the prestige, the racing heritage; in one way or another, people immediately connect with vehicles that bear the prancing horse. Though the mid-engined F430 or the awesome Enzo are what usually come to most peoples minds, Ferrari does have a practical side in the form of a four-passenger, large and comfortable grand touring car called the 612 Scaglietti. It's the successor to the 456 GT, and carries forward the tradition of four-seater Ferraris. Where some Ferraris are named after their engine displacement, the 612's designation falls under a different scheme. The 6 in 612 stands for the number of liters the engine displaces, and the 12 stands for the number of cylinders housed under its elongated hood. And Scaglietti? That's the name of the plant where Ferrari builds the aluminum chassis for the car, not to mention the

Who knew that Ferrari could produce a car so comfortable, so practical and so downright friendly to drive? (Photo: Justin Couture: American Auto Press)

name of two Scuderia Ferrari Factory Team racing cars built for the 1955 Carrera Panamericana race, so named after the a coachbuilder who built them, notorious for his lightweight and streamlined designs.

I quite like the look of most Ferraris, be they mid-engine or front engine. The F430, and the new 599 are fantastic to look at from every angle, and even the Enzo, which has been a source of controversy for its unusual form-follows-function design seems to fall into the beautiful category for me, but I'm not completely head over heels with the way that the 612looks.

Some of the details, such as the headlamps look lost amidst the general size of the car. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Certainly, it's a magnificent car, and one that drops jaws left, right and center, but there's just that certain something about it that doesn't sit too well. Taken part by part, curve by curve, crease by crease, each of these portions in itself looks to be formed with both passion and precision typical of Ferraris, but as a whole it doesn't satisfy. Part of this might come from the size of the details, which are delicate and minute. The headlights are plenty bright, but the size of the units themselves are slender in proportion to the frontal area. The door handles require the action of two gentle fingers, rather than the whole hand.

Granted, the hard points that were established for

That's 5.75 liters worth of red-headed, crackle-textured glory. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

the 612's stylist Ken Okuyama (who also did the Quattroporte, by the way) to work with were not easy to accommodate. It may not look it in the photos, but in the metal the 612 is absolutely massive for a sports car. Its wheelbase and overall length are akin to the Audi A8. Size wouldn't be so much of a problem if it weren't for the fact that to create a truly roomy interior, it couldn't havesteeply raked pillars up front and in back. The leather-swathed cabin is, in complete truth, roomy enough to accommodate four six-foot passengers for extended periods of time, something we've never before seen in a Ferrari. Accomplishing a design that looks as good as it does, in many ways makes it a landmark. Given this knowledge, I now view the 612 with respect, rather than the usual Ferrari swoon.

The

The sting of the F1 sequential gearbox has been removed for the 612. A regular 6-speed manual is still standard equipment, though. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

engine, on the contrary, is the reverse, as it's a masterpiece of beauty. Together, its 12 cylinders measures 5.75 liters in displacement, and it's served the brand well, having been featured in all front-engined Ferraris (but for the latest 599) since the 456. Over the past fifteen years, the Tipo 133-series engine has receiveda wide number of updates, which resulted in a peak output of 540 horsepower, which marks a near 100-horsepower gain over the 456. The engine's power and torque curves are somewhat peaky for a grand tourer engine, but behind the wheel it isn't apparent, as there's simply an overwhelming amount of power to be had. With a specifically tuned exhaust system and excellent sound insulation, the V12, I'm sad to say, is muted out of the picture at lower revs, but floor it and its relentless and truly addictive noise quickly returns.

Fuel consumption

Ferrari isn't Ferrari without reason, you know... (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

isn't so much a bother with 612 owners as for most car buyers, the problem hardly being the running costs but rather how often these machines drain their tanks. That's why Ferrari fit the 612 with a giant 108-liter one, which, while for everyday folks is painful to think about filling, ensures its ability to leap and bound clear across countries with few interruptions.

It's been a while since I had last driven a sequential manual gearbox; it was a violent affair, which involved the agitation of a passenger and myself in the process of coming to grips with learning the ins and outs of smoothly operating it. But between then and now, some very good manual-mode automatics have come along, not to mention Volkswagen's utterly brilliant DSG. Ferrari has constantly upped its game, improving the gearshift bit by bit through software alterations and other tweaks on its F1A sequential manual transmission, and therefore have made it nearly as smooth as a regular automatic without losing the lightning quick

Interior is crafted from leather, metal and a few cheap plastics. But, it's both very comfortable and roomy. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

precision of the shifts. The F1 gearbox, mounted at the very back of the car to improve weight distribution, doesn't catch or creep forward, which, for the uninformed (or those who don't remember) can lead to some pretty panicky starting moments as one quarter-million-plus dollar Ferrari begins to roll back offthe road. And during three-point turns there's far less of the low-speed jerkiness and burnt-clutch smell that's normally to be had from sequential-type 'boxes. Once you figure out the starting pattern - foot on brake, pull on paddle, add throttle and go - it's surprisingly easy to move. Torque converters ... who needs 'em?

Of course, the performance this machine is capable of enters awesome territory, not to mention the voracious sound it makes at full song, but these characteristics can be observed in every other Ferrari currently on sale. By far the most impressive, if not astonishing thing about the 612 is its initial character and how easy it is to simply hop in and drive. Without fiddlingwith the settings on the gearbox or the adaptive suspension, the car

Very expensive carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes stop the 612 in a hurry. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

is instantly comfortable, with an incredibly supple ride, and that's not just compared to other Ferraris. The 612 never feels as large as it is, yet at the same time you're thoroughly aware of the size of this vehicle – the mass, the width, the whole lot – still, it has a pin-prick accuracy and delicateness that allows it to be precisely placed on the road. The second most impressive thing is the way that it instantly steps up its game to entertain drivers in ways that no other grand touring car can, as it's eager, light on its toes and ever so willing.

The golden key to making the 612 drive the way that itdoes is its weight distribution. Countless advertisements and common knowledge might persuade you to believe that a perfectly balanced 50:50 distribution is best, but Ferrari knows better. Just like a tricky physics exam, there's more than meets the eye and Ferrari has not only discovered it, but implemented it. A slight rearward weight distribution is best for a front-engine, rear-wheel drive car because it provides the back end with more traction, further reduces understeer and helps to deliver sharp steering. By sticking the engine and cabin as far back as possible,

Makes a mole hill out of any mountain journey. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

plus mounting the gearbox at the very rear, Ferrari was able to give the 612 a weight distribution of 46:54.

Weight distribution plays an important part in the way the 612 drives,no doubt, but it's impossible not to ignore the fact that this car is a vastly superior vehicle than the vehicle it replaces, as it's body is 60-percent stronger, it has a lower center of gravity and therefore allows better control over its polar inertia. Because our test was conducted on public roads, we weren't able to even come close to testing the 612 in its groove, but even then it was nothing less than an entertaining and eventful drive.

This, in essence, is in short what separates the 612 Scaglietti from the many other high-performance grand touring cars on the market today. Yes, Aston Martins, Bentleys and even Mercedes-Benzes may provide breathtaking styling, sumptuous interiors and cosseting rides, and two out of three actually provide more horsepower. You can also purchase any of the three, plus a six-figure sports car like a V8 Vantage, an M6 or a 911 to boot for the price of a base 612, but it's the Ferrari that delivers the interactivity that these others can't. For the Grand Touring car that truly does it all, there's only one – the 612 Scaglietti.

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