Life would be purrfect, wouldnt it? Apparently someone does...and in New York! (Most people in NY dont even own cars, where on earth does he drive them, but then I am sure thats the last worry on his mind)
"You expect a Ferrari Enzo to be quick; a ?slow supercar? is as much of an oxymoron as a ?fast moped?. *You also expect an Enzo to be temperamental; Ferrari freely admits that post-delivery mechanical malfunctions are an integral part of the development process. *But most of all, you expect it to be beautiful. *Think of it this way: if the $650k Enzo wasn?t beautiful, everyone who saw one would consider its owner a fool. *
Benny Caiola Jr. is no fool. *Saying that, would you lend your Ferrari Enzo to a stranger? *Before you answer, consider this: the New York property developer owns two of them. *And an F40, F40LM, F50, 333SP, 512BB, 575M, 456, 355, Dino, four 360s, a Lamborghini Diablo and Murcielago, Pagani Zonda, Porsche GT2 and Aston Martin Vanquish. *
So even if a visiting journalist somehow carved his place in automotive infamy, Benny wouldn?t be taking the bus...
On Cue
Anyway, as I approach Benny?s Enzo, I respect the man?s taste. *With the exception of its round tail lights and the prancing horse emblem embedded in the rear mesh, the Enzo doesn?t share a single design cue with its predecessors. *Yet it?s unmistakably Ferrari. *The F1-style nose gets all the press, but it?s the Enzo?s blend of exquisite details and balanced proportions that creates its brand-specific charisma. *To say the end result is aesthetically appealing is like saying Enrico Caruso could carry a tune. *
The Enzo?s melody starts with a ferocious bark. *Ferrari?s largest ever V12 (in a passenger car) quickly settles into an idle with so much low frequency bass you?d swear an alien mother ship was hovering overhead. *The cockpit?s eight steering wheel-mounted buttons, seven rev lights, oversized analogue speedo and tachometer, glowing digital display, traditional column stalks and bat-eared paddle shifts present a formidable challenge to a human operator. *Fortunately, the carbon fibre seats provide a comfortable perch from which to sort it all out.
Touch Sensitive
Even before I leave Benny?s drive, I?m surprised by the Enzo?s delicate responses. *The slightest touch on the left pedal and 15? carbon ceramic brakes threaten to hurl me through the windshield. *The smallest input on the wheel and we?re headed in a different direction. *Clearly, thankfully, the days when driving a Ferrari meant wrestling with recalcitrant mechanicals in the world?s fastest sauna ended with the passing of the Enzo?s namesake. *Ferrari?s latest and greatest is a finely balanced precision instrument that doesn?t make you pay [anything except money] for the privilege. *
In fact, the Enzo proves itself as happy trundling around town as a big-engined Beemer. *With 485 ft. lbs. of torque on tap, there?s never any question of bunny hopping or hunting for the right gear. *Parallel parking is a bitch, and luggage space is restricted to what you can put in your pockets, but the Enzo?s user-friendly dynamics at sub-warp speeds make it a viable - if astounding - daily driver.
Warp Factor
When Benny points at the Hutchinson River Parkway onramp, the look on his face tells me ambling time is over?
The moment I give the Enzo?s go-pedal a shove, the 660hp two-seater surges ahead with all the genetic imperative of a race horse bolting from the starting gate. *The thrust is so explosive I struggle to judge my exact role in the proceedings. *Instinct tells me to tap her into third gear before the 48-valve engine blows up, and avoid solid objects. *Five seconds later, I?ve managed to calm things down to a subjectively sedate 150mph. *
As I get used to driving in hyperspace, the traffic ahead can?t get out of my way fast enough - literally. *By the time a driver clocks the Enzo?s yellow prow in their rear view mirror, I?m already waiting for them to move over. *As a result, I?m driving the Enzo in a series of full-bore sprints that bring new meaning to the words ?in gear acceleration?. *While the engine note is nowhere near as loud as an F50?s, neither is an F14?s. *Let?s just say what the Enzo?s soundtrack lacks in volume it makes up in drama.
Perhaps you?d like to know how a Ferrari Enzo handles in the corners. *So would I. *When I ask Benny to direct me to an appropriately twisty road, he invites me for lunch. *Oh well. *Suffice it to say, nothing ?the Hutch? could throw at the Enzo - off camber bends, broken pavement, lunatic SUV drivers - could disturb the car?s sure-footed poise, at speeds that defy both law and logic. *It feels light, tight and right. *
As we head back to Villa Caiola, I try to make sense of what just happened. *I?m elated to have scored major seat time in an Enzo. *But more than that, I?m relieved that the supercar lived up to my every expectation. *The Ferrari Enzo is both beauty and the beast. *"
Article was sourced from
Enzo Article
GTO
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