Simply Abu Dhabi XI

The noise it makes getting there is quite simply breathtaking too. Nothing can quite compare to the majesty of a Ferrari V12 in full song so I’d forego a sound system if I were you and just enjoy the music of the finest Italian engineering performing just behind your ears. However, it isn’t just power, speed and that astonishing soundtrack that sets LaFerrari apart, its chassis too is nothing short of a work of art. Made up of four different types of carbon fibre, and built in the same department as Ferrari’s F1 cars, it’s the closest you could possibly get to an F1 chassis in a road-going car. As a result, and by integrating both the seating and battery compartment into the chassis, torsional rigidity is up 27 percent over the Enzo and longitudinal stiffness increases 22 percent, while weight goes down by 20 percent. Its center of gravity is 1.4 inches lower than its predecessor’s, and LaFerrari carries 59 percent of its weight over the rear axle. At 185.1 and 104.3 inches, its overall length and wheelbase are the same as the Enzo’s. At 78.4 inches wide, the LaFerrari is 1.7 narrower, and its roof, at 43.9 inches high, is 1.3 closer to the pavement. In the cockpit, the seating position is fixed but the steering wheel and pedal box can be adjusted to suit your chosen driving style and personal taste so you can really make the best use of this road-going racecar. Inside, you sit behind a 12.3-inch digital display offering the choice of a traditional Ferrari layout with the tachometer in the center or a “competition-style” layout for even more of that F1 feel. There are no seats in the traditional sense by the way. Both driver and passenger sit in padded carbon- fibre forms incorporated into the rear bulkhead. The pedals and steering wheel adjust to the driver. Try not to worry though, it really is an awful lot more comfortable that it may sound! Keeping all that power and performance in check and making sure you’re in charge of bringing this particular prancing horse to a halt are Brembo carbon ceramic disc brakes on all four corners. It’s always comforting to know that, at that 217mph top speed, you have at least a sporting chance of stopping when you need to. From the outside too, LaFerrari really is a feast for all the senses. Viewed from the front, the car has a distinct look of the track-only Enzo FXX but the rest of the design is much smoother and sleeker than its predecessor, with some of those curvaceous lines bringing to mind the 458 Italia. All those vents and intakes may be the stuff of teenage fantasies and sci-fi spacecraft but they all have specific functions. Whether it’s cooling the engine and brakes, holding the car close to the ground at its incredible top speed or performing tiny but vital parts in the aerodynamics that make the car such an unforgettable drive. Ferrari says inspiration has come fromboth its own sports prototypes of the late 1960s and its latest F1 cars, the clearest examples of F1 styling being the central pylon on which the front spoiler hangs, and the central rear light. To sum up, it seems that Ferrari have done it again, creating a supercar that sets the standard all others must aspire to. It has the power, the performance, the technology and the looks that simply scream, ‘supercar’. It’s very hard to put into words exactly how LaFerrari makes you feel but I think the French have a phrase for it. Oh yes. It’s ‘Ooh la la’. 2 5 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I