Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XXI

2 4 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I S IMPLY CARS I n my first week as a motoring journalist I was invited to drive the then-new Ferrari F40, the only one in Australia, was imported by the local concessionaire as his personal car. It was the most extreme Ferrari ever made, limited in number and the last to be built under company founder Enzo’s regime before his passing, so it’s always been a special car. My boss got wind of the offer and quite rightly vetoed the invite and sent me to Tasmania for a Nissan launch while he sampled the twin-turbo, V8 supercar. I have waited 25 years for anything near that offer to come round again. Finally, the phone call came, this time via Ferrari Middle East. “Would you like to drive LaFerrari?” Even for a gear head like most of us who write about this stuff, it was the call we all hope to get one day. LaFerrari is of course the spiritual successor to the F40, which itself followed on from the outrageous 288GTO using much of the same mechanicals. Since the F40, there’s been the F50 and the Enzo as the absolute pinnacles of Ferrari road cars and the closest the company has ever come to putting its F1 technology on the street. The F50 went as far as using the then-current V12 F1 engine which Jean Alesi had behind him, while the Enzo was developed with great input fromMichael Schumacher. So it’s okay to admit that LaFerrari and this drive dominated my dreams, fears and every waking hour for the 12 weeks leading to my arrival in Bologna. Even as I stepped off the plane, my hands were going clammy, long before I laid eyes on the AED6 million beast parked behind the heavily fortified gates of Ferrari’s Fiorano test track that backs on to the factory. It was resting in pit lane, waiting to be let loose; alas, it would have to wait as I was ushered to a second LaFerrari which I thought was a static display sitting out front. Its door was open, the key inside and I was assured it had a full tank of fuel. “The exit gate is that way, turn left and the hills are up there, somewhere, with some windy roads. We’ll see you back for lunch.” And that was it! I’d had more complex driving instructions for a Volvo launch on Saadiyat Island and yet here I was, about to venture out into the traffic with 950 roaring Italian stallions behind my head all going through the rear wheels.