Simply Abu Dhabi XXXVI

sharpening the steering, tightening the suspension and altering the transmission’s change patterns to make them lightening quick. It’s a dramatic transformation that takes it from a family, fuel-miser taxi to a track day toy which feels every bump in the road, changes gears as quick as a 488 Ferrari and gives the throttle a hair trigger. Be warned though as it also turns off the traction control and you can be reminded very quickly of what 503 unrestrained horses feel like when they are let loose on the rear tyres without electronic aids. There’s next to no body roll when cornering quickly which is due in part to a clever rear differential that helps transfer power instantly away from a wheel if it detects slip. Thankfully it comes standard with giant 361mm front and 351mm rear vented disc brakes to reign it all in without fade after a good run, while 390mm vented Brembo floating discs in carbon-ceramic on the front and 360mm on the rear are also available as an extra cost option. While the mechanical aspects of the brakes worked perfectly, the electronic brake-by-wire system had a similar hair trigger to the throttle and needed a bit of learning to adapt to its sudden nature. It took a few kilometres of stop-start traffic to master a happy balance. From behind the wheel, the Alfa definitely feels the most driver-oriented of its class with hip-hugging seats and a clear view ahead over clear and precise analogue instruments. If you’re looking for large tablet-like displays stuck on the dash however, you will be disappointed as the centre infotainment screen while being smaller than the gigantic unit used in the Mercedes, is far more discreet by being enclosed within the natural lines of the curvy dash. An Alcantara wheel with carbon fibre insert is thinner than most which gives a subliminal feel of classic car cool and also gives a more direct connection with the front tyres through the fingers. Carbon fibre also creeps through the interior along with quality leather and hand stitching throughout. Thankfully at AED379,000, the interior feels and looks like a quality package and by any reckoning, the Giulia Quadrifoglio is a magnificent piece of engineering, ensuring that the driving satisfaction is superior to anything from Germany. It accelerates, brakes and handles as good as the best, delivers an engine and exhaust note that, while not as bassy as the C63’s V8 baritone rumble, is more intoxicating than a BMW M engine and delivers rivalling interior room with a spacious boot. At this end of the game, it’s always a subjective purchase driven by emotions to a larger extent than any of us would care to admit, however if it were my money, I’d take the Alfa which I just know will kick off a whole new round of arguments. There’s no room for fence-sitting when it comes to Alfa Romeos and everyone’s got an opinion. 15 per cent of the car’s aero gains with three opening flaps that act like an undercar version of F1’s famous DRS system. Using lessons learned from both the 488 Pista and the 488 Challenge race car, the radiators housed in the nose have been repackaged to allow room for the new front diffusers which provides the a further 25 per cent of aero benefits. While the engine spins freely to its redline, it’s still 1,000rpm lower than the naturally aspirated 4.5-litre V8 from the older 458 Speciale and still takes some re-acclimatisation to click the upshift paddle before the rev limiter cuts in. Despite its 2.9 seconds to 100km/h time and 340km/h top speed, the F8 is not a track day special and it’s out on the open roads where it truly excelled, still in rainy and misty conditions but it dealt with the rigours of everyday traffic and rough road surfaces far better than a 710bhp sports car should. It soaked up bumps, helped by the powered, leather seats much better than the track-focused Pista yet still delivered an endless surge of power whenever it was needed. Using Ferrari’s Variable Boost Management which increases torque progressively, wiping out turbo lag, the F8 delivered all 770Nm of torque the moment the right foot was planted and regardless of gear. Its upshifts were lightening quick and I couldn’t help but laugh each time I popped it back down a ratio for a corner helped by a blip of the throttle and an explosive crack from the exhausts. At low revs it delivers a baritone note that has the ability to scare small animals but press on and it morphs into a metallic thrash, high-pitched scream that sends chills down the spine as you upchange the paddle shift box searching for more of the same. Needlessly, you end up unnecessarily rifling up and down the set of seven gear ratios, playing the transmission and throttle like a mechanical organ to just soak in the symphony of notes delivered through its lightweight pipes. The F8 Tributo continues Ferrari’s tradition of delivering spinetingling performance from its mid- mounted V8s that are worthy of their many accolades and I just hope the SF90 and future versions will continue this trend with their electric-powered assistance.