A return to form: Say hello to Banana MK2, the Italian Prancing Horse (Ferrari 458 Italia)

[Gibbo]

Indeed and when it costs $4000 to add Apple Carplay (which comes free in many Honda Civic's) then these hospitality events will pay for themselves.

Have a great couple of days Gibbo and hope you have some good weather!

Yes were praying for good weather, considering I took the convertible.

Our plan is as follows:
13th June:
Leave house around 05:30am to get to St. Andrews by midday.
14:00 - 18:00 test drive on road
18:00 - 20:00 go to spa
20:00 - Dinner, then sleep

14th June:
09:300 Drive to private airport where we can test the cars full potential in a safe environment, top speed, handling etc.
12:30 Lunch
14:00 were then gonna do our own thing like a Helicopter tour or horse riding.
15:00 Drive to Loch Ness / Inverness, need to find a hotel to stay in this area.

15th June:
Start NC500, drive to Jon O Groates, then do more of NC500 route, get a hotel somewhere along the NC500 route or close too.

16th June:
Drive back either down remaining NC500 or find something else to drive through.


Any recommendations for must have places to visit? We love castles, beach, sea and just great scenery.

 

[Gibbo]

Hi there


So drove up too St. Andrews early Thursday morning, lots of rain but no traffic issues so arrived for midday, to be greeted, fed lunch and then head out in the Portofino for a drive on Scottish roads in the wet. For a RWD front-engine setup traction is remarkable, they were all fitted with Michelin MP4S which of course helps.

Ferrari state the 3.9l turbocharged engine is turbo lag free and has that Ferrari sound, though it is close, the engine is not lag free and though the sound is good, its not a patch on the 458, but albeit a lot better than say a 570S and with a lot less turbo lag. Traction was good, forget 1st gear in the wet, but 2nd gear if you modulate low down was able to put most the power down in 2nd in the wet, 3rd gear was rarely an issue. 4th gear feels so good as you get 100% torque as Ferrari limit torque in the first three gears for traction reasons.

With 600HP and a lot more torque, the car certainly feels quicker than my 458 (turbo torque), but the performance figures are more less identical with the 458 at 10.4s for 0-124mph and the Portofino at 10.8's for the same sprint.

On a dry track, which was the second day, the car had zero issues putting down all 600HP 1st gear upwards and it feels mighty fast out corners, again due to turbo torque, though you seem to be in gears quite a while, longer geared and does not rev as fast as 458.

To try and sum it up, the Portofino is a damn fine car, its a lot more GT car than the 458, but at the same time it has lost that Ferrari feeling in the process, if it was not for the badge on the steering wheel, you could be driving a Mercedes AMG or BMW M car, it is a very sorted, great car and the way Ferrari can setup a chassis is simply incredible the fact the car puts all 600HP down so well in the dry on the road, as I got to drive too and from the track also in the Portofino so was able to test it on road in dry.

Steering is not as good, lighter, not much sense of feel, but very direct, but that is hydraulic rack versus an electric rack for you, 458 is hydraulic and as such its steering feels better weighted, more feel, more connection and sharper in comparison.
Driving the Portofino to me felt like driving my F-Type SVR, it felt big, heavier and not as direct or connected but savage quick and rather effortless to drive, it hides speed and you want to push it.

In short, awesome GT car, even better convertible sports car, but not special, its lost the noise / sound, its lost that Ferrari feeling as the 458 if you jack the systems to max and you drive it beyond 5/10th's you feel like your driving a race car, something truly special that is also so capable on the road and can be relaxed to cruise to an acceptable standard, even more so if you specify a 458 with comfort seats, etc.
The 458 bucket seats don't have much padding and after 2-3hrs there is a little lower back pain requiring a get out, which is normally the case anyway as it will always want more fuel.

To me the 458 feels truly special!
The Portofino though fantastic just did not feel so special, my girlfriend absolutely loved it, then we got back in the 458 and was like I thought the Portofino sounded awesome with roof down, but your 458 puts it to shame, just imagine a Spyder version.

Anyway a picture of some of the Portofino's:




















The event as a whole was awesome, the service from Ferreri and their staff nothing short of excellent, incredible hotel room at Fairmont St. Andrews, fantastic breakfast, lunch and dinner along with all the booze you want to drink, all in all superb and even better FREE.


So after taking a coastal walk in St. Andrews on Friday, we got in the 458 and headed towards Loch Ness via the old military road and some other roads which were nothing short of insane with practically no traffic. We stayed in a cabin for Friday night, which the Mrs. absolutely loved and grabbed some fish and chips from local chip shop along with some treats and wine from local super market.
















We then left Loch Ness and drove to Mallaig and then back down to Ayr where we stayed in a hotel near the beach, taking as many coastal routes and fun roads as possible, Then Sunday we made the journey home, again take the more fun routes until eventually having to join the M6, again the return trip was effortless.

Here are some more pictures:

 

[Gibbo]

I’m assuming you mean the Nurburgring track? - it’s roughly 240 miles away from Nuremberg which is in Bavaria,The Nurburgring is in Rhineland.

Zero interest in the ring I am afraid, I far prefer making road trips, next one shall be NC500 and track wise I shall probably go visit Donnington at some point, just right now I am enjoying other things in life like the Mrs and travelling, but in honesty the ring has never interested me and never will.

 

[Gibbo]

Ferrari emailed me another invite this time to go all expenses paid to Maranello Universo Ferrari to check out a new model being released and an exhibition. Also time on Fiorano circuit and hotel and food covered.

The service is amazing but I have to decline as on holiday in Turkey, needless to say rather gutted but as a brand they keep delivering.

 

[Gibbo]

Hi there


Well nearly a year on with Ferrari ownership, car has given zero issues, I've done around 7000 faultless miles. It is such an epic car to drive, truly makes me smile.
Its being a busy but enjoyable year with a few holidays, first time in my career I've used all my holiday allowance and then some and very busy with work, as saying goes work hard, play hard, 2020 time for hard work though.

Me and the Mrs celebrated our first year anniversary back in November, though we met last September and were hoping this February is a day like today as that will be when I've had the Ferrari for a year so we can maybe re-visit Caffeine & Machine, the place myself the Mrs and @kindai all went for lunch.

The keen eyed will spot the location has changed, we got a place together and moved in this month, still a lot of work in progress but were very happy as were in a private and quiet area, great for us as it means I have a huge area for washing cars which makes life very easy and its a great spot for taking photos, I can foresee a mini OcUK meet at mine for washing cars and photo shoot in Summer.

Anyway some pictures:

















I am glad to finally have a garage I can fit the car in (just about), means it stays clean and though I am sure nature would not harm the Ferrari too much I had noticed leaving it outside was allowing a lot of moisture to build in engine bay on wet days due to it being open to the elements so its nice for me to no longer have to worry, plus its hidden away too and secure.

Having the front entry to garage dug up by end of January so there is a nice ramp, as had to fit new garage doors as can be seen so the car could easily fit in even with mirrors out if need be, problem with super cars as mirrors stick out, the car is 87-88" wide and garage opening is only 92", so it is tight but mirrors folded in and its 83-84" wide which makes it easier and am glad the car has said option fitted as most 458's don't have folding mirrors or cruise control believe it or not, so I am glad the original owner fitted options that are useful.

Car us due an MOT and service soon so will be getting those done when weather looks promising, as its a 2014 car it falls under Ferrari 7yr service package so service and MOT are free of charge and as its under warranty any jobs are covered. The service in 2021 shall be the last free service, at that point I shall probably make the decision to keep it or sell it on, though servicing cost are not that bad, main dealer price is £1000-£1200 typically which is half of what Lamborghini and Mclaren were asking for comparison.

 

[Gibbo]

Lets do it!

Sounds like a plan, maybe we could meet at Ferrari Swindon (MOT), then drive to the Machine, grab lunch, then head home, lets talk closer to the time and monitor the weather situation in February. Also once were more settled in you will have to pop round, we hope to have all the rooms done by February, were off to a good start but still plenty more to do.

You will love my lamp made out of car bits. Also nearly grabbed a couple of stools and a coffee table made from an engine, but the Briony though it was dope but disliked an engine in the living room.

 

[Gibbo]

you need a double garage Gibbo it just fits !

Would be more ideal, but this will do, main thing its away from elements.

 

[Gibbo]

I bet you have to breath in when getting in/out in that garage. Do you put the windows down to make access easier. I remember when I had my 911 in the garage for the one and only time and it was tight, not helped by doors being long due to being 3 door.

It would be very tight but when I had the new doors put on we also cut a huge hole in the side of garage and fitted a big barn door which lines up with the car door so I can fully open the drivers door for easy access and though it’s tight I can walk all way around car and there is plenty of room at front and rear. Main thing is it fits and it’s dry and warm in there as my mate has fully insulated it for us.





Had the hole cut and door fitted where my drivers door is, so I can fully open the drivers door for easy access, makes life a lot easier.

 

[Gibbo]

Pretty much the same with all garages in most homes. Built for cars from the 1970's. When the missus goes back after maternity I am looking to get our garage widened and lengthened. At the moment I rely on foam and carpet to make sure i do not damage the doors! Even still it keeps the car nice and warm during the winter months!

I’ve literally just added foam padding to where the side door hinges as the mirror will touch the wall with door fully opened if I’m careless so attached some foam padding to wall just in case.

The the little 500 however looks rather small in the garage as it is pretty much the size of a 1970's car, albeit bigger than a small car from that time:









That fits with ease, previous owner was parking a 4x4 in there also, its just the Ferrari is very wide, but agreed most the houses we looked at with single garages would have never fitted the car in width wise and many were also too short as well, seems a lot of modern houses with garages are intended for storage only and not a car it seems as even some modern built houses we looked at the garages were too small.

 

[Gibbo]

Nice one mate!! @Gibbo I see you also found a good spot for that wreath!!!

Yes thanks buddy, goes perfect there, hoping by end of January most of house shall be done so you will have come round.

This is very much true and one reason we chose the house we did when we moved last year and the garage is almost 6m wide with two full width single doors. It's wide enough to get two cars in comfortably (and even some room for storage too!).
We've now got the wife's 2nd car in there, so things are a bit more cramped, but I've also got a lot more storage space in there since this was taken:

Despite this, most of the people around where we live now don't put a car in the garage but everyone parks on the driveways instead.

If you want some flooring for the garage I'd recommend Swisstrax Ribtrax. Would cost about ~£600 for that size garage I'd think, but it's worth every penny - really top quality stuff.

I do like that flooring, got a few jobs planned but waiting for warmer months, for now just wanted to get the car in and away from the elements.

Next job is to get the MOT done on Ferrari, just undecided on do I book it in with Ferrari Manchester and build a relationship with those guys, or take it back to Dick Lovett in Swindon who have being nothing short of amazing, only issue is it a couple hundred mile round trip compared to about 30-40 miles.

 

[Gibbo]

You need an excuse to drive a Ferrari a couple of hundred miles?!

Very true that and its not all motorway so not so bad and I do like sticking with said dealership simply due to the service.

 

[Gibbo]

Very nice Gibbo. I'm not on OCUK forums as much as I used to be but always enjoyed reading about your cars.

I was particularly interested to see you bought a 458; something I'm weighing up in 2020. Other options are an AMG GTR, or 570s Spider. I'd really love to get into a 600LT but the whole McLaren thing seems a bit risky to me.

The idea of getting into a 458 with some sense of security with a warranty is pretty attractive to me. What will Ferrari charge you to extend the warranty when it expires?

Drive all the cars, AMG GTR I found harsh, very harsh, try the newer GTC I think it is think it is pretty much an R with some softening.
Avoid all Mclarens right now, prices tumbling really fast, however next year a 570S will no doubt be a bargain, maybe 65-75k area which to be frank is insane value, running cost can be eye watering, but Thorney Motorpsort might be a hero in that regard but I know they are not so well regarded on these forums.

Ferrari warranty is £2500 per year on my car, power train warranty, look it up as it won't cover everything, but typically covers expensive stuff, but stuff like dampers are around £2500 per axle which are not covered but some dealerships are known for goodwill.
Next year pretty much all 458 will be out of service pack so servicing will be a cost, it is yearly or every 12500 miles and cost around £1200 plus any extras required/adviced.

As I've said many times, much quicker hardware out there but the 458 for me inside the car is way more exciting than the faster stuff I tried.

 

[Gibbo]

Insurance renewal came through and premium increased to £1450 from the grand i was paying with Admiral.

After calling around getting quotes nearly as high as £5000 Manning Uk came in best at £851 for better cover as included track day cover as it’s time to do some track days this year. Plus they specialise in Ferrari as such they allow and claims / damage / repairs be carried out by Ferrari.

 

[Gibbo]

That's a very good price, what age bracket are you in? I mean my A6 bitdi is around £400ish...

40

To be honest my insurance premiums on past cars have been circa £500ish so this is quite high but I suspect it comes down to value as I found most insurers won’t touch it because the value is over 100k

 

[Gibbo]

That's great with track cover, I pay £740 for my 4C with track cover from A-Plan. 5 days a year.

Where are you thinking? If an OcUK track meet happens count me in .

Shall be Donnington, no doubt a book-a-track day when weather warms up, so May onwards I shall be looking to book something.

Yeah £851 was best price I could find plus being able to put down car is in a locked garage helped reduce the premium and its nice knowing that if worse happens the insurer will cover Ferrari labour cost for repair and track day cover (10% excess of vehicle value) is included for all UK tracks organised by clubs or meeting ATDO which Javalin, Book-a-Track, RMA, MSV all do, European circuits have a one £500 fee to be covered, but I have no desires or plans to do a track day in Europe.

 

[Gibbo]

That’s a great price with the track day cover plus any repairs to be done by Ferrari.
I’ve just paid £740 for the HP with Admiral (no track days).

I was with Admiral they increased the price considerably for renewal so shopped around and Admiral did counter offer at £812 but I felt the few quid extra was well worth it for the track day cover and Ferrari being allowed to do repairs.

You got the HP in the end then, you enjoying it? Like I said on PH they are truly ballistic and see EVO RWD just released too bet that’s interesting and if they offered a gated manual the purist would make a real mess.

 

[Gibbo]

Yes, I got a good deal on the red one (the colour I was really after) at Leven Specialist Cars in Edinburgh (great company to deal with) and it was delivered two days ago. I don't plan on using the car until at least Easter, once all of the salt has disappeared from the roads.
I can't really comment on what it's like yet, but I was blown away by the test-drive I had in one so I'm sure I've made the right choice. I tried a 488 which was a very different experience to the HP, but it just didn't do anything for me.
Maybe we will bump into each other (not literally) at Donington one day. I sometimes pop over and was there last Saturday for the SCD meet.

That is good to hear!

Yep for me after driving all the cars it came down between 458 vs Huracan Performante as I loved the looks of both, I loved the sound of both the difference was the drive. The HP is such a super planted car, it literally just begs you to go faster and it really makes you very very naughty, the grip is never ending but it feels in another world compared to a regular Huracan, its neutral and far more communicative and though the Huracan is also bloody quick in a straight line, the HP is ballistic. My only real gripe with the HP was though it was engaging you were always going ballistic in it, at legal speeds it was all a bit calm on a b-road, great if driving around town is your thing though as nothing seems to pull a crowd more than a bright loud Lamborghini.

In the end I went with the 458 I found it was more challenging, more fun at legal speeds and I felt it was a far safer place to put my money and I was right on that because at the time the HP's were all 200k plus, whereas now I can similar car for mid to high 160's so I'd have taken a 30-40k hit in a year, whereas the 458 had a buy back offer last month at 139k from Ferrari, so I've lost basically 10k if I took the trade price offer, no plans on selling, will be taking it to Donnington this year and have another Scotland trip (NC500) planned.
Like you 488 did little for me, for me the slower 458 is more special and fun to drive.

 

[Gibbo]

A cold start video:

Autobrite wish to make a video advertising their new range of product and asked if I'd like to loan my car for a few days for them to give it a total wash, polish, wax and video made with their new products, free of charge, hence of course I agreed to this, you can find the products here:
https://www.autobritedirect.co.uk/s...yFrMFc0WLgwkXmomb7wopzXyKu7Q7azRzHW6OQqvjc_I4


@kindai the owner asked if you'd be willing to loan your car for similar treatment?

Photograph of it in the wash bay at Autobrite:







They are also going to do some machine polishing and apply a coat of Autograph amongst other get it proper shining, then I shall collect it on the next dry day.

Big thanks to the owner there for the offer, means the car will be properly shiny ready for Summer.

For those of keen hearing the butterflies when valves open have a rattle noise when the car is not used regular, which goes after a few minutes of running as things just need to heat up, but thought I'd do a cold start as I don't recall posting one before.

Though the conditions are were pretty cold and very wet this car amazes me with how much mechanical traction there is on the PS4S and how flat and on rails it feels even in such conditions, but I also thoroughly love the fact that a big does of right foot will bring the rear end around in beautiful drift fashion, I swear this things slides just as progressively and controllable as my M3 did, which based on the weight balance (mid-engine) I am pleasantly surprised by and so happy.

Anyway as they send me more photos over the week I shall post them up and hopefully the video in coming weeks.

 

[Gibbo]

Please tell me those doors are held open with something, had a similar thing catch the wind and dent my 330e whilst leaving the office.

There are metal cylinders drilled into the ground on the left that the bolt drops into. The one of the right is hooked onto the brick wall as is the mid door on the garage itself. So the doors are locked into that position.

Not surprising, given how the top end of the market has collapsed.

You look in the trade groups right now and people are trying to dump their maccas, hurracans, gtrs, astons etc for stupid money. I keep having lambo Leicester ringing me about a green hurracan theyve been trying to sell for months, https://www.sytner.co.uk/lamborghin...1300926-lamborghini-huracan-lp-610-4-2dr-ldf/

Been watching it drop £1k a month for the last 6 months, and thats just list price.

As I put earlier in this thread, I am very relieved I did not buy a Performante, I'd have lost 40-50k now, likewise on a 570S or 720S, a similar dramatic loss.
The other car I thought might be safe was the 991.2 GT3 Manual, but nope also shedded 20-30k in same period.

The only car that has held rock solid which was on the list as was the dream car was the 991.1 GT3 RS, they were 150-160k, they are still trading hands in same region and more.

Regular Huracans have faired better though, around 10-20k loss, pretty similar to the 458, but if the Performante keeps falling they could be 150k soon and I truly think that is the bottom as for me its the best of the Huracan range, its only downfall really is it is just too good as in you feel rarely challenged on the road unless you absolutely disregard speed limits by huge amounts.

 

[Gibbo]

Wow, unbelievable, that was a close shave. I went up there just before Christmas to view the car and there was no hint that the group was struggling and in difficulties.

Well your fine Lamborghini warranty your car not that particular deal but maybe why you got a good deal.

My uncle had a letter from Aston Martin as the dealership we got the Vantage from was part of this group and letter was just saying about warranty being unaffected and if anything fails to just let them know directly and they can fix / repair or cover the bills at a specialist, good service from Aston.