Horsepowering into the future

By Alastair Sloane

Someone once defined a typical Ferrari as a car that looked beautiful, sounded marvellous and was about as reliable as an incoming government.

Further, the design of the cabin was more suited to moles than man and, once under way, the car was as graceful as a butcher's bicycle.

The cars bearing the famous prancing horse badge were certainly heavy to steer below 80 km/h and the gearbox could be a handful. So much so that it was often necessary to bypass an obstinate gear when going up and down the gate.

Servicing charges were horrendous. One former Ferrari owner used to book his car for service four times a year - at $2600 a pop.

The much-acclaimed F355 of a few years ago changed that impression for good. In one model, Ferrari moved from the past to the present.

Now it has entered the future. Its latest model, the F360 Modena, is said to be the most user-friendly of all.

The F360 Modena, unveiled this month, is expected to account for 65 per cent of Ferrari's annual output of 3500 cars. The V12 models, the 456 and 500, will pick up the balance.

The F360 Modena is powered by a 3.6-litre V8, an enlarged variant of the F355's 40-valve engine.

It produces 300kW and will propel the car from zero to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. Transmission is a conventional manual or second-generation version of Ferrari's six-speed clutchless manual, activated by Formula One-style flippers near the steering wheel.

The F360 Modena will go on sale in New Zealand in July.

Price is not yet known. Work on three-and-a-bit times the £105,000 ($NZ328,000) British Ferrari
dealers will ask for it.