T
hree incredible cars, the
likes of which, sadly, we’re
unlikely to ever see again.
The 458 Speciale is Ferrari
at the absolute peak of its powers; we
would not be at all surprised if it joins
the Daytona, F40 et al as a marker in the
company’s illustrious history of what it
could achieve at its best. If nothing else,
it’s a fitting end to the Montezemolo era.
The 458’s turbocharged successor,
due later this year, will undoubtedly be
faster and more capable, as absurd as
that seems having driven the Speciale.
But we’d bet the house it won’t be as
intimately connected. We hope we’re
wrong, we hope the new 458 is like the
Speciale turned up to 11. Lord knows, on
current form, if anyone can achieve the
impossible with turbos, it’s Ferrari.
What’s certain is that we’ll never see
another car like the LFA. You’re more
likely to see Great Wall on the F1 grid
in 2017 than a major car manufacturer
sink 10 years and hundreds of millions
of dollars into what is essentially an
engineer’s wet dream.
That Toyota was the one to build it
only makes it more remarkable. It’s the
ultimate advertisement for what makes
natural aspiration great. The noise,
the response, the feeling, the ability toplay the engine as you would a musical
instrument. Should you be lucky enough
to drive an LFA 10, 20, 30 years from
now, it will feel just as special as it
does today. Not because it’s perfect,
but because, like all cars revered as
classics today, it perfectly encapsulates a
particular time in history.
Which leaves us with the Aventador.
Thankfully, it’s likely to be with us a
while yet. Big Lambos typically have
a shelf life of around 10 years, so we
should be enjoying 12 atmosphere-
gulping cylinders, with ever more
impressive power figures, until 2020.
Even better, mention turbocharging to
a Lambo powertrain engineer and they
practically break down in tears at the
thought of sullying their magnificent
creations with such a device. Whether
they can overcome ever stricter
emissions and noise regulations remains
to be seen, but they’ll have our support
every step of the way. – SN M
With this trio, tunnel-
hunting becomes
a sport worthy of
inclusion in the
OlympicsTHREE INCREDIBLE CARS – THE ULTIMATE
AADDVVEERRTTIISSEEMMEENNTTSS FFOOR WWHAT MAKES
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84 march 2015 motormag.com.auYOUR 2C
Will you miss naturally-aspirated
engines when they’re gone, or
are we getting our knickers in a
twist over nothing? Tell us:
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