Basem Wasef

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by Basem Wasef – February 15, 2026

Review: 2027 Ferrari Amalfi

Of all the Ferrari models named after oh-so-Italian locales – for example, Modena, Maranello, Fiorano – among the most leisurely is Amalfi. Despite its sun-drenched association, Ferrari’s latest GT is more stylistically aggressive than the Roma it replaces and, unlike the idyllic coastal village of its namesake, the new model is a more focused evolution of the front-engine grand tourer. Gone is the predecessor’s tapered nose and perforated grille that suggest sensual sculpture and quiet luxury; Amalfi’s front end leverages the 12Cilindri’s more complex execution that features a so-called floating grille that frames a band of negative space, a mesh lower portion that hides sensors, and discreetly integrated air intakes. Added airflow is a welcome addition because Amalfi’s 3.9-liter, twin-turbo V8 now produces 631 horsepower, up from 611, thanks to better breathing, lighter camshafts, and bigger turbos that now spin at 171,000 rpm. The flat-plane engine’s redline rises to 7,600 rpm. Other updates include the advanced ABS EVO brake-by-wire system as found in the 296, Side Slip Angle Control 6.1, and a 3-position active rear spoiler that replaces the 2-position unit in the Roma and delivers up to 242 pounds of downforce. While the Amalfi’s restyling is arguably subjective, one objective improvement can be found in its ergonomic improvements. Critically, the haptic surfaces on the steering wheel, which were prone to unintended commands, are now physical switches. The haptically actuated Engine Start/Stop surface at 6 o’clock is also (thankfully) gone, replaced by a physical button at 8 o’clock. The central touchscreen also switches from a portrait view to a more elegantly integrated landscape setup. In contrast to the busier exterior bits and bobs, the cabin now feels sleeker with anodized aluminum central tunnel and door cards whose planar surfaces resemble minimalist sculpture. One favorite feature: Amalfi’s rectangular key, which slides and lays flush within a perfectly sized recess within the central tunnel. It’s important to remember that Amalfi doesn’t posture as a balls-to-the-wall performance proposition (see: 849 Testarossa) or a nimble pugilist (witness: 296 GTB), but rather a plush, road- trip ready boulevardier that features soft-close doors and available comfort seats with 10 air chambers that offer a variety of massage styles. My test drive is staged in Portugal’s Algarve region. What the setting lacks in dolce vita it makes up for in winding mountain roads and untouched coastal vistas. The tone is set nicely, thanks to the mechanical click of the Start button and reassuringly unobtrusive thanks to the steering wheel’s physical buttons, which are no longer haptic minefields of annoyance. The V8 is incrementally quieter than before due to tightening sound restrictions and now routes exhaust gases through a ceramic matrix catalyst lined with rhodium, platinum and palladium. A new bypass valve also applies dedicated maps depending on driving mode, so the more aggressive Manettino settings (like Sport and Race) yield a proportionally louder exhaust note when the V8 pushed to higher RPMs. There’s a cozy snugness to the Amalfi interior, perhaps because both the driver and passenger enjoy dedicated instrument panels with the more discreetly embedded central touchscreen offering a neutral in-between space. The dual-cockpit theme is similarly executed in the 12Cilindri, and extends some autonomy to the passenger via the letterboxed touchscreen which can display multimedia, navigation, or vehicle setting and performance data. <- Gallery -> Amalfi’s interior aesthetic is cleaned up like a Marie Kondo closet, integrating air vents into each of the dual cockpit features and removing superfluous contours. There is, however, perhaps a bit too much form over function with most of the HVAC controls being embedded into the central touchscreen’s menu system; what could have been a quick adjustment via a toggle or a switch requires tapping a virtual button and interrupting driving directions in order to fine-tune the fan setting. Amalfi feels silky smooth under most driving circumstances, transmitting little of road’s major imperfections through the suspension while never feeling loose or cushy. When the going gets jouncy, the driver can push the Manettino in for a ‘Bumpy Road’ setting that softens the ride. Parking garages and driveways are now more manageable thanks to an available nose lift which raises the front end by 1.5 inches at speeds up to 22 mph. Leave it in automatic mode and the 8-speed transaxle shifts early, resulting in subdued acceleration commensurate to the model’s entry level positioning; according to Ferrari, Amalfi slots below the Purosangue, 12Cilindri, 296 GTB, and 849 Testarossa, in that order. Select manual mode via a small, elegant toggle switch on the center console, and the twin-turbo V8’s free-spinning power is far more easily accessed. There’s quite a bit of torque available in the midrange, particularly as the maximum twist of 560 lb-ft peaks all the way from 3,000 to 5,750 rpm. While Wet mode smoothed out the power delivery while I negotiated a rain-soaked stretch in the Serra de Monchique mountain range, quick throttle jabs in Sport mode sent wheel-spinning power to the rear, serving as a reminder that the 631-horsepower V8 can transform from genteel to feisty with a simple stab of the right pedal. Incremental improvements across the board help broaden the Amalfi’s capabilities, starting with the implementation of the ABS EVO system launched in the 296 and carried over to the Purosangue and 12Cilindri. The new brake-by-wire system enables stopping to occur with 1/3 less pedal travel, and the brakes also coordinate with stability control to manage vehicle dynamics by applying the brakes individually. Wheel slip is also managed by Side Slip Control 6.1, which oversees everything from steering and power delivery and suspension stiffness. If all that jargon is overwhelming, think of it this way: Amalfi feels more deft and controllable at the limit without sacrificing Ferrari’s familiar steering characteristics of light effort and high accuracy. The starter Ferrari feels like it works harmoniously well as a system, with throttle, steering, suspension and brakes all meeting in the middle to make the driver feel quick, confident – and yes, sexy. While nostalgia addicts may lean toward the outgoing Roma for its smoother, more unified lines, the Amalfi’s mechanical refinements and power stoke desire for the new kid on the block. Though the vastly improved steering wheel controls might lead some to swear off the Roma forever, Ferrari says they’re working on a way to enable the new wheel to be retrofitted to the outgoing model. Who says you can’t have it (almost) all? View All Ferraris For Sale Images: Ferrari

by Basem Wasef – January 22, 2026

Bugatti’s Latest Solitaire One-off is an 8-Figure Ode to Ferdinand Piëch

By Basem Wasef This is the Bugatti F.K.P. Hommage, the second car to be commissioned through the French marque's new Programme Solitaire, a new, ultra-exclusive division dedicated to creating bespoke, coachbuilt hypercars. This one-off that was last week, pays tribute to one of the most influential automotive personalities of the 20th century, Ferdinand Karl Piëch. Decades into his seemingly limitless career, the Austrian impresario acted on the urge to build a vehicle of inconceivable capability. The man responsible for Porsche 917 Longtails roaring down the Mulsanne straight at 240 mph, innovative “VR” powerplants for Volkswagen, and the groundbreaking all-wheel drive system powering the monstrous Audi S1 Quattro Group B rally car would ultimately acquire the Bugatti brand in 1998. Piëch’s pièce de resistance started life as a napkin sketch on the Japanese bullet train and became the Veyron, a moonshot whose never-before-achieved goals were to produce 1,000 horsepower and hit 250 mph, yet be civilized enough to pull up at the opera in style. It’s been two decades since the Veyron wowed the cognoscenti. Among those who is one particularly passionate collector who commissioned a one-off that poses an intriguing idea: What if Bugatti built a facelift of the O.G. hypercar before moving on to the Chiron? Unlike Bugatti’s other Solitaire project, dubbed Brouillard, the F.K.P. is inspired by the Veyron. Every carbon fiber body panel has been resculpted for a sleeker, more smoothed-out reinterpretation of the first modern Bugatti’s lines. Bugatti Director of Design Frank Heyl tells duPont Registry that the Veyron was already a novel design when it was first unveiled as a concept in 1999. “Before the Veyron supercars were perceived as this forward-angled wedge shape still inspired by the works of Marcello Gandini,” he says. “We recall the Lancia Stratos Zero, Ferrari Modulo, or even some of the first Countaches. We did the opposite; it was a novel lean back, a body posture we wanted to capture here.” The reimagined one-off is finished in the same paint scheme as one of the collector’s beloved Veyrons, though this time around, a novel production technique was employed. Starting with bare carbon fiber panels, the finish leverages advanced layering techniques using a silver aluminum-based coat underneath a clearcoat that’s tinted red. The black portions are actually black-tinted exposed carbon fiber that incorporates a 10% black pigment into the clearcoat. Heyl notes that the traditional horseshoe grille found up front, hewn from a block of solid aluminum, has also been reworked into a more three-dimensional shape. The Veyron redux now sits on updated wheel sizes (20-inch front and 21-inch rear), wrapped in the latest Michelin tire technology, which requires less expensive replacement than the original model. The resculpted bodywork hides the 1,600 metric horsepower, quad-turbocharged powerplant from the Chiron Super Sport, the engine that broke new ground by shattering the 300 mph barrier. Inside, the F.K.P Hommage is upholstered in a woven fabric sourced from Paris, which flies in the face of conventional leather materials. While the metal-turned dashboard and knurled knobs recall the Chiron, the round steering wheel recalls and is a throwback to the original Veyron design. However, the real mic drop comes in the form of a custom 41mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon sitting atop the center panel. Though it has no electrical connection to the car, its enclosure rotates on a diagonal axis several times per hour to keep the timepiece perennially wound. <- Gallery -> The owner, who will keep this very special one-off in Europe, remains unnamed but is described by Heyl as a consummate collector and Bugatti enthusiast whose collaboration required over two years of back-and-forth with the design and engineering teams. “As you can imagine, with these Solitaire programs, there needs to be discipline in terms of how many loops we can go through; there must be a similar understanding of the project. With this particular customer, who is a huge Veyron fan and connoisseur, there was an immediate understanding of the values we want to bring into these cars,” He reveals. “We wanted to honor Ferdinand Piëch and the ways he worked. Even if something didn’t seem possible, he would never give up.” View All Bugattis For Sale Images: duPont REGISTRY

by Basem Wasef – January 17, 2026

First Ride: 2027 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Mercedes-Benz’s flagship sedan debuted in 1972 with the Sonderklasse designation, marking a “special class” of big four-doors differentiated for their luxury-focused exceptionalism. The first-ever S-Class Benz, internally designated as W116, ignited an arms race whose challengers became the likes of the BMW 7 Series (1977), Lexus LS (1989), Audi A8 (1994), and Porsche Panamera (2009). Competition improves the breed, and the near-future large luxury salvo from M-B comes in the form of the 2027 S-Class. The manufacturer says it underwent the most significant mid-cycle refresh ever in the pursuit of big sedan supremacy. Though its exterior tweaks are subtle – a larger grille for better cooling and revised headlamps and taillamps, an available illuminated three-pointed star hood ornament – a series of tech upgrades aim to make this the poshest S-Class to date. Cumulus Ride Quality Ride quality has always been a top priority for S-Class, and the latest/greatest upholds that claim to fame with an Airmatic suspension system that now leverages cloud-based technology to adapt to real-world conditions. By continuously downloading car-to-x data from the cloud, other Mercedes-Benzes will share real-time data about road conditions to help the S-Class anticipate potholes or surface irregularities accordingly. An optional E-Active Body Control suspension further leverages cloud data to regulate spring and damper rates individually at each wheel to counteract roll, pitch, and lift movements, even raising the body in fractions of a second in order to anticipate impending accidents and thereby reduce injury risk. My test ride in a 2027 S-Class in Sindelfingen placed me in a camouflaged example with certain interior features hidden under cloth. However, I did experience one of the most luxurious rear seats on a chilly winter’s day, and the S-Class felt appropriately stately and secure as it maneuvered along some of the streets surrounding Mercedes-Benz’s factory. Ride quality felt buttery smooth, though it must be noted that Stuttgart’s roads are, for the most part, untouched by the potholes and rough spots that afflict most of the rest of the world. Safety upgrades include new next-gen Digital Light headlights with micro-LED technology. The headlamps are the first to offer adaptive partial high beam functionality for the first time in the US. By using a combination of camera data and map information, the automatic cornering lights react more acutely as the road turns. The S-Class is packed with as many as 15 airbags. Available rear seatbelts feature a shoulder belt that can inflate in a collision and offer three times more surface area in order to reduce the impact on the chest area. Creature Comforts Speaking of seatbelts, the new S-Class offers what Mercedes-Benz has upgraded theirs to offer a “warm embrace” via heating elements within the safety belts. First seen in the ESF 2019 experimental safety vehicle, the additional heated part can be switched on independently or linked to the heated seat switch. A new cabin air filtration system is designed to completely recirculate all interior atmosphere every 90 seconds, using multi-stage filtration to scrub out particulates and harmful elements in order to create a healthier environment for passengers. Further optional items include the Exclusive package, which offers rear seats that recline up to 37 degrees, a folding center armrest, and cushy headrests. Opt for the Pinnacle package and rear occupants' rapid heated and ventilated seats, four additional airbags, and a wireless charger in the center armrest. Additional Pinnacle benefits include rear seat massage, neck and shoulder heating, a backrest angle of up to 43.5 degrees, the aforementioned seatbelt airbags, and seatbelt presenters. Adding to the longer-than-ever list of interior luxury items is a Burmester 4D sound system with tactile elements, up to 39 speakers, and 1,690 watts with Dolby Atmos surround. With electronics managed by Mercedes-Benz’s latest MB.OS operating system, the S-Class is being constantly refreshed by over-the-air updates to optimize everything from computing power to the user interface. Driver systems are also cloud enhanced, and a comprehensive suite of assistance hardware includes up to 10 external cameras, five radar sensors, and 12 ultrasonic sensors. Embedded video streaming apps from Disney+ and Sony Pictures Entertainment’s RIDEVU enable privacy screen viewing from the front seat or full viewing for rear seat passengers. Power to the People Mercedes-Benz’s non-AMG/non-Maybach S-Class lineup gets a new top-range motor for 2027. The new M177 EVO powering the S 580 4Matic leverages a number of refinements to yield a total of 530 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to improvements to the engine’s injection and breathing configuration, as well as an enhanced mild hybrid system, the flat-plane V8 promises more oomph and better emissions. The S 500 4Matic six-cylinder M 256 EVO gets a torque bump to 443 lb-ft that can overtorque briefly to 472 lb-ft when needed. Benz’s plug-in hybrid S 580e 4Matic packages the six-cylinder with an electric motor that offers up to 74 horsepower gain over its predecessor, along with smoother and more responsive power delivery. All 2027 S-Class engines use a 23-horsepower integrated starter generator, which combines with turbocharging and 48-volt electrical architecture to deliver seamless coasting, boost, and recuperation. Plus-Size Solutions The S-Class has long boasted a considerable footprint, and the 2027 edition is no exception. That said, Mercedes-Benz engineers incorporated a standard rear-steer system that turns its back wheels up to 4.5 degrees, helping aid low-speed maneuverability and high-speed stability. An optional package boosts the rear wheel turning angle to 10 degrees, which contributes to a smaller turning circle of 35.4 feet. Although my test ride in the 2027 S-Class was brief, it’s safe to say that when Mercedes-Benz’s well-heeled clientele get their hands on this more-refined-than-ever flagship it will step up the game for the rest of the industry. The bolder styling and more aggressive front end may not be for everyone, but those who take issue with the revised mug should be assuaged by the engineering improvements intended to make driving long-distance drives feel like a rather sweet cakewalk. View All Mercedes-Benz S-Class For Sale Images: Mercedes-Benz

by Basem Wasef – September 20, 2025

First Drive: Six-figure Ford Mustang GTD Boasts Peak Pony...

If you think spending Lambo money on a Mustang is madness, Jim Farley would like to have a word with you. The Blue Oval CEO’s fondness for the O.G. pony car makes the 7-and-sometimes-8-figure-per-year exec seem more like Joe Six Pack than a captain of industry. But his ‘Stang fanboying comes from the heart: he restored a 1964 ½ basket case at 15, acquired a ’65 Shelby GT350 years later, and has tracked all manner of Mustangs in between. Farley’s championing of the platform is well documented and was perhaps most clearly expressed when he shielded the Mustang from extinction during Ford’s 2018 shift to building only trucks, crossovers, and SUVs. The big boss also embiggened the Mustang by throwing the model into a slew of race series, most critically GT3, where the humble American pony car competes against nameplates like Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren. When contextualized against those ultra-fancy competitors, a heavily spoilered, flared, vented, and $325,000 Mustang GTD starts to make a tiny bit more sense. “Mustang is the flagship race car of the Ford Motor Company, and pretty much any given weekend we’re racing one somewhere,” GTD chief program engineer Greg Goodall told duPont Registry at the vehicle’s media launch in Thermal, CA. “We’re competing against the exotic European carmakers. Why wouldn’t we compete with them on the road?” The first goal when building the baddest ass Mustang in all the land was establishing a killer Nürburgring time. “You can’t just tell people we’re like Porsche,” insists Goodall, “you have to measure it in some way.” Hence, the sub-7-minute time target. Things didn’t initially go as planned, as only three officially timed laps transpired in 2024 due to the weather at the 12.9-mile circuit. While an August run achieved 6:57.685, the team felt there was room for improvement, which inspired chassis, suspension, and aero tweaks, along with revisions to ABS and traction control tuning. In May of 2025, Dirk Müller found 5.6 seconds, elevating the 815-horsepower muscle car’s 6:52.072 time just behind the Porsche 911 GT3 RS (6:49.328), Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series (6:48.047), and the Mercedes-AMG One (6:29:090). Even though GTDs are already in the hands of paying customers, Ford Performance says they’re still chasing a quicker lap time around the Eifel Mountain course. Like that other performance-focused strain linked to international competition, the Ford GT, the GTD was executed through a deep collaboration with Multimatic. The transmogrification starts with a run-of-the-mill Mustang’s body-in-white that gets plucked from Ford’s Flat Rock, Michigan, plant to Multimatic HQs in Ontario. The Mustang’s body-in-white is shipped without front fenders or a hood, which Multimatic replaces with a massively flared and vented pair of fenders and a carbon fiber hood with removable top grilles for track use. Deep surgery begins by plasma cutting and removing the second row, the rear floor, and the outer shell. Much of that negative space gets filled with the Tremec 8-speed dual-clutch transaxle, which helps deliver near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution. Up front is an evolution of the Predator supercharged 5.2-liter V8 found in the GT500 and Raptor R, tuned to 815 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. This application uses dry sump lubrication and drives power through a carbon fiber propshaft – all proper racecar stuff. While the business may be in the front, the GTD’s party is definitely in the back. Due to the transaxle’s disruption of a space that was never intended to house it, Multimatic developed an inboard suspension system that leverages a similar setup to the late, great Ford GT’s. Using dual adaptive spool valve dampers, the suspension adjusts semi-actively within each drive mode. Also like the GT, a track mode (which requires the vehicle to be stopped and in Park to activate) drops the body dramatically in under 2.0 seconds, yielding a super low ride height and satisfyingly aggro wheel stance. Incidentally, carbon fiber reinforcements mend the broken jigsaw puzzle of the GTD’s discombobulated rear end, lending it stiffer torsional rigidity than stock. They also crammed in heat exchangers to cool the transaxle, a massive active wing with DRS that mounts to the rear pillars, and the aforementioned pushrod suspension, which is visible inside the cabin through a Lexan window. Pro tip: Tilting the rearview mirror down while driving enables a clear view of the mesmerizing suspension kinematics. Don’t try this at home. For all the visual theatre of the GTD’s flared, swollen, stanced, and steroidal body, the cabin is surprisingly – and disappointingly – normal. The usual Mustang bits abound, from the touchscreen display to the same HVAC implementation (which blows remarkably cold in 100+ degree weather, by the way) to the faux carbon fiber texture around part of the center console. Minor tweaks include the steering wheel’s adaptive cruise buttons, which have been repurposed to control the multi-stage traction control settings in Track mode. Two days at the Thermal Club provide plenty of time to acclimate to the Alan Wilson-designed circuit in its maximum length, 5.1-mile IndyCar configuration, starting in Dark Horse Mustangs. Despite the annoyingly similar interiors, going from a $75,000, 500-horsepower Dark Horse to a $325,000, 815-horsepower GTD is like, well, going from a horse to a supercar. The GTD’s supercharged V8 comes to life with a raw snarl, its titanium Akrapovič exhaust betraying its track-focused intentions. Surprisingly, though, it seems the supercharger whine has been quieted at speed. Despite this, there are a number of ways the GTD exceeds the GT3 race car. Though heavier, it also produces more power and boasts active aerodynamics and suspension. According to Goodall, the GT3 could outpace a GTD on smaller, more technical courses, though the GTD would likely get ahead on longer tracks. You’d never know the GTD weighs 4,386 lbs from the cradle of the specially developed Recaro driver’s seat; once accelerating, the V8’s tug is magnificent, the steering feel excellent, and the chassis and suspension remarkably agile. Overcook it into a corner, and a brake stab and steering adjustment tucks the ‘Stang back into form quickly. This beast never feels like its mass is getting away from you, especially at higher speeds, since downforce escalates from 941 lbs at 125 mph all the way up to 1,951 lbs at 180 mph. Also commendable are the six-piston carbon ceramic Brembos, which produce powerful, easily modulated fade-free stops. Oh, and you can have any tire you want on the GTD… as long as it’s ultra-sticky Michelin Cup 2 Rs. As much as the GTD’s Hertz Rent-a-Car interior sends the wrong signals about its capabilities, its mercilessly aggressive bodywork and broad-shouldered stance sing to its true self. And lest you suspect that well-heeled muscle car buyers will balk at the price, the order book is already full for the first two years of production. Fierce, controlled, and bombastic about performance, the GTD is the All-American M2 Browning .50 Cal to the GT3 RS’s Teutonic surgical scalpel. And if you’re wondering why Ford and Multimatic didn’t go even wilder with a full carbon fiber chassis, the answer is simple: it would no longer be a Mustang. View All Ford Mustangs For Sale Images: Ford

A matte gold Bentley concept luxury SUV with large wheels, sharp lines, and a sleek, modern design is parked indoors under soft lighting—a glimpse into the future of elegant electric vehicles.

by Basem Wasef – July 08, 2025

EXP 15: Bentley’s First-Ever EV Concept Breaks Cover

While Bentley has flirted hard with hybrids and produced one of their most compelling drivers ever with the gas/electric Continental GT Speed, the British carmaker has slowed its roll on EVs… until now. The just-unveiled EXP 15 hints at the brand’s long-awaited entry into the fully electrified space, and it’s as much a design moonshot as it is an agitator along the lines of Jaguar’s internet-exploding Type 00. Wearing a broad, tall, and monolithic face, an expansive wheelbase, and a sculpted tail whose shapely haunches belie the two-dimensionality of the Jag design, this battery-powered Bentley concept presents a surprisingly controversial and pleasantly unexpected answer to the question many have been afraid to ask. Unlike Bentley’s former stablemates and now rivals, Rolls-Royce, which leaned on a familiar design language to create the Spectre EV, which offers a quantum leap into a space that purportedly leans on the past with an oblique homage to the 1930 Bentley “Blue Train” Speed Six, while embracing radical details like an LED-backlit grille that recalls seat quilting, a spacious 3-seat cabin that offers an ultramodern take on the Blue Train’s triple occupancy interior, and an overall exterior proportion that feels like a hallucinogenic vision of a limousine-like super touring crossover. The EXP 15 counters its avant-garde styling and all-wheel drive electrified drivetrain with old school touches, including a passenger seat that swivels and extends for easy egress. While the Pallas Gold exterior paint is modernist in tone, its golden white highlights are said to have been inspired by nickel components like the grille and door handles on the Speed Six. The rear of the cabin features silk jacquard textiles woven by Gainsborough, a fabric supplier that supplied the Queen from 1980. 3D-printed titanium surfaces are balanced out by thorn-proof wool by Fox Brothers, who have been In business for 250 years. Though the interior incorporates techy lighting and virtual reality software to help customers envision configurations, it also shuns a fully touchscreen-based user interface and relies on knurled wheels and physical buttons. The arrival of the EXP 15 follows a period when Bentley wisely postponed their entry into the premium EV segment while high-dollar competitors like the Spectre faltered. We’ll see how far the production version departs from the EXP 15’s bold vision; until then, there’s no accusing Bentley designers of taking no risks. View All Bentleys For Sale Source: Bentley

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by Basem Wasef – February 02, 2024

The X-X Factor: How The Ferrari SF90 Pivoted To Immortality

This story starts where all great Ferrari legends begin: the 1.86-mile Fiorano test circuit. I’m strapping into the Ferrari SF90 XX. It’s a heady moment. Just to my right is old man Enzo’s original office, where he scowled over innumerable track tests. Today, the drama comes from the car itself, as well as an impending storm that’s darkening the sky. I fire up the V8, and the engine rattles the passenger cabin. This is not your average Ferrari. The intake plenum tube is moved closer to the interior, and it makes a lot of noise. But does the XX have the stuff of mythology? The further we car freaks are dragged kicking and screaming from our internal combustion roots, the more of a gift to our psyche each old-school hypercar becomes. Now, it seems like every time one comes along, an expectation grows that it will be as mythical as the 250 GTO or the Enzo. Once in a while, Ferrari writes another chapter in its long narrative of myths. When we first saw the SF90, it had all the power and speed, but it didn’t pack that intangible ingredient to merit its own chapter. The 986-horsepower and the half-million-dollar cost wasn’t enough. It didn’t wander far from the stylistic design language of other Ferraris; blur your eyes, and it bore resemblance to plainer. Crucially, Maranello didn’t cap its production to one fewer than market demand, per Il Commendatore’s infamous edict. Ferrari That was two strikes against hypercar immortality. Enter this SF90 XX. Massaged by engineers and test drivers and modified by stylistic conjuror Flavio Manzoni, the SF90 XX looks like it was conceived in a parallel universe to the donor car, in a world where high-spec swagger flows freely and mingles with impeccable taste. Forget the flush surfaces and elegant restraint: The XX has dimensionality in person, more complex curves, and enough swoops and contours to fool Zeus himself. Ferrari has been building ultra-exclusive, track-only specials under the XX banner since 2005. Past examples include unhinged offshoots like the Enzo F-XX and the FXX-K EVO, whose V12 hybrid churned over 1,000 horsepower before four-figure output was fashionable. The most rarified of XX social classes are the members of the F1 Corse Cliente program. If you’ve ever dreamt of owning your own Ferrari Formula 1 car for private track days and have metric tons of cash burning a hole in your offshore bank account, you’ve found your people. The SF90 XX is the first fully street legal model to bear the XX tag. It also borrows elements from extraordinary Ferraris like the 458 Speciale and F12tdf, limited-run models that go above and beyond the scope of serial production cars. Despite its license-plate-mandated limitations, the XX Stradale and Spider’s bodies look wilder and more ambitious than the standard-issue SF90s; the carbon fiber and aluminum skin, replete with slats, inlets, and spoilers, might as well have been designed by Agent Provocateur. Ferrari Punchier and more imposing in the flesh, the XX looks swole at any speed. The front end wears large nostrils hiding twin internal S-ducts that maximize cooling and downforce while eliminating storage space for your golden gold clubs. This feature, shared with the 488 GT3 and 296 GT3 race cars, sucks air through radiators for the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8; additional air cooling is provided by intercooler radiators just ahead of the rear wheels. The increased porosity along with an enlarged front splitter, new wheel arch louvers, strategic vortex generators, and reworked underbody air routing negotiate a delicate dance between downforce and drag; the 12 percent increase in intake air volume obviates the need for larger radiators while leaving the overall drag coefficient of the car untouched. The elongated haunches resolve in a longtail-style rear end. Interestingly, a sweeping LED strip makes the XX look more like a lovechild from Molsheim than a purebred Modenese. The visual theater of the twin-turbo V8 remains, and the powerplant is tucked far below a Lexan lid. Rounding out the rump is a large rear spoiler complemented by a discreet shut-off Gurney flap. While not as demonstrative as the honking rear wing of the 911 GT3 RS, the feature is a big deal for Ferrari, as it’s the first road-going model to wear a fixed rear spoiler since the late, great F40 and F50 models. Rather than rely on driver input, algorithms manage the Gurney flap’s position: When low drag is required, the flap stays down to draw airflow below the wing. Under high-speed handling or braking, the flap tilts up to allow the wind to adhere to the wing, pressing the vehicle earthward with an eye-opening 1,168 pounds at 155 mph. That’s about as much force as the eponymously named LaFerrari, one of the true OG flagships. Though the XX wears the extroversion of a race special, the SF90’s powertrain was already close to maxed out and thus enjoys a nominal power increase. The XX gains only 30 horsepower via polished inlet and exhaust ducts, combustion chamber machining, and new pistons, bringing the grand total to a still-not-inconsiderable 1,016 horsepower. The added power shaves two tenths of a second from its 0to 62 mph time, hitting the traps in 2.3 seconds. Unlike the 296’s hybrid components, which can be easily removed to produce a pure internal combustion race car (see: 296 GT), the SF90 intertwines its gas and EV bits more intricately, so they work in lockstep together. That means no physical reverse gear for weight savings, relying instead on the front two (of three) electric motors for backup duty. The eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox has been uprated with software derived from the Daytona SP3 for what Ferrari describes as “more engaging dynamic acceleration profiles.” Exhaust sounds have also been heightened in between shifts, offering a sonic experience similar to throttle lift on overrun. Ferrari The XX version gains a host of electronic enhancements that up its track game. An ABS evo controller from the 296 GTB enables finer individualized control over brake distribution, more precise vehicle dynamics control based on a six-axis sensor, and improved boost control logic for gutsier charges ahead in Qualifying mode. Hardware mods include stiffening of the Multimatic-sourced titanium springs, which trims roll rates by 10 percent. Back to the track: The interior is all about function, with floormats replaced by hard surfaces and carbon fiber door panels accented with painted scallops available in three brash colors (Flash Orange, Giallo Modena, and Azzurro Dino). When the V8 kicks in, the car feels more uncorked than the tamer, road-trip-ready SF90. I’m taking it all in from carbon fiber seats. Swaths of carbon and Alcantara surround me. Dead ahead is a digital tach that sweeps to an 8,000 rpm redline, and all manner of customizable information including tire temperature and pressure, fluid temps, etc. In grand Ferrari tradition, the all-in-one steering wheel packs everything from wiper functions to turn signals, featuring the red anodized Mannetino switch at 4 o’clock. An LED light countdown embedded within the top of the wheel translates the upper registers of the rev range into easily interpreted shades of urgency. By now the clouds are really rolling in, but I toe the throttle anyway, since there are no promising gaps in the forecast. The strange beauty of trick technology is that despite outrageous power and shitty weather, the flip of a dial can turn an angry machine into a docile pup. Rolling on Bridgestone Potenza S005 rain tires in Wet mode, there’s some grip to be found on the circuit in straight lines, though dipping into the throttle yields thrust that falls short of feeling like you’re tapping into 1,000 horsepower. A quick turn of the Mannetino into Sport, and the car comes more alive, pushing forward with confidence as squeezes of the throttle yield squirts of G-forces. Graduate to Race, and minor sidesteps and brief slides reveal that this thoroughbred just wants to hustle. Ferrari Another session in slightly drier conditions hints at vast reserves of power ready to be unleashed. While I’m reluctant to lean on what are presumably considerable levels of downforce in the wet, dropping the hammer in a straight line summons immense amounts of torque that devour pavement at an alarming rate. There’s an accuracy to the controls that makes it gratifying to explore the SF90 XX’s limits: Steering feels clear and communicative, the brakes produce tremendous stops when stood upon, and the throttle manages the interplay between gas andelectric power with linearity. Aided by the torque vectoring effects of the two front motors and the smart ABS individually applied to each wheel by the stability controlsystem, I know it’s not my natural born skill that’s keeping my borrowed steed from skidding off the circuit. However, it’s not until I review the onboard telemetry that I see how much the computers were holding back. Overlaid against a trace of lead test driver Raffaele de Simone’s lap, there are moments when I flat-foot the accelerator unnecessarily, producing a flatline of engine output because the computer sees the futility in trying to lay down all that power onto wet tarmac. There are also times when I stubbornly try to wring out the most from a gear when a simple upshift would have generated more traction. While the machine makes you feel like a rock star, screaming and wailing and cornering despite the pools of water separating you from serious G forces, it’s the quick-thinking electronics that make the SF90 XX seem more supple and manageable in the rain than its spec sheet might suggest. With its all-wheel drive, seamless electric assist, and finely tuned steering and damping systems, the XX is the dance partner you’d want in these conditions — even if it’s capable of producing enough energy to power a home for days. When the long, wet day closes, and it’s time to return home, does the SF90 XX inspire the longing it ought to considering its supreme positioning within the Ferrari lineup? It’s a curious game, this give and take of nomenclature, taxonomy, and branding. Yes, this one still isn’t quite as outrageous as XX models of yore, and there are not yet any Ferrari-sponsored track activities built around this particular modelto fully validate its insider status. But as an elaboration of an already elevated model, the SF90 XX bangs hard against the limits of whatcan be achieved in a road-legal car; under more favorable conditions, it proved its mettle by besting the brand’s lap record for a road car at Fiorano by 1.7 seconds. Ferrari If you’re debating the premise any further, you need not worry about the sting of parting with $890,000 for the hardtop or just under a cool mil for the convertible: All 799 coupes and 599 Spiders were spoken for long ago, which has the strange but predictable effect of stirring desire for the things we cannot have.

by Basem Wasef – May 23, 2022

Ultra-Luxury, Electrified: How High-End Automakers Are Ad...

As high-end automakers adapt to a new world order, the rules of luxury are being redefined. Luxury is rarely logical. Across the first century of automotive history, car connoisseurs revered the finery of leather, wood, and intricate 12-cylinder engines in the same way they regarded mechanical watches: with a healthy respect for handmade complication. Traditional car building followed the same principles as the horological world, placing a premium on painstaking craftsmanship. But when a changing world forced new demands on vehicle emissions, the next revolution trickled down from the top. Formula 1 racing introduced gas/electric hybrid powertrains, and the so-called “holy trinity of hypercars” — the Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1, and Porsche 918 Spyder — followed. If million-dollar ultra-exotics can gain an edge through electrification, surely change isn’t all bad. Pinnifarina Batista (Photo by Sandy Huffaker via Automobili Pininfarina) We’re now five years into that paradigm shift, and top carmakers are at fever pitch, ready to write the second act of the luxury automobile. Trailblazing EVs helped make a certain South African the richest man in the world, and hot on the heels of that first wave came electrified efforts from a passel of forward-thinking upstarts taken a strong swing at the genre, grabbing headlines with all-electric models boasting boggling stats. Think: 1,900 horsepower (Pininfarina Battista), 520 miles of range (Lucid Air), and 0 to 60 mph in 1.85 seconds (Rimac Nevera). But luxury was never about numbers alone, especially in a space where enthusiasm is defined not only by hardware, but through intangibles. Those who were imprinted at an early age by a certain leather smell or a carmaker’s peculiar identities can relate; fans are quick to point out a brand’s lovable quirks, which make each model as distinct as fingerprints, despite a common goal of getting from A to B. Bentley Flying Spur (Bentley Motors) As high-end marques delve deeper into electrification, they are forced to focus on every touchpoint along the way. Bentley sales and marketing board member Alain Favey cites the charging experience as one of many elements that must be on-brand in order for its hybrids and EVs to succeed. “Our customer expects a luxury charging experience,” he explains, “and it needs to be different from what you get when you drive a premium brand like Mercedes or a volume brand; it cannot be the same as a ID-4.” Bentley PR head Wayne Bruce points out that the brand leverages its owner-only app to gauge customer preferences. One survey revealed that when Bentley’s first hybrid was released (in 2019), only 30 percent of respondents indicated they wanted an electric model. As of five months ago, that number has doubled. Addressing an electrified future means branding efforts must extend beyond conventional styling and performance and go deep into the realms of software and user interface design: everything from charging portals to onboard route planners and multimedia systems must live up to the expectations of the car’s respective nameplate. With the dream of self-driving cars deferred, manufacturers are also channeling more effort into making their EVs drive the way consumers expect them to, even if propulsion is coming from electrons, not internal combustion. Aggressively leading the electrification charge are performance-oriented and legacy brands alike. The newbies have brands. Ferrari’s first serially produced plug-in hybrid was the nearly 1,000-horsepower SF90 Stradale, marking the first time the prancing horse flagship has swapped fewer cylinders (12 for 8) for a three-motor, battery-assisted drivetrain. The brand doubled down on the upmarket/downsizing theme with the 296 GTB, an 818-horsepower plug-in hybrid that marks the first time a V6 has been packed into a road-going Ferrari-branded model. Maranello’s toe-dip into hybrids prefigures the debut of their first full EV in 2025, which should present their greatest challenge yet in delivering that inimitable Ferrari feeling without the benefit of a screaming internal combustion engine. Given the criticality of satisfying a core audience whose preferences are quite particular, to say the least, performance-focused carmakers are relying on key brand pillars to ensure the models are as engaging to drive as they ought to be. While Ferrari’s hybrids are already gaining critical acclaim, several other manufacturers are still in the process of R&D’ing their electrified sports cars. Frank van Meel, CEO of BMW’s performance-focused M brand, views the future through the prism of the past. He says the shift from 4- to 6- to 8-cylinder M car engines caused a stir among enthusiasts because the bigger engines were heavier; the advent of turbocharging introduced similar concerns about sound quality and throttle response. As for the first electrified M car, van Meel notes, power and acceleration are less of an issue than the intangibles that make a driver feel at one with the machine. “The real task is to have that M smile, that M emotion,” he says, describing a certain something that each brand can lean on as a unique feeling associated with the drive. Mercedes-AMG boss Philipp Schiemer recently launched the brand’s first fully electric car, the 751-horsepower AMG EQS, which was based on the tamer, S Class-like EQS sedan. Schiemer reveals that not only will other segments receive the AMG treatment (to be expected), but that their efforts will extend to a standalone AMG electric vehicle in the “not too distant future. Using hybrid powertrains as a bridge to full electrification is a common tactic, especially among carmakers whose foundations were built on signature powerplants. Lamborghini’s snarling V10 and V12 engines have been the protagonist in their raging bull persona since the brand’s inception. The Sant’Agata carmaker is anticipating a full transition to hybrids by 2024 — a move that should enable them to retain their massive gas engines. Bentley’s Beyond 100 business strategy promises plug-in hybrid versions of all models by 2024, their first full EV in 2025, and an entirely EV-only lineup by 2030. Over a period of 7 years, the tactic will take them from being the world’s top producer of 12-cylinder engines to offering none. Aston Martin is also on board with the hybrid-first approach, having started delivery of their $3 million, 1,160-horsepower Valkyrie last year. While Aston intends to deliver its first battery-electric vehicle in 2025 and electrified options across the lineup by 2026, it is also building a China-only variant of the DBX utilizing a mild-hybrid 6-cylinder. The brand expects 90 percent of the cars sold by 2030 to be plug-in hybrids or pure electrics, and their recent partnership with battery tech firm Britishvolt should complement their technological link to Mercedes-Benz and enable them to move forward in this burgeoning arena. If the road to electrified luxury can be summed up in one idea, it might be that carmakers are challenged with myriad obstacles as they intend to move toward a common goal, the least of which is preserving and maintaining their core characteristics while they proceed to change nearly everything about their cars. Each road is individual, and Rolls-Royce’s is no different. Rather than using plug-in hybrids to ease their customers into electrification, the Goodwood brand is leveraging its past to take a quantum leap into the future. In 1900, company co-founder Charles Rolls experienced an early EV and raved about the experience with a qualification, saying, “The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean, there is no smell or vibration … But for now, I do not anticipate that they will be very serviceable — at least for many years to come.” That time is now, with the Sceptre, Rolls-Royce’s first electric vehicle, expected to start delivery in the fourth quarter of 2023. “The brand will become fully electric step by step, but only if it is uncompromised,” CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös says in a full-circle statement that could only come by sticking to the carmaker’s original ethos. “Now is the time to change the course of the future of luxury.” Shop Electric Cars For Sale This article appeared in our May 2022 issue. Subscribe Buy This Issue

by Basem Wasef – April 20, 2022

The Poster Supercars of the 80s and 90s

For the hardcore enthusiast, the question is as revealing as a Myers-Briggs personality test: What car was posted on your bedroom wall when you were growing up? More relevant to the classic car market, the answer can portend the next great object of desire — and subsequently, the next rapidly appreciating asset. The paradigm goes something like this: Kid idolizes car on poster… car on poster haunts kid for years… grown kid can finally afford car on poster… grown kid buys car. Not only does the poster phenomenon capture the zeitgeist of a certain era (think: “Justification For Higher Education”), it taps into the collective subconscious of car fanatics who simply can’t forget their first automotive love. “I think there’s a general inertia with some of the bigger cars,” Harley Cluxton IV suggests, “where guys get switched on to that thing they’ve always appreciated and say, ‘You know what? Those still look right— or they look right again.’ And it hits them in that very subjective, emotional way that they want to get one.” Cluxton should know: His father, Harley Cluxton III, was the youngest exclusively authorized Ferrari dealer in the US, and the founder of Grand Touring Cars, Inc. Image Source: McLaren Automotive Cluxton the third co-founded the Hammer Price app, which offers real-time reporting of auction prices for many of the desirable cars that appeared on posters (disclosure: Hammer Price is owned by duPont Registry’s parent company, Motorsport Network). He’s also no stranger to exotic cars himself, having enjoyed plenty of exposure to the Ferrari F40 he enjoyed on his childhood wall – his father owned three of the winged legends. Cluxton’s data supports the theory that Desire + Time = Buckets of cash. For instance, tracking the auction prices for the Porsche Carrera GT since 2015 reveals an exponential climb in values, from the high six-figures to the most recent sale at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, where a 1,547-mile example traded hands for $1,980,000. According to Cluxton, enthusiast buzz plays into the nostalgia equation. “It’s got that race car motor and it’s the last analog supercar from Porsche… it makes the 930’s widowmaker moniker pale in comparison,” he quips with a chuckle. He tracks similar trends for the Ferrari F40, Lamborghini Diablo, and McLaren F1— though he adds that recent price hikes have also been linked to pandemic-related spending sprees. Image Source: Lamborghini Sergio, a Los Angeles collector who prefers to be referenced by his first name, owns a wish list of ‘80s and ‘90s-era supercars that include two Lamborghini Countaches and a Diablo SV, a Ferrari 512 TR and 512 BBi, and others. Sergio attributes his early fondness for cars to a shared passion with his father, as well as film and TV properties like Miami Vice, The Cannonball Run, and Knight Rider. He says the experience of living with his dream cars can be a mixed bag — for instance, he reveals that “… Countaches are a let-down. Mechanically, the engines and transmissions are good, but everything else seems to have issues.” Regardless, Sergio says he owns the cars to drive, not just admire; one of his Countaches was the lowest mileage 1989 model he knew of, with “something like 1,700 kilometers on the odometer.” He says he just broke 6,000 kilometers on the clock. But in their best forms, Sergio says his dream cars can be absolute dreamboats. “I could daily the 512 BBi— it’s not too stiff, the engine hums, it’s a wonderful car. And the 512 TR is my favorite. It’s the one that they would have to pull out of my cold, dead hands,” he adds with a knowing smile, suggesting that sometimes poster cars are even better in real life. Shop Now: The Ultimate Automotive Wall Art View Classic Supercars For Sale