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367 Posts
Greetings all,
Skip this if you have driven both the 458 and 12C and are sick of comparisons.
As a 458 owner I was anxious to have a look.
I have zero track experience and perhaps 1500 miles on my 458.
Yesterday was the first day for the 12C at the 1.4 mile track by the Vegas speedway.
As you may know it is helmet, instructor, and go, with mostly inexperienced drivers like me.
The course seems safe and professionally run.
I bought some Scud laps for my friend as a bachelor party treat. Great time.
Pretty much what one can hope for is the very basic principles of cornering and some bragging rights for going 100mph plus in whatever car.
I had only seen photographs and wow it is pretty in the white/red with charcoal wheels. I wouldn't change a thing, loved it. The side view of the 12C is perhaps lacking F muscle and finesse, but that's a good thing if one intends to use it daily. I was actually a bit less in love after driving it. It was set on sport/sport and running p zeros ( not corsa.) WOT and shifting about 6-7k was advised. I imagine the tire and brake choices are issues of economy. The driving position is fantastic. The exhaust note, inside or out, is a bit of a sleeper. I didn't see any flames licking out or hear any waste gate action. If I had, I might have come off my crappy line due to tears of joy.
Dual clutch set up is underwhelming. I missed shifts, which should be impossible. A brief drive in the staging area showed it unpredictable and nonintuitive. Acceleration wasn't as eye popping as I expected. But then, it's hard to tell in the wide open space of a track, and I used to have a goosed up GT2...So maybe I'd be trembling after nailing it in the suburbs.
The comfort / noise level trumps F, tho I wish I could drive them back to back.
There was no tail happiness like in my 458, and I could not sense any spooky interventions or nervousness. Steering feel and paddles are a bit of a sore spot, but again, subjective. I felt it would spank a 458 but my instructor said no, the outcomes would be track dependent.
The cornering force was fantastic, even sans R compounds, on unbanked (2%) corners. I kept swinging wide of the apex because I was sure the car was about to come unglued. It never did.
Comical to lose my track virginity in such a hot car. I could have learned more, with less anxiety, in the Cayman R. I almost got passed lol.
Of note, all the cars there take a horrible beating and seem to handle it. The GTR and Aventador were awaiting parts after "routine service."
Considering how to spend hard-earned money, choosing ones next car is a great problem to have. I'm critical of F press cars, old tech, and hype. My 458 is obese compared with the Mac. For more austere Mac I'm wondering if the software will be sorted and what's the point of hunting a 2.5 year old, well-loved Ferrari model ( beside selling magazines.)
In summary, I am almost a convert. I hope to own a McLaren someday. IMO each supercar iteration gets closer to perfecttion, faster safer and cleaner. 12C is no exception.
Cheers.
Skip this if you have driven both the 458 and 12C and are sick of comparisons.
As a 458 owner I was anxious to have a look.
I have zero track experience and perhaps 1500 miles on my 458.
Yesterday was the first day for the 12C at the 1.4 mile track by the Vegas speedway.
As you may know it is helmet, instructor, and go, with mostly inexperienced drivers like me.
The course seems safe and professionally run.
I bought some Scud laps for my friend as a bachelor party treat. Great time.
Pretty much what one can hope for is the very basic principles of cornering and some bragging rights for going 100mph plus in whatever car.
I had only seen photographs and wow it is pretty in the white/red with charcoal wheels. I wouldn't change a thing, loved it. The side view of the 12C is perhaps lacking F muscle and finesse, but that's a good thing if one intends to use it daily. I was actually a bit less in love after driving it. It was set on sport/sport and running p zeros ( not corsa.) WOT and shifting about 6-7k was advised. I imagine the tire and brake choices are issues of economy. The driving position is fantastic. The exhaust note, inside or out, is a bit of a sleeper. I didn't see any flames licking out or hear any waste gate action. If I had, I might have come off my crappy line due to tears of joy.
Dual clutch set up is underwhelming. I missed shifts, which should be impossible. A brief drive in the staging area showed it unpredictable and nonintuitive. Acceleration wasn't as eye popping as I expected. But then, it's hard to tell in the wide open space of a track, and I used to have a goosed up GT2...So maybe I'd be trembling after nailing it in the suburbs.
The comfort / noise level trumps F, tho I wish I could drive them back to back.
There was no tail happiness like in my 458, and I could not sense any spooky interventions or nervousness. Steering feel and paddles are a bit of a sore spot, but again, subjective. I felt it would spank a 458 but my instructor said no, the outcomes would be track dependent.
The cornering force was fantastic, even sans R compounds, on unbanked (2%) corners. I kept swinging wide of the apex because I was sure the car was about to come unglued. It never did.
Comical to lose my track virginity in such a hot car. I could have learned more, with less anxiety, in the Cayman R. I almost got passed lol.
Of note, all the cars there take a horrible beating and seem to handle it. The GTR and Aventador were awaiting parts after "routine service."
Considering how to spend hard-earned money, choosing ones next car is a great problem to have. I'm critical of F press cars, old tech, and hype. My 458 is obese compared with the Mac. For more austere Mac I'm wondering if the software will be sorted and what's the point of hunting a 2.5 year old, well-loved Ferrari model ( beside selling magazines.)
In summary, I am almost a convert. I hope to own a McLaren someday. IMO each supercar iteration gets closer to perfecttion, faster safer and cleaner. 12C is no exception.
Cheers.
