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Supercars on My List

Garage Goals

Supercars on My List

With the turning of the calendar from one year to the next I have been giving serious thought to which cars I would want the long-term garage to include. The recent articles on both our Ferrari (Part 1: https://karenable.com/my-ferrari-history-f355gts-f40/ Part 2: https://karenable.com/my-ferrari-history-2007-2017-part-2-of-2/ ) and McLaren ( https://karenable.com/my-mclaren-history/ ) histories (an article on our Porsche history is in the works) have also stirred a lot of memories both wonderful and in a few cases, a bit less so. Add in a few of the other unique supercars that we have owned over the years and there is a ton of history to sort through. The question though is where we go from here, especially as we are now looking to have significantly less turnover in the collection. Looking back six to eight years ago, we tended to buy more used supercars and rotated a couple in and out of the garage every year. That has shifted over the last several years to the point where most acquisitions now are from new and we have held onto them for multiple years now.

The current garage includes a Ferrari F40 which we have owned for over a dozen years, a four-year-old Maserati GranTurismo Cabrio, a Porsche 911 (997.2) GT3 RS, a McLaren 675LT Spider, 650S Spider, 720S with a Senna coming shortly. There are also a pair of SUVs, a Porsche Cayenne S and a Mercedes Benz ML550. The SUVs are essentially our mountain-based winter utility vehicles. Of this group, the long-term keepers are definitely the F40, 675LT Spider, and the Senna. The 650S Spider and GranTurismo are also likely to be around for an extended period. Both the McLaren 650S Spider & Maserati Granturismo have been outstanding daily drivers ( https://karenable.com/1000-days-with-the-mclaren-650s-spider/ ) for multiple years and we have owned both from new. The two SUVs will be replaced when they become uneconomical to run. The two supercars that are on the bubble are the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the McLaren 720S, not through any fault of their own but solely due to the future garage vision.

Putting aside space constraints, long term the intent is to:

• Continue adding new McLaren Super and Ultimate Series cars as they are launched
• Finally acquire a good “driver’s” condition Porsche Carrera GT
• Add both a vintage and/or soon to be classic Ferrari
• Add an American Supercar
• Something with an Alfa badge

As any viable strategy includes both choices for and against, the following have been ruled out:

• Lexus LFA (sorry Nick)
• Any post 2010 Ferrari
• Paganis & Koenigseggs
• Another Mosler

On the ruled-out list, succinctly, the choices came down to LFA vs CGT, post 2010 Ferraris vs. McLarens, Paganis & Koenigseggs vs. beach house, and Mosler vs. Ford GT. On the Ferraris vs. McLarens, this is driven by a preference for the latter’s most recent creations plus a terrific relationship with both the local McLaren dealer and McLaren HQ. At this point I have zero relationship with either my local Ferrari dealer in the US or Ferrari North America. Prices on Paganis and Koenigseggs have gone through the roof in recent years and the value equation just doesn’t work for me. The Mosler I believe will be a tough car to own long term given the demise of the company.

Going back to the two cars in the current garage that are on the bubble, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS will likely be included as a part exchange in a deal for a Carrara GT. The same applies to the McLaren 720S when the 7XX LT Spider is launched. Mrs. SSO’s soft spot for the 720S might make it a long-term keeper though. Finishing off the first two bullets under the long-term intent, should McLaren continue to offer me build slots for their limited-edition Super Series and Ultimate Series cars, I will continue to add these to the long-term collection.

On the last three long term intent bullets, I have had a strong itch to acquire a classic Ferrari again for quite a while now. While a F50 tops the list, current pricing makes that unrealistic. The realistic options are a 365 GTB/4 Daytona, a 1975-1979 308 GTB, and a 430 Scuderia (see: https://karenable.com/three-wants-cgt-scuderia-a-308/ ). While the last isn’t old enough to be a classic yet, I believe it will be. As long-distance GTs go, the Daytona is still the benchmark against which all others are measured ( https://karenable.com/drivers-seat-ferrari-365-gtb-4-daytona/ ) and an early carbureted 308 GTB is joy to drive.

As an American, there is a bit of an irrational desire to include an American supercar. From everything I have seen, read, and experienced, the one that checks all the boxes is the current Ford GT. I have submitted an application for the next round of GT build slots and will hear back in March if I have been accepted. Given I have no direct history with Ford, I know this is a very long shot. If the GT selection committee at Ford does smile on me, the GT would definitely be A long-term keeper. If the Ford GT does not happen, a Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus SCG 004S would be an alternative option.

The final bullet was on an Alfa. I have had a soft spot for Alfas for as long as I can remember ( https://karenable.com/alfas-the-4c-giulia-quadrifoglio/ ). Alfas are some of the most maddening yet engaging cars I have ever owned. Alfas are the gifted child who still wets its bed of the automotive world. I don’t think any sports car collection would be complete without an Alfa.

If I look at the long-term garage goal, right now we are over half way there. Outside of the future McLarens, we are looking at 3-4 additional cars. Timing will be dependent on multiple factors including the car market, economy, and garage space. If I stand back and take a hard look at the list, it’s not much different from a bucket list I wrote up four years ago. Hence it feels right and now we just need to make it happen.

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Ferrari 430 Scuderia: Driver’s Seat

Driver’s Seat Ferrari 430 Scuderia

Ferrari 430 Scuderia: Driver’s Seat

The Ferrari 430 Scuderia is either a car you love or can’t stand. It is loud, hard, and spartan. The seats are good but not great, you hear every pebble kicked up into the wheel arches. Shifting gears when pushing the car hard leads to a healthy whack in the back of the head. It also goes like a tasered cat, annoys the neighbors, and stops nearly instantly when asked. It is brilliant in the fact that while it has a big modern electric brain, somehow Ferrari has designed it, so it is still raw, analogue, and electronic nanny un-intrusive. My brother described the Scuderia as pure fun on four wheels. The description is spot on. It is a bit raw for the non-masochist to use as everyday car, but it is certainly every weekend car.

On the race track, the ceramic brakes are outstanding, and the rear will move around in Race Mode. Unlike the F40, the Scuderia is much more progressive when it starts to step out and therefore not that hard to catch. In the 360 Challenge I always felt like I was constantly fighting with the traction control on fast corners. In the 430 Scuderia, the “try to keep you out of the gravel” system remains in the background and is much better calibrated. The engine spins up quickly and you need to be quick with the paddles to avoid bouncing off the rev limiter.

As good as the 430 Scuderia is on the track, it is the open road are where the Scuderia really shines. It is a car that needs to be pushed to come alive. Drive it hard and it rewards, putter around town and it is flat, hard, and grumpy. Compared to our old 360 Modena, it is in a very different league. The 430 Scuderia is significantly faster, the ceramic brakes are in a different league altogether, and the chassis feels significantly stiffer. The extra 100+ bhp is quite noticeable and does make a difference. While in general I am not a fan of the first-generation single clutch F1 gearboxes on road cars, I could not imagine the Scuderia with anything but the F1 “Hammerman”. The “Hammerman” is a term one of my friends created when he first got his Scuderia. Getting wacked in the back of the head by the “Hammerman” when pulling that right paddle with your right foot flat on the floor and at least 4 of the lights on the steering wheel illuminated is a key part of the driving experience.

The 430 Scuderia is one of those cars you need to be in sync with to enjoy. When it all comes together you can make rapid progress easily down a twisty back country road. Everything just flows. There is a rhythm to driving a 430 Scuderia well. It’s hard to describe but when driver and car are not in sync you feel you are wrestling to get the car to do what you want it to.

All of the above is why the 430 Scuderia is one of the three cars on the current near-term acquisition list. That puts it in rare company with only the Ferrari 365BB and McLaren 12C Spider as cars that we sold, and then reacquired. Long term, I am quite sure it will be regarded as a classic.

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Our McLaren History

Our McLaren History

Our McLaren History

At the McLaren Ball this past Saturday evening, the tunnel leading into the McLaren Technology Center was lined with each of the McLaren road cars built since the launch of the F1 back in 1992. In essence, it was the McLaren Automotive family tree. Walking down the tunnel brought back both many happy memories and reminded me of my biggest miss when it came to car buying. In total there were nine different models lined up alongside the right-hand wall. The fact that eight of the nine cars have been launched since 2011 is hugely impressive. Of the nine models, we have owned five (including 3 versions of 1) with a sixth coming in early 2019. The three models we haven’t owned are the 570S, 600LT, and F1. It is the last of these three that represents the biggest miss in my car buying career. I had a chance to acquire a F1 for around GBP 700,000 back in 2005 but passed as I thought that was a ridicules amount of money for a car at the time.

The first McLaren we were fortunate enough to own was a RHD 2013 12C Spider. How we ended up with the 12C Spider is a short story but a bit of a long saga. The short story is Mrs. SSO took one out for a test drive, disappeared into the countryside for the better part of three hours, and we she finally returned, the car was sold (Mrs. SSO’s Story: https://karenable.com/how-we-ended-up-with-our-1st-mclaren/ ). The longer story goes back to 2010 when I first heard that McLaren would be re-entering the car business. I immediately contacted them and asked to have us put on the list for the F1’s successor. While completely un-committal, McLaren did take both my details and a short history of the cars we had owned. Later when the 12C was first announced, I told them I was interested but wanted to test drive it before putting down a deposit. I was told that I needed to place a deposit to get a test drive. The result was a two-year stalemate before we were finally invited to come test drive a 12C Spider. Had this not been the case, we probably would have ended up with our first McLaren a year or two earlier. More on the story this 12C Spider is: https://karenable.com/vintage-article-1st-impressions-mclaren-12c-spider/ . Our 1st 12C Spider was sold back to McLaren London we moved to the left side of the Atlantic in 2014.

McLaren #2 was a LHD 2012 12C Coupe, acquired in early 2014. At the time I was commuting back and forth between London & Hamburg. With the autobahn beckoning, we decided to see if we could get another 12C to enjoy on the continent. As I had zero contacts with McLaren in Germany, I called one of the gentlemen I knew at McLaren HQ in Woking and asked if they had any LHD executive fleet test cars that they were looking to sell. Miraculously they did, and the spec was almost identical to our RHD 12C Spider. A deal was quickly done, and arrangements made to pick up the car at McLaren Stuttgart. Post collection, it was a brilliant drive from one end of Germany to the other including both a stop at the Nürburgring and multiple long high speed runs on empty stretches to autobahn. A few times I ran into 911s that would run up alongside to take a look. When mashing the throttle things were pretty even, however the big ceramic brakes on the 12C were far superior. I did almost get rear ended once when I had to stand on them hard. Probably the most memorable time with both 12Cs was when we took them up to Scotland for a week of brilliant driving. Like the RHD 12C Spider, we parted with the 12C Coupé when we moved back to the new world.

Our 3rd McLaren was a 2014 LHD 12C Spider acquired immediately upon arrival in the US. This car would become my daily driver for the following year, a role it performed flawlessly. The only issue we ever had with our final 12C Spider was a temperature sensor that needed replacing. As our 3rd 12C, there were a few things that we did observe. With each year, the build quality improved. Minor gremlins that would occasionally appear in the 2012 12C Coupé, never occurred with the 2014 12C Spider. The 2nd generation of the IRIS infotainment system, while still not great, was a huge step up over the original version. Our original intent was to keep this 12C Spider for the long haul but that changed quickly when we were presented with a great deal to trade up to a 650S Spider.

McLaren #4 & #5 arrived on the same day. Despite my best attempts at trying to negotiate a buy one, get one free deal, all we got for my efforts was a polite smile and two invoices. McLaren #4 was the long awaited P1 & #5, the 650S Spider which has served faithfully as my daily driver for the last 3 ½ years. At the handover, Mrs. SSO quickly staked out her claim on the P1 by jumping into it immediately and then not so subtly pointed a finger at me first and then at the 650S Spider. The story on our P1 is: https://karenable.com/mclaren-p1-farewell/ and the 650S Spider’s life as my workhorse: https://karenable.com/1000-days-with-the-mclaren-650s-spider/ .

McLaren #6, which arrived in the summer of 2016, is my favorite to date. The 675LT Spider stirs the soul every time you take it out. Every so often a car manufacturer puts together a package that is just pure driving magic, for McLaren it’s the 675LT. In the last several years we have done several 1000 plus mile road trips in the 675LT Spider, run it up and down the Rocky Mountains, (see: https://karenable.com/montana-the-mclaren-675lt-spider/ ) and driven it through scrubland in 110 degree F temperatures without the car ever missing a beat. The 675LT Spider has a unique combination of power, poise, and engagement that makes it an engaging, thrilling car to drive. Like the Ferrari F40 that we have owned for a decade, I can’t imagine ever parting with the 675LT Spider.

McLaren #7, represents the dangers of taking your wife to a launch party. As soon as the 720S was unveiled, Mrs. SSO announced she wanted one. I asked she would drive it regularly and got a resounding yes. We placed our order shortly thereafter and got one of the first post launch spec build slots. Like all of our “standard” Super Series McLarens, it is stealth black/black with a bit of orange detailing for color. If the 675LT Spider is my favorite McLaren, the 720S is Mrs. SSO’s. If the 650S was a subtle across the board improvement on the 12C, the 720S moves the game forward significantly. Down a highway on ramp, it can hold it’s own with a P1. All the changes to the controls and dashboard make sense and are more intuitive once you get used to them. While the 4.0-liter twin turbo V8 lacks a bit of the character that the Italians excel at delivering, it hurls the 720S at the horizon at a shocking clip when you bury your right foot on the accelerator. Turbo lag is non-existent and the 720S feels incredible nimble and connected to the road. I am very much looking forward to the LT version. More on the 720S: https://karenable.com/drivers-seat-mclaren-720s/ .

McLaren #8, the Senna, will arrive sometime in the Spring of 2019. We placed the order for our Senna back in 2017 and completed the spec’ing process in the summer of 2018 (see: https://karenable.com/specing-the-mclaren-senna/ ) . This will be our first blue McLaren. As usual on the Ultimate Series Cars, we asked for a one of the last build slots and McLaren was very accommodating. While I haven’t driven one to date, all the feedback from friends who have taken delivery would indicate this will be another very long-term keeper.

While I’m sure there will be a McLaren #9, what it will be is very much an open question right now. I wasn’t one of the fortunate 106 to get a Speedtail allocation, so it will not be McLaren’s new ultimate GT. If I had to guess, right now the two likeliest options are a 7XXLT Spider or a 650 GT3, if I can get Mrs. SSOs approval to get back on the racetrack.

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Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona: Driver’s Seat

Driver’s Seat – Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona

Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona: Driver’s Seat

Key in the ignition, turn to the right, listen to the fuel pumps, as they slow, turn the key one more notch to the right, the V12 awakens, give it a little gas, and we settle into a nice idle. Now comes the check of all the electrics, lights on, fans working, windows working (well kind of, you need patience as they ever so slowly crawl up and down) so far so good. After a few more minutes, we get a bit of heat in the engine, push the oh so not exactly light clutch in, select reverse, and roll back out of the garage. With the Daytona parked in the middle of the driveway, give it a few more minutes to warm up and do a quick walk around inspection. Everything looks good except the fuel gauge is on empty. Its clear where our first stop will be.

After a graceful flop back into the one-piece bucket seat mounted behind the large leather covered steering wheel, slot it into first and off we go. Shortly after clearing the driveway gates, give the brakes a tap and they instantly respond. This is very good news as getting the brakes fully sorted had been a major project. Skip 2nd gear and go directly into 3rd. The Daytona is pulling nicely. After a quick stop for gas (the Daytona has a huge tank) off we headed up one of the main “A” roads into the countryside. With everything now up to full operating temperature, time to run up the gearbox and test the brakes again. First hard shove on the middle pedal and we have a slight pull to the right, brakes are stone cold thou and the pads are new. On the second try, they bite strongly, and the nose stays pointed straight ahead. A couple of more brake tests and my confidence in the Daytona is growing. At this point, we do a quick U-turn and start to head back. Rain does not seem too far off, but we decide to risk it and head off to run one more nice twisty road. With a bit of speed, the steering lightens up brilliantly and the corners begin to flow nicely. Even forty years later, the engine is highly impressive. It pulls very strongly and never seems to run out of grunt. Being a bit lazy, I just leave it in 3rd and take advantage of the massive torque as we wind our way up and then back down through the hills.

With the sky darkening significantly, back we now head. Once in the garage I let the Daytona run for a few minutes to check the cooling fans. As soon as the temp gauge hits 90, they come immediately on. Another good sign and a good end to a successful drive.

A Daytona Commute

Inspired by a friend who has been using his Ferrari 275 GTB/4 for commuting, I decided to try the same with the 365 GTB/4 Daytona.

On a crisp early winter morning, open the garage door, pop the long hood, unplug the battery conditioner, then open the driver’s side door and drop into the snug bucket seat behind the large slim leather covered steering wheel. Disconnect the alarm, insert the key, and turn it 2 notches to the right. Wait and listen to the pumps filling the webers, as the clicking slows, turn the key one more notch to the right and give it a bit of gas. After 10 seconds, the V12 awakens (and probably so does half the neighborhood). Open the driver’s door and head back into the house to lock everything up while the Daytona slowly warms up. After 10 minutes, it is back to the car, toss the briefcase onto the passenger’s seat and settle in behind the steering wheel. A quick glace over the right shoulder, and slowly back out of the garage. Now comes the upper body work out as you need to muscle the Daytona out of the driveway and onto the street. Once we start rolling, everything begins to lighten up nicely. Quick shift up from 1st to 3rd (forget 2nd until the engine is fully warmed which given that it is 0 C out, 2nd gear has the day off) and use the massive torque of the V12 to pull us along sedately.

Once we have cleared town, and there are no signs of frost on the side of the road, the right foot extends a bit and the rpms begin to climb. As the engine is slow to warm, we keep it around 3000 rpm for the 1st half of the drive. The Daytona has now settled into a nice flow as we run across country to the highway. A couple of quick tests of the brakes, they seem to be working well. I also use the time to run through a test of all the lights, signals, etc in the cabin, with the exception of the heating, all is spot on. The heating in the Daytona seems to be as pathetic as the air-conditioning. Mental note to self, check all the connections later. It is now onto the highway. We are quickly up to speed and I drop into 5th gear to cruise right at the speed limit at just over 3000 rpms. After 10 minutes, I start to day dream about continuing for another 10 hours and driving straight down to Monaco. The driver’s seat in the Daytona is a great place to start any day.

After 10 miles it is off the highway and back onto smaller roads. Coming off the ramp a gentleman on a big sports bike slows and waves me in. He then pulls up alongside, gives a big thumbs up before disappearing at the next traffic light. Ten minutes later, we pull into the office garage, and the fun ends.

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