'I would put these cars in my garage straight away,' was my conclusion, after I had test driven the McLaren 570GT, Ferrari California T HS, Ferrari 488 Spider and Ferrari 488 GTB. These high-performance vehicles impress you with their extremely well-developed qualities: tremendous power and lightning-quick acceleration from 0 to 100 (or even 200?). Of course, the typical sports car sound is a must, too. Under this bonnet hides a real bundle of energy that commands my whole attention, which I am eager to get involved in. Sporty driving fun is guaranteed.
I start in Zurich with the McLaren and set off on my way to the Black Forest to test out my dynamic companion on the German motorway as well. Here I want to find out more and I enable track mode: the rev counter changes to racing display; gear changes are even quicker. For the first time in the 570GT, you can adjust the ESC independently from the handling control and decide for yourself just how much control to have over your vehicle and how much you would want to intervene yourself. I am impressed: the high speeds place constant demands on you as a driver to keep the car on the track. This is where a real high-performance sports car comes into its own. However, the McLaren 570GT offers even more: a special feature is the continuous glass roof that amply brightens up the interior. And it is the first McLaren to have a car boot.
MC LAREN 570GT
Motor: V8 Doppelturbo
Hubraum: 3.800 cm3
Leistung max.: 570 PS
Drehmoment max.: 600 Nm
Vmax.: 328 km/h
0-100 Km/h: 3.4 s
0-200 Km/h: 9.8 S
www.mclarenautomotive.com
I hum California dreamin’ as I cruise in the Ferrari along Lake Geneva into the Jura mountains. The open roof makes it really fun. But then I put my foot on the accelerator. The Italian machine with the legendary name goes like a shot; its responsiveness is under a second. Now I want to test whether it keeps its promise that it accelerates fast on rough roads and drives quickly on twisty stretches. And actually: the Ferrari California T HS is a remarkable power package that really shows off its qualities in this area. Speed and stability complement each other. At the same time, performance is combined with an elegant, dynamic design: a wide grill, raised headlights and redesigned vents for air circulation. The luxury vehicle is the ideal vehicle for an 'open top' leisure activity.
FERRARI CALIFORNIA T HS
Motor: V8 Turbo
Hubraum: 3.855 cm3
Leistung max.: 560 PS
Drehmoment max.: 755 Nm
Vmax.: 316 km/h
0-100 Km/h: 3.6 s
0-200 Km/h: 11.2 S
And although the bar is already set very high, I now want to go one step further. The Ferrari 488 Spider ranks as a super sports car, as its appearance suggests: sporty, elegant lines lead to the car’s extravagant rear. You’ll mostly likely only see it from the back anyway. I particularly like the fact that the Spider is a convertible with foldable hard top. From the Villa Honegg – the five-star hotel overlooks Lake Lucerne – I go to Buochs Airport to push the Spider, and later also the Ferrari 488 GTB, to the limit of its performance. And what does it feel like then? At high speed, the boundary between inside and outside disappears. The vehicle and I form a single unit, which experiences the thrill of speed. The aerodynamically optimised elements accelerate the air and reduce the pressure on the vehicle. We speed gracefully there.
FERRARI 488 GTB / SPIDER
Motor: V8 Turbo
Hubraum: 3.902 cm3
Leistung max.: 670 PS
Drehmoment max.: 760 Nm
Vmax.: 330 km/h
0-100 Km/h: 3.0 S
0-200 Km/h: 8.3 S / 8.7 S
