Maybe you read “Lorraine on the 458,” my decidedly feminine account of Ferrari 458 Italia. Now there’s “Clarkson on the 458,” a decidedly masculine account of the same superb automobile. I’ll note for you the similarities, despite their arising from different perspectives.
A male perspective
Jeremy Clarkson, a Brit, writes for the BBC and Top Gear Magazine. Like me, he had the incredible opportunity to drive the 458 Italia and review it for his readership. Like me, he describes the sound, look, and smell in his own terms.
Unlike me, he experienced the 458 on a long wide runway where four-wheel drifts could kill no one but himself. You can experience the drive on video with him, without him actually taking your life in his hands. I would never do such hot-dog driving if you were driving with me. (Believe that and I have a bridge to sell you.…)
In his understated British way, Clarkson calls the car “properly pretty.” With that, I can agree, but barely. Upon an artistic study of the styling, I see silhouettes of overlapping mountainous curves, fading the farther away they are. But, I guess you’ve got to be a mountain mama to have that perspective on the Pinin Farina design. To me, it goes well beyond “pretty” to cosmic or sublime.
Science or art?
Speaking of design, Clarkson says “it’s not art, it’s science.” Okay. He sees science where I see art.
Aero design
The aerodynamics of a car that goes that fast needs to be very well thought out. Where other racecars for the road have a wing or “spoiler” in back, Ferrari 458 Italia designs down draft into the body of the car.
Tunnels, scoops, and tubes direct air through, above, under, and around the car, keeping it in constant ground contact rather than sending it airborne. At 124 mph, 310 lbs. of down force are produced. More at higher speeds.
Perception is reality
This is the same curvaceous body over which men apply special Zymol wax with their hands. If the wind could talk, it might cite the pleasurable air flow over the body as safety, which it is.
Clarkson sees the science of downdraft at speed in those curves. My eyes see the seduction of art, at speed or standing still. The guys with the wax won’t say what they’re seeing!
Steering wheel
The steering wheel on the 458 is a creation of convenience. Clarkson chides the Italians for piling too many controls on the wheel. After all, “it moves,” he says in a video. To add to the confusion, the paddle shifters are column-mounted, therefore, they always stay where they are.
Women find it a convenience to have every driving control at their fingertips, right there on the wheel while driving. After all, we can talk on the phone, apply make-up, add to the grocery list, yell at the kids, and drive at the same time. This same convenience is a hindrance to men. They can’t seem to master multitasking while steering. And the moving location of the controls appears to befuddle.
Art and science
Although we disagree on many points and our starting perspectives differ, Clarkson experiences the same awe with the 458 as I do. For him, it might be all science and no art. For me, it’s both science and art.
If we look beyond the specs, data, and numbers, we all recognize that the science is nice but only part of what brings us to “Ferrari.” The guys who gasp at the 458 Italia are really turned on by the incredibly artful incorporation of that science. One without the other is not named Ferrari.