Rev To The Limit |
REV TO THE LIMIT
By the 1980s, the once prestigious and honored Ferrari name had fallen into disarray. Their cars were no longer the fastest, nor the best looking, and their performance in Formula 1 racing was terrible. Enzo Ferrari was turning 90 and the company he founded was almost 40, so he decided to build the ultimate car. He succeeded.
The Ferrari F40 was the last car commissioned and personally overseen by Enzo Ferrari himself and is by most pundits today considered the best supercar of all time. The F40 is one of the purest driving machines ever built, and from 1987-1989 held the title as the fastest street legal production car in the world, and became the first car to break the 200 mph barrier. It was the only car capable of besting the venerable Porsche 959 during its lifetime. It was basically a race car for the road, made largely out of carbon and kevlar, with no driver aids for steering or brakes and an interior that was about as sparten as you get get. Truly an awesome car. Check out the full section on the Ferrari F40 here
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Out of all the top sports cars I will write about in these pages, the Pagani Zonda is probably going to be the least known by readers. The Pagani Zonda is another delicious slice of car lust to come out of Italy and one of the most highly sought after supercars in the world and is the brainchild of Horatio Pagani. There were several variants of the Zonda build since the initial model was launched in 1999. The most recent version is the Zonda R, which tops out at 750 horsepower and hits 60mph in 2.7 seconds, with a maximum speed of 233mph.
Check out the full section on the Pagani Zonda I freely admit I have a bit of an obsession with cars. Ever since I was a child I have liked cars. Fast cars. Expensive cars. Cheap cars. You name it, I loved it. I remember my bedroom walls were filled with Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari posters. My love for cars has continued throughout my life and I am one of those weird people who can hear a Lamborghini V12 or Ferrari V8 from miles away (which is a completely useless skill I might add).
Most people ask me why cars are my passion and I can’t give them a qualified answer. I like everything about them; the art, the technology, the sound, driving them and all the subtle little details that make each car unique and special. I guess it is like a true wine connoisseur. Where most of us taste roughly the same thing when we try an expensive vs mildly expensive glass of wine, the passionate wine drinker knows the region in France where the grapes were grown for each, and can taste and smell all the subtleties that make a wine unique. It must be the same with cars. Recently, a friend of mine asked me to name my Top 10 cars (in fact we talk about this very topic almost every time we hang out). I realized that in all my years of being a car guy, I do in fact have a well thought out "top car list". The cars that make my list are special cars, unique sports cars or exotics that changed the game. They are the real cream of the crop and they are the cars I would want to own if I had the financial wherewithal (and space) to accomodate my passion. I decided share my car list on my website in a series of blog posts and articles. While I haven't driven all of the cars on my list, I do have a strong point of view gleaned from reading about them, watching videos or listening to those who have experienced these cars first hand. Some are obvious choices, others are not, but I guess that's the fun part. Arguing with my mates about the choices. My goal is to add one car to the list every week. With that, check out my first post. The McLaren F1. Click here to read about it. I went quiet for weeks and then I post two new car summaries in one week. Aren't you guys lucky. I considered waiting but when the next car on your list is the new Ferrari V12, it is hard not to get excited.
This is the most powerful and high-performance Ferrari road car ever built. The F12berlinetta’s 6.2 liter V12 engine delivers 740 horsepower and 690 Nm of torque, 80 per cent of which is available at just 2,500 rpm and it revs to a stratospheric 8,700 rpm. Acceleration from 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds and from 0 to 125mph in 8.5 seconds. It is also the fastest Ferrari road car ever around the famed Fiorano circuit in 1 minute and 23 seconds, that’s faster than the Ferrari Enzo for gosh sakes. Check it out |
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