Performante or Superlegerra

[fastcello]

So I am confused - I had an old model Superleggera and loved it.
Now I am planning on changing my Ferarri 599 to a 570 either the coupe or the convertible.
I like the idea of the convertible as I think it would be fun to drop the roof and hear the engine but I do think the coupe is a much more resolved design. What do you all think.
Also, what should be the price differential - it seems that the cheapest car on here is the black performante at Romans, not sure why it is cheaper than the next cheapest which is a green coupe at £124k.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[TISPKJ]

GRB will be along shortly :-)

[Alpinestars]

Depends what your primary purpose is. If you want an all out driving machine, the SL will be the one, if you want 9x% of the driving ability, with a huge amount more aural drama, then the Performate is the one.

Personally, I think the ability to drop the roof and benefit from dropping the rear window is worth the small sacrifice in performance.

I also think the Performante looks a lot nicer, but appreciate the subjective nature of this.

Edited by Alpinestars on Thursday 19th December 12:17

[andrew]

slightly o/t, but can i ask why you went from sl to 599, and why you're sort of returning ?

[Jonty355]

andrew said:

slightly o/t, but can i ask why you went from sl to 599, and why you're sort of returning ?

Probably wanted some more excitement than in his Audi, then found that Ferraris are just too exciting for Lambo/Audi drivers.

[andrew]

Jonty355 said:

andrew said:

slightly o/t, but can i ask why you went from sl to 599, and why you're sort of returning ?

Probably wanted some more excitement than in his Audi, then found that Ferraris are just too exciting for Lambo/Audi drivers.

that'll be it then

ps : what are you doing on here ? i thought you were busy "polishing your pony" ?

[fastcello]

andrew said:

slightly o/t, but can i ask why you went from sl to 599, and why you're sort of returning ?

I sold the SL as I needed the money a few years ago, my company went tits up as they say.
Then I messed around with cheaper cars. I almost bought a Scuderia at £110k but missed as was an arse for £2k - I felt silly after that.
So I thought I'd try the 599 as it was cheaper and really felt like a very special car. It is however a big car, a GT and my heart is really in a more agressive driving kind of space.
I always loved the drama of the SL and would not have sold it if money did not dictate. When I bought the 599 it was aaround £90k and the 570 was around £135k - quite a big difference. The 599 has not really dropped but the 570 has.
There are more modern cars and they have their place but I found when I drove a 12C, yeas it was brilliant but I did not love it. It lacked adventure and I never had an issue wirth the grabby brakes or the gearbox in the lambo - it just meant you had to know the car to drive it well.

[andrew]

fastcello said:

andrew said:

slightly o/t, but can i ask why you went from sl to 599, and why you're sort of returning ?

I sold the SL as I needed the money a few years ago, my company went tits up as they say.
Then I messed around with cheaper cars. I almost bought a Scuderia at £110k but missed as was an arse for £2k - I felt silly after that.
So I thought I'd try the 599 as it was cheaper and really felt like a very special car. It is however a big car, a GT and my heart is really in a more agressive driving kind of space.
I always loved the drama of the SL and would not have sold it if money did not dictate. When I bought the 599 it was aaround £90k and the 570 was around £135k - quite a big difference. The 599 has not really dropped but the 570 has.
There are more modern cars and they have their place but I found when I drove a 12C, yeas it was brilliant but I did not love it. It lacked adventure and I never had an issue wirth the grabby brakes or the gearbox in the lambo - it just meant you had to know the car to drive it well.

cheers

[GRBF430F1]

Personally I love the wedge shape look of the coupe with the glass engine bay but I bought a spider because you can't beat open top motoring and in a Lambo with all that noise it has to be the best of the best

Read the reviews and they all say the spider offers everything the superlegerra does with little or no downsides but with the additional benefit of open air motoring.
Unless you are on a track driving on the limit there is no noticeable difference by having the soft top.

As soft tops go the Gallardo's is good quality and very neat. Whereas most soft tops detract from the looks with the roof up, the Gallardo doesn't IMHO. The roofline is very neat and tidy and fairly minimal.

Having a rear glass window which can be opened electronically is a big plus as it allows you to enjoy the exhaust note even with the roof up and obviously beats those horrible plastic screens that always crease and mark up.

Performante for me but some would say I'm biased having bought a Rosso Mars Edizione Tecnica in October instead of a 458 Italia and MP4 12C.

The Romans one does seem far too cheap even with that mileage so I would check very carefully service and damage history.
The Top555 has also reduced in price and is a year newer with hardly any miles so that would be my choice if I wanted black.
Good time to buy IMHO as prices will go up in spring and some dealers are looking to lower stock at year end.

Great SUPERcar and incredible value for a £200k+ list price car

Edited by GRBF430F1 on Thursday 19th December 19:16

[GRBF430F1]

TISPKJ said:

GRB will be along shortly :-)

Anyone would think I'm the resident expert on all supercar matters :

[famoussas]

I drove both back to back and went for the Performante.

Was a completely different experience all together, and I also think it looks better with the black windscreen surround and detailing.

[70proof]

you are tall, buy a performante.... hth

personally, i like the coupes more than the spyders..... its subjective re looks...... if i could hear the sound more it would be nice though...

[fastcello]

GRBF430F1 said:

Personally I love the wedge shape look of the coupe with the glass engine bay but I bought a spider because you can't beat open top motoring and in a Lambo with all that noise it has to be the best of the best

Read the reviews and they all say the spider offers everything the superlegerra does with little or no downsides but with the additional benefit of open air motoring.
Unless you are on a track driving on the limit there is no noticeable difference by having the soft top.

As soft tops go the Gallardo's is good quality and very neat. Whereas most soft tops detract from the looks with the roof up, the Gallardo doesn't IMHO. The roofline is very neat and tidy and fairly minimal.

Having a rear glass window which can be opened electronically is a big plus as it allows you to enjoy the exhaust note even with the roof up and obviously beats those horrible plastic screens that always crease and mark up.

Performante for me but some would say I'm biased having bought a Rosso Mars Edizione Tecnica in October instead of a 458 Italia and MP4 12C.

The Romans one does seem far too cheap even with that mileage so I would check very carefully service and damage history.
The Top555 has also reduced in price and is a year newer with hardly any miles so that would be my choice if I wanted black.
Good time to buy IMHO as prices will go up in spring and some dealers are looking to lower stock at year end.

Great SUPERcar and incredible value for a £200k+ list price car

Edited by GRBF430F1 on Thursday 19th December 19:16

GRB thanks for your thoughts.
I do agree that both black ones look like good value but ultimately I want a brighter colour. My SL was yellow.
I reckon I have 3 months before these start bouncing coming into the spring , I heed the time to sell my 599.

Do still think the coupe looks better bug if they drive similarly then why not get the drop top.
I also think they look better than the new gallate do leaked picture.
For me the car will not be a daily driver so I want every drive to feel like an event.
I am glad to hear that the roof works well.

What if any criticisms of the car do you have?

[andrew]

the coupe and spyder drive very differently once you push on : you need to test both !

[GRBF430F1]

fastcello said:

GRB thanks for your thoughts.
I do agree that both black ones look like good value but ultimately I want a brighter colour. My SL was yellow.
I reckon I have 3 months before these start bouncing coming into the spring , I heed the time to sell my 599.

Do still think the coupe looks better bug if they drive similarly then why not get the drop top.
I also think they look better than the new gallate do leaked picture.
For me the car will not be a daily driver so I want every drive to feel like an event.
I am glad to hear that the roof works well.

What if any criticisms of the car do you have?

Mines only a sunny sunday am car and its certainly an event. Real FUN to drive and hear. Public reaction to it is great as well so much more/better than the Ferrari if you like that thing.
I'm not keen on black as it shows all the marks and on the Performante it actually looks a bit more subtle because it ties in with all the carbon fibre detail. My red sounds so wrong but looks so right and different but I've always been a fan of orange, yellow or green before I saw the red.

I've not really driven it an awful lot due to the weather and the first 200 mile drive home was in wet and windy conditions. I've probably done another 200 locally since making 400 miles in 6 weeks.

Honestly criticisms at this stage are very few and really minor. So at the risk of making myself look like a nutcase :

Cabin noise from roof and tyres at 80 mph + on motorway is quite loud or certainly was in the weather I drove home in.
The lightweight seats are very comfortable but not well padded so after 3 hrs non stop driving the bum was a little numb
Could do with a little more bass and / or rear speakers for audio system but TBH I prefer to listen to the exhaust but the other half likes the music
Haven't worked out how to put boot lid in service position and check oil levels yet but car was serviced before delivery
You need to buy a £20 special 6 star key/tool to use with a torque wrench if you want to take the wheels off yourself
You need a special bracket £45 to fit a front number plate ( I got stopped 1st day at home by BiB )
I've got a 5 digit personal plate and fitted a smaller but legal 330mm x 89 mm Number plate with 64mm Font for imported vehicles with no provision for front number plate which sits perfectly in the middle triangular gap between the 2 big air intakes
Reversing camera doesn't have red, amber and green guide lines
Alacantara steering wheel is not so fine as the rest of the alcantara trim in the car. Its a bit thicker/furry until it wears and then goes hard and shinny. I may have it re-trimmed in smoother alcantara or leather when it gets tatty
Suspension is firm but that's exactly how I like it
Steering is nicely weighted but not sure how great the feedback is at this stage
Window switches are confusing because you have to push them the opposite way you think to go up and down and there is a technique to getting the one touch up/down operation to work
I've been averaging 13 mpg with some spirited but not mad driving
Corsa mode can be a little harsh at first until you master the changing technique but to be perfectly honest manual sport mode is spot on ( better than Ferrari F1 without being so super slick and smooth as the latest DCT's ) Suits the car perfectly and makes you feel you are actually changing gear
Bonnet will stone chip as all low cars do
Wing mirrors are manually folding and you will probably need to retract them if you have standard single garage door apertures
Small luggage capacity and general storage for a Euro hoon



As you can see from above I'm being hyper critical and many are typical of any supercar. None of it detracts from the driving experience just me trying to find fault. It all pails into insignificance when you drive and hear the car.
I'm desperate for the weather to improve and summer to come to get the full on experience.

I can assure you, you will not be disappointed by the Performante its a fantastic car - outrageous, fast as hell, 2nd gear downchanges are addictive, and above all its FUN. ( far more so than a 458 Italia or MP4 12C )
Its going to be a real riot in the summer and I've just got to take it to the Italian lakes

Hope you secure one soon because come the spring I can see them drying up, which will at worst push the price up.
Good luck

[andrew]

the "thick alcantara" on the steering wheel is called suede

[GRBF430F1]

andrew said:

the "thick alcantara" on the steering wheel is called suede

Whatever it is, it isn't pretty or practical.
I must admit I prefer good quality soft feeling leather for a steering wheel. I will live for it now whilst its still new but in a year or soes time I can see me having it re-trimmed with leather and red stitching if I can find somewhere to do it to a really high standard

[fastcello]

andrew said:

the coupe and spyder drive very differently once you push on : you need to test both !

I guess I will then as I want this car as a keeper, so it has to be perfect?? I have only driven the coupe which was like my old SL but faster and better balanced out the box. I ended up adding some more rake to my SL which gave me a more positive front end but did not compromise the balance.

Will be fun driving a few at any rate before I get going.
I normally am very impatient when I decide to buy a car but I will try to wait for the right one at the right price.

[fastcello]

GBR I also like then fact that the gear change takes some finesse - not like an arcade game, much more analogue.
I remember being able to use a suede brush on the steering wheel which really invigorated it.

[GRBF430F1]

fastcello said:

I guess I will then as I want this car as a keeper, so it has to be perfect?? I have only driven the coupe which was like my old SL but faster and better balanced out the box. I ended up adding some more rake to my SL which gave me a more positive front end but did not compromise the balance.

Will be fun driving a few at any rate before I get going.
I normally am very impatient when I decide to buy a car but I will try to wait for the right one at the right price.

I knew straight away when I saw mine. Only reservation at first was E-gear v the latest DCT's but in a way I preferred it and as I say it was better than F1 which was very good anyway.
Went to test drive a 458 and McLaren but came away with the Performante ?????.

Spyder is like 2 cars in one. On balance I probably prefer the coupe looks unlike most others but the fact that you can drop the roof on a summer day more than makes up any difference in the drive on the limit which TBH you can't do on the public roads and the car is too darn fast and capable anyway.
I don't think most people are really good enough drivers to notice the difference.

If on the other hand you want to do a lot of track driving then the coupe is probably a better choice but for normal road driving and posing its the Performante IMHO.
I can see the Performante being a keeper for me as the latest cars as fast as they are really aren't much fun. They are becoming a dying breed and will come very sort after in years to come I'm sure of it

Gather feedback and others experience but at the end of the day no one elses opinion matters when its your money.
Your absolutely right go and give all your options a good test drive and choose the one that suits YOU best. I drove mine on a cold wet day with the roof up and was still sold on it so god help you if its warm and sunny, you won't be able to say NO