Stradale... worth it ??.. (long)

[okey]

Ok...… been looking to replace the 360, but have not found anything to swap it with.
Thought about the Stradale, and the cost ,but still decided to try it out.

Okay test drive booked, then the heavens decided to open for three days. I only drove it for 20 minutes in the pouring rain…. I didn’t want to push it any more, have to wait for a dry day to conclude….. but so far my impressions so far are…..


Noise.4/10
…. Not sure how to put this but it was poor.. Not loud at all, not that highly stressed V8 howl, but a really harsh sound in the entire range I drove it in. My bet is that there will be a Tubi on the market for this pretty soon. (range was 1st gear to 6th from 1,500RPM to 5,000 RPM)
There was a pop and bang when driven in anger, but I don’t think you will be driving the car in anger all the time. It was just plain harsh the rest of the time. Not nice.


Grip…8/10
….. it was over the weekend so it was pretty wet, but even still it was a lot better than the standard car. The tyres were of a softer compound and offered more grip… might be worth looking at putting Corsa’s on the standard car. Turn in was sharp you could feel the tyres working, despite the poor conditions.

Weight and balance 7/10…
Selected first and eased on to the gas and the car moved forward, with none of the jerkiness associated with the F1 shifters of the past. There has been a weight reduction as there was no baulk going form rest to a rolling start.

Dampers. 7/10 (not best to qualify this as I did not get to its limits in the wet)
All in all a much improved ride, the damping is more supple but it is still a nervous beast. All the twitch and dive still exist . no need to go look for them .. but with the weight reduction I think it makes it a better car as the oversteer is not as sudden nor as heavy as in the standard car.
The half cage stiffens things up as well so you can really feel the car working….


Gear change.. (yet to max it out in the Dry so far 6.5 / 10)
No way as smooth as the manual. Yes it is an improvement on the old box but not so sure. I was driving in normal mode as the dealer wanted the car back in one piece. So if it was in race or sport mode then no doubt the changes would have been a lot quicker.
The standard car pops and spits when you ride the clutch and on a couple of full down shifts and then running up the box again, there where several pops, to me I think the clutch was ridden a lot to smooth out the changes. Don’t think the clutch would last more than 9k miles either.

Brakes 10/10
Lifted out of the GT cars, same size except for the rears..380mm, Carbon ceramic discs….huge huge huge callipers…. they look stunning….
Totally mind bending. I nearly crashed my car after the drive. There is so much pedal feel, retardation is fierce…. Best feature of the car by a mile…. Perfect for the track and the road as well.


Tyres 9.5/10

Second best feature on the car. It just cut through the water and crap on the rod. Turn in was sharp more communicative than standard. Probably due to the fact it has bigger tread block, that hardly move… Every bump and change of surface on the road is transmitted to the wheel and the seat.. the profile are 5mm less than standard….



Aero Dynamics (need to drive it in the dry again)
The car changed direction and seemed a lot more stable than the standard car. Not sure if this is attributable to the stiffer anti roll bars or the stiffer suspension. But it seemed to lie flat and corner flat as well.. not sure what is was but the car seemed a whole lot stable…

Conclusion..
after 20 mins.. (yeah)
Not sure… I can add 380mm brakes to the standard car, sure they will not be ceramic, but I don’t think there will be much of a difference on the road / track.. in a race yes…
Challenge wheels and the Pirelli corsa’s…. for grip…
Improve the Dampers by getting custom dampers, put in a some trick carbon induction system and I think the standard car will be nearly as good as the CS… for a lot less….

With the new cars having a complete emphasis on weight.. still not sure… My friends VX turbo runs me close all the way to 70…

Is 1200kg with 420bhp good enough to merit a 135k price tag.. not so sure..

But the CS in Black/ black… with the stripe (sorry guys)….. plus yellow callipers…
Christ I nearly fainted….
Oh just add a Tubi….
Thud. !!!!

[manu]

Looking at what you've in fact admitted yourself, I think you need to drive the car again in the dry for sure. I think the differences between the stock 360 and the stradale are exactly the sort of differences that would be hidden in anything other than "maximum attack conditions."
Having said that, everyone who has driven the car has said the brakes are AMAZING..... the car looks the business (with the stripe actually), and it IS quicker... Tubi WILL be available for this car - it'll be made of inconel/titanium and will retain the volume but will change the "note."
The 360 CS IS pricey but it's also *special* - I've been told only 80 RHDs will ever come to the UK...
At a guess the worldwide production run would be less than, for example, the number of F40s sold.

This conveniently brings me onto the next point..The F40 is the ONLY car I can think of comparing the 360CS to. People might think this is a little foolish but anyone that can afford a CS (specced comes to ~£140k) can buy an F40 - the key stumbling block is that the F40s running costs are up into F50/Enzo league (£18K for the rear bumper etc).. People might mention the GT3/RS etc but these cars are bargain basement in comparison... The Murci is a supercar - not a racer - the Galliardo is Lamborghinis 996TT...

If you are not prepared for F40 running costs (you can probably afford but not justify them) then the 360 CS is the ONLY *supercar-roadracer* out there.... (The hardcore 911s are awesome but they are not red, noisy and Italian so a different type of machine IMO - this includes the 996 GT2 which I drove recently - SHOCKINGLY quick but lacking something...)
And my point is...err.....

[okey]

Not so sure about that Manu.. if the standard car can keep pace with a Stradale in the wet, sound better and have the same poise, then something is wrong. Don’t want to be ten tenths just to know I am in a different car. (in the dry)
On a dry track with better brakes and similar tyres I don’t think there will be much in it, but the 100kgs… (ok that’s a lot)


So a tubi is due.. that’s good news. ! I think you agree the sound on the CS is poor… second gear at 6000RPM and it didn’t even sound good….just this harsh drone…..got back into mine and thought that’s much better !!!!

Nice point about the other cars… 911 GT2… Jez.. I got back into the 360 and proceeded to wheel spin in first second and third, the 360 was soooooo sooooooooo slow in comparison.

Somehow the game has really moved on and I think the 360 replacement needs to be something special…. 450 bhp and about 1300kg… with big brakes and better dampers to start with..

It is still a stunning car, but it could have been more extreme… maybe more horses, but then the GT only has about 450… I think…
So it would have needed twin turbos or a new engine..

[theboymoon]

manu said:

F40s running costs are up into F50/Enzo league (£18K for the rear bumper etc)

I knew it wouldn't be pennies but tell me that's an exaggeration!!! Moonie

[manu]

okey said:

Don’t want to be ten tenths just to know I am in a different car.

THAT is the key issue..!

[456mgt]

Ahhhh. This thread is TDC in the zone called 'interesting'. Thanks for posting this Okey. It's given me the impetus to get down the dealers and spank their Stradale. It was the blue one, right?

Is it worth the extra 30K? It's a bit difficult to justify cost of *any* car over 40K really, and I've had a bloody good go too. The way I look at it, it's more a question of 'do you like this car enough to pay XXX for it?'. I prefer the looks, and it *should* fit my driving style. On the 5th Gear video, the car sounds like a loud, but stock, 360 Modena. It doesn't surprise me then that Tubi have left room for one of their systems. However. I know you're supposed to be impressed when manufacturers mention special materials or fabrication techniques, but I just hold my head in my hands, grit my teeth and ask "how much?". I should probably add a too, because it's there for sure.

I think Manu is right about the F40 being the closest comparator, which is why the bastard was trying to sell me one last week No question, the F40 is the logical next step after one of these. They're just soooo special. The costs are pretty 'special' too. I know, I've looked:

manu said:

F40s running costs are up into F50/Enzo league (£18K for the rear bumper etc)

is unfortunately true. Lift up the one piece, carbon fibre engine cover, and ponder the replacement cost. If you can still sleep nights, it's time. While you can be lucky and have an F40 not cost you loads to run, you have to be prepared for the worst. Et voila. Stradale- it's cheap as chips really!

Time for my medication.

[okey]

456mgt... its the blue one.. sexy as hell... I know you have one on order, but drive the demo and let me know what you think !
The weather is perfect now...

It is a stunning car no doubt about it... I kept thinking nice car but does it fall a little short.. Or was I expecting too much.. I was hoping it would be a mind blowing experience. I just wanted to be saying WOW !!! Ohhhh my gawd !!!!! F... ME !!!! BIG Smile..
but I was saying 'intresting'.. 'thats nice'

I have been in a F40 and that was tuned to 600 odd horses and it was special. The flames at standstill and the speed were something else.
I can survive on those memories for years, and
If I could fit in the drivers seat I would have one over the 360cs, or any other car…. If something went wrong I would leave it in the garage until I had the money to fix it..

You could always charge admission fees for people to look at it and then lick it clean for you.

[TheLemming]

okey said:

You could always charge admission fees for people to look at it and then lick it clean for you.

Novel method of paying for a car...

Might just work though