It’s 70 years since Enzo Ferrari put his family name on a Tipo 125, and for 19 of those evo has been on hand to put you behind the wheel of the marque’s finest creations
THE FIRST FERRARI WE DROVE in evo was an F355 Berlinetta as part of our inaugural eCoty, held late in 1998. However, the first all-new Ferrari launched under our watch was the 360 Modena. We were first invited to Maranello early in ’99 for a technical briefing on the car we would return to Italy to drive later that same year. Looking back, the 360 was a radical car for Ferrari: the first with an aluminium chassis and body, the first where aerodynamics were a major influence and the first to deliver genuine usability. If we’re being harsh, it was also the moment Ferraris ceased to be classically beautiful, but then the F355 was a tough act to follow.
The 360 was bigger than its predecessor, which masked the weight benefits of aluminium. Fortunately the larger motor (up from 3.5 to 3.6 litres) had increased power, from 374 to 394bhp, and a fatter spread of torque. It also had a drive-by-wire throttle, second-gen F1 paddleshift as an option and faster steering – an indication of the role technology would play in Ferrari’s quest for ultra-responsive dynamics.
Of course, there was a subsequent Spider version (in which we retraced the Mille Miglia route), but the 360 would also be the spark for a more explicit and exciting breed of track-biased Ferrari, the first of which being the delectable 360 Challenge Stradale.
This would serve as a blueprint for faster, fiercer creatures to come, its simple recipe of less weight (110kg lighter than the regular Modena and just 20kg more than the Challenge race car), wider rubber, lower, firmer suspension, a faster gearshift and a more potent engine focusing the performance of Ferrari’s mid-engined V8 model as never before.
Denne historien er fra October 2017-utgaven av Evo.
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Denne historien er fra October 2017-utgaven av Evo.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
