We know its stating the obvious, but it has to be said - this car is truly stunning. Including racing cars and individual models for customers, the 360 is the 163rd Ferrari designed by Pininfarina and happily, in the metal, has a undeniable beauty that early photographs hardly hinted at.
The Ferrari looks like it could fly to the moon if its oxygen and fuel tanks were topped up. Its styling is ultra-modern and ultra-sharp. And it drives exactly as it looks. No road car we have ever driven can match the sheer instant response of the 360's fly-by-wire electronic throttle. As soon as the pedal is touched, the car leaps forward and hurtles right up to the 8,500rpm red line with the high pitched scream of a race car.
A conventional gearbox if no match for the Ferrari's six-speed F1-style electronic paddle shift. Pulling the right-hand paddle forward shifts the gearbox up, while pulling the left-hand one changes it down. It takes a little bit of practice to be totally smooth with it, but it really does work superbly well. The 360's brakes are excellent too, with sharpness and immediate bite.
The 360 has an expensive and exotic chassis, using an aluminium spaceframe, aluminium double wishbones and electronic damping. As with its engine, gearbox and brakes, the responses from its steering and chassis are absolutely instant and totally true. Turn in sharp to a corner or hit a big bump and the front of the Ferrari seems to stay absolutely level. The Ferrari's body and spaceframe chassis move as one single piece and the Ferrari's turn into corners feels honed to perfection, with not a millimetre of play in the system.
Driving the Modena on the road feels like nothing than scratching the surface of its abilities; on a track its advantages over its rivals would be even more pronounced.
With the traction control turned on, all potential oversteer in the 360 - on the road, at least - is killed before it even had a chance to happen. With it switched off, the Ferrari with its rapid power delivery is more prone to snapping out of line.
The Modena's cockpit reflects its exterior and overall character with its High-Tec instruments and aluminium trim as a state-of-the-art supercar. All modern Ferrari's are designed to serve as proper long distance machines and with a deep stowage area under the front bonnet and a small space behind the seat, the 360 is no exception to this rule.
Overall, the only flaw that we could find was that it is tricky to manoeuvre smoothly at slow parking speeds. But hey we'd cope - it is still the best car in the world.
For Everything
Against Er, expensive servicing?
