This question is both the bane of many car debates (Ferrari vs Lamborghini) but also addresses the more elemental question, does any car compete with Ferrari? Well, driving both brands extensively and back to back is the only way to honestly answer this great debate. Driving them for a short jaunt (like a media ride & drive) isn't adequate to really get to the heart of the issue as is not driving them back to back - a year apart isn't going to work.

I've driven or ridden in a number of Ferraris and Lamborghinis ranging from 308s to an F40 and from a Uracco to Murcielagos. But, in May 2005, when I visited Club Sportiva's partner operations in Germany to test drive the then-new V8 Ferrari F430 F1 coupe for a high speed autobahn fling against the V10 Lamborghini Gallardo e.gear, I was certainly anxious (massive under statement) to experience some new exotics. It also opened pandora's box for what Club Sportiva's future would hold because until that point, the company specialized predominately in classic cars since being founded in 2003.

Being, at that time, a lifelong Ferrari nut who defiantly bought my first Ferrari 308 while working at Ford Motor Company's headquarters in Dearborn, MI at the brash young age of 28 in 2001, I plainly assumed the Ferrari F430 experience would easily trump the Lamborghini Gallardo. It's a Ferrari, right? Duh... Whoa, not quite so fast or easy there boy. Is there an underdog theme appearing here? Maybe.

My first back-to-back comparo was in Germany on the autobahn. One day spent zealously tearing about in a yellow Gallardo followed by a glorious day in a red F430. Both paddle shifted. Both phenomenal. I drove the Gallardo from southern Germany past Lake Constance to Zurich, Switzerland for the night, so it was a blend of Autobahn blasting mixed with some country environs. I then immediately piloted the F430 to Strasbourg, France via the amazing Black Forest. Miles and miles of twisties, need I say more? Point being, both jaunts were more than adequate opportunities to familiarize oneself with the brands in question and to issue a judgment.

After the initial two days, it was actually a tough call. The Ferrari was everything it is cracked up to be and probably worth the three year wait if you don't have the $30,000 premium to pay to cut the wait list and get a car in a month. Screaming good looks, wailing engine and exhaust causing adrenaline highs, easy to operate. Actually, maybe too easy - almost to a fault, quite honestly.

It practically didn't feel like a Ferrari having driven many others that set a low bar; the F430 is very easy to get in and out, excellent visibility, great ergonomics, generally tight fit and finish, the front valance has great ground clearance without scraping, the passenger is completely at home and comfortable, unlike most exotics. Hmmm, maybe Ferrari hired some Toyota engineers - hope not. It was a very satisfying experience, but not wholly exotic in nature due to the well-rounded engineering execution of the car. Not what I first expected, but impressive nonetheless.

Another simple yet ingeniously well engineered feature is the rear view mirror that is shaped such that the lower inch allows you to see the engine every time you check your mirror reminding you of the V8-wonder pounding away just behind your shoulders. No other car maker has designed the engine to be at one with the driver as with the F430 and I suggest being sure to adjust the rear view mirror as such to allow you the honor and pleasure when you are out in an F430, be it Club Sportiva's or your own!

The handling is very twitchy with the rear wheel drive and the light weight nature of the car. It feels less well planted and raw, keeping the driver constantly aware of throttle input and keeping an eye out for wet pavement in the corners, Altogether, an existential driving experience approaching that of being in car heaven. Now, how is that Lambo?

Well, Lamborghini is managed by corporate parent Audi, so might I expect some German influence? Let's see. Yes. The interior is buttoned down unlike any previous Lamborghini that had fragile, finicky, fit and finish. The interior is robust, but who the hell cares about that. Let's hear the good stuff.

First, the exhaust note was entirely different from Ferrari. If you can't beat their race bred tenor, simply do it differently. And differently the Gallardo's V10 engine and exhaust note is. At first I was disappointed, expecting it to be much like the resonate scream so distinctly and patently Ferrari. But instead, it was a deep rip-roar of a V10. More an angry growl than a scream. When about to down shift the e.gear transmission, the driver must nearly excuse the car to passengers for the abrupt and loud flatulent sound that the car emanates when matching revs. This is actually a good thing, but much different from the daintier scream of the Ferrari. The deep growl of the Lamborghini that first disappoints for not being more extroverted quickly settles in as the more livable day to day as you don't have to pause a conversation until after the shift, as with the Ferrari. In 2007, the Gallardo exhaust was re-tuned to combine the angry growl at low rpms with a shriek starting at 4,500 rpms and it is glorious.

The Gallardo is AWD and feels tremendously well-planted as a result but also 200 pounds heavier. This is a real trade off. Surprisingly, I preferred the security of the feeling of planted traction with 500 horsepower as opposed to the hang-on-by-the-seat-of-the-pants feel of the F430's rear wheel drive. As such, I felt more confident to carve the corners even if the Gallardo is at slight a weight disadvantage.

The Gallardo's seats are not comfortable over long distances, which I've further confirmed with Club Sportiva's Gallardos in the U.S. Annoying, but something I am willing to put up with. The car is also viciously low in the front and loves to grind on many drive ways, though they now raise the front end to resolve that issue. The front of the car quickly dips out of view leaving the driver to wonder just where is the front bumper. These traits give the car an exotic feel which I prefer in an exotic car which I felt the Ferrari was too polished and trying too hard to be a daily driver for anyone wealthy enough to get in line for one. The Gallardo can certainly be a daily driver for a lucky few, but you never forget you are piloting a $200,000+ sports car, where the Ferrari lets you over look that fact.

The result: the Lamborghini Gallardo wins by a hair in my books. The best facet of the two cars is that they are truly designed to be different. Someone lucky enough, like Club Sportiva Members, can really enjoy these two cars and not feel that they are clones of one another. If you had a different car to drive for each day based on your mood, these two would suit different needs, much as the Bentley Continental GT and the Aston Martin DB9 have also carved out their independent niches. This is fortunate that the manufacturers have recognized that they can't each try to be a Ferrari knock off, so each has its unique claim to fame.

For those tiffosi who can't imagine liking the Lamborghini, I'd suggest not scoffing at the brand any longer and get educated with some first hand experiences, if you haven't already. You will likely remain a Ferrari fan, but I think many people will have a newfound respect for the raging bull from Sant'Agata.

Club Sportiva can put you behind the driver's seat and let you be the judge. Ultimately, that is what it is all about, not reading my comments on the blog but having the opportunity to drive the cars you want to experience. Then you can post your own first-hand comments. Now it is your turn! Comments encouraged.

This blog post was first published as an article in Ferrari Life Quarterly's March Issue. Check out some of FLQ's other great topics.

Labels: Autobahn, Club Sportiva, drive and decide, Driving experience, exotic car share club, Ferrari F430, Lamborghini Gallardo

It is pretty exciting, but an article I wrote was just published in Ferrari Life Quarterly comparing my driving experiences in the F430 to the Gallardo. I suppose this is my first article to be published! Kinda cool... The article started life intended as a blog post, but then Ferrari Life got wind of the topic and picked it up for the publication.

In the article, I compare the Ferrari F430 to the Lamborghini Gallardo while driving on the German Autobahn during a recent trip to meet our German business partner. The notion is, Drive and Decide between Ferrari and Lamborghini. Most of the photos were taken my me on the trip, too.

Read the article in PDF form. My article starts on page 10, right after the 430 Scuderia article.



Ferrari Life also recently wrote a Ferrari Buyers Portfolio on V8 and V12 Ferraris from the 360 Modena to the 308 and the 550 Maranello to the 365. The book has been periodically sold out on Amazon, so it is selling well. It is well illustrated and contains some very cool insight into 13 Ferrari models that we all want to drive... I've read it cover to cover and recommend it. The book was published by Brooklands Books, ISBN 1.85520.7478. Buy it at Amazon.com for $21.56

Here is the direct link to the article in case you need it:
http://www.ferrarilife.com/library/download_pdf.php?type=flq&id=91

Labels: Club Sportiva, drive and decide, Driving experience, exotic car share club, Ferrari F430, Ferrari Life Quarterly, Lamborghini Gallardo

This is a great question, especially these days with fuel prices at record highs and the environmental green movement breathing down our collective-car-nut-necks. To some, this post will be as glorious as flying the middle finger high and proud. To others, this will be a tale of horrors and a polar bear's worst nightmare. From whichever angle you read it, it is reality.

When I bought my first Ferrari 308 GTSi in 2001, shortly after finishing grad school, one of the first things I noticed, aside from the constantly nagging repairs, was the amount of fuel it consumed. And this was back when gas was really cheap. My Ferrari was a 1982, built far before the days of on-board digital trip computers that could calculate things such as instantaneous mileage. So my trusty Casio calculator told me I was getting about 10 mpg. Hmm, that sucks, but fuel was inexpensive and Al Gore hadn't made a movie yet, so I didn't think anything of it.

Then, a year ago, I was driving Club Sportiva's yellow 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo coupe with e.gear and it had Audi's trusty on-board trip computer built in. I noticed that the trip computer's instantaneous gas mileage reading would never dip below 5.0 mpg. Is it possible the reading was accurate and that 5.0 mpg is truly the bottom end of the Gallardo's fuel efficiency? Sure it's possible, but it seemed to just stop at 5.0 mpg even as I continued to rev the engine further. Of course, 5.0 mpg is pretty appalling, but in a big 5.0 liter, 500 hp, AWD, V10 engine, what do you expect, right? Could they have intentionally limited the trip computer to shield people from seeing the inconvenient truth? I'm pretty sure Al Gore would drive one too if he hadn't made that big movie.

More recently (like last month), I was driving Club Sportiva's black 2005 Bentley Continental GT with a similar VW equipped on-board trip computer and toggled to instantaneous gas mileage to take a gander as what sort of mileage I might find. I was overwhelmed by the senseless burning of dinosaur remains that I achieved numerous times - 3.6 mpg! Amazing. That is an astoundingly low number and one I am sheepishly proud to say I achieved in a massive W12 engine hauling around an AWD tank-like Bentley with room for three more friends. It did, however, bottom out at 3.6 mpg and while I could achieve that number regularly pulling away from nearly every stop sign, it would never go lower than that. It leaves me to believe the mileage could be worse at times.

The thing about looking for appallingly low mpg figures is the shocking results I found every where I looked. In the Club's 2006 Aston Martin DB9 Volante, with a V12 brute up front, I regularly witnessed 3.4 - 4.4 mpg. But...at one point, I saw 2.5 mpg!! That number surprised me and I didn't get a photo, so that one got away with nothing more than a mention in a blog post. No V12 has ever been known for good mileage, but it is interesting to actually see the real numbers with today's trip computers. Most of the ultra low mileage was found around town in stop and go traffic, not always while cruising on the freeways.

Club Sportiva had a 2004 Lamborghini Murcielago, but it didn't give instantaneous readings, disappointingly, considering the thirsty 6.2 liter V12 nature of the heavy set-up. The Murcielago is actually a large sports car, long and wide. It is deceptive because it is so low, but the car is a beast - a very sexy beast, yes. I'm sure it could have recorded some nice low numbers for us as well. Even the Club's 2006 Porsche Cayman S gets into the action. At 9.0 mpg as the average, not instantaneous, it is clearly capable of racking up some low numbers too.

So, now the quest is on. What car can record a lower fuel efficiency reading lower than 2.5 mpg? What is the car and at what gear and speed? Let's keep the conversation on the down low though, so Al Gore doesn't protest our little science project.

Labels: Al Gore, Aston Martin DB9, Bentley Continental GT, Club Sportiva, exotic car share club, fuel efficiency, gas mileage, Lamborghini Gallardo, Trip computer