From Stradale to Speciale

[LukeyLikey]

Having been a long time Stradale fan (and still very much so), I took a test drive recently of a Speciale. All the things that have been said of the Speciale are well known and the car doesn't disappoint. There are some pluses and minuses though against the Stradale.

The Strad feels a touch more 'connected' and a lot rawer. I hadn't planned to sell it really, but I suppose, despite the undeniable appeal of a Stradale and the fact that it is likely to be a long term appreciator, new things and new experiences hold an undeniable appeal. So, since I didn't own the Strad from new and have, in fact, never owned a Ferrari from new, I have decided to put an order in for a 2015 build Speciale. I thought about keeping the Strad alongside it but have decided against that because of garage space and the fact that both cars are Ferrari V8 track special coupes - I'm not a collector.

The advantages the Speciale have are obviously the extra power but also the gearbox, which is fantastic. Have any of you who have spec'd a Speciale got any spec advice? I definitely want some sort of red with the NART stripe and don't want to go too high on the cost side. Anything you didn't order and wish you did, or did order and found unnecessary?

As a heads up if anyone is interested, I will be selling my Strad through an official Ferrari dealer - Rosso Scud/stripe with harnesses and radio. I would expect it to appear on PH classifieds shortly. Car is beautiful with no marks and absolutely no expense spared. Mostly official network service history (last three under my ownership were official dealer who knows my car well). Another independent dealer has a similar car with similar mileage, I'll be a 5 figure number behind them to make sure it sells. PM if you want more details but sale will still go through the Ferrari dealer.

[jackal]

LukeyLikey said:

The Strad feels a touch more 'connected'

Crikey that's worrying. Didn't find the CS very connected at all compared to what i'm used to and would have hoped the Speciale was significantly superior in this respect.

Good luck with the sale. What about a scuderia ?

Edited by jackal on Thursday 7th August 19:09

[LukeyLikey]

jackal said:

Crikey that's worrying from my pov as I didn't find the CS very connected at all compared to what i'm used to.

Good luck with the sale. What about a scuderia ?

Never liked the look enough really. The CS is the sort of car that gets under your skin. The steering feel is good, the chassis feel is better and the noise is out of this world. It's a car that helps you feel alive. The Speciale has 95% of that but with more power and more sophistication. Hopefully it's a good decision for me in the longer term. The CS goes tomorrow and I'm already beginning to need constant reassurance that it is the right thing to do.

If push comes to shove I may have to keep both.

[GRBF430F1]

LukeyLikey said:

Never liked the look enough really. The CS is the sort of car that gets under your skin. The steering feel is good, the chassis feel is better and the noise is out of this world. It's a car that helps you feel alive. The Speciale has 95% of that but with more power and more sophistication. Hopefully it's a good decision for me in the longer term. The CS goes tomorrow and I'm already beginning to need constant reassurance that it is the right thing to do.

If push comes to shove I may have to keep both.

I seem to be skipping a generation but in a different cycle to you.
Love my F355 GTS and will NEVER sell it.
Didn't like the 360 at all including CS
Liked and bought F430 F1 spider
Like 458 spider and speciale but not enough to part company with £230k for a new one but now fallen in love with 430 Scuderia which is my next intended purchase. To me it falls between CS and Speciale being modern and fast enough but with the right blend of rawness to excite and useability.
TBH I think the F1 superfast 2 gearbox is a revelation and a far better feeling than the DSG's.
I think Scuderia is very underrated until you look at it in more detail and spend some decent time behind the wheel. I for one made this mistake and should of bought one 3 years ago.

They are all great cars and there is no right or wrong as its done to individual preference.
I may reconsider Speciale in the future as the last N/a V8 Ferrari but after someone else has taken the pain of depreciation from new which is going to happen no matter how great the car is.

If I let you know my perfect Speciale spec we can agree a straight swap in 3 years time for my incoming Scuderia purchase lol