2005 Ferrari 575 M Preview

Driving Ferrari's 575 M Maranello

You can go 202 mph in it--but it still takes two years to get one and costs nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

Ferrari sold a record 1,140 cars last year in the U.S. There are even more buyers on a waiting list who must wait up to two years before they can take ownership of one of the world's fastest cars. But many of these future Ferrari drivers won't be getting the car they ordered.

That's because Ferrari is replacing its $233,000 550 Marnello with the slightly more expensive $240,000 575 Maranello. The catch is that the 575 won't debut until later this year, and only a lucky few have been able to see it, let alone driven it. The question then is what kind of car is the newest Maranello?

Interestingly, one more tame perhaps than any other Ferrari in the history of the brand, but naturally, one that also flies to 60mph faster than any other production Ferrari sold today. 

Specifically, the 575 M gets a larger displacement V-12 (up from 5.5 liters to 5.75, hence the name change), plus the Formula 1 style gearbox (gearshifts are actuated via paddles that halo the wheel and the clutch is fully automated) from the 360 Modena, and in tandem this new transmission and engine make the front-engined car that much more muscular and sporting.

The 575 M also gets aerodynamic upgrades to increase downforce and brake cooling, and a full active suspension that counters body roll, as well as a special "launch mode" that allows the driver to literally fire the car off the line with maximum rapidity. There are also better brakes with reduced pedal effort.

How good, how fast, how much better than before? Will that poor guy on the list be happier than he would have otherwise been? Uh, and is it better than the competition? Hold your prancing horses. You've had two years to wait, right? You've got time enough to read the fine print below.