Originally posted by "Someone"

Ferrari 575 M

It has been now 6 years that Maranello Ferrari crowns the Ferrari production but whereas a group of engineers of the factory of Maranello developed the car of formula 1 to make of it a multiple championne world their colleagues of the production did not remain inactive: after having created remarkable the 360 Modena they are reflected with & oelig;uvre to still return the 550 more desirable Maranello. Their major priority was to extract even more power of its splendid V12 with 65° and to adapt the gear box of it forming a unit with the differential with the back of the car with the hydroelectronic order F1 such as one finds it on the 360 Modena or very recent Maserati.

This decision involved a close friend collaboration between the motor mechanics and the specialists in the transmission in order to arrive at a solution ensuring of the at the same time fast shiftings of speed and clash of the passages carefully being still much more significant in Maranello than in the 360 which is addressed to customers generally younger and more sporting. The schedule of conditions also envisaged to preserve the just as it is superb body very out of aluminium (except for the doors by safety measure) besides some minor final improvements dictated by the functionality and aerodynamics.

More generous engine
With regard to the engine the principal objective to further increase by it the power and especially the couple on bottom and average diets. Moreover the adaptation of electronic management and the order by wire of the butterflies of admission was essential in order to make as soft as possible the shiftings of speed while still reducing the harmful emissions to the exhaust. One started by increasing by 1 mm the cylinder bore and by 2 mm the travel of the pistons to make pass the cubic capacity from 5500 to 5750 Cm3.

The system of aspiration was modified by the increase in the sections and of the plenum chambers one worked on the diagram of distribution the exhaust and one replaced the power station of management by Motronic Bosch of the last generation. Four detectors of rattling made it possible to change the compression ratio of 108 to 11:1. All these measurements increased the power by 30 CH carrying it to 515 CH with 7250 tr/min. The stall torque progresses from 35% but with a curve much more generous on the very significant beach of modes from 2500 to 3500 tr/min. The titanium rods and the greasing with dry casing are maintained.

To the minimum to reduce times of passage of the reports/ratios in the box 6 speeds to F1 order which also manages the clutch the first and second reports/ratios comprise from now on synchronizers with triple cone 100 mms in diameter all the other synchronizers being with double cone of 70 Misters the shiftings of speed F1 are started by two small levers with range of finger under the wheel it left to retrogress the right to assemble speed. The levers extended to their end remain in position when one directs in order to avoid confusions when the driver turns the wheel of more than 90°.

The passages speeds are carried out with a small slapping not unpleasant without it being necessary to raise the foot of the electronic accelerator adapting the engine speed to the new engaged report/ratio. Good-bye it heel-point! The driver has the choice between a normal operating mode and a mode sport where the shifting of speed is carried out with the descent as with the rise in less than one quarter of second in so far as the driver maintains the accelerator à.fond and that the engine functions with full load in its higher section of mode limited to 7700 tr/min.

an astonishing comfort
The mode sport also modifies the electronic control of the shock absorbers. In the two modes thanks to adapted sensors damping increases according to speed of the state of the road and the movements of the body but in the mode sport it is inevitably definitely stiffer than in the normal mode. Compared to the 550 Maranello the reaction time of the system was tiny room from 180 to 80 milliseconds. The definition of also modified front suspensions: in normal mode the Maranello news is surprisingly comfortable at the speeds of city but even at high speed the movements of the body are very well deadened.

To pass in sport is really useful only on one circuit or if the driver decided really to attack. Whereas in normal mode the F1 system carries out office the change of report/ratio when the limit of mode is reached in mode sport it is necessary to carry out the passage manually to prevent that a change of inopportune report/ratio unbalances the car in a turn taken in extreme cases. Let us recall however that the F1 system is an option the car remaining deliverable with a traditional manual shifting of speed and a clutch pedal. It is however certain that the preference of the customers will go to the transmission F1 & ndash; 80% following estimates of Ferrari.

Control without clutch pedal is less tiring and offers to those which wish it the possibility of actuating left foot the excellent brakes. The facility of the ordering of box of the end of the fingers under the wheel makes it possible to better concentrate on the false road and to avoid man & oelig;uvres being able to be expensive the such accidental selection or not of a too low report/ratio at a too high speed. The F1 order places automatically to a lower report/ratio if the engine speed falls below 1500-1600 tr/min and passes by again in first as soon as one stops. There is not thus more but with réaccélérer to set out again.

Let us not forget that the F1 transmission can also be used in entirely automatic mode which is practical in urban traffic. But in this mode it definitely less pleasant than traditional automatics with torque converter and epicyclic gears and tends to maintain the engine on unnecessarily high diets.

Agility and lightness
In spite of its aluminium body covered with sheet metal the 575 Maranello weighs 1.735 kg but its power steering incisor and its agility are such as with control it appears definitely lighter. Its accelerations are all the more impressive as they are carried out with discretion without vibrations without much noise and without it being necessary to exploit beaches of high modes. But even if one leads it to the limit of the 7700 tr/min the engine never seems to shout grace. On the contrary it arrived to me in Fiorano to start the limiting device of mode of which nothing made envisage the intervention.

The cars able to reach the 325 km/h announced do not run about the streets and even less those of this hardening whose no order requires a particular effort. At low speed the brakes however seemed me to react with a little too much eagerness.

Some turns of the circuit of Fiorano in mode sport and with the antipatinage except circuit confirmed the astonishing agility of this car of a sizeable weight its superb balance and the effectiveness of its differential with limited slip factor of blocking 45%. Even while attacking seriously one perceives no understeering and the attitude of the car in turn depends largely on the couple transmitted to the aft wheels. Dario Benuzzi the tester head of Ferrari for the road cars said to me besides which the 575 Maranello is as fast on a lathe of Fiorano as the berlinette 360 Maranello however much lighter and extreme.

If the appearance of the new car is practically unchanged compared to the preceding one it is not the same interior entirely furnished with leather. The apron and the dashboard are them also new. All the instruments from now on are grouped in front of the driver quite readable through the wheel with three branches furnished with leather and dominated by a large rev counter. An innovation among the instruments is the pressure gauge of the tires making the difference between a slow escape and a puncture. All nonessential switches switches and other apparatuses for the walk of the car among which those ordering the air-conditioner are grouped in the center of the apron and on the central console.