Ferrari

Which Ferrari to Pick

A Ferrari rental is a choice between 6 cars that split neatly into 3 kinds of day. Rent a Ferrari for the badge and the photograph and you want the 488 Spider or an F8. Rent one for the drive and you want the 296 GTB or the 812 Superfast. Rent one for a wedding, an anniversary or a partner who is nervous about the whole idea, and you want the Portofino. It is the luxury car rental people ask for by name.

The 488 Spider is the Ferrari the public has memorised. Rosso Corsa, roof down, the folding hard top peeling back in 14 seconds while a cover in front of the engine rises to swallow it. Visibility is good, the ride in Bumpy Road mode is softer than most German sedans, and it is the one people ask for by color for proposals. The F8 Tributo and F8 Spider are the last of the pure-combustion mid-engine V8 Ferraris, with real buttons, a hefty steering rack and a cabin enthusiasts consider the sweet spot in the brand's history. To a stranger an F8 and a 488 look like the same car, so pick between them on roof and feel, not on reaction.

The 296 GTB is the connoisseur's pick. Ferrari's engineers nicknamed its V6 the piccolo V12, it revs to 8,500, and it can leave a residential street on battery alone before the engine wakes at the end of the block. The 812 Superfast is the grown-up's Ferrari, a front-engine naturally aspirated V12 that pulls from 800 rpm to 8,900 and rarely gets recognised as a Ferrari from the front.

The Portofino is the luxury convertible that happens to wear the badge. Retractable hard top, the easiest steering and brakes in the range, 2 small seats in the back, and the same manettino and paddles as the serious cars. It flatters a couple.

What a Ferrari Says

Put a Ferrari, a Lamborghini and a McLaren in the same parking lot and everyone wants the picture with the Ferrari. That is the whole cultural position. Lamborghini reads as fun. Ferrari reads as money, taste and a certain seriousness, the badge with more cut-through than any other and more baggage to go with it. The stereotype is a tailored suit and an air of having decided something.

Color matters more here than on any other badge. Rosso Corsa is the default read and comes with the whole Ferrari-guy story attached. Giallo Modena is the knowing choice. Blu and grey are dramatically quieter, and they are the ones other enthusiasts respect.

Where the Feeling Comes From

Everything in a Ferrari migrates to the steering wheel. The manettino, the little red dial that switches the whole car between Wet, Sport, Race and beyond, sits on the wheel. So do the turn signals, the wipers, the start button and the damper button, which is why the first 5 minutes involve a small fumble. The center of the dash is a rev counter, not a screen, and information is pushed to 2 small displays either side so the tach stays the subject.

The 488 and F8 carry a twin-turbo V8 tuned so that torque arrives gradually in the lower gears, which is why they do not feel turbocharged. The F8 goes further and feeds engine sound into the cockpit through a resonator in the exhaust, so what you hear inside is richer than what the sidewalk hears. The 296 GTB pairs a 120-degree V6 with an electric motor the size of a frying pan and revs to 8,500. The 812 is a 6.5-liter V12 up front with a power band 8,000 rpm wide.

Ferrari Rentals Across Southern California

A red Ferrari on Sunset Boulevard is the picture of Los Angeles that people arrive with. Ferrari rentals here are booked for the drive as often as the arrival. The 488 Spider and F8 Spider belong on Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu with the roof down and the rear window lowered so the V8 comes in. The 296 GTB and the 812 belong on Angeles Crest and Ortega Highway early on a weekday, when the road is empty. The Portofino belongs at a wedding, roof up for the ceremony and down for the photographs.

We deliver Ferraris across Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, the Inland Empire and Palm Springs, to hotels, residences and the curb at LAX, SNA, BUR, LGB, ONT, SAN and PSP. Ferrari rentals run from $895 to $1,795 a day depending on the car, the Portofino and 488 at the lower end and the 812 Superfast at the top, and multi-day and weekly rates bring the daily price down.

Drive a Ferrari

Most of the car lives under your thumbs, and a Ferrari in Sport on a public road is more civil than its reputation. At 70 mph an F8 drops to a murmur and you can take a call. Press the Bumpy Road button and a 488 rides over broken asphalt better than most executive sedans.

The V8 winds out, the shifts arrive with a shove, and the sound that reaches you inside has been engineered to be there. In the 812 the steering rack is so fast that the first corner catches people out, and the V12 never really goes quiet. The 296 revs to 8,500 and never feels turbocharged or electrified, which is the trick of it. Public roads only. Track use is not permitted.