Test

Road Test: With the 456M to Portofino

FERRARI gives JOANNE MARSHALL - our correspondent on the spot in Maranello - a 456M for the weekend. For testing she drives the ancient Roman route, the Via Aurelia, down to the seaside.

Not only were the Romans of ancient times very good at engineering fast and straight roads, they were also pretty adept at chariot racing, a sport they had picked up from the Greeks. Roads, chariots, speed. Maybe, indirectly, this is why the Italians today make such fine sports cars. And I didn't need much encouragement to go and find out again first hand just how good they are at making them, when Ferrari introduced the new version of one of my all-time favorites, the 456 GT.
Now it's called the 456M GT, the M standing for Modificata. Read: a modified, improved, and refined version of Ferrari's outstanding 2+2 luxury-sportster to last through its model life. Which, it must be said, has been very successful to date. Over 1950 examples of this 186-mph and 0-60-in 5.1-seconds smoothy have been built since its launch in 1993. Compare that with figures for its predecessor, the 400i/412, 2382 of which were made between 1979 and 1988.
The 456 is in demand, so all the more reason to freshen it up a little and bring it into line with the chassis development undertaken on the mast recent addition to the Ferrari range, the 550 Maranello. The 456 was a winner from the outset on looks alone, so the graceful Pininfarina lines have not been tampered with unduly. The new hood (now in carbon fiber rather than composites, hence a weight saving of 30%) has crisp new creases running back from the pop-up headlamps and snuggles down over a new, F355-like front bumper which, in turn, channels air along the underside of the body to the modified rear spoiler, increasing downforce and improving aerodynamics.
Whereas the previous under bumper rear spoiler deployed at speed to assist stability over 100 mph, the new wing is fixed and, says Ferrari's 456 development engineer Ingegnere Rossi, brings an overall improvement in high-speed stability without the complexity of the previous system. Considerable work has been done inside the cabin to improve comfort and, it has to be said, they have succeeded. You no longer need to be an acrobat optimist to gain access to the rear seats. They are upright, but luxuriously snug, and the redesigned (and skinnier) front seats mean kneecaps are out of danger. Other touches include new instruments (with the three dials in the center console more angled towards the driver), improved air-conditioning, a neater three-spoke steering wheel, a shorter gear lever, two-memory setting electric seats, as well as new door window seals for greater acoustic comfort at speed.
Extra refinement has been dialed in to the running gear, too. Mind, one's never really sure just how good a thing that is in a Ferrari - after all, that magnificent V12 was a tad too civilized aurally speaking from the outset. Fortunately little has changed in the heart of the all-alloy 5,474-cc unit - just the firing order to distance it further from its pure-bred Formula One roots and get a smoother balance. Refinement levels in the automatic version (GTA) benefit from hydraulic mounts between chassis frame and gearbox bell-housing. Also, the GTA's rigid driveshaft casing is stiffer and there's a stronger transmission sub-chassis as well.
In the suspension department the modifications are more marked. Starting with new hydraulic shock absorbers designed for lower stiction and smoother operation, with two-position (Normal/Sport) electronic damping settings in place of the previous three. The 456 also gets a new anti-dive front suspension geometry, rejigged Servotronic steering software to make the assistance more linear in response, new Brembo aluminum brake calipers with insulated pistons, a new pneumatic master brake cylinder and, most importantly, ASR a la 550 to tut and scold and keep the car on the straight and narrow. Just like on the 550, the ASR uses the 4-channel ABS system in tandem with the engine management system to tame wayward rear wheels by braking them and/or curbing engine power.
That's quite a package of improvements. Now, where to go to try it all out? Answer, the seaside, via one of Italy's fast and furious cross-Apennine routes: southwest from Parma to the Cisa pass, then straight down towards the Ligurian coast and on to the picturesque tourist resort of Portofino via one of those marvellous Roman roads, the SS 1, or the Aurelia, as it is better known. The Aurelia (named after the Roman Emperor during whose reign it was built) runs all around the coast east from the French border down towards Rome, where it links up with that first-ever highway, the Appia. And both, funnily enough, give their names to cars produced by Lancia. I digress, but it is indeed a small world where transport systems thousands of years apart suddenly meet.
The Cisa pass is one of those routes where a modern motorway has been put in alongside the original road, shaping the land to its purpose rather than subjugating itself to the idiosyncrasies of the terrain. If you're in a hurry, you'll truly bless the Twentieth century approach. But I'm not, and a rapid autostrada blast down from Modena as far as the junction for the Varano de Melegari track just 15 miles south-west of Parma was enough of a test of the 456M's high speed, straight-line ability. The modified machine is blessedly serene and absolutely rock solid around 140 mph. The new window seals seem better up to the task, too, although it's now more difficult to judge whether Ferrari's appeal to its tire suppliers (Michelin, Goodyear and Pirelli) to help suppress road noise has been answered or not. On some motorway surfaces, the Pirellis fitted to the test car produced a decidedly metallic hum. Or maybe the car is just quieter so you notice it more.
Either way, the squiggly line that constitutes the main road running in tandem with the autostrada on the map beckons. And fortunately it beckons very few - today it's just the 456M, a lorry, and a squad of Alfa Romeo road testers flinging a camouflaged 166 around with abandon. Undoubtedly, the Cisa is a fine test bed for a new car - in places, this road is in truly awful condition but in others it's blindingly fun.
On the motorway, the 456M GT's tweaked V12 gives proof of how it positively revels in its wave of torque on just a touch of throttle, all surging, seamless power, smooth and cossetting, like cream pouring sensually over a bowl of strawberries. Up here in the mountains, though, it's a different tune. It's a tune that rocks gently to the solid, push-in-the-back thrust of 442-brake horse power. The 65° V12 responds crisply to the accelerator's urge over 4,000 revs, like a grissini snapping between your teeth. But, unlike the sportier and lighter 550 Maranello, there's a smooth, velvety edge to the power delivery. The 456M might not have the hearty aggression of its younger sibling, but its performance envelope is so far inside true supercar territory that it makes no difference.
The V12 sounds tighter than before, all-of-a-piece: a triumph of engineering over the contradictory needs of multitudes of reciprocating masses. It sounds almost as if it needs to loosen up with some hard usage. Although, that's an impression that wilts in the searing pace the 456M musters, accompanied by a metallic crackle and snarl. Charging up the Cisa, it's indeed far more entertaining to switch off the ASR. Progress is dramatic, lumps of low-down torque easily kicking the tail out in tight 1st- and 2nd-gear hairpins. But every merry wag underlines just how smooth, taut and easy to provoke and control the 456M is - the nose automatically seconds the tail and straightens the car out. The amount of opposite lock needed to correct slides almost seems dialed in by the chassis, as if it's in a hurry to surge away with the minimum driver input and thus the minimum delay.
Turning on the ASR changes the picture. Progress now seems more subdued, with an underlying soundtrack of engine revs being pegged by electronic trickery. It's a bit like watching someone clipping rosebuds off the bush with a pair of shears- unnatural, really. I can't help thinking that this V12 needs to holler and scream, but do away with the purist's prejudices, and you'd probably find you're quicker with ASR pruning your excesses.
And it undoubtedly boosts courage as the road speeds up and the hairpins unwind a little. This big Ferrari has huge grip and generates addictive levels of sideways g. But when you feel the little black box working its magic during serious high-speed sweepers, and see that manic, flashing warning triangle beaming out at you from the dash, you instinctively feel grateful for that margin of safety the ASR gives. Anyone using the 456M for what it really is - a family supercar and rapid continental tourer - will appreciate this aspect of Ferrari ownership. And you still have the best of both worlds - a touch of the toggle switch on the console shuts it up.
Broken road surfaces near the summit of the pass mete out serious punishment to the suspension. Over the worst surfaces, I slowed and flicked the two-way shock absorber settings back into normal. That gives the 456M a surprisingly supple ride without the mild body float experienced on the softer setting in the previous version. In fact, Ferrari has completely done away with the third option (Comfort). The new low-friction shocks and the modified anti-dive front geometry settings dearly provide a more supple setup and make the suspension more composed all around.
On Sport, body (and there's plenty of it, at 3,726 Ibs) control is exemplary through undulating switchbacks, the chassis exquisitely damped and settling fluidly into corners. Fierce braking into bends still shows a marked tendency for the nose to dive, but the front now feels altogether more of a cohesive whole, stubbornly tracking the steering wheel's chosen line. There are meatier steering setups in Ferrari's range - the 456M's is light, but modifications here, too, mean that the feel of the Servotronic is more positive on lock. Gone is that sudden woolliness on turn-in under last-second braking. The 456Ms speed-sensitive hydraulics are now less zealous about pending low speed, and less inclined to pump unwanted power assistance to the wheel just when you're fine-tuning your steering inputs to avoid overcooking a corner. Feedback is also finer on lock, although the bite just off-centre still lacks canine incisiveness.
Down in the port of Portofino, the 456M rests after its strenuous exercise, the cool breeze off the Mediterranean drawing a loud chorus of ticks from the hot mechanicals, as well as a crowd of onlookers. Well may they look, for this car is gorgeous to behold. And deeply rewarding to drive. Like its refined shape, the 456M's dynamics are less slap-in-the-face than the frantic F355, and not as sharp as the full-blooded 550 Maranello.
Ultimately this is its strength. It's a thoroughly well-developed package, something to keep and cherish. This is a long-term affair, not a night of passion. Its good looks, and finely-honed behavior confer an aura of respectability that tames your baser instincts. But kindle the V12's fire, and the temptation is still strong. If ever there was one, this is the Ferrari for grown-ups.

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