The latest version of the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is one of the most exotic cars in the world; a sensuous 200-mph automobile meant to transport four people in grand style along Europe's high-speed motorways. And yet our first hands-on experience of this Ferrari begins in a Hindustan taxi.
Welcome to India.
Born as the Morris Oxford back in 1957, the quaint little Hindustan has become as much a staple of Indian life as the Chapatti or the call to prayer. Here in Kolkatta (or Calcutta as it was once known), thousands of them chug their way around the congested streets, farting fumes into the hot, dusty air. Inside, you can do nothing but hold on, sweat profusely and close your eyes and ears to the chaos all around.
The Hindustan is taking us to a rendezvous with two Ferrari 612 Scagliettis with which we'll cross this subcontinent. Our jerky, unnerving progress through the teeming traffic in the Hindustan is confirmation — if such a thing is needed — that driving a Ferrari across India is a crazy thing to do.
The Star of India
Sitting in the hotel parking lot, smothered by a dust sheet bearing the telltale emblem of the Prancing Horse, is the flagship of the Ferrari line. The revised Ferrari 612 Scaglietti debuted at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show, yet it will slip quietly into the market. This car has always been the introvert in the Ferrari range, sitting almost unnoticed beside the more obvious charms of the midengine Ferrari F430 and the front-engine Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.
The Pininfarina-designed 612 is not, it must be said, the prettiest car ever to slide out of the gates of Maranello. The wheelbase still looks too long and the scalloped body sides look too contrived, yet the car does have a visual sense of purpose. This is the only Ferrari in which you can carry four properly proportioned adults and a decent array of luggage. It is probably the most sensible supercar on sale today.
The face-lift is modest but effective. The most obvious change is to the roof, which now features an electrochromatic glass panel. At the touch of a button, you can choose between day and night, letting the light in or shutting it out. It adds a sense of spaciousness to the otherwise confining cabin. There's also a new center console with an integrated Bose audio system with a DVD-A player. It looks good, but is infuriatingly fiddly to use.
More significant are the changes under the skin. The revised 612 borrows the six-speed automated manual transmission from the 599 GTB, so a flick of the shift paddles on the steering wheel changes gear in just 100 milliseconds. And there's a new sports exhaust to better exploit the music of the wonderful 5.7-liter V12. The output of 533 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque is the same as before, but few have ever criticized this car for a lack of thrust. It'll still crack the 60-mph barrier in just 4 seconds and reach 200 mph flat-out.
Of course, we don't anticipate reaching 200 mph in India, where the roads are still evolving to match the explosion in car ownership. The 612s we're driving have been modified for the trip with an extra 1.2 inches of ground clearance to cope with the poor road surfaces, and the underbody has been protected with aluminum cladding, but that's about it. And these changes have done little to dilute the delicacy of the steering or the reassuring stopping power of the carbon-ceramic brakes. Even here the 612 feels more agile than a 4,134-pound car has a right to expect.
Adventure Driving
Ferrari is no stranger to these sorts of trips. In recent years, it has also organized tours across China in the 612 and across the Americas by 599. Accompanying the two Ferraris for this trip will be 15 red-shirted support staff members in 10 different vehicles.
We go everywhere in convoy, with a local guide leading the way and barking instructions into the radio. At times it's frustrating, but it's not hard to fathom the rationale. The road conditions here are extraordinary. Bedraggled, hopelessly overloaded trucks are daubed in the most garish colors, so they look like escapees from a circus. There are buses here so full that passengers ride on the roof.
And the drivers, apparently infused with a spirit of fatalism, are nothing less than insane. It's not unusual to find a moped with a helmetless rider that's heading the wrong way down a three-lane highway against 60-mph traffic. Then there are the horses and carts, not to mention the cows, which are sacred to the Hindu way of life and have the right of way.
Concentration is everything and progress is littered with sudden swerves, panic braking and plenty of expletives. It's also impossible not to feel a little nervous. Fortunately we're driving just one leg of an 11,000-kilometer (roughly 6,835 miles) journey through India that began and will end in the city of Mumbai. Crashing now would be embarrassing at best. We have a van full of spares and plenty of expertise, but Ferraris aren't officially sold in India and the only spare car is still parked in Maranello.
The horn becomes my new best friend. Few of the vehicles have outside mirrors and most have "horn please" tattooed to their rear. To overtake, you hit the horn, summon the horses and then slice past as quickly as possible. It's a tricky procedure made worse by the 612's pathetic hooter. A Ferrari should emit a manly parp, not a girly poop.
The Magic of India
India is less than a third of the size of the U.S., but it's home to 1.1 billion people and the median age of the population is just 25. Every time we stop, we're mobbed. People prod the car, pull at the door handles and talk excitedly. We've no idea what they're saying and at times the sheer volume of people can be intimidating, but the vibe is friendly.
The contrast between the opulence of our automobile and the poverty of our environment is stark and, at times, uncomfortable. Much is made of India's economic growth and burgeoning middle class, but millions are being left behind. In Varanasi, we're confronted by elderly cripples who live on the noisy, dirty streets. The British Raj and their army of servants have long since left, but the inequalities remain.
It's also impossible to escape the pollution. In the holy city of Varanasi, we take a boat trip along the Ganges to watch the morning prayer. For Hindus, the Ganges is the Great Mother, a spiritual link between the generations. Every morning they come to bathe in its waters and wash their clothes. It would be an idyllic scene, were the water not putrid. The definition of safe bathing water is less than 500 fecal coliform bacteria per 100 milliliter — in the Ganges, the figure is a staggering 1.5 million/100 ml.
The riverbank here is famous for its ghats — steps down to the water. Most are used for prayer or bathing, but there are also a handful of "burning ghats." Hindus dip their recently departed in the river before cremating them on huge pyres by the riverbank. These ghats are on public view, and the sight of someone washing their clothes next to a crematory demands a mental leap. India really is a country unlike any other.
Hard on the Gas
It also seems impossible to come to India without getting the runs. On Day Five, we start to feel queasy and before long, any glamour associated with driving a Ferrari across India soon dissipates. We're now faced with the prospect of a 12-hour drive in 90-degree Fahrenheit heat in a Ferrari while clutching our roll of toilet paper. Nice.
By the time we reach the outskirts of Lucknow, our final destination, we're about 7 pounds lighter, although finally starting to feel better. Now, with only the long journey home ahead, there's time to reflect on what has been a fascinating few days.
For a company that doesn't advertise its cars by conventional means, these tours have become an important promotional tool. "It's a way of demonstrating that our cars can be driven every day, on every road, by everybody," says Davide Kluze, Ferrari's PR guru. Such adventures carry an element of risk, but in 1,000 miles, the only mechanical gremlin we experienced with our Ferrari 612 Scaglietti was a punctured tire.
Grand Touring
The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is the most civilized and understated Ferrari, and the subtle revisions have served to enhance its appeal. But even after a week behind the wheel, we're still struggling to rationalize its role. Fine car though the 612 Scaglietti is, the 599 is prettier, faster and cheaper. The Scaglietti's sole purpose in life is to carry four people, and while this mission has a certain charm, it doesn't have much to do with the way modern drivers employ 200-mph motor cars. Perhaps this is why the production of this car is winding down and some head-scratching is being done in Maranello about its replacement.
At present, Ferrari reckons there are nearly 40 of its cars in India, all of which have been imported by individuals. In a decade's time, this number will probably have increased tenfold as India's economic upsurge continues. By then, this crazy, crazy country will be a very different place. Perhaps there will even be highways.
Welcome to India.
Born as the Morris Oxford back in 1957, the quaint little Hindustan has become as much a staple of Indian life as the Chapatti or the call to prayer. Here in Kolkatta (or Calcutta as it was once known), thousands of them chug their way around the congested streets, farting fumes into the hot, dusty air. Inside, you can do nothing but hold on, sweat profusely and close your eyes and ears to the chaos all around.
The Hindustan is taking us to a rendezvous with two Ferrari 612 Scagliettis with which we'll cross this subcontinent. Our jerky, unnerving progress through the teeming traffic in the Hindustan is confirmation — if such a thing is needed — that driving a Ferrari across India is a crazy thing to do.
The Star of India
Sitting in the hotel parking lot, smothered by a dust sheet bearing the telltale emblem of the Prancing Horse, is the flagship of the Ferrari line. The revised Ferrari 612 Scaglietti debuted at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show, yet it will slip quietly into the market. This car has always been the introvert in the Ferrari range, sitting almost unnoticed beside the more obvious charms of the midengine Ferrari F430 and the front-engine Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.
The Pininfarina-designed 612 is not, it must be said, the prettiest car ever to slide out of the gates of Maranello. The wheelbase still looks too long and the scalloped body sides look too contrived, yet the car does have a visual sense of purpose. This is the only Ferrari in which you can carry four properly proportioned adults and a decent array of luggage. It is probably the most sensible supercar on sale today.
The face-lift is modest but effective. The most obvious change is to the roof, which now features an electrochromatic glass panel. At the touch of a button, you can choose between day and night, letting the light in or shutting it out. It adds a sense of spaciousness to the otherwise confining cabin. There's also a new center console with an integrated Bose audio system with a DVD-A player. It looks good, but is infuriatingly fiddly to use.
More significant are the changes under the skin. The revised 612 borrows the six-speed automated manual transmission from the 599 GTB, so a flick of the shift paddles on the steering wheel changes gear in just 100 milliseconds. And there's a new sports exhaust to better exploit the music of the wonderful 5.7-liter V12. The output of 533 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque is the same as before, but few have ever criticized this car for a lack of thrust. It'll still crack the 60-mph barrier in just 4 seconds and reach 200 mph flat-out.
Of course, we don't anticipate reaching 200 mph in India, where the roads are still evolving to match the explosion in car ownership. The 612s we're driving have been modified for the trip with an extra 1.2 inches of ground clearance to cope with the poor road surfaces, and the underbody has been protected with aluminum cladding, but that's about it. And these changes have done little to dilute the delicacy of the steering or the reassuring stopping power of the carbon-ceramic brakes. Even here the 612 feels more agile than a 4,134-pound car has a right to expect.
Adventure Driving
Ferrari is no stranger to these sorts of trips. In recent years, it has also organized tours across China in the 612 and across the Americas by 599. Accompanying the two Ferraris for this trip will be 15 red-shirted support staff members in 10 different vehicles.
We go everywhere in convoy, with a local guide leading the way and barking instructions into the radio. At times it's frustrating, but it's not hard to fathom the rationale. The road conditions here are extraordinary. Bedraggled, hopelessly overloaded trucks are daubed in the most garish colors, so they look like escapees from a circus. There are buses here so full that passengers ride on the roof.
And the drivers, apparently infused with a spirit of fatalism, are nothing less than insane. It's not unusual to find a moped with a helmetless rider that's heading the wrong way down a three-lane highway against 60-mph traffic. Then there are the horses and carts, not to mention the cows, which are sacred to the Hindu way of life and have the right of way.
Concentration is everything and progress is littered with sudden swerves, panic braking and plenty of expletives. It's also impossible not to feel a little nervous. Fortunately we're driving just one leg of an 11,000-kilometer (roughly 6,835 miles) journey through India that began and will end in the city of Mumbai. Crashing now would be embarrassing at best. We have a van full of spares and plenty of expertise, but Ferraris aren't officially sold in India and the only spare car is still parked in Maranello.
The horn becomes my new best friend. Few of the vehicles have outside mirrors and most have "horn please" tattooed to their rear. To overtake, you hit the horn, summon the horses and then slice past as quickly as possible. It's a tricky procedure made worse by the 612's pathetic hooter. A Ferrari should emit a manly parp, not a girly poop.
The Magic of India
India is less than a third of the size of the U.S., but it's home to 1.1 billion people and the median age of the population is just 25. Every time we stop, we're mobbed. People prod the car, pull at the door handles and talk excitedly. We've no idea what they're saying and at times the sheer volume of people can be intimidating, but the vibe is friendly.
The contrast between the opulence of our automobile and the poverty of our environment is stark and, at times, uncomfortable. Much is made of India's economic growth and burgeoning middle class, but millions are being left behind. In Varanasi, we're confronted by elderly cripples who live on the noisy, dirty streets. The British Raj and their army of servants have long since left, but the inequalities remain.
It's also impossible to escape the pollution. In the holy city of Varanasi, we take a boat trip along the Ganges to watch the morning prayer. For Hindus, the Ganges is the Great Mother, a spiritual link between the generations. Every morning they come to bathe in its waters and wash their clothes. It would be an idyllic scene, were the water not putrid. The definition of safe bathing water is less than 500 fecal coliform bacteria per 100 milliliter — in the Ganges, the figure is a staggering 1.5 million/100 ml.
The riverbank here is famous for its ghats — steps down to the water. Most are used for prayer or bathing, but there are also a handful of "burning ghats." Hindus dip their recently departed in the river before cremating them on huge pyres by the riverbank. These ghats are on public view, and the sight of someone washing their clothes next to a crematory demands a mental leap. India really is a country unlike any other.
Hard on the Gas
It also seems impossible to come to India without getting the runs. On Day Five, we start to feel queasy and before long, any glamour associated with driving a Ferrari across India soon dissipates. We're now faced with the prospect of a 12-hour drive in 90-degree Fahrenheit heat in a Ferrari while clutching our roll of toilet paper. Nice.
By the time we reach the outskirts of Lucknow, our final destination, we're about 7 pounds lighter, although finally starting to feel better. Now, with only the long journey home ahead, there's time to reflect on what has been a fascinating few days.
For a company that doesn't advertise its cars by conventional means, these tours have become an important promotional tool. "It's a way of demonstrating that our cars can be driven every day, on every road, by everybody," says Davide Kluze, Ferrari's PR guru. Such adventures carry an element of risk, but in 1,000 miles, the only mechanical gremlin we experienced with our Ferrari 612 Scaglietti was a punctured tire.
Grand Touring
The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is the most civilized and understated Ferrari, and the subtle revisions have served to enhance its appeal. But even after a week behind the wheel, we're still struggling to rationalize its role. Fine car though the 612 Scaglietti is, the 599 is prettier, faster and cheaper. The Scaglietti's sole purpose in life is to carry four people, and while this mission has a certain charm, it doesn't have much to do with the way modern drivers employ 200-mph motor cars. Perhaps this is why the production of this car is winding down and some head-scratching is being done in Maranello about its replacement.
At present, Ferrari reckons there are nearly 40 of its cars in India, all of which have been imported by individuals. In a decade's time, this number will probably have increased tenfold as India's economic upsurge continues. By then, this crazy, crazy country will be a very different place. Perhaps there will even be highways.
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