Ferrari drop a bomb with new car out of left field
Christmas is about many things. Catching up with friends and family, eating five times your recommended daily intake of sugar and ham, and awkward work dos. It's also about surprises — what old mate Santa Claus left you under the tree.
But today it's Ferrari, not Santa, who's served the automotive world a firm dosage of surprise, with the unveiling of their new limited edition J50. And unlike many other 'big' car releases where manufacturers clue the world up on their plans weeks, months, years in advance; nobody knew this was coming.
The J50 is based on the already beastly 488 Spider, but with somehow more oomph thrown into the equation. The 488's turbocharged 3.9-litre V8 has been tuned by 20bhp, to give owners of the J50 a more than adequate 681bhp.
But as impressive as numbers are, the jewel in the J50's crown is most definitely how it looks. Ferrari have been making some exceptional cars lately, but this might possibly take the cake as the best looking car they've made in years.
It is aggressive, it is detailed, and most notably it's a bit of a departure from the rest of Ferrari's range. Though some minor elements are distinctly Ferrari; like the thick black character line that goes through the doors and around the front of the car. That's definite Ferrari F50 right there.
Those to have written about the J50 so far have spit balled what this styling departure means. Is this potentially the future direction of Ferrari's range?
Possibly, but I think it's more likely a nod towards this car's intended point of tribute. This isn't going to be a mass-produced Fezza; in fact they're only making 10 of them. The occasion? To celebrate 50 years of selling prancing horses in Japan — hence the name 'J50'.
Whether you or I want one is almost irrelevant. By the time this article is thrusted onto the world wide web the 10 cars will most likely already have owners waiting in the wings. I can only hope that maybe, just maybe, one will visit Aotearoa.