[dm_h_2007]

driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,12529-2515678,00.html

It's his typical "loves it, hates it" routine.

Hates it - "The 599 was hopeless. Its automatic wipers couldn’t cope, either not working at all or scraping themselves noisily over a bone-dry screen. The headlights had the power of candles in jam jars. The heater wouldn’t heat and the air-conditioning wouldn’t chill. Furthermore, the radio was all in German and the sheer size of the thing made it a nightmare on the tiny lanes round these parts.

Ferrari may have designed the 599 to be a comfortable long-distance cruiser. They may have thought hard about making it a usable everyday car, but as I picked my way along the verge, squeezing past Minis coming the other way, and being dazzled by the “ambient” interior lighting, it was immediately obvious that they’d failed completely. It’d have been easier to circumnavigate the Arc de Triomphe in a rickshaw. "

Loves it - "It accelerates with a savagery known only to silly mid-engined supercars or plastic bathtubs from Caterham. It rides on its tall tyres with a composure that’s almost diplomatic in its smoothness. And believe me on this: it looks a trillion times better in the flesh than it does in the pictures. It’s not pretty but it has the brooding presence of a mafia hitman.

Yes, Aston Martin can sell you a better looking two-seat GT car for half the price. Yes, Porsche can sell you a wilder ride and yes, in the current climate, a helicopter would be a better long distance tool. But none of these things feels quite so gratifying, or sorted, or sensational as the 599.

One day cars like this will be outlawed by a combination of laws and dirty looks. But until that day comes, put up with the many, many foibles and irritations. And just get one. "