From the April 2023 issue of Car and Driver.
Driving a Ferrari is like being in a sleek, fast-paced homecoming parade. But what if the parade happened every day? Like peacocks living outside the zoo, Ferrari owners run to Trader Joe’s for frozen hash browns and Japanese lilies, right? What the hell, I thought, as I tossed my tote bag into the SF90 Spyder’s passenger seat.
At first, expect attention and questions. There’s curiosity about even the usual things in weary LA: how much, how fast, why me? How much? It is $577,870. But that’s just for steak; The parties add up to $81,231. How fast? Ferrari asked that we not tweak our gears with the low-mileage Spyder, so we don’t have numbers, but the coupe version of the SF90 is the fastest car we’ve ever tested, with a 2.0-second 60-mph time Time.
Part plug-in hybrid and part supercar, the SF90 is the perfect beast for LA, where eco-awareness is as important as what you wear. In electric mode, the SF90 is pulled by its front motors. With the top down you can hear the science-fiction that comes out to warn some people walking in L.A. If a theremin-playing front-drive Ferrari offends you, switch to hybrid or performance mode, and the 769- The HP 4.0-liter V-8 conjures itself as if awoken from a nightmare.
can i get a ride Strangers, friends and neighbors all ask. Of course, I obliged. Each passenger gives a combo of screams and whispers in response to Qualify mode’s 986 horses. More experienced riders, like the PR guy who wanted to go, kept their cool in the moment. Nixon’s expletives came later.
Ambition
what do you do for a living? LA is for dreamers, and Ferrari speaks to them. The SF90 became the centerpiece of social-media photo shoots, but it also inspired better spirits. At a Starbucks (by the way, the SF90’s cupholder is terrible and will crush any paper cup), a father and his seven-year-old daughter were posing when I walked up. “Work hard at tennis and one day you could own one of these, Anaya,” she said after getting behind the wheel.
You want to race? Like the biggest man in a bar, the SF90 throws up unwanted challenges. You may lose, but only because the automatic mode won’t downshift at freeway speeds to the lowest possible gear, so be sure to hold the pedal if you want to answer each Dodge Challenger’s challenge.
Did you take 101 to 405? In stop-and-go, the SF90 chugs along without any thermal drama. Even after hours in traffic, you arrive free of pain, fatigue or discomfort. Ride comfort is superb thanks to the MagneRide dampers. Think $600K Corvette, I gained a newfound respect for the Corvette.
why me I wanted to provide consumer advice looking at daily life with a hypercar, which is: Keep the nose up. There is a parking spot for each job, and the lift raises the front high enough to avoid costly scrap. Speaking of tasks, the SF90 did what I needed from Home Depot to do tile work. But, distracted by what might have happened to it in the Trader Joe’s parking lot, I forgot the hash browns.
editor in chief
Tony Quiroga is an 18 year veteran car and driver Editor, writer and car critic and the magazine’s 19th editor-in-chief since its inception in 1955. car and driver From the age of six. “Growing up, I read every issue of car and driver Cover to cover, sometimes three or more times. It’s where I wanted to work because I could read,” says Quiroga. He left automobile magazine as an associate editor car and driver in 2004. Over the years, he has held nearly every editorial position in print and digital, editing many special issues, and also helping produce CD’YouTube’s early efforts. He is also the longest-serving test driver for the Lightning Lap, having lapped Virginia International Raceway’s Grand Course more than 2000 times in 12 years.