Forza Motorsport 5: Spirit of LaFerrari

This is the ultimate Ferrari even built, the LaFerrari. Don't let that funny name fool you because this is the Ferrari to end all Ferraris in the history of Ferrari. With the LaFerrari Car Pack, the first DLC pack offered on Forza Motorsport 5, players now had the chance to try out Ferrari's ultimate weapon of mass awesomeness. When I said awesomeness, what I mean, of course, is the high power output provided by the V12 engine and the HY-KERS that made this hybrid hypercar the king of Ferraris.



Supercars are like idols and idols need to be focused on three key concepts; Visual, Vocal, and Dance. In automotive terms, it's the way how it looks, how it sounds, and how it does. Let's start at the Visual department and by the looks of it, it seems that Ferrari didn't seek help to its longtime friend, Pininfarina, for the first time to design the hypercar's beauty from the bare essentials. Even though the name sounds too ridiculous for a petrolhead, the design penned by Ferrari themselves truly shows that it this car really is the alpha of the lineup, despite the fact that it's limited to 499 units, each costing a million euros.



On the Vocal department, despite the hybrid powetrain like you get from the McLaren P1, the LaFerrari sounds like an old F1 car...but only just. In Forza 5, not every exhaust note is textbook but trust me, the vocals that came from the exhaust is as close to the real one as you can get.

In the Dance department, now this is how it gets interesting...



To find out just how good is the LaFerrari is, I went to the Top Gear Test Track and meet up with some old friends from Modena...



What we have here is some of LaFerrari's ancestors through the years. There's the F40 which is known to be the first to break the 200mph mark. Then, there's the F50 which some say it has the V12 engine derived from an F1 car but in reality, the V12 engine shares nothing in common with the one from a F1 car. And finally, the Enzo, it's one of my favorite cars of all time and it's a honorable one because this supercar was named after the founder of Ferrari.

These four Ferrari special machines are now dancing through the Top Gear Track like a swords dance but there can only be one winner but first, let's talk about how they dance at the track.

In the F40, it feels more like a oversized go-kart because of its massive wing on the back but this aerodynamic party piece really get the job done with its clinical precision.



As for the F50 though, one of my least-favorite Ferrari feels more like an F1 car rather than a GT car. It handles like if a boy rushes back home for tea.



Even though Michael Schumacher contributed to this car, the Enzo Ferrari feels more dramatic and as precise like a F1 car which Ferrari draws their inspiration from. I still enjoy driving in one of these because it has some bittersweet memories with it, something that boggles my mind and my heart and I just can't forget how did the Enzo performs on the road ahead.


Now, on the LaFerrari though, the sleek aerodynamic design, the 7-speed double clutch gearbox, the V12 engine from the Ferrari F12, and the HY-KERS really worked its magic. It maybe messy at start but when things starting to come unraveled, the LaFerrari really lives up to the state as the king of Ferraris. When you unleash the full majesty of Ferrari's first-ever hybrid hypercar, you can really let this car do the talking for you.



After a whole session down at the TG Track, I have the results...

F40 - 1:19.692
F50 - 1:19.253
Enzo - 1:18:513
LaFerrari - 1:14.989

So, there you go, folks. The LaFerrari really is the King of Ferraris after all and when it comes to competition, looks like the P1 and the LaFerrari will surely want to bash against each other to see which hybrid supercar reign supreme in the world of Forza Motorsport 5.

Go ahead, give these hybrid hypercars a spin and when you hear the roar of the powerful engines combined with hum of the electric motor, you will surely never regret that both the P1 and LaFerrari really are the Big Bang Theory of motoring because even though they are classified are hybrids, you'll be dying to drive these two rival hypercars!

Forza 4 Head to Head: Enzo vs. MC12

Hello again. Time for another showdown and this time, I could be comparing some sort of fraternal twins from Italy.

Fraternal Twins

I'm talking about the Enzo and the MC12. Sure, they are the finest achievements two Italian carmakers can ever think of. Both of these are more fun on the track but the feeling of owning and driving them in reality can be somewhat frustrating but I don't care. First off, let's start with the MC12...

Maserati MC12:

The MC12 from Maserati was used to compete in the FIA GT Championship and this was based on the Enzo Ferrari. The road-going version of the MC12 was produced in 2004 with 30 cars produced (five of which were not for sale). A further 25 were produced in 2005 making a total of 50 cars available for customers, each of which were pre-sold for €600,000.

It uses the same 6.0L V12 engine from the Enzo but it produces a maximum torque of 652 newton metres (481 lbf·ft) at 5500 rpm and a maximum power of 630 PS (460 kW; 620 hp) at 7500 rpm, while being mated with the Maserati Cambiocorsa semi-automatic transmission which has the final drive ratio of 4.10:1 and provides a shift time of just 150 milliseconds.

Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the MC12 on Top Gear and he disliked it more like the BiTurbo that he crushed. "Is it a racer? Is it a GT car? Is it a de-tuned Enzo in a fat suit? You can't really tell." he said but when handed to The Stig, it set a lap time of 1:18.9, 0.1 seconds faster than the Enzo Ferrari.

The MC12 crossed the line in 1:17.787

Enzo Ferrari:


The Enzo Ferrari was the ultimate Ferrari ever built in 2002 in celebration of Ferrari's 55th anniversary and it is limited to 399 units.

Originally, it supposed to be called the F60, in line with other anniversary models such as the F40 and the F50, but it was announced that before its launch, this car has to be named after the founder of Ferrari, ENZO FERRARI.

Designed by a Japanese named Ken (Kiyoyuki Okuyama), the Enzo was heavily influenced by its Formula One-style nose, providing better aerodynamics. Little known fact that Michael Schumacher was contributed for this car.

Powering the Enzo was its 6.0L V12 engine that generates 651HP of power and 484.8lb-ft of torque, armed with a semi-auto transmission called the F1-matic. Top speed is 350kph.

Jeremy Clarkson borrowed Nick Mason's Enzo for a review on Top Gear and when handed to The Stig, it set a lap time of 1:19.0.  The Enzo was one of the cars contributed for the challenge when James May tries to recreate the Top Gear theme song using car engines.




The Enzo Ferrari did it in 1:17.981, a few seconds slower than the...MC12(?)

Enzo's Time

Strange that despite the MC12 is somewhat a de-tuned Enzo in a fat suit, how can it be more quicker than the Enzo in terms of lap times? Doesn't matter though because what I'm driving those were works of art. The MC12 is all about being as delicate as a piano concerto but it takes skill to master the handling because such brutal speed may cost you more. The Enzo though, that is truly a knife-edge combatant I truly love about. Although both of these cars have no luxury equipment, the freedom to drive those cars are highly immense. I wanna drive one of these more than hanging on my last breath.

The Hours of Enzo Ferrari

Song played on my Personal BGM: Victory Drive (Magic Flute from The Queen's Aria) by Yucca
From the album: Prima donna

Explosive rivalry between Enzo and Viper ACR

Ever since the ultimate million dollar Ferrari, the Enzo Ferrari, launched in 2002 in celebration of the brand's 55th anniversary, it seems that most Ferrari fans love to call this the ultimate Ferrari ever made with the name paid tribute to the founder, Enzo Ferrari. Talk about namesake, huh? Sadly, this million dollar Ferrari made up to 399 units available and it produced from 2002 up to 2004. The first Enzo Ferrari was truly a collector's item.

Tearing down the tracks of Nurburgring GP Track

The Enzo Ferrari wasn't the first time to appeared on Gran Turismo 5. It was first appeared as a purchasable prize on Gran Turismo PSP with a price that will surely put a hole in your pockets. Despite the million credit pricing, the Enzo Ferrari is one of the coolest Ferrari models you can drive. One word of warning however that I think the Enzo is hard to control but this is the fastest Ferrari production cars in history. It can even be a fierce rival to the Ferrari 430 Scuderia.

Madrid will never be the same without Enzo

When I fully tuned this car, the Enzo Ferrari breaks to a mind-numbing 925 PS/8900 rpm of power output, weights 1044 kg, and it has a 644 Performance Points. Like I always said, its up to you to configure the LSD, Braking, and suspension. With results vary, the Enzo Ferrari can be the prancing horse with the force to be reckoned with.

Relaxing at the sunset

The Enzo Ferrari is branded as a Premium Tier car, meaning you can put some aero parts, change rims, and go out for a Photo Travel. I bring the Enzo out on a trip to Red Bull Hangar-7 and the Shoren-in temple in Kyoto and looks can be somewhat cool.

Japanese design is a fitting on the Enzo

Fast fact that the Enzo Ferrari's aggressive design was penned by a Japanese from Pininfarina, named Ken Okuyama. Italian performance with a Japanese design, what an impressive combination about this rare specimen! Anyways, I always love the tachometer because the numbers here are in a very sophisticated font.

Blaze through Monza

Since the car costs about 1,000,000 credits, it may take some races to win and snag this elusive Enzo Ferrari that is truly the ultimate prancing horse built for the elite drivers. If fully tuned, you can bring it in on some online races others allowing production cars only sans the Bugatti Veyron. Will they kick you out just by showing it your Enzo Ferrari at some online races? Who knows?