There are times in your life when you have to politely decline many offers, despite the fact that you may have a craving for whatever is being offered. There are also times, however, when you have to dismiss politeness and adopt some blatant scroungery.

I did just that today and accepted a blast in a Ferrari 360m and came away a little confused. Allow me to explain:

It retails in the uk for £103,068, boasts 400bhp and 275lb/ft. It reeks quality and drips character. Now for 28 years of my life, i have believed that this car is sacred. This car is religion. This car is the mechanical (organic?) Embodiment of motoring passion. But I came away slightly miffed. For a car that costs 5 times the average uk salary, you expect some course of sensory overload. But i didn’t get it. By get it, i mean i didn’t understand it, the penny didn’t drop. Yes, it had visual and aural drama. It looked great, although its blue colour did nothing to flatter its curves. It sounded fine (not great) and i have been brought up to believe that it is the best sounding production engine in existence (TVR can do better in my opinion) so what went wrong?

I don’t know. I left in a dazed state, walking away thinking ‘was that it?’. Perhaps 20 odd years of journalists can do a lot to a rev-head, we are a volatile and vulnerable bunch at the same time and what a car magazine says is gospel. I expected to be in awe, hypnotised and addicted by the charms of the Ferrari, but it didn’t happen. The performance didn’t blow me away (I have more torque in my evo, a car that costs a quarter of its price). Although responsive, it felt a little flat. Have we grown accustomed to the shove of a turbo charger? My car certainly felt more brutal. Please forgive if I am coming across as someone who is comparing the two cars. I’m not, but if a car is going to make me believe that it is the be all end all of motoring nirvana and cost 4 times the amount i would currently consider spending on a car, it had better be damn good.

I thought the interior was a study in design excellence though. A more fantastic combination of materials used in a modern piece of art i have yet to see. Brushed aluminium, cream and black leather (hand stitched) made stunning internal scenery. Also made me think of strawberry shortcake from the cabbage patch kids (!?)

What about the drive? Well, it felt very taut, which is a good thing (?) and very together. But i did sense some instability and it really wanted to throw its tail out. Snappy too. But very responsive and direct. Yes, more good things. Its a car that needs to be driven at at least 8/10ths to truly enjoy it, but with its inherent rwd, mid engined set up, that isn’t a wise thing to do in the uk, weather being as friendly as it is. I would imagine it to be a ferocious track car, with strong brakes and excellent on limit feel on what would be smooth tarmac. Its ride isn’t bone jarring at all, in fact it was firm without being harsh, dampening out all but the most extreme changes in surface. In order to really appreciate this car, you need to be michael schumacher. The rest of us are mere mortals, we are just resigned to posing in them. Have you ever seen a Ferrari nail it on public roads?

I’ve heard a 355 sounds better, does it? I have toyed with the idea of a lhd 355 for a while, but i have been warned of its atrocious reliability problems. To put into the words of Iain Litchfield of litchfield imports, if you are considering buying a Ferrari, make sure you can afford 3 of them, because your heart will be broken on many occasions.

Between you and me, I don’t think it has sunk in yet. Give me some time, I’ll come round.

Thanks to Iain Litchfield for the ride.