Elite Traveler Fall 2023

INSPIRE TOPCARS

Ferrari Purosangue If the 715 hp, direct-injection, 6.5-liter, V12 engine fails to convey the overarching sentiment behind Ferrari’s fi rst four-door, four-seat production vehicle, perhaps its name — Purosangue (Italian for thoroughbred) — will enlighten those questioning the Prancing Horse. The naturally aspirated, mid-front-mounted engine is o ff setbyan eight-speed, dual-clutch that powers the rear-wheel transmission. (The front wheels cull power from a smaller, front-mounted transmission.) With a newly designed chassis that’s as rigid as dressage, Purosangue continues that tautness across its horizontal design language. Historically, Enzo Ferrari favored and drove vehicles with two rear seats. To maintain the reclining, long-legged posture that many deem classic Ferrari, but with two additional doors, engineers constructed a fresh bodyshell. The incorporation of power-assisted back doors that oscillate toward the rear on a single hinge allows for an uninterrupted exterior eyeline: Ferrari styling, but enlarged. The concerto of purrs, whirs, burbles and gargles will elicit elation for those seeking sound from this four wheel drive SUV (under 125mph, then it shifts to rear wheel drive). But in the midst of a steady rainfall of electric vehicle debuts across luxury automakers (including Ferrari), as well as the European Union’s e ff ort to ban tailpipes by 2035, Purosangue’s mere existence is markedly brazen. It aligns with the brand’s discreet e ff orts to ease EU standards for low-volume manufacturers, allowing the company a limited build allotment of internal combustion cars. Should a company desire to fi ght for a combustion engine, Purosangue certainly o ff ers up a compelling raison d’être . Ferrari Purosangue from $393,350, ferrari.com

NEED TO KNOW Purosangue doesn’t have a rear windshield wiper; it is cleaned via air fl ow along the glass surfaces at the rear

Photo James Lipman