Dancing with the stars

MANILA, Philippines - They say you should never meet your heroes, yet in the case of the Ferrari 458, I was not given much of a choice. I was called out. Taunted even. I know that sounds pretentious, but the truth is, ever since I came back from those intoxicating laps around Goodwood in the Lexus LFA, boldly declaring it as the best super car I have ever tested, my colleagues, as well as a bunch of our rabid readers, cried foul.

The general sentiment was summed up by one scornful reader’s email when he wrote: “In what parallel universe can a luxury Japanese brand, especially one that has a checkered history with proper sports cars, not just compete, but claim to beat Ferrari at their own game.”

Trust me when I say that this hurts me more than it will hurt you, but it’s probably the same universe where a fizzy drinks company with a 12-year old German driver happened to dominate the pinnacle of motorsports, scooping up his second world championship with four or five races to spare.

Cars can no longer get by on name alone. There are no more proprietary rights to power, speed and performance – and every decent manufacturer knows this. If you want to join the horsepower or “ring lap time” race, you will only be as good as your last figure – which may or may not stand, depending on the head wind, making it the most exciting era of the super car that consumers have ever experienced.

As I had not actually driven the 458 before this, and my publisher at C! Magazine had not had a chance with the LFA, an ugly confrontation was narrowly avoided in this year’s 7th annual C! Awards over a mere technicality. The 458, which both Kevin and The STAR’s own Andy Leuterio had tested separately on both road and track, was voted as super car of the year, while the LFA bagged the highly coveted C! drive of the year; both are equally prestigious achievements of course, but anyone worth their heel and toe knew that these two heavy weights were slugging it out on parallel highways.

Not to say that I’m accusing anyone of anything; to the contrary, we all want the final chapter written as much as anyone – Ferrari and Lexus included – but with production schedules somewhere around what it takes to build an Airbus 380, and waiting lists longer than the amount of women in Tiger Wood’s little black book, if we couldn’t get them simultaneously on the same patch of road, we would be forced to pull out the next best measuring stick: the one who danced with both.

Dim lights, up music, activate overhead spot, cue Deakin.

Pardon the theatrics, but this was exactly how I walked into Maranello last July, exactly one year since that fateful day in Goodwood – minus the Rocky music and special effects of course, which were all happening in my head.

Laugh if you will, but there’s a lot of pressure driving what is widely credited as being the most desired new car on earth today. And to crank it up a few notches, I needed to pull it off the pedestal and throw it up on to the witness stand for a ruthless cross-examination – all while trying hopelessly to not be a gushing fan.

If you can imagine a judge being forced to try a case between two of his children, you’ll come close to how I was feeling that day.

Thankfully, on looks alone I can give the first point to Pininfarina. The 458 is one of the most emotional modern cars you will ever see, and seeing it up close can be quite an arresting experience. Each line is passionately cut to bring out the soul of the car. There’s not an angle that it doesn’t look beautiful from, and there wasn’t a head that didn’t turn to acknowledge the fact as we passed by. This is not to say that the LFA is cosmetically challenged, but for some reason, it is not the kind of car that you would be willing to do something illegal for.

This was the easy part. I’ll be honest when I say that there were several slam dunks I already had awarded in my head (looks being one of them) but the interior of the 458 threw a massive hand up and blocked what I thought would be a sure point for Lexus. This is not just an exquisitely crafted masterpiece that happens to be one of the most involving cockpits in any car I’ve been in, but one of the most impressive examples of personal spaces out there – and I’m not just limiting it to cars, either. It’s enough to make Versace himself feel inadequate. Which is just as well, because the LFA is another template for super car interiors. So to be fair, I’d score them almost even with a slight lean towards Ferrari.

Another given is sound. That of course goes to the Italian Philharmonic Orchestra, surely. But no. I’m sorry, I’ll be willing to stand up in an Italian court for this one. The LFA has the most incredible playlist in anything bar the Formula One car I tested in France and I have the crappy audio file from the point and shoot camera I used to record my laps to prove it.

With respect, Ferrari, Lexus has over achieved here. And believe me when I say there’s no shame coming in a close second. It is that good. And please don’t change; because there will always be those who like the Rolling Stones and those who like the Eagles – whether or not we all agree is irrelevant, because the ones that count are genuinely happy we have both.

Of course the handling will be a little subjective, but honestly, incredible as the 458 is, the LFA just seemed a little more focused, balanced and forgiving. I’ve never jumped into something this powerful (and expensive) that I was able to drive ten tenths on the first lap. Then again, there wasn’t much left in the bag with the 458 when I squeezed it on those coastal roads, so perhaps I should hold judgment until I get both on the same track, because it is almost impossible to fault either car, but if I was forced to choose, I would pick the LFA.

Power is academic, and the 458 does have the better figures. More importantly, you feel it too. It is not just more urgent in every situation but the gearbox is vastly superior, too. There’s also more to play with on the steering wheel, customizing your driving experience with a flawless traction control and engine mapping set up that is second to none. So as far as electronics go, the 458 seems untouchable, and rightfully takes the point away from Lexus – or anything else we’ve tested – including the newly released Aventador.

Ownership experience opens another argument entirely, so let’s save that for another article; because let’s face it, the asking price of the Lexus versus the 458 invites a whole new set of questions altogether, and I have neither the print space nor the personal security to tackle them right now.

But if I had to sum it up without fear of bodily harm, well, put it this way, purchase price aside, if I was to pick a weapon in a straight fight, I would still go for the LFA if I didn’t know what was around the corner.