Back in 2003, I was a nine-year-old that had taken allegiance to the Xbox in the hot new console wars. At the time, I thought ‘Gran Turismo’ was for Playstation losers, folks content to revel in the PS2’s blocky graphics and awful controller. Nah son, we had a fat OG Xbox controller, complete with the black and white buttons. We didn’t need ‘Gran Turismo’ because we had ‘Forza,’ which looked, sounded, and handled way better. Plus, it had a car that ‘Gran Turismo’ didn’t: The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti.
- Car: Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
- Location: Unknown
- Photog: Unknown (images owned by Ferrari, used with permission)
- Camera: Unknown
Unlike my colleagues Chris and Peter, I seldom talk about expensive foreign cars like high-power supercars or Italian sports cars. To me, my Fiat 500 Abarth is all I need, and there ain’t no reason lusting over cars I can’t ever hope to afford.
Yet, 12-year-old me was taken in by the 612 Scaglietti I saw on my TV screen. It was long and practical, which was a departure from the two-seat Lamborghini Diablos and Ferrari Testarossas displayed on the posters at my elementary school’s Scholastic Book Fair. In ‘Forza,’ the 612 Scaglietti was my first experience with a Ferrari in a realistic driving sim. The car was fast but not overwhelmingly hard to control for a 12-year-old.
My 12-year-old mind went wild fantasizing about Ferrari gifting me a car when I turned 13. It had four seats, so my child brain thought, “Well, that just means that my parents can come along and supervise me so I don’t hit anyone,” as if the folks in Maranello would drop off a 612 Scaglietti to a random 12-year-old in Northeast Ohio.
Adult me sees the 612 Scaglietti for what it was, a four-seat, six-speed, 12-cylinder, early aughts beast. I no longer expect Ferrari to drop off a surprise supercar at my door, but it is on my bucket list of cars I’d like to drive one day. For now, I’ll have to stick to video game sims.
- Check out our new eighth-generation Honda Civic Si project car!
- Take a close look at the amazing aerodynamics of the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS.
- Spread these safety tips about driving on black ice.
- Gain a new appreciation for the C8 Corvette Z06’s mighty engine with this cutaway examination.
- See why our electric car tests in the midwest are meeting some challenges.
