His Lordship's Ferrari 275 GTB/C is better than coffee

If this doesn't wake you up, you're probably dead.
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We've talked a little recently about cars you get immediately and cars you don't and surprisingly, the V12 Ferrari is some of both. V12s have a cachet and appeal that any lover of engines will understand—they're complicated, powerful, expensive and they look good. And Ferraris have an enviable history of being dressed in bodies built by Pinin Farina and Scaglietti and people like that. So it's easy for a lot of people to like Ferraris casually, and obsessively for quite a few others.

But that can all be accomplished without ever really being up close and personal with an Enzo-era, carbureted V12 Ferrari. It's just like a Hemi car--it isn't until you hear it and feel what it does as it heads toward 8000 RPM that you understand why people put up with the heartbreak, expensive and inconvenience of actually owning a Ferrari.

I think the Lord Laidlaw 275 GTB/C Berlinetta Competizione is the most purely mechanical sounding of his cars, if you know what I mean. There's much more gear noise, and it's more of a mechanical symphony of engine, drivetrain and exhaust. I still like the Porsche 904 best, but this might be the one I most want to drive.

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