Test Drive Ferrari 512Tr 1992 - 1993 coupe
Machine with excessive personality
Many years ago, the years in the 50s, many firms cars for everyday ride have not been so much different from cars for sports. The owner of some extreme at the time of Ferrari 250 TR gladly went on it every day to work, and on the weekend he allowed himself to call for a real racing track. Before the race changed the spark plugs to the colder and having fun competed with other cars of the Gran Turismo class. Over time, the sport has become more professional, and the cars have changed to such an extent that on the road Ferrari class Gran Turismo no longer digest with specially prepared for the Ring Ferrari racing, although it also has a GT index. 
Ferrari 512 TR refers to a modern population of extreme cars. He and him are intended primarily to wear at speed, which is five more banal 60 km / h. But this is a purely road car and with all its advantages to sports unsuitable. If you compare 512 tr with cars of the GT class of other firms, then its main difference is that the engineers thought about the driver last. 
Ferrari Glory is extremely great. Ask anyone, even the most distant person from the technique, what does he know about the cars of this brand? And hear in response - all the magnificent model without exception, go quickly, made qualitatively. Someone will remember the Formula-1 cars and Schumacher. That is, the fact that the car is good, heard everything. But few traveled on it. Therefore, for many, there will be almost a revelation any critical remark to the car with the famous name, and some will be treated with such information skeptically. But maybe the latter will put on some thoughts of the words of Enzo Ferrari himself, who said that in his machines the main thing is the engine, and everything else is secondary. 
Anyone who buys Ferrari should be able to drive such cars, the power of the engines of which is close to tank, and speed - to the aircraft. But the average motor arrangement of the 512-th requires even more special management skills. If a person is unable to drive in a controlled drift at a speed of 250 km / h, it is better for this car. It is hardly necessary to describe the appearance of Ferrari 512 TR in detail - after all, there are photos. It is perhaps only to share common impressions from the appearance of this car. The appearance is unfriendly, even threatening. The song of Vysotsky is remembered about the fighter, who thought he himself and without a person inside would wonder perfectly.
Some kind of antigumen this Ferrari. The uncompromising, close, hard, with the roar of the door closed, sharp cotton of the trunk lid and sticking in unexpected places with non-accurate rivets. Get used to him and get used to it. In general, Ferrari 512 tr - machine with excessive personality. 
With the Ferrari plant in Maranello there is a Ferrari owner school. People who have paid a bunch of money for the car, for many more than $ 5,000 they will teach them to manage. We have not been in this school and do not know how classes are built there, but for the beginning there would be no lecture on the topic: how to learn to open the door of the car so as not to pinch anything, do not break your finger, and where exactly look for a door handle. Following the lecture, it would take a couple of hours to take a practical lesson. Hour on the search for the handle, an hour to open the door. Tip: Instead of a handle on the door there is only a button. You must click on it. And the door to herself pull, looking at the fingers into the air intake slot and clicking there on anything that clicks. It is necessary to dramatically, but neat. The door retainer has three intermediate positions. If the door, without holding, pull on yourself - hes down. So hold, hold. The topic for the second lecture was more appropriate to sound like this: if you still managed to open the door without damage, how to be inside? It's complicated. Ferrari has very broad thresholds. The distance from the board to the seat cushion almost half meter. People who mastered the jump on the trolleybus step, this task may seem to be not difficult, but the trolleybus step is much higher. Ferrari 512 TR - the machine is low, and the difficulty of exercise is not to raise the leg high. The difficulty is to place the legs wide.
In the cabin - strict luxury. Red and black. Red floor mats, red woven lining at the bottom of the doors, black leather seats, black appliances panel, black ceiling. Seats wonderful. Designed for a person from the 50th size of clothing and more. Instead of the third lecture, it would be nice to hold a practical activity on the topic: body position. Apparently, at the time when Ferrari 512 TR was designed, ergonomics in Italy was considered Lzhenauka. The inconvenience of landing is extremely difficult to describe. Sitting here is as comfortable as in the dental chair. Ok driving Ferrari 512 TR can feel the person with the spinal curvature, not higher than the average growth, and it is desirable that he has been missed by the plaster right eye. Why the plaster? We somehow saw a man with a stuck eye in front of the TV - he was sitting, having moved the left shoulder a little forward and turning a slightly head. Such a landing will be optimal and the only possible driving of Ferrari 512 tr, since the pedals are very much shifted to the right. The problem with them arose because of a strongly outstanding in the salon of the wastewater arch. A man above 180 cm in the salon of this car there is nothing to do. The head will strengthen the ceiling, legs in the steering column. To top it all inconvenience and the pedals themselves are located so close to each other, which is desirable to ride barefoot or in Czech. Otherwise, there is a risk on the whole move, at a speed of a 200 km / hour, simultaneously press gas and brake. Imagine the consequences? In addition, the progress of the pedals is different - the gas and clutch is quite large, and the brake pedal - a little more centimeter. By the way, there is no brake amplifier.
The steering wheel of Ferrari 512 tr turned out to be in place - accurately before the driver. And since this car is although the distant, but still a relative of the Zhiguli, three archaic steering wheel lever will not damn most of our compatriots. The right is responsible for the wipers, one left - behind the headlights and other lighting, the second is the turn sign. On the left, deep under the steering, is the ABS shutdown button. 
With the instruments from the car, too, everything is in order. Immediately before the driver on the shield on the left - a speedometer, digitized to 320 km / h, on the right - the tachometer, between them - pointers of the coolant temperature and oil pressure. All other devices are suspended under the torpedo. In three neat circles, the clock was fitted, fuel and oil temperature pointer. As such beard and especially the console is not here. Only near the gearbox lever in a certain similarity of the armrest there are several microclimate control buttons and a traditional ashtray with a cigarette lighter for any Italian car. And no music. There is no simply no magnetic, there is no place for its installation. Not provided. But there is a mustache, who may well claim the title of engineering masterpiece from Ferrari. He could devote the following lecture: how to open and how to close the glove box. The lid of the glover looks neatly, sheathes the skin and has no buttons. We have been looking for a long time to answer the question of how it opens. I was looking for stubbornly, gradually starting nervous. The answer was found. And he struck us. To open the glove box on Ferrari 512, it is necessary to grope in the dark under the common wire loop in the dark and pull it with force and despair, like a check of the last grenade. As a result, the glove box reluctantly opens, putting forward a large mirror forward. And why is it here? The glove box is tiny and completely busy with a portable lamp. It gives rise to another question: and she why?
The trunk lid in the front of the Ferrari 512 TR opens with a soft press on a special key. The trunk is a parade case on the car in a special bag and a luxurious sacrifice of genuine leather. In sacbing, the same rich set of tools (Motor 4 (12) in case of a sudden overhaul on the way. It is possible that on the courses of the Ferrari, as in former times in the DOSAAF driving schools, is studying the match in such detail that any graduate will easily take the bulkhead. 12-cylinder engine in a clean field. We go around the car to admire the engine. The hood is light and succumb to the first time. Gently goes up. And now he is in front of us - His Majesty Engine. 12-cylinder, with large inscriptions Ferrari Testarossa on intake manifolds, plastic pipes of air intakes and highly outstanding the body of the gearbox.
The engine is officially considered v-shaped, but has an angle of collapse of cylinders 180. It is not customary to be called opposite. Ferrari insists on this, but nevertheless does not explain. Located engine along the car. And the five-speed gearbox is across, as taken from Ferrari on Formula-1 cars, not least for better weighting. 
Ferrari 512 TR has a spatial tubular frame and mounted panels from aluminum and plastic. They are attached mainly by glue, but places and ordinary self-drawing. The suspension is made in the best sports traditions. Directly on the frame are fixed triangular levers. Each of them accounts for two shock absorber, for which they wear on the spring. And in front and rear - on a powerful stabilizer of transverse stability. The suspension is very tough, with small strokes. Ventilated brake discs of all wheels to everything else and drilled. It is difficult to say how the stereotype has formed that such powerful cars should be light. Ferrari 512 TR is very far from it. It weighs in a curbal state of 1590 kg. And we also liked the volume of the fuel tank in 100 liters, which speaks about the immodest appetite of the car.
A few years ago, it was possible to be in the company not very automotive people, among whom was one lucky one who had just bought Ferrari 512 tr, apparently the first in our country. The car was new, and the owner loudly reasoned about the problem of the coming that. - So what car did you buy, say? - asked some owner very fashionable at the time VAZ-2109.
"Five," the owner of Ferrari 512 tr almost joked.
- And what, you do not know how the candles change?
- How to change, I know. I do not know where to take so much.
- So much what? Money? Four candles?
- There is money. Here are just a candle of my five, not four, and twelve ...
In the plays in this place usually write: curtain.
Sergey Aslanyan, Alexander Piculento
A source: Magazine Motor [№5 / 1997]