If you’re a fan of the Purosangue, but are of the opinion that Maranello’s first-ever four-door, four-seat V12 needs a little...more—Purosangue-er?—then we have welcome news. This is the Ferrari Purosangue Handling Speciale. No, it’s not that kind of speciale.
Instead, it’s an optional goodie bag of treats that enhance the specification of the admittedly excellent Purosangue, making it sharper, a bit louder, and more engaging. It’s not the first time Ferrari has rolled out an HS pack, of course, because it gave the old California a pair of compression leggings a long, long time ago.
The headline here is a calibration tweak on the not-an-SUV’s active suspension—a very complicated setup that bolts an e-motor onto each hydraulic damper—reducing body roll by 10 per cent versus a non-HS pack-equipped Purosangue.
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The tighter suspension results in a car that, says Ferrari, delivers “a distinctly more compact feel” and “reacts more directly to driver inputs.” Better for when you’re slinging it around a few bends, basically.
Then come quicker “and more decisive” gear changes, especially in ‘Race’ and ‘ESC-Off’ modes, though we suspect the Purosangue’s eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox knows exactly what it’s supposed to be doing.
Still, the revised code inside that ’box now means that when in manual mode, the shifts apparently become “more sporting at medium-to-high engine speeds above 5,500rpm.”
Speaking of engine speeds, the gearbox tweak is coupled with a new dedicated setting that delivers more “pronounced” in-car sound when you fire up the 6.5-liter naturally aspirated engine, and when you floor it. This is a V12, remember, that uses the cylinder heads from the 812 Competizione.
There’s but a handful of visual aids on offer to distinguish HS Purosangues vs non-HS cars: new wheels, new carbon-fiber side shields, matte-black exhaust tips, a black Prancing Horse emblem at the back, and a satin-finished Ferrari ‘script’ and interior plaque.
We anxiously await the Ferrari Purosangue-est.
More photos of the Ferrari Purosangue Handling Speciale:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
