In its latest commercial, Ferrari showcases the other side of everyday situations that can be experienced in its GTC4Lusso T.
It starts off with a man leaving a corporate meeting. He hops into a dark blue GTC4Lusso T, zooms through the parking garage at the bottom of his company’s building, hits the surface streets, and picks up three of his coworkers – then rockets away. (We’re assuming happy hour was about to end.)
Next, a white version of the two-door blasts down coastal roads before stopping on a beach. A slender woman in heels opens the rear hatch and pulls out a surfboard. She’s then shown in a wetsuit heading toward the distant waves.
Another white Lusso follows that, this time with a man behind the button- and switch-covered wheel. He pulls up to a school to pick up his two daughters, who climb into the rear seats.
The commercial ends with a couple overlooking a coastline at sunset. The man whispers something into the ear of the woman. They proceed to load into a Lusso and tear up a race course as the sky darkens.
It’s an effective spot which shows a Ferrari being used in ways you might not typically picture a prancing horse being used, such as as a surfboard transporter or child chariot. It displays the other sides of the Lusso, which is another side of Ferrari – in more ways than one. Ferrari is primarily known for making two-seater sports and GT cars, but it has a history of making beautiful cars with space for four. The Lusso is the latest in a line of Ferrari 2+2s that includes the short-lived Ferrari 365 GTC/4, gorgeous 456, and large and long 612 Scaglietti.
Drilling things down further, the GTC4Lusso T is another side of Ferrari’s current four-seater. The newest Lusso started with the 12-cylinder, all-wheel-drive GTC4Lusso. The GTC4Lusso T keeps the same shooting-brake-style bodywork, but swaps out the V12 for Ferrari’s twin-turbo 3.9-liter V8 and connects that to rear-wheel drive. According to Ferrari, the GTC4Lusso T is its first V8-powered four-seater.
If only Lamborghini would decide to show a different side of itself and make a new version of the Espada…
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
