High-performance cars like the Ferrari 456 can be seen as predatory machines. They’re capable of convincing their drivers to do dangerous and illegal things, they burn gas with the same fervor that a rioter torches a flipped-over police cruiser, and they destroy the egos of owners of lesser automobiles who dare to take them on.
However, the laws of mathematics are mostly safe from the Italian 2+2.
Mostly.
Yes, the 456’s four seats are greater than two when it comes to sharing the fun of a prancing horse with other people. True, its six-speed manual offers two more gears to enjoy over its four-speed automatic alternative.
On the other hand, if you ask me, 456 is greater than 612 when it comes to exterior styling. The older car appears to have tighter, more visually graceful proportions.
Richard Hammond certainly loves the front-engine Ferrari four-seater in the following clip – for its 442-hp V12, 187-mph top speed, direct and responsive steering, and for a reason that can’t be explained…or quantified.
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.
