If the Corvette is America’s sports car, then it’s arguable that the world’s sports car is the Ferrari. And like Chevrolet and its Performance Data Recorder for the Corvette, the boys from Maranello offer a system that allows drivers an "instant replay" option.
Dubbed Ferrari Telemetry, the system is essentially a vehicle data recorder that drivers can map across a raceway or drive route (just as they can with the Corvette system). Drivers can then pull up the recorded data to see information like vehicle and engine speed at various sections of the track.
Ferrari debuted the system last summer in the 731-horsepower F12berlinetta sports car and is bringing it to other models as well. (Corvette announced the Performance Data Recorder earlier this month and will make it available later this year.)
While most of us will be lucky if we ever catch a glimpse of -- yet alone drive -- a Ferrari, it never hurts to see how the rich live their lives. So we reached out to Ferrari to learn a little more about the Telemetry system. Here’s what we found out.
Leave it to Ferrari to ask customers of its six- or sometimes seven-figure sports cars to pay for add-ons. The Huffington Post inquired about the exact cost of Ferrari Telemetry, but the company would not give a specific figure. Since Chevrolet hasn't released a price for the Corvette's Performance Data Recorder, we can only speculate how much these features will lighten your wallet.
Ferrari will install one camera in the rearview mirror and a second “in the rear window bezel inside the cockpit,” allowing you to see your reaction to driving a Ferrari around a racetrack -- it’s essentially the automotive equivalent of placing a mirror over your bed. (Chevrolet offers only one camera for its Performance Data Recorder system.)
Ferrari will let you order Telemetry without track cameras, but why skimp? Sure, there's probably a charge for adding cameras, but why not treat yourself if you've got the cash? Note, however, that the company wouldn't elaborate on how much cameras will cost.
That’s a map of Fiorano, Ferrari’s famed stomping ground just outside Maranello, Italy. Ferrari told HuffPost that the “system uses high-precision GPS aerials positioned in the car to define the car’s exact precision on the track.” Race tracks are either previously uploaded to Ferrari Telemetry or can be registered to the system by the lucky individual who has the keys to a Ferrari.
Unfortunately for the Ferrari driver in this example of Ferrari Telemetry (above), he or she has some work to do. That 1-minute, 45.8-second lap time is far off the recorded 1-minute, 23-second mark Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was able to record in an F12berlinetta around Fiorano.
The company says Ferrari Telemetry can measure things like vehicle speed, braking points and steering angle. As with the Corvette’s Performance Data Recorder, owners can view this information from the car’s cockpit or by transferring it to their iPad or computer. While Ferrari Telemetry might be able to help a driver better himself or herself on the track, as shown in the picture above, it will not help a driver determine the correct date to put on the next check he or she writes.
The company says Ferrari Telemetry is available only for the nearly $300,000 458 Speciale, the over $300,000 F12berlinetta and the sold-out seven-figure LaFerrari hybrid supercar.
Ferrari released a video of the Telemetry system in action. Take a look (below) to watch Ferrari's F12berlinetta take on the track with the system's aid.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this post incorrectly stated that the Telemetry system was unveiled on Jan. 14. It has been available since the summer of 2013.