Andretti's barely taken his finger off the Aston Martin's starter button, and he's already commenting on the intoxicating sound of its sport-exhaust-equipped 6.0L V-12. "For me, the sound of this car gets a 10." Later, he says, "This car is more conventional, not tuned to be an aggressive sports car, but it's still very neutral, very nice." Softish, front anti-roll bars allow for quick turn in at the expense of some body roll. The Aston doesn't leap off the line, owing to its automatic transmission's tall gearing and relatively heavy overall weight. "The mid-range torque is impressive," says Mario, "but the transmission's lazy shifts let it down a bit. I also prefer some sort of paddle shifter on the back of the steering wheel, as opposed to this car's recessed buttons on the front. You have to fumble around too much to find them."
The farther we get up SR 121, away from Napa itself, the more Andretti begins to hustle the Vantage. "It's subtle, but once you get the feel for it, you can really get it going." The huge brakes, with their large calipers and drilled/vented rotors, certainly do the job, but require a lot of pedal effort. Going back to the exhaust note of its smooth V-12, Mario says he'd "consider the Aston Martin for the sound alone.
"Originally, I didn't like the concept of Ferrari's F1 gearbox," notes the man who's won numerous races in both Ferrari Formula One and sports cars, "but the more I drive them, the more I'm convinced it's the only way to go. Lower speed shifts still seem slow to me, but they're really good when you're on it." No wonder: Ferrari claims this generation of the F1 system can shift gears in 150 milliseconds. In his racing days, Mario could do it in 20. Andretti offers no complaints about the engine: "Isn't that amazing? 8500 rpm in a street car, so easy to drive, and again what a sound.
"Handling-wise," Andretti continues, "the Ferrari is always in the box. It never really reaches a terminal understeer or oversteer condition." Most of the sports cars he raced were mid-engine, so it's understandable he'd be immediately comfortable in the Spider. He also praises the steering's precision feel and feedbackand obviously enjoys working the brakes. "It's just so right there. It invites you to drive it faster and faster and faster." Indeed: Mario not so accidentally misses our predetermined turnaround location, asking to hit "just one more corner." Okay, if you insist.
At full throttle, the SL55 AMG sounds like the devil gargling methanol. It doesn't whoop like the Aston or wail like the Ferrari. Peg the pedal, and the Mercedes emits a polished, gutteral growl. Andretti's particularly interested in the SL's supercharged V-8 and isn't disappointed. "As you can see, I'm smiling. The Mercedes is an awesome piece of tech. I like the automatic's paddle shifters, to be able to monitor the revs. The acceleration is what you'd expect of 460-plus horses."
Mario's quick to recognize the Mercedes place as a high-speed GT. "It's not nimble like a small sports car; you do feel the weight and mass. But it's so surefooted and stable. Great steering feel, brakes as good as I've felt." He's also impressed by the lack of body roll, a sign that the Active Body Control does its job without making the handling feel artificial.
Unfortunately, the roads we're on are a little too tight to make the most of the SL55's long legs, as the trans or supercharger is occasionally caught out of step in quick transitions. On longer stretches, its high-speed stability may be the best we've ever experienced. "You need Spa or Monza for this car." He would know. The SL styling and interior also proves to be Andretti's pick of the litter. "Front, side, rearit's modern and classic, with great subtleties in the design and detail. You can tell everything was really worked on."
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