GTC4Lusso

There is only one way to grasp how big Sardinia really is: cross it. The GTC4Lusso was built for exactly that. You set off from Cagliari with luggage for four behind the tailgate, take the panoramic Costa del Sud road between Chia and Teulada, then climb back up towards Villasimius and Costa Rei, covering ground while nobody on board glances at a watch. The grand tourer itinerary from Cagliari to Villasimius reads as though it were written around this car.

Guests arriving in the capital by sea or air find the car ready and waiting: collection of a Ferrari in Cagliari can be arranged at the airport, the port or your hotel. From there the whole island opens up, from the Molentargius salt flats to the hairpins climbing into Barbagia — one car that never asks you to choose between performance and company.

The naturally aspirated 6.3-litre engine and its 690 hp deliver in a long, rounded arc: strong from low revs, building steadily with a full, old-school twelve-cylinder timbre to beyond 8,000 rpm. The seven-speed dual-clutch is equally at home at touring pace or attacking hairpins, and the 3.4-second 0–62 mph time arrives with a naturalness that is genuinely disarming, given the four real seats behind you.

The 4RM-S badge holds its ace: all-wheel drive paired with four-wheel steering. That means full traction even when a mid-season front soaks the main road, and the agility of a compact coupé through the tight hairpins of the interior. This is the Ferrari that never checks the weather forecast before setting out.

The shooting brake body is no styling affectation: behind the tailgate sits a load bay that, with the rear backrests folded, swallows the kit of a genuine journey, from golf bags to a week's worth of trolleys. The two rear seats are sculpted for adults, with real head and leg room — an absolute exception in the V12 world.

That is why the GTC4Lusso occupies a position all of its own among the grand tourers available to rent on the island: it is the choice for those who want Maranello's twelve cylinders without leaving children, friends or luggage on the kerb. A complete travelling companion, from breakfast at Marina Piccola to dinner in the Sulcis.