400 miles in a Purosangue: is this four-door, four-seat V12 a ‘real’ Ferrari?

Uh oh. A middle-aged man in an old Corvette is not happy.

We’re in the middle of Le Mans ahead of this year’s 24hr race, standstill in traffic that has choked the narrow streets leading towards the circuit. While the anticipation for the centenary edition has given the French air a sense of foreboding, a failed attempt to turn the air-con off has given the Purosangue’s cabin air a sense of brain freeze.

A perfect moment for this quite Unhappy Man to strike, pulling up alongside the shiny new maroon V12 four-seater to deliver his incredibly important missive.

“THAT’S NOT A REAL FERRARI,” he bellows out while jabbing out his finger, causing a ripple of interest from passers-by and sending us into a catacomb of existential despair. Not least because the air con is so cold, we can see our own breath.

Is he right? Is this a real Ferrari, or have we accidentally stumbled into a modern-day version of one of those old Toyota MR2s made up to look like an F355? Having released his proclamation, the Unhappy Man inches past and his query hangs in the now sub-zero cabin.

Well, technically yes, this is a real Ferrari. There’s a Ferrari badge on the nose with the prancing horse facing the correct way. One on the grille too. More on the sides. There’s a ‘Ferrari’ badge on the boot. And it was made by people who are employed by Ferrari in Maranello, Italy, which is where Ferrari is based.

So we move from the literal to the philosophical, and it’s here where the waters get muddied. Unhappy Man clearly hasn’t read anything since the late, former FCA boss Sergio Marchionne declared back in 2016 that for a Ferrari SUV to exist, ‘you have to shoot me first’. Such was the strength of feeling that the world’s most famous supercar maker would never debase itself and build a… practical car. Ferrari owners have private jets and drivers for that sort of thing.

But as ever, the passage of time eased the Purosangue’s conception. Just two years later in 2018, Marchionne was talking positively about what form this new Ferrari ‘utility vehicle’ could look like. Later in 2018 and following Marchionne’s passing, his successor confirmed as much – but refused to call it an SUV. Between then and now we’ve had spy shots, teasers, more affirmations about it being a ‘real’ Ferrari, and finally the finished thing.

And it is quite a Thing. Ferrari design supremo Flavio Manzoni has spent years slowly implementing and imposing a specific familial language across this new generation of Ferrari road cars, and on the Purosangue has managed to make something that weighs over two tonnes look… puro. There’s a clean, sharp and athletic presence about the Purosangue; no bloated edges or confused lines, instead a taut package wrapped tightly around much V12 fury.

Ah yes, V12. Early rumours were that the Purosangue would sport some form of hybrid powertrain, but for this to be a ‘real’ Ferrari of course, it needs a proper Ferrari engine, and they don’t get more proper than the 6.5-litre V12 installed in its nose.

The naturally-aspirated unit punches out a whopping 715bhp and 528lb ft of torque – redlining at 8,250rpm – sent to an eight-speed dual clutcher to all four wheels (but mostly the rear) to record a 0-62mph time of 3.3s. It’ll top out beyond 192mph. That’s ‘real’ Ferrari pace right there.

And while we know how the Purosangue performs – unlike any other SUV on the market, with grace, precision, athleticism and downright speed – it’s actually a surprisingly comfortable and benevolent companion over the course of hundreds of boring motorway miles.

Sure, it’s no S-Class, because it’s a ‘real’ Ferrari and therefore is firmly sprung, but it moves with most roads rather than against them, rarely getting unstuck on all but the coarsest of surfaces. The steering too, is pitched perfectly for a car of this size and mass; unlike the almost hyperactive racks you get on Ferrari’s supercars, this one’s a little more muted – no less precise, mind – meaning you can place it with ease.

It'll do the practicality thing just fine, too. The rear two seats are comfortable and offer up a load of space in a car this tightly designed and packaged – more than you’d realise by staring at its silhouette. There’s a grand viewpoint from the driver’s perch, and while we jest about the controls and their initial confusion, it’s not rocket science to deduce.

There is a rocket up front, mind, which combined with the Purosangue’s really fancy suspension and exceptional body control, make this about as real a Ferrari as they come. So to respond to your proclamation, Mr Unhappy Man in your knackered old C5 ‘Vette, yes, this very much is a real Ferrari.