Drive the extraordinary

Fifth booking, first review

I have used Apex for two years and never written one of these. Consistency over that long deserves the ten minutes.

Roof down for six straight days

Never once put it up. The neck warmer means evenings are comfortable and the wind deflector kills the buffeting at speed.

No engine, all presence

The silence changes how people react to it. They hear nothing, then a Rolls-Royce is simply there. The coach doors got applause outside a restaurant.

Concierge answered at 2am

Locked myself out at the marina at two in the morning. Someone answered on WhatsApp in four minutes and had a spare key to me in forty.

Delivered to the marina at 7am

Asked for an early handover so we could get down the Keys before traffic. The car was waiting, detailed, full, and the guy walked me through the drive modes without rushing.

Nine thousand rpm

Naturally aspirated, screaming, and completely legal. The car everybody who knows cars books, and the staff clearly know it too.

Five of us and the golf clubs

The only car that solved the whole trip. Still does 0–60 in three seconds with everyone's luggage in the back, which never stopped being funny.

I did not think anyone rented these

I have looked for a Revuelto to drive for two years. Waiting lists everywhere, and no rental company within a thousand miles has one. Apex had it, in violet, and handed me the keys like it was a normal Tuesday. The V12 at 9,000 rpm is worth every dollar of the daily rate.

Best-value Ferrari in Miami

The F8 is the sweet spot: fast enough to be a proper event, calm enough to sit in traffic on Collins. Delivery to the airport was free and the guy waited twenty minutes when our flight was late without a word about it.

The titanium exhaust alone

Booked it for one day just to hear it. Stayed three. The Senna seats are firm and I stopped noticing after an hour.

The matte one, exactly as pictured

Everyone in Miami has a G-Wagen. Almost nobody has this finish, and it is a factory Magno rather than a wrap, and you can tell at arm's length. Fits five and their luggage, which no other car on this list does.

Booked it for a month and barely gave it back

The long-term rate made a month genuinely reasonable. Apex handled a mid-rental service reminder by simply collecting it, doing it, and returning it the same afternoon. I did not have to organise a thing.

A V12 that takes the whole family

Four of us, four seats, and a naturally aspirated V12 the entire way. My wife did not want to get out. The rear doors opening backwards got more attention than the badge did.

Continental with room to work

Same engine, four proper doors, and rear seats my colleagues could sit in for an hour without complaining. That is a rarer combination than it sounds.

Verde Mantis in daylight

The green does not photograph properly. In person it is much better. Rear-wheel steering makes it feel far smaller than it is in a car park.

The Ferrari for people who do not want a scene

No wings, no vents, no drama in the parking lot, and still a Ferrari when you want it to be. Sat two friends in the back for a short hop, which I did not expect to be possible.

Hydraulic steering, remembered

Almost nothing new has this and you notice within a hundred metres. It talks to you in a way the electrically assisted cars simply do not.

The paint is unreal

Gloss black on a car this size, with no swirl marks anywhere. Whoever details these takes it seriously.

Wedding car, zero stress

Arranged the driver, the timing and a second run for the parents entirely over WhatsApp. On the day it simply happened.

Roof down, V10, sunset on the causeway

The coupé is quicker and I do not care. Seventeen seconds to open it and the noise with nothing over your head is the reason to come to Miami. The yellow is louder than the exhaust.