Indian roads are impractical to supercars and most of the time you buy one to spend time looking at it or taking it to parties. Says who? Roads are surely getting better and supercars are also embracing the everyday aspect of life by being easier to drive but also being their true self.

Ferrari 296

Driving a Prancing Horse is always an occasion to savour and a red 296 GTS is enough to wipe away the visual gloom of a rainy day. Some drops of rain threaten to destroy of time with the red Italian beauty but this is not a temperamental supercar. The Ferrari 296 GTS is a car which you can enjoy every day and when you drop a gear, it rockets forward with the speed of a typical supercar. I get in the cabin and it is easy to sit along with being comfortable. You do not need to contort yourself and neither does it have the visibility of peering through a letter box.

There are no ridiculous doors here either but the cabin design is intimidating while everything is cantered with the driver. Amongst all of this, what shocks you is how the 296 GTS starts. It is silent as you comfortably go across the city without disturbing anyone. The new age hybrid supercar brings that aspect which makes them more acceptable in today’s world.

The 296 GTS is also easy to drive with no jerks from the gearbox and visibility being perfect. Yes, you are seated low but the size is not huge and you are not scared with too much power spilling over. With the 296 GTS, you gain confidence and the I did not find any issue with the speed breakers with not even needing to use the lift function.

Traffic thins and I get a chance to wake the V6 up with the glorious exhaust for company. The 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 sounds edgy, raw, and brutal when pushed hard along with the roof down. The 296 GTS is a bit of a dual personality with being a proper angry supercar at one hand and a comfortable fixed roof GT on the other. The fixed metal roof makes the 296 GTS a proper coupe and it only takes 14 seconds to switch it. Handling is taut and it feels agile with a sense of lightness about its distinct mannerisms.

Overall, the 296 GTS remains the best convertible supercar out there since it delivers a lot but does not ask you much in return. You can enjoy its power, looks and performance but also drive it without being too scared of its power or its lack of ground clearance. An all-rounder of a supercar and a dawn of an electrified era for the Prancing Horse.

Aston Martin DB12

Suave, sophisticated, and yet having a hint of mischief. The Aston Martin DB12 is the new supercar from the British brand and signals a raft of changes. Wry drove the car on a Delhi winter morning and the beautiful shape is a sight for sore eyes. It is voluptuous, classically beautiful and blessed with curves at all the right places.

A replacement for the DB11, the DB12 is lither though and adds more muscle but underneath the changes alter the personality of this car. Aston Martin calls it a super tourer and in essence, it brings the madness of a supercar but with the practicality of a GT. It may be long, slender, and lovely to look at, the real deal though is the driving experience.

Yet, getting in and out is no issue and the new cabin combines the traditional Aston Martin craftsmanship with new found technocrat advancements. It gets a bespoke touchscreen system but thankfully there are plenty of physical controls as well. A simple prod of the lovely starter button wakes up the dignified yet throaty V8 in the DB12. It makes 680 bhp and sounds glorious in full chat with spine tingling noise as you downshift.

On our roads, the DB12 is also easy to drive and comfortable with none of the harshness which one associates sports cars with. I did not have any heart in the mouth moments with the DB12 since the ground clearance is not an issue at all. Infect I was surprised with its useability and luggage space is decent as well.

The driving experience shows the new side of Aston Martin with a sharper edge and it feels like it. It blurs the lines between a supercar and a GT with the relentless acceleration along with an exhaust note that no one can match. In today’s age where supercars are increasingly getting sanitised, the DB12 stands apart. While the V12 engine in the previous DB11 maybe gone, the DB12 is a much better supercar and changes the game in this rarified space.