When your client, Creative Bespoke gives you the keys to their Ferrari 488 GTB and F12 Berlinetta, you know it’s going to be an exciting week. Previously, we took their Mansory 488 GTB and SVR F12 out to the Goldrush Rally 2018 meet up at the Scottsdale Princess Fairmont. We had focused on the 488 for half the week, but when it was time to focus on the F12 I wanted more of a classy and calm setting. The Mansory 488 is naturally very loud with its insane dry carbon accent and IPE F1 sounding exhaust, this happens to be the second SVR F12 that I have driven and photographed, but there was something about this particular F12 that made me fall in love with it.

Walking up to this Grand Touring beast you begin to notice all the subtle differences the Super Veloce (SVR) body kit starts to offer from a front three-quarter view. The SVR kit has replaced all the significant aspects of the vehicle such as the front bumper, fender trim, side skirts, rear bumper, and wing. Plus, over 80-percent of the kit is all carbon fiber.

In the two years I have been driving Ferrari’s this is by far my favorite body kit. The best way to describe it is that its “subtly aggressive.” The front bumper features a more aggressive grill inlet with dual carbon brake ducts and covers. Two very sharp cuts have been added to the side of the bumper for an even more dynamic effect. Complementing the bumper is a carbon fiber front splitter that has been combined with a double front step and side canards inspired from GT3 aero.

Moving along the side, this F12 sits pretty on Vossen Hybrid Forged wheels sized 21-inches in front and 22-inches in the rear, wrapped in Pirelli P Zero rubber. The wheels accent the kit and overall look very well. Personally, I would have gone with a more “race-inspired” wheel to match the look of the look of the SVR kit.

Additionally, Novitec lowering springs have been installed on the OEM Ferrari struts to lower it for a much more aggressive stance.

The edgiest thing on this stallion has to be the carbon fiber replacement fender trim. The F12 has a very exotic hood and fender line that sweeps from the rear of the hood and down in the back of the front fender that follows all the way up to the door handle.

As a result of the massive swoop, it leaves a gaping hole between the hood and fender. This hole has been covered by SVR’s custom carbon fiber trim, and I believe it takes the body kit to that “next-level.”

Moving your eyes lower you’ll notice the entire side skirt has been replaced by SVR’s carbon fiber creation. Their skirt features a reserve-style canard. I began to first notice this style when I was flown to the Lamborghini Super Trofeo races in Austin, Texas. This feature is awesome to see on a street car that has the power to back it up.

Speaking of power, this F12 is powered by a 6.3-liter front-mounted V12. The engine sits so far back in the chassis that the car sits balanced with 46-percent of the weight up front, and 54-percent in the rear. The naturally aspirated engine has been upgraded to make 731 hp at 8,250 rpm and 508 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 revs. Power goes through a lightning-quick seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle matted to Ferrari’s E-Diff.

Before we press the “engine start” button, let’s  talk about the beautiful dual color peanut butter interior. If you have ever opened a Ferrari, the first thing that will take you back is the insanely strong smell of real Italian leather. As you observe this model, the red stitching flows everywhere from the dashboard to the steering wheel, center console and seats.

This model is equipped with optional “Daytona” seats, a Ferrari signature. A few more options such as the carbon fiber steering with equipped with the F1 shift lights let know this car is not playing games.

Naturally, we know Ferrari’s mostly all powered by high-revving, smaller displacement engines. It comes as no surprise that this F12 is nearly gutless below 4500 RPM. The V12 truly makes you “work” for the power. Once you’re in the power band passing 5,000 rpm, you will start gripping that Italian wrapped steering wheel as the g-forces start to kick in and the car begins to put you back in the seat.

As the ITB’s fly open, the naturally aspirated V12 will devour every molecule of air in its way. Screaming all the way to 8,500 RPM as your eyes begin to glaze over the F1 inspired steer wheel lights. Pull the right paddle and receive a massive backfire from the quad tipped exhaust as you prepare for the next brutal set of noises. The feeling and sounds are mind numbering. The idea of you working for the power becomes addictive as goosebumps begin to fill your body as you release the pedal.

The F12 immediately imparts a feeling of lightweight, quick response and remarkably precise steering. The steering is so precise that I had to forget what i had previously thought steering felt like. In a normal “car” you turn the wheel and then wait for all the parts to come together to turn the car. In the F12 waiting is eliminated and the car just turns, right there. Inputs have to be done right. You assume there’s going to be some delay or some floppiness somewhere, but then there isn’t. Anyone used to any other car will notice that. It forces you to be a better driver.

As we begin to make our last steps around this GT car, we come to the rear filled with SVR carbon goodies. Starting from the top down, the carbon fiber mini duckbill spoiler is such a classy addition. Not too loud but noticeable.

Lastly, the rear bumper has been completely replaced with SVR’s envision of a more race style rear end. A large cut, similar to the front, has been added to the rear arch accompany by 3 smaller gills. The exhaust section has been completely restyled with carbon exhaust accents and 4 very large carbon diffuser planes.

Photography + Video 

What many people do not know is that the locations that we use are not because we want to, but it’s just want we are stuck with at this point. I have lost count of the location’s that we have been kicked out due to “others” ruining it for us.

These “others” are revving their engines, leaving trash, or doing burnouts and donuts. When in “work” mode, I do not tolerate any of this under my supervision as we are dealing with very exotic one-off vehicles. That has left us with many “grey area” locations that we are welcomed too, but recently we have been having issues with the property as they are being marked up my troublemakers.

Second, our mileage is limited. What I do might seem like all fun and games but when I  get kicked out of a location, it introduces tremendous stress. I have pre-planned routes to reduce the mileage of these vehicles but sometimes things are out of our control.

Before anything, we make sure to wipe the cars down with Adam’s waterless wash. Why? Never ever wipe down a dry car, you will just introduce scratches immediately and cost hours of buffering. Every vehicle from Creative Bespoke is coated in Ceramic Pro by Hyer Quality Detail. With the added protection of Ceramic Pro, these exotics are effortless to clean up.

We split our shoots into two  days, with a day dedicated to photos and the second day dedicated to video. Sometimes the shoot can spill into three days if the car is special to the client.

The first shots are always the “fundamental for sale” shots. Every car that we shoot for them is always for sale and knowing that, we need to capture every basic shot of the vehicle. That means every single angle.

I start by viewing where my light source is coming from (the sun). From there, I’m able to position the car, I like to start with the ¾ front angle covering the front overview of the car, then moving to the wheels, fenders, hood and badges. I get closer and closer with each shot.

 

We move the far to face directly at us allowing us to photography the front clip of the vehicle in full detail.

Don’t restrict yourself and get creative afterwards. With this shot you’re going to have to use external light as your natural light will only be to one side.

The car is positioned “profile” style, photographing the full side view and wheel details.

From there, we move the car to to a rear ¾, again balancing natural light with artificial light on the “wow” shots.

 

To wrap up the for sale set, we position the rear of the car directly at us. This gives us a chance to show the shape of the rear and show off its accents.

We now head to our headquarters located in Tempe Arizona. The client loves to see the top view of the cars. We achieve this by standing at the top of a parking garage and shooting downwards.

Repeat the entire process for video but now we’re adding movements. I choose to shoot everything in 4K 8bit VFR. The 8-bit allows me not to eat memory like crazy, still has plenty of detail and VFR gives me so much real estate to work with in my video. Shots are extremely smooth from the use of slow motion VFR, lens stabilization, in camera stabilization and the use of the DJI Ronin MX with carbon fiber cage.

I usually cover the car around 35mm to 50mm. For those creative magazine shots, I zoom all the way to 70mm and stand back. Remember with Ronin’s and other stabilizers, the more MM (zoom) you add, the more you increase your chances of camera shake. Try and be as smooth as possible and plan your steps.

For our rolling shots, we use a minivan (Pacifica or Caravans are best as they have a compartment in the back that you can sit in) to get the gimbal as low as possible. It adds LOTS of drama and gives you that car commercial look. Try and move the gimbal “against” the cars motions. Going with the motion of the car will perceive a graceful shot but going against the grain of movements will add drama. Switching lanes and having the car speed up or down also adds just that much more to your shot. Make sure to use a set of walkie talkies between yourself, the driver and chase cam driver. I do not recommend doing this in a public setting and should be performed on a race track or closed street.

Wrapping up our week with some of the baddest Ferrari’s in the USA was quite the experience. We turned heads on every corner and learned that these things literally only get 6 to 9 miles a gallon. I always tell myself and friends that the things we do are a “once and a lifetime” thing. That has proven to be a lie as this has become our lifestyle. Massive thanks to Creative Bespoke for their compassed trust into myself and company. Stay tuned as there are over 5 more exotic vehicles in the works from them!

What’s in my bag?

Photography:

• Nikon D4s
• Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR (How to achieve that “magazine” style shot)
• Sigma 50mm F1.4 (General use)
• Panasonic GH5
• Panasonic 12-35 (Interior Shots)
• Tiffen CPL 77mm Filter (THIS IS A MUST)

Lighting:

• Flashpoint XPLOR 600PRO TTL
• Glow ParaPop 38″ Portable Softbox
• Westcott 1×3 Rapid Box Switch
  

Video

• DJI Ronin MX (This is a MUST)
• DJI Inspire 2 (Extremely expensive but worth it)
• Panasonic GH5 (6K and 4K slow mo options, best video camera for the money)
• Panasonic 12-35 (Didn’t need a speed adaptor, goes very wide and decently tight)
• CPL Filter 58mm (THIS IS A MUST)
• Variable ND Filter 2-8 stops