THE arrival of the Ferrari 575M Maranello hails a new level of achievement for Ferrari's successful V12 front-engined sports berlinetta concept.

The 575 in its name is an abbreviation of 5,750cc.

All-round performance has been improved, particularly by the introduction of the legendary Ferrari F1 gearchange in a road-going Ferrari for the first time, making shifting gears faster than with a traditional gearbox.

Styling was entrusted to Ferrari's long-time creative partner Pininfarina.

Modifications made to the original design are subtle and have been made for technical rather than aesthetic reasons.

The 12-cylinder engine was designed to increase power and torque across the rev range for even sportier power delivery, quicker response times and greater driving pleasure.

A feature of the F1 gearchange is that the it can be done with foot flat to floor on the accelerator. There is no clutch pedal.

The cost for a manual version is £154,35 and the F1 version £160,845.