Three years after convincing the ultra-wealthy that a four-door, high-riding utility vehicle is strictly a “thoroughbred GT” and definitely not an SUV, Maranello is back to extract even more cash from its eager clientele. Enter the Ferrari Purosangue HS, short for Handling Speciale, a sharper, stiffer iteration designed for buyers who felt their €450,000 grocery-getter lacked that crucial edge when carving canyon roads.
For an additional €21,000, bringing the grand total to a staggering €471,000, Ferrari offers a subtle suite of upgrades that will require a magnifying glass to spot in the local country club parking lot.
Visually, the HS sets itself apart with brighter, dedicated wheel finishes, fender-mounted Ferrari shields fashioned from exquisite carbon fiber, a satin-finish tailgate badge, and a matte black treatment on both the exhaust tips and the iconic Prancing Horse. Inside, the visual changes are limited to modest identification plaques nestled between the rear bucket seats and along the door sills.
Fortunately, the real magic of the Purosangue Handling Speciale happens beneath its sleek aluminum skin. While the front-mid mounted naturally aspirated V12 remains untouched, still churning out a monstrous 725 HP and 761 Nm of torque, Ferrari’s engineers went to work on the chassis dynamics.
The clever active suspension system receives completely revised calibration software that reduces body roll and pitch by 10 percent. Complementing the flatter cornering stance, the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission results retuned for snappier response times, delivering noticeably punchier shifts when toggling manual paddles north of 5,500 rpm. Engage Race mode on the steering wheel’s Manettino, and the electronic safety net relaxes to allow far greater mid-corner agility.
Naturally, the mechanical foundation remains as complex as ever: a transaxle layout paired with a front-mounted two-speed Power Transfer Unit (PTU) feeding all-wheel drive, paired with four-wheel steering.
Drivers can toggle through five drive modes, Ice, Wet, Comfort, Race, and ESC Off, while independently dialing the suspension between Soft, Medium, and Hard. If you have nearly half a million euros burning a hole in your pocket and don’t mind a one-year delivery queue, orders for Maranello’s least SUV-like SUV are officially open.
