It’s a shame that the high-dollar exotics don’t make enough of an appearance in the Best Motoring video series. Sure, there’s a smattering of Porsches, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and the like, but the focus tends to be on Japanese cars, and the European supercars are often portrayed  as benchmarks, rather than objects to be hooned. The avid drift fan needs to see expensive machinery properly thrashed, investigated, and dissected from a racing driver’s perspective.

Throw the keys to Keiichi Tsuchiya, and don’t expect the rear tires to come back without the cords showing. However, there’s more to the Drift King’s approach than mere hooliganism. Sorting through the different settings on the Manettino switch mounted on the 599’s steering wheel, Tsuchiya toys with the Sport and Race settings, which each allow for slightly larger angles before the systems intervene to impede the slide.

Though the 599 lacked the heralded E-Diff, it manages to slide progressively and predictably.

It’s only a matter of time before Tsuchiya opts to switch the entire setup off entirely, switching “CST off,” to unleash the full potential of the front-engined Ferrari. With a 6.0-liter V12 making 612 horsepower, a momentary prod of the go-fast pedal is enough to initiate a long, graceful slide.

Yet, the balance of the car, which has something to do with the transaxle aiding traction, allows DK to engage in some lurid slides without looking stressed. The progression is slow and deliberate, and therefore, controllable.

The body roll is noticeable (and expected) as this is a GT designed primarily for long-distance cruising. However, once the full force of that sonorous V12 is unleashed, the big coupe behaves with more precision than one would typically associate with a front-engined car. However, it is a Ferrari, after all, but it’s is somewhat eye-opening to see how well it embraces a bit of oversteer. Let’s hope there’s more where that came from.