No need to be excused ;-)
Flat plane crank, different firing order, and an exhaust system that maximises the "Ferrari sound" all contribute to it.
I was in the UK today, and went to see a guy about a car, and may have found a different/better home for my V12 than a GT40 chassis. See the first pic below. He's modeled this prototype car after the Honda F1 car of the mid-60's, but figures with different nose cones & paint, he can make one look like a Lotus 49, an AAR Eagle, a Matra or even a Ferrari. Hmmmm.
And yes, that's a live chicken in the 2nd pic showing the chassis. When we went in the workshop, it was roosting in the cockpit of the prototype car........ If I look a bit uncomfortable sitting in it, it's because I wasn't sure what else was in there with me. Sorta gives a whole new meaning to the word cockpit.
BTW, those exhaust pipes on the prototype car are sand filled and bent, one piece primaries. That's a lost art these days, and I doubt that anyone in the USA is capable of doing it. The UK has always been, and still is the epicenter of motorsport engineering and fabrication.
We also visited the Donington Park circuit, which will be hosting the British GP from 2010 onward, and took a tour through the Donington Grand Prix car museum, which boasts the "largest collection of Grand Prix cars in the world"
Got to see some gorgeous cars and engines; the highlight of the cars had to be the AAR Eagle (not the '67 Belgian Grand Prix winner, unfortunately, which is still in a private collection), and the highlight of the engines was of course the BRM H16 motor. One in the car, and the spare alongside.
I know everyone here is a closet GP freak, so enjoy the photos: