| Author | Message | ||
| Robert Dawes (Bob_maranello)
New member Username: Bob_maranello Post Number: 2 Registered: 10-2003 |
I must admit that the 308/ and older, like the mondial 8 do are the ferrari that everyone knows but times are changing. I think that the new models look great especially the 550 and the 575m maranello's. I think that alot of you guys are stuck in the past. | ||
| Mark (Study)
Member Username: Study Post Number: 982 Registered: 10-2001 |
The pop-up headlamps make the 512TR such a better looking car than the 512M. I guess the 512M was first with exposed headlamps. It just took away from the art and lines of that car. | ||
| Ron Vallejo (Ron328)
Member Username: Ron328 Post Number: 289 Registered: 3-2003 |
I miss the pop-up headlamps which were "standard" in the 80's. I imagine the Modena and the Maranello (and maybe the Enzo) may look more awesome (at least to me) with these retractable lights. The best-looking Ferrari's to me are the Boxer, 308 series, 288 GTO, and Testarossa. | ||
| Byron Faber (Adrenln328)
Junior Member Username: Adrenln328 Post Number: 77 Registered: 9-2003 |
Glad to read the comments of John, Joseph, Frank & Mike. The things Joseph said are exactly what I was trying to say earlier, but you said it better. IMHO, the 3X8 says Ferrrai more clearly than the others. I'm not claiming it is more advanced technically, but to me its STYLE is more advanced. To each his own.... | ||
| Mike Procopio (Pupz308)
Member Username: Pupz308 Post Number: 574 Registered: 10-2002 |
John S., agreed. I, too, would like to see a greater emphasis on styling now that the bar for performance on cars is really getting higher--even for your typical 2003 Honda accord (as fast as a 308 0 to 60!). In time, we should again look strongly to styling for distinction, not just performance... ...and remember, a 308 can carry a set of golf clubs  . | ||
| Frank Wiedmann (Frankieferrari)
Member Username: Frankieferrari Post Number: 540 Registered: 8-2003 |
IMO.."Loooowwwww". "Wiiiiide". and, "Pointy". Also,IMO. The C-3 version of a Corvette('68-'82)is starting to look more "Exotic" than some of the new "Exotics". | ||
| Joseph (Mojo)
Member Username: Mojo Post Number: 365 Registered: 9-2002 |
To me the 308/288/328 just scream "Ferrari" Someone at work asked me if the car I showed him on the internet was a mitsubishi, it was a 360. then he thought the 550 looked like a camaro. When I showed him a 308 he knew it was a Ferrari. P.S. that black 308 pictured below looks great!! | ||
| John Sanders (Sandersja)
New member Username: Sandersja Post Number: 20 Registered: 1-2003 |
What gets me about newer designs is that they tend to be excessively butt-heavy. The stylists must cringe when they get overruled and some manager adds extra bulk to the rear. For the Corvette it was imposed to hold the requisite golf-bag. For the 360 it is to have the butt act like a wing. Especially for the new version. I am sure that extra downforce comes in handy for all the times you cruise at over 100 mph. While I am at it... the dual-nostril front of the 360 may be marginally better for under-car airflow but it looks a lot like a boat. I don't buy into the whole form-follows-function-over-anything-else arguement. I look for beauty and balance. Especially as average street car performance extends so far into stupid-and-illegal territory. I think the pendulum should swing back to elegant styling. When a brick of a Mercedes is powerful enough to post amazing performance numbers, having styling be a total slave to aerodynamics is unnecessary. | ||
| Dale W Spradling (Drtax)
Member Username: Drtax Post Number: 479 Registered: 4-2003 |
William, do I detect a little bit of bias here, ha! Dale | ||
| William H (Countachxx)
Advanced Member Username: Countachxx Post Number: 3380 Registered: 2-2001 |
the " new " designs arent so new. ferrari has gone retro in a big way, the 550-575 are very similair to the Daytona and the 360 looks a lot like the 250LM of the 60s. The Testarossa was a very original design, the 308 flowed from the P4 & the Boxer, | ||
| John B (John_b)
Junior Member Username: John_b Post Number: 77 Registered: 5-2003 |
Form follows function. The latter designs reflect current understanding of aerodynamic theory and efficiency. The manufacturers are always trying to improve on the Cd of their designs. It's funny you put this post up, I was just commenting that at first I didn't like the new designs. For example I preferred the 3x8 & 355 to the 360. Now I find the older designs to look "pointy" and dated and much prefer the newer designs. It must have been like this with fins on cars in the late 50's and early 60's. At first it was trendy, then it defined what a car should be like, later it just became an indicator of an era gone by. Sort of like a "Contemporary" house. Not very contemporary any more. | ||
| Sunny Garofalo (Jaguarxj6)
Intermediate Member Username: Jaguarxj6 Post Number: 1034 Registered: 2-2003 |
Wedge shaped. On a local drive today, it was funny to see the Maranello boys drooling over the Diablo VT and Diablo GT. | ||
| Byron Faber (Adrenln328)
Junior Member Username: Adrenln328 Post Number: 70 Registered: 9-2003 |
Gotta echo Jordan's comments. Yes, the newer cars are fantastic machines, but they are identifiable mostly to us (which may be all that matters to most of us). The older ones are just what the general public (not just the women audience) can identify as a Ferrari For performance & technology-- newer F cars For looks-- 80s & 90s | ||
| Jordan Witherspoon (Jordan747_400)
Intermediate Member Username: Jordan747_400 Post Number: 2250 Registered: 12-2002 |
I love the 360 and 550, but True Beauty was lost in Ferrari designs after the 355 in my opinion. <---stuck in the past | ||
| Dr. J C928 (Attitude928)
Junior Member Username: Attitude928 Post Number: 111 Registered: 11-2002 |
I'm into Gandini's cars - He's the "Father of the Wedge" - Lambos: Countach, Diablo, Miura, Espada, Urraco & Jarama; Maser: Khamsin; Lancia: Stratos; Bugatti: EB110; Cizeta: Moroder V-16; Iso: Lele; Alfa: Montreal; His automobiles represented Italian car styling at its most dramatic and aggressive. | ||
| Rikky Alessi (Ralessi)
Member Username: Ralessi Post Number: 416 Registered: 5-2002 |
I see now, well, I think it looks great, and would definitely buy it if I had money coming out of my ears. | ||
| Omar (Auraraptor)
Intermediate Member Username: Auraraptor Post Number: 1096 Registered: 9-2002 |
Ricky there is a thread on it..look for a new star is born. | ||
| Rikky Alessi (Ralessi)
Member Username: Ralessi Post Number: 415 Registered: 5-2002 |
What is this 612 of which you speak? I have never heard of/seen this car before? It really looks great though (although I love the F40 as well)- any more pics/info? | ||
| David R. (Rodsky)
Member Username: Rodsky Post Number: 262 Registered: 3-2003 |
Brian you make a good point. I think the 308 and the Testarossa are associated with Ferrari and the general public from TV. My wife saw a 360 the other night. She said "that's a beautiful car - what is it?". I am sure she would have recognized a 308 from Magnum. However, when I responded a Ferrari - she said - its beautiful, doesn't look like your over-the-top exotic. | ||
| David R. (Rodsky)
Member Username: Rodsky Post Number: 261 Registered: 3-2003 |
I personally think the 360 is beautiful. I really like the understated looks of the 550. My first purchase will come down to one of these 2. Tastes differ - person to person. I am not into in your face designs (a la a lot of the Lambos). If you are, then thats OK too. I think the Murci is a great design and more understated than say a Countach. I think Ferrari's are always more visually striking in person. Last night I was driving home from work behind a 550 Barchetta. It was gorgeous. On paper it doesn't quite work - in real life, it did. | ||
| Jim Morris (Mauibum)
New member Username: Mauibum Post Number: 4 Registered: 9-2003 |
Personally, I think that they are all beautiful. They each have a different flare but the all have that special Ferrari touch. I may be a little partial to the '80s, but as a teenager from '80s in it hard not to be. ;-) | ||
| Augustine J. Staino (Azzuro328)
Member Username: Azzuro328 Post Number: 585 Registered: 4-2003 |
Very good point. | ||
| Brian Kennedy (Kennedy)
Member Username: Kennedy Post Number: 504 Registered: 3-2002 |
Yes, the Magnum PI phenomenon. Most of the world, especially the woman-world, equates Ferrari with that car that Magnum drove. That has become the definition of Ferrari. In addition to saying the 360 and 550 don't look like Ferraris, those people would also assert that the 250GTO, adored as one of the most beautiful Ferraris, looks like an old Datsun 240Z, not a Ferrari. And then there's the other oft-considered most beautiful Ferraris like the P3/P4 or 250TR that would definitely not be considered by them Ferrari-like. Then, in the younger male crowd was the Miami Vice phenomenon. For them the definition of Ferrari is the Testarossa. If it doesn't have that side treatment, its not a Ferrari. But same comment... they consider the 60's Ferraris to not be real Ferraris and now think Ferrari is trying to be more like other carmakers. But if you look at the lines of the F50 and the 246GT, its clear that the 360's lines are traditional Ferrari lines... just not the lines that were popularized in two very popular TV shows. | ||
| Byron Faber (Adrenln328)
Junior Member Username: Adrenln328 Post Number: 67 Registered: 9-2003 |
Those of us in the Ferrari world love & appreciate the technology in the newer cars. However, the 308/328/GTO will never be confused with some other makers of the newer performance cars. WE know a 360 is a fantastic Ferrari, but the general public won't mistake our 328s for anything but a FERRARI. In my humble opinon, the 308/328/GTO body style is just much more distinctive & recognizable as a Ferrari. I could afford a newer model, but just plain love the body style of my 328 more than anything on the road. Now, if there were a way to get that body style with all the new technology.... | ||
| Kenny Herman (Kennyh)
Intermediate Member Username: Kennyh Post Number: 1379 Registered: 8-2001 |
Side note: That 550 is/was Michael Jordons (correct me if I'm wrong). | ||
| Augustine J. Staino (Azzuro328)
Member Username: Azzuro328 Post Number: 579 Registered: 4-2003 |
Look out! Here they come! | ||
| Gary Brauch (Gary_brauch)
New member Username: Gary_brauch Post Number: 24 Registered: 10-2003 |
I don't put much faith in what non-enthusiast women have to say about car designs (no offense intended, ladies). My wife, a non-enthusiast who has been forced for 30+ years to endure car talk, has been known to mistake an MGB for a Cobra, a Pontiac Fiero for a Ferrari (I'm not kidding), and a Honda Accord for a Lexus. Women just don't even see cars the way we do. For the record, and I've been a racing and sports car fan since the late '50's, I think the Enzo and the 360 are as effective a total automotive design as I've ever seen. Will always have a soft spot in my heart for the 275GTB, however. | ||
| Dave328GTB (Hardtop)
Member Username: Hardtop Post Number: 688 Registered: 1-2002 |
My wife and I were in a Fcar store recently looking over a 360. I asked her how she liked it. "Doesn't look like a Ferrari" she said. She is not a car nut but somehow has formed some idea of what she thinks a Fcar should look like. She has seen a large range of vintage Fcars from the 50's and 60's as well. I don't claim to understand her line of thinking, but the comment is interesting. Dave | ||
| Steve M (Steve308gtsi)
Junior Member Username: Steve308gtsi Post Number: 159 Registered: 5-2002 |
The older cars look much better to me. They didn't blend in then nor do they blend in now.That's what gives them the exotic look. | ||
| Michael C. James (Mjames)
Junior Member Username: Mjames Post Number: 147 Registered: 6-2003 |
I think Pininfarina has lost its way. The new crop of cars are not that good, save for the Enzo. The 550/575 line looks like a Toyota Supra Turbo rebody. The 456 looks like a Ford Probe on steroids (maybe that's why nobody wants one!!!) and the 360, well.....eh. In the '80s, a Ferrari looked like a FERRARI, not like anything else. The designs were so distinct, there was no confusion or comparison with anything else on the road. Don't get me wrong, the new models have the performance and refinement that make them terrific cars, but the styling? I can't see staring at a parked 550 all day long like I can a 308/328 or TR.... Since my garage is just four (well-decorated) walls and a floor, I'm not staring at anything at the moment but my shoes.... | ||
| matt green (Mattg)
Junior Member Username: Mattg Post Number: 61 Registered: 4-2003 |
I believe like fine wines there are good years, bad years and excellent years. Depending on budgets, personalities, and uncontrollable factors. Why did all the exotic makers have such a good 1995?? No one can deny the 95 f40 as a track monster. and the 355 is sweet. Event the diablo vt was "really nice" in 95, also lotus s4s, and maybe porsche too 993 turbo last of the air cooled? what happened that year? | ||
| Augustine J. Staino (Azzuro328)
Member Username: Azzuro328 Post Number: 577 Registered: 4-2003 |
I do like the F-cars of today but they don't excite me like the cars from the 80's. There is something about them. Maybe the complexity of their lines that made them so interesting to look at. | ||
| Mark (Study)
Member Username: Study Post Number: 963 Registered: 10-2001 |
When I posted this thread, I left the ENZO out because the front half is wedge, the middle is a bubble, and the back is both. LOL (Also my favorite-F50 is a bit of both) 612 vs F40 was not meant to be a comparison of car's performance but just shapes. The 360 vs 308 is most striking to me when I look at the photos side by side. I like both but feel all the newer cars are making an attempt to blend in with mainstream automotive design, in an attempt to be classy. I like the older boy racer, stick-out like an exotic look of the 80's I got this idea from looking at the thread on NSXprime were they are arguing over old wedge shaped NSX vs the new curves. I was suprised how many like the old shape. It came to me that some arguments break out because you get two different camps over this question. Funny, how the new car designs have enough retro appeal, that the guys who loved the 50 and 60's tune into the curves. I set this comparison up on purpose to avoid asking who likes pre-70's Ferrari's. But I do stand corrected... I should have titled 80's vs 00's | ||
| Bryan Phillips (Bryanp)
Junior Member Username: Bryanp Post Number: 199 Registered: 8-2002 |
personally stuck in the late 50s, 1960s something for everyone . . . | ||
| Robert Dawes (Bob_maranello)
New member Username: Bob_maranello Post Number: 1 Registered: 10-2003 |
I am a Ferrari fan on and off the F1 track but i think that the new 460 gt has lost a bit of the original ferrari shape. In saying that it doesn't mean that i don't like it,its just that the shape of Ferrari is evolving and we should accept it. Personally i love the current wedge shape in the 575m 550 and the 456, the sleek lines and the wedge are perfect. The Enzo is bloody quick but it isn't functional and doesn't follow the tradition. Still a very beautiful car though.  | ||
| Al Johnson (Bigal)
Junior Member Username: Bigal Post Number: 183 Registered: 3-2002 |
I'm a wedge/sharp guy. HATE all the rounded off/bubble designs. | ||
| Waldo Aikema (Forzarossa)
New member Username: Forzarossa Post Number: 49 Registered: 7-2003 |
I like them all...althouht I find the 308/328 more attractive then the 360... But I love the 550 Maranello and the 612 Scaglietti!!! But the Enzo on the otherhand is not exactly one of my favourites... So I have to say: I just love ALL Ferraris! ForzaFerrari!! www.forzaferrari.nl | ||
| Thomas I (Wax)
Member Username: Wax Post Number: 581 Registered: 7-2003 |
60's pre-Fiat | ||
| Andrew Menasce (Amenasce)
Intermediate Member Username: Amenasce Post Number: 1663 Registered: 10-2001 |
I like them all ! and all in a different way. | ||
| Todd Short (Action_item)
New member Username: Action_item Post Number: 13 Registered: 10-2003 |
The 288 GTO - that's the exclamation point on any discussion about awe and inspiration. | ||
| Brian Kennedy (Kennedy)
Member Username: Kennedy Post Number: 499 Registered: 3-2002 |
To answer my own question, I prefer the rounded designs of the 60's and the 00's. I prefer the F50 over the F40 and 288GTO, and the 360 and 246GT over the 3X8/355. I'm somewhat neutral on the Testarossa vs. 550/250/etc... I am a small/light car guy, so I actually prefer the 3X8's over both Testarossa and 550. And like the 2+2 designs least of all (artistically; practically, I like to own 2+2's). | ||
| Ernie (Ernie)
Member Username: Ernie Post Number: 842 Registered: 11-2001 |
The Enzo aside, the newer designs aren't agressive looking. They look too plain. I have seen a few different body kits for the 360 that vastley improve the look of the car. I feel The new designs are just to boring. They don't move me as much as the older one's. Basicly for an "exotic" car the new designs aren't very exotic at all. | ||
| Nibblesworth (Nebulaclass)
Member Username: Nebulaclass Post Number: 749 Registered: 11-2002 |
None of those are cars of the 90's...all are 80's, and the 308 is from the 70's. But to answer your questions, I'm an 80's guy. Nothing beats a TR, an F40, a 308/328, and NOTHIN' beats a 288 GTO. These are the cars I drooled over as a kid in the 80's. They will always be the ones that inspire me. | ||
| Brian Kennedy (Kennedy)
Member Username: Kennedy Post Number: 498 Registered: 3-2002 |
Well, I don't agree with your comparisons. The 612 vs the F40... please. The Enzo should be in that spot. You are insulting the F40! And with that change, the only one that is not at least as distinctive as its 80's counterpart is the 550/575. You might prefer the F40 to Enzo or 3X8 to 360, but many people will prefer the opposite, and you can't really argue that the Enzo and 360 designs are not distinctive and inspired. Further, I don't agree with the implication that this is showing a linear trend from "wedge shapes" to "bubble shapes"... rather, it is a cycle (rounded/smooth -> wedge/sharp -> rounded/smooth). Note that 360 did not really evolve out of the 3X8 designs as much as it evolved out of the 246 GT and F50 designs. Similarly, the 550 did not really evolve from the Testarossa designs as much as it evolved out of the 250 GTO and similar designs predominant in the 60's. The current road cars' lines are far more related to the Ferrari designs of the 60's and early 70's, than with the "wedge shape" designs that became dominant in 70's and 80's. Sooo, I'd rephrase the question: do you prefer the rounded/smooth designs of the 60's/70's and 90's/00's, or the wedge/sharp designs of the 70's/80's/90's? | ||
| Tyler (Bahiaau)
Intermediate Member Username: Bahiaau Post Number: 1103 Registered: 12-2001 |
"the 3 older F-cars are much more inspiring." Took the words right out of my mouth. | ||
| allan fiedler (Allanlambo)
Intermediate Member Username: Allanlambo Post Number: 1322 Registered: 6-2002 |
I think it would be more stuck in the 80's with that lineup. And the 3 older F-cars are much more inspiring. | ||
| Mark (Study)
Member Username: Study Post Number: 962 Registered: 10-2001 |
Are you still stuck in-love with the wedge shapes of the 90's Or do you like Ferrari's move into the new modern bubble-shape design of new/retro 2000's  |