http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvrlI3xGRaE For those of you who don't speak Italian he basicly defined the car a ****, noisy and not fast. LOL
Poor 348. I believe it not deserve to be considered like a **** car ............. as asserted Montezemolo! Povera 348. Considerata una merda dal propio Montezemolo!!!
Yep... the fans and owners of the 348 are already outraged: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=257634 All the best, Andrew.
It came to me as something of a shock CEO of Ferrari denounce a Ferrari car. His articulation seemed very simplistic and almost childish. But no mistake about it, if you listen to him speak he sounds like a teenager. Read story below: Crazy Luca smashed a TV set after seeing Lewis Hamilton snatch the F1 title from Felipe Massa at Interlagos. I broke the television, I must tell the truth, Montezemolo admitted at a Ferrari event in Mugello. When a television breaks it makes a terrible bang. My daughter in the other room was given an awful fright. Luckily we had another television so I was able to watch the podium ceremony, which I enjoyed.
IMO, it's an accurate description. 348 drivers are only hurt because it's what they have, otherwise they could stand back and realize those things are true. I believe it's very good that the leader of the company can admit the flaws he found with the product line, and how that helped improve new products.
I'm not a 348 owner, and I think it's appalling that he's taken this position on the Ferrari 348. Here's my open letter to Luca di Montezemolo: I very much hope he reverses his public position on this matter. All the best, Andrew.
+1 Way to go Andrew! Maybe all of the 348 owners should fly to Italy and pay him a visit. If you know what I mean Cheers
Firstly, this is old news. He felt this way about the car when he took over the CO in the mid 90's. Secondly, IMO he is saing that "I looked at our product, I felt it did not live up to our capabilities of desgin, quality, performance, etc. And we used it as a point from which we strived for better... X, Y, Z." He could have used better words than worst, POS, crap etc , and he could stop bringing it up.... Either way it's part of the story of how he (they) really began to shift gears in every aspect of their company to get to the point where they are today and to where they have the capability to produce the quality they want. Thirdly, the 348 is by far not the worst car Ferrari ever made. There is a long list before that and my personal car is probably on it (308 2Vi). Does that increase my blood pressure or cause me to want to call LM an *****...no, I don't take myself or the car that seriously...and neither should the 348 guys.
Not so fast sir. Nobody in their right mind is afraid of the truth nor hiding from it, we are talking about a lack of respect. It is the manner in which he presented his thoughts on the 348. It was in a mockingly, bashing sort of way. A Chairman of any company typically acknowledges the flaws/defects in a more professional manner, and also would be smart enough to point out the good things about the car, as well as the improvements made to the car in later models. Rather than boast about a product, he bashes it. Do you honestly believe that is good for Ferrari or his reputation? Respect the products your company produces, regardless of what you think of it - ESPECIALLY if it was not your project. Has Luca bashed any of his own products? It seems to me that his ego is what's at question here, not the feelings of 348 owners. And I would hardly call him a leader - what kind of example is he setting for the people that work beneath him? Or does he even care?
I've owned two of them, and even now have a variation of one of them: the Mondial T. They aren't very fast in today's world, but back in their day, they weren't bad. Were they the fastest around, nope. But then again, neither is my 430, in today's world. They are still Ferraris, and Luca needs to realize that it isn't the car, it's the image, the balance, and the heritage that makes them special. Knocking his own product isn't the smartest thing he could have done. He was probably just jacking up his design staff, and apparently it may have worked, since everything since then has been spectacular in it's time. Art
I think he cares a lot. Ferrari was named several times in a row as one of the best companies to work for in Europe.
Honestly, who cares what he says. You can't say your new product is improved without saying an earlier product was imperfect. Stop whinning and enjoy what you own. He's just another salesman out to sell his product.
I don't think that'd make for a very gentlemanly discussion. Designating any product as the "worst" in any company's history (not limited to automotive manufacturers) isn't very honourable, as someone somewhere will have love for it - quirks and all. I think some Ferrari's are more universally popular and more highly prized than others, but it would be improper to define a "worst Ferrari ever made" regardless of the model you might choose. All the best, Andrew.
Agreed. Despite what many on here think, Ferrari is not exempt from making cars that miss the mark. Too many people on here get caught up in the subjective and intangible aspects like "image" and "heritage" and can't see the car itself for what it is.
I read this also in the book Ferrari: Road and Racing by Winston Goodfellow in his personal self profile page. I put it down to an ego case of "Things were such a mess before I got in charge and redid the car line with the 355 and Maranello". I think he says that he had one for a personal car and hated it, too. He did admit it was a pretty car, but nothing else could he find to say that was good about it. Note that he makes no excuses for any of the known faults of the early 355.
What exactly is the problem here? The 348 is widely known for being a highly dissapointing Ferrari. Early press was terrible for the 348. Luca's comments are probably just right on the money and I think it is actually refreshing that a 'salesman' speaks the truth about his produkt, even when it is negative. And Luca isn't BS-ing either. From the 355 on, the midengined 8 cylinders from Ferrari proved to be indeed much, much better cars.
He's certainly entitled to have his own opinion but he should keep it for himself. With his pointless remarks regarding the 348 he's merely offending some proud owners and Ferrari enthusiasts without gaining anything out of it IMO.
So, were are allowed to have an opinion, just as long as we keep quiet about it? Or does this only apply to the CEO of Ferrari? Really? Are 348-owners that petty that they are offended by remarks like this? Whats the problem? Either they enjoy the car and all is well, or the don't and they sell it and get something better.
Exactly. Does he think demeaning a 20yr old model will somehow enhance customers' opinion of the 458? It's crude and pointless. And yes, I'm a 348 owner.
In this particular case, given his position as Ferrari's CEO, he should have kept quiet about it. I don't think it's so black and white. I'm sure that those who like their 348s still like them regardless of what LdM said. However, having the CEO of Ferrari saying your Ferrari (which perhaps you're very passionate about) is **** certainly is not nice. I think LdM could have used a little more class and common sense in this case.
I've had cars that have been less than spectacular and still enjoyed them. Take the good with the bad. The 348 is 20 years in the past. The cars of 20 years ago aren't what they are today. I'm sure many 348 owners love their cars, and I'm sure there are a few that don't. His method to state that Ferrari is moving forward and not backward and acknowledges it by attacking on of their own may have been less than optimum, but having had successes along with failures, you must take the good with the bad. Ferrari is one of the few companies I've seen that make major changes from model to model, not incremental changes. I'm not sure I would have addressed the press or public venue in the same way, but 20 years from now (provided they are still around), whatever is on their plate will eclipse what is current today. Don't get your feather's ruffled over this one. That would be very different if situation if he came out and said their current lineup is ****.
