| Author |
Message |
Mark (Marvellous_mark)
New member
Username: Marvellous_mark
Post Number: 33
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2003 - 11:46 am: | |
J.D Smythe - I know another "exotic" manufacturer (not ferrari or maserati) where a manager went out and bought a BMW from the showroom just so they could study the colour of the car. Someone that works next to the manager told me that, and it made me laugh at the extravagence |
Willis Huang (Willis360)
Intermediate Member
Username: Willis360
Post Number: 1445
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2003 - 11:35 am: | |
When the 360 successor comes out it'll be the next target. |
Dave Quick (Davequick)
New member
Username: Davequick
Post Number: 6
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 7:56 pm: | |
Well, the 360, the Ford GT, and now the new 2004 Jaguar XJ series all have an alluminum space frame.
I can see where Ford is attempting to play off the uniqueness of the technology since they are one of the early adopters. The 04 Jag XJ has all body panels riveted to the frame allowing less weight and greater rigidity. It's actually a nice looking/driving car. You can find mentiono of the 360 within the new Jaguar (Jaguar is owned by ford, as is aston martin and a number of other manufacturers) brochure as well.
I think it's actually progressive of ford to be leading edge with mass produced cars on some of this technology.
p.s. my wife drove a base '98 Mustang 5 speed for a year - totally flawed rear suspension and in general a loose handling american go straight and nothing else well machine. I'm sure the GT/cobra/svt are a different beast entirely, but the base car put a bad taste in my mouth for their main brand. |
Michael W. (Whimike)
New member
Username: Whimike
Post Number: 22
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 7:19 pm: | |
It has to be looked at this way.... When the word "Ferrari", or "Lamborghini" is uttered, the first thing most people think about is the pinnacle of a sports exotic car. When the word "Ford" is uttered, most people probably think Taurus or some sort of econo-box. The Ford GT is a radical departure for a production Ford car. I think Ford is doing the right thing in comparing it to the likes of what most enthusiasts will compare it to. They are trying to get people to classify it in the same way as they would a Ferrari, trying to get the customer into a similar mindset. After all, it takes some pretty big balls to compare your product to what most consider the pinnacle, fall short of that and egg will be in your face. Ford can afford to do this comparison once, if they fail they will not be taken seriously again, if they succeed then good for them.
I truly hope Ford can pull it off and bring out a car worthy of comparision to a 360. It is about time we see some great American exotics on the road!!
-- Michael |
will h (Willh)
Junior Member
Username: Willh
Post Number: 171
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 6:01 pm: | |
"Ford is not stupid, they know that most people consider them to be marginal in quality and performance."
Exactly Michael, you say it better than I did, I also think that concern about market perception is implicit in the comparisons. Conceding that the new GT is a fundamentally different car from the original, the original nonetheless is part of motorsports legend - in some sense the "pinnacle," as you say. I guess I just found the pr piece awfully gunshy. No doubt Ford is fortunate that I'm not in charge of their advertising/pr!
Any GT buyers out there? I am in line for a Stradale, and will stay with that choice, but I find the GT in some sense appealing. |
Michael W. (Whimike)
New member
Username: Whimike
Post Number: 21
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 5:25 pm: | |
I don't think there is anything wrong with Ford comparing their car to the likes of other exotics. Ford is not stupid, they know that most people consider them to be marginal in quality and performance. In order to elevate them up they compare to the likes of cars that people generally consider to be the pinnacle. Ferrari obviously would never compare themselves to others because Ferrari considers themselves the pinnacle, so they would only be comparing themselves to inferior makes, which has no value.
-- Michael |
will h (Willh)
Junior Member
Username: Willh
Post Number: 170
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 5:16 pm: | |
911 Fan, the website piece reads more like comparative marketing. I actually like the GT - I just couldn't necessarily see Ferrari invoking the names of almost all its competitors in a pr piece ... here's another sample:
Gillies also notes, "The GT's performance is much more accessible than that of a GT2, a Z06, or a Ferrari Modena, which require all your attention to keep them pointing the right way."
"With 500 horsepower and a weight of around 3,350 pounds, the GT should be able to out accelerate the Dodge Viper and the Porsche 911 Turbo and come close to the Lamborghini Murci�lago's straight-line performance," he suspects.
|
Hubert Otlik (Hugh)
Intermediate Member
Username: Hugh
Post Number: 1234
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 3:41 pm: | |
911 fan is on the money. Torsional stiffness, the lack or quality therof, is somehing everyone likes to implicitly state, but hardly anyone publishes hard numbers. |
911 Fan (911fan)
New member
Username: 911fan
Post Number: 20
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 3:35 pm: | |
He's simply comparing it to the 360 and the Gallardo because these are the only direct competitors which also have an all-aluminum space frame, as his quote specifically points out.
Torsional rigidity is an objective measurement so the "much better than the Ferrari" claim should be easy to substantiate.
|
Dave (Maranelloman)
Advanced Member
Username: Maranelloman
Post Number: 2544
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 3:09 pm: | |
Damn! Can I have the pieces when they are done with it?? |
J.D. Smythe (Jeff)
Junior Member
Username: Jeff
Post Number: 243
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 3:06 pm: | |
Will
The person in charge of the Ford GT was on tv a few weeks ago. He said they went out and bought a 360. Then proceded to take the 360 apart (reverse engineering) to understand what made the 360 so great. A pretty good compliment for the 360 |
will h (Willh)
Junior Member
Username: Willh
Post Number: 169
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 2:59 pm: | |
From Ford's website, seems to me a bit insecure to invoke Ferrari, Porsche, Lambo, why not let an interesting product with a pedigree stand on its own? Anyone seriously considered this car?
"Frequently compared to a Ferrari 360 Modena, the Ford GT is the brand's first all-aluminum space frame vehicle. Aluminum extrusions and castings provide for the stiff structure you would expect of a world-class race car. In fact, it's stiffer than the new Lamborghini Gallardo and much better than the Ferrari,' chassis supervisor Huibert Mees told Automobile."
|