Ferrari: does Fiat ownership make it an exotic?

Ferrari: does Fiat ownership make it an exotic?
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Answer: Fiat ownership is irrelevant... of course, every Ferrari is an exotic... right?

I raise this question to address the age-old question of what really is an exotic.

With the coming of new-age exotics (Audi R8, Corvette ZR1, Nissan GT-R) and the ones yet to come (Acura NSX, Lexus LF-A), many enthusiasts are talking about these new "exotics".

Yet, people are quick to point out that the Audi is just a VW, that the ZR1 is just the "cousan" of a pickup truck, etc etc

So, how about the Gallardo... is it just an Audi? It doesn't even have Lambo doors, right?

How about the Corvette? It stands under its own brand name in Europe (it's not a Chevrolet in Europe)

And more importantly... how about the 599 and other Ferraris below it?.. just because Ferrari is owned by Fiat, does that make its cars any less exotic?
Personally, I don't think so... of course, Ferrari's exotic cars are exotic!

... but I would love to hear from others who shun other worldly exotics that come from non-exotic brands.

Discuss!

~shahedc
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But

 

The F149, the first badge engineered "Ferrari", will be no exotic.

 

right, I figured some people would pick out the non-exotic Ferraris (including the upcoming "F149"), so I worded this carefully:
"... Ferrari's exotic cars are exotic!"


~shahedc
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Interesting topic!

I think a car manufacturer is exotic if it doesn't produce any 'affordable' cars. The manufacturer's cheapest car has to be something that is still a car that people dream of owning.

For example...
Ferrari is exotic because their cheapest car, the F430, is still a dream car. Lamborghini is exotic because their cheapest car, the Gallardo, is still a dream car

But I wouldn't consider the likes of Audi to be exotic because, despite producing the R8, they also produce affordable cars like the A3. Audi's most expensive car is still much cheaper than Ferrari's cheapest car, and slower too.

It's not just about price either. Audis, BMWs and Porsches are cars that you can use every day. They might be of a high quality, and desirable, but ultimately they are like sensible wives - practical and easy to live with - The type who'll have your shirts ironed when you come home from work... which is great, but sometimes you want to come home and find her wearing $900 shoes and not mind because they're all that she's wearing! To be exotic something has to be temperamental and a bit unreliable, like a woman who you dream of spending hot, steamy nights with, but in reality her demands would be too much to cope with on a day-to-day basis and you would never marry her because she would spend all of your money on diamonds and then run away with the next rich man.

An exotic car is a bit like a dream that never totally comes true. Even if you have one in the garage, you never truly own it. It will always, to a certain extent, own you, because you can't predict how it is going to behave next and how much it is going to cost this year, and even when you have the title to the car you still aspire to it because it will be as hard to hang on to as it was to acquire. It always keeps you on your toes, like a beautiful women who always has options and is constantly reminding you of her ability to exercise them if and when she feels so inclined. Sensible, predictable cars like Audis will never be that exciting, even though they are great cars.

Anyway, that's just what I think!

 

Good response... !

Unfortunately, if those other cars (R8, ZR1, etc) were to become unreliable, then they would just get vilified...

oh, to be a Ferrari!

 

corvettes, by their very nature of being built here cannot be considered exotic. Ferraris, all of them, are by definition exotic.

 

Does that mean that Ferraris are not exotic in Italy, but Corvettes are?

 

Every car is native to some country; perhaps let the "foreign" element of the definition of exotic be defined as a car that is desirable on a world stage, not only domestically . . . ?

 

A few more thoughts to consider (some overlapping earlier posts):

- I agree with the element of impracticality. An exotic car sacrifices practicality and other things that make life easy in favor of performance, aerodynamics, center of gravity, and/or generally being more like a race car than a "regular" sports car.

- And there has to be some element of rarity to it. That doesn't have to mean produced in three digit numbers; just a rare sight.

- An exotic car should be more or less a toy, to put it cheaply. It should be ideal for pleasure, sport, track, etc.; but not ideal for the humdrum aspect of life (grocery store, going to work, etc.). Sure, people will do it, but . . .

- Must be beautiful to look at! Otherwise, it's just weird!

 

I disagree... not being built here makes a car foreign, not exotic.

How about the new Mosler MT900 or S7TT? How would you classify them?

The Mosler is built in the US and UK... while the S7 is an American car. Note that neither Mosler or Saleen makes "everyday" cars. (Yes, Saleen does modify non-exotic Mustangs, but they don't build those from scratch). And they are not owned by any other non-exotic company that makes everyday cars either...

So I'll stick to my original opinion: a car by its identity can be an exotic, it doesn't matter to me whether it's parent company makes normal cars as well. Also, I don't factor in its "foreign-ness". (Is that a word?)

~shahedc
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so... can we include Lotus' lightweight track-friendly cars?

FYI, Lotus uses the tagline "the world's most affordable exotic"... yet some people here would disagree that a Lotus can be an exotic...

 

+0.9. Not sure an exotic has to be unreliable. My 328 has been a pleasant surprise thus far.

I think your 'can use everyday' and 'produce affordable cars' arguments are spot on.

Also, I think you're right about price. Prices change, so if 355'***** $50K next year, which is less than the price of a BMW M3, are they no longer exotic?

I think you can definitely include Lotus Elise/Exige. Try using one of those every day -- or taking it to the neigborhood body shop when you bump into something. Plus, despite their prices, the cars are pretty damned scarce. I've seen maybe 5-10 over the last year, excluding events at Symbolic (our Lotus dealer in San Diego).

 

"Yet, people are quick to point out that the Audi is just a VW,"


Wrong!! I can't believe everyone missed this. Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, VW, Seat, Skoda and Lamborghini (who've I missed?) are all "just" Porsches.

 

shahedc -- I think "affordable exotic" is something a few U.S. dealers are saying, but is not an official Lotus motto; I believe Lotus' current slogan is "Cange the rules." . . . (I may be mistaken, though!)

 

Ferrari fabricates its own engines, bodywork and interiors, so Ferrari is still Ferrari. Fiat has been a recent success story, mostly because it has strengthened its economy car business as fuel prices spike. Wisely, they've left Ferrari to its own devices.

Also, you some of Ferraris best modern-ish road cars -- Daytona, Boxer, 308/328, 288 GTO, F40 -- came under Fiat ownership while Enzo was still around. I almost find it more compelling to contrast Ferrari before/after the old man's death.

Lamborghini is still exotic on many counts -expensive, rare, impractical, etc. - but the Audi influence knocks the Gallardo down a notch, IMO. I still love the Gallardo, maybe more then the 360, but when I get out of my Audi TT and into a Gallardo it's just not night-and-day different in some respects. I'm lukewarm on the newest Ferraris, but you can't argue that an F430 is like a larger Fiat 500.

 

LOL! yeahhhh!!!

 

As a multiple-Lotus owner, I approve!

 

A Saleen S7 is not considered exotic to you? 0_o

 

ex·ot·ic Audio Help /ɪgˈzɒtɪk/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ig-zot-ik] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1. of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced from abroad, but not fully naturalized or acclimatized: exotic foods; exotic plants.
2. strikingly unusual or strange in effect or appearance: an exotic hairstyle.
3. of a uniquely new or experimental nature: exotic weapons.
4. of, pertaining to, or involving stripteasing: the exotic clubs where strippers are featured.
–noun
5. something that is exotic: The flower show included several tropical exotics with showy blooms.
6. an exotic dancer; stripper.

if you define exotic yourself, than anything can be exotic. but most words are defined in the dictionary and when "defining" something, it's best to use the one in the dictionary. otherwise, everyone just makes up their own definition. The most important factor, in my reading of the definition, is foreign. that's also what i believe. i can't consider any car produced here to be exotic, because they are not foreign. So, yes i would say a ferrari would not be exotic to an italian. you could say in definition 2 that they need be only strikingly unusual or strange. i don't consider a corvette, any corvette, to be strikingly beautiful or strange and they certainly are not foreign. again, since foreign origin seems to be the primary mover and in my mind the most important factor, i consider only foreign cars to be exotic. a good example would be my fiat 500. I and most that see it would consider it exotic. Back in italy, or anywhere in europe it would not be. A corvette in tibet would be an exotic to the tibetans, but not to me. just my opinion, YMMV.

 

no. i would call it a supercar. not an exotic. i could see a stretch were it could fit into strikingly unusual or strange though. but again, for me, foreign is important in being exotic.

edit: i think i figured it out. i'm older than you guys. when i was a kid forming my definitions of words, it was a different time. in the early 70's, my dad got a bmw. at the time, nobody new what it was and it was very exotic. most people drove american cars back then. in fact, there was a definite bias towards detroit. back then our bmw was exotic. today, it wouldn't be. now that the world has globalized and you kids are so used to so many foreign products being available, the definition has changed.

 

Copy number does make a difference. It's hard to say "exotic" when half the people in town have one. This is where Ferrari is starting to decline. In the days where Ferrari made it's name, the cars were numbered in the tens or maybe hundreds. Now it is 5 figures.

Appliances are not exotic, no matter how well they work. The underlying basis has to be passion, and that is where Ferrari still shines.

 

you can't really use the lambo/audi and ferrari/fiat analogy. A lambo IS an audi, same parts. What v10 is going in the r8?

 

Good point, on the reliability.
Good call, on the Lotus cars.

Porsche does own part of VW, but Jeremy Clarkson would say it the other way around.. because of the 911's origins, he calls it a "Volkswagen", even if he's sitting in a high-level 911.

You are mistaken
I saw it in their magazine ads, often on the back cover of US-bound car magazines.

One of the best answers to my thread!

In NASCAR, SC stands for Stock Car... but the cars are anything but stock. You're right, we sometimes define it any way we want to. And a lot of car guys are calling the S7 and the Mosler exotics... even the ZR1 (and Z06 as well!)

another one of the best answers on my thread!

The one from the Gallardo, I guess?

BTW, is it correct to say that a Rolls Royce is just a BMW, and that a Bentley is just an Audi?

~shahedc

 

Excellent. What did I win?

 

Wait, so Maseratis are made in the Ferrari plants in Italy, does that make all Maserati cars exotics as well?

If rarity is how we define exotics, then are custom trucks and one-off hot rods exotics?