Here she is! F149

Pictures look good, but like the 599, probably much better in person. But a little too Honda S2000 looking with flared fenders.

 

Not to hijack, but they will be posted in the dedicated thread. Can't tell when yet.

Now back to the new California please.

 

No renders, nothing?... that's what I had in mind of course - like the Dino concept you did, or the 612 Shooting Brake.

I asked on a different forum for someone to PS a hood scoop onto a red S2000. We'll see what the outcome looks like...

 

The interesting thing to me will be will this effect 599 sales/premiums?

Will Ferrari be able to sell 4K of these a year?

Will they work as every day drivers?

How long will the clutch last in bumper to bumper every day driving in places like LA/NY/HK/etc.

How will the top work time after time. As well as the Lexus's?

How rigid will it be?

Cowl shake?

As for it's looks my 8C does more for me but that's why I bought an 8C.

 

Urgh, my hope for turning this into a beautiful car was on you... would you accept a bar of Sarotti chocolade as some kind of down payment for starting to make a real Ferrari out of this mess?

 

We will have to wait to see it in real, but it has potential...

But where are the rear seats? I don't even think a child could fit there...

Maybe I will keep the 612 afterall...

 

So what? There are so many classic design cues given a modern twist on the California that I think if you can't get past the stacked pipes you're missing the whole point.

 

I think it looks like a japanese pocket rocket... specifically the s2000 with a few tweaks.... i agree with simonw... the 8c embodies what breakthrough italian design should be!!! and this.. sadly.. is not it... but yes... like so many people before me, i too, think it will sell quicker than a glass of cold water in the sahara....
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Tell me, do people really believe that if the tail pipes are arranged vertically, the car will be mistaken for a Lexus?
I don't think so....

 

I didn't appreciate his rather studid comment about "blind chinese".

If one checks his profile, it is full of nonsense....Uranus.

I think he should be the one to keep quiet!

 

The front is pretty much the only part of the design I like. Maybe in part because it looks a bit like the 8C in the headlight treatment, maybe because the hood scoop reminds me of a real 250 GT California.

Agreed on the lackluster 612, but the 599 has a few good features: The C pillar flying buttresses, the 'F1' top view of the hood, the side profile is ok and I actually like the rear end treatment. All in all, the only thing I don't really like about the design is the squiggly line the front hood makes when seen from above against the "batmobile" front fenders
( v----v )

This new car, on the other hand, just looks weirdly Japanese from the midpoint back. The rear trunkline is high and weird, the tailpipes are weird, the rear 3/4 view is multi-level weird, and the back view looks busy, heavy and tall.

Having said that, I'd probably take one if offered one by my dealer....that's how conditioned they have us!

 

Oddly enough when I see the car, scripture comes to mind.

Revalation 3:16
'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.'

Don't have any strong reaction to the car.

 

the rims are horrible. Can anyone photosphop the f430 wheels or even Novitec?

 

The front looks alike Toyota MR-S......
The side view I absolutely love!!!!
Theback--it look much better with the double stop lights IMHO

So I guess I like it 50%...I want to see it with top up!

 

Not a bad looking replacement for the Pontiac Solstice.

Now where are the New Ferrari pics?????

 

Oh don't get me wrong - me too!... just to sell it off at a premium and get a 360CS.. maybe a 355 to go with that too, since this will cost more than the F430.

 

LOL, perfect to describe what's happening here. Best post in this thread

 

Andrew, I think climb hit the nail on the head. Not SC (although I too see the similarity), but the Solstice is what those lights look more like:

http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/r/i/ag_07solstice2_rear.jpg

 

Let's try word association (e.g., what's the first word that pops into your head when you see the pics?).

For me - very unfortunately - that word was 'downmarket' (or is that two words? heh heh ;-)

Very concerned about brand tarnish with this car. This coupled with the projected volume ramp will, I'm afraid, erode the sense of cache/exclusivity that we all use to rationalize the silly prices/premiums we pay for these cars! Wish I was more positive about this car, but I just can't be...

 

Those italians..almost a month and a half late for april fools

 

The lines on this make no sense... God its sad. Not a bad looking car, however it doesn't grab me at... all.


It reminds me of an MG roadster from the front. The rear end doesn't look balanced at all from a design standpoint.

It seems Pininfarina has taken a basket of ideas and thrown them all together on one car. There is just no consistency of a theme. Lines go here, end there, a new look is there, but not here. It just doesn't make the grade in my book.

It will grow on me....





_J

 

I guess I am.

 

beautiful from the side

Napolis had some good questions, because ultimately this is going to be Ferrari's foray into having to placate to a new set of car buyers.
Unlike the enthusiasts that fill a board like fChat, this car needs to appeal to Professional Athletes and Hedge fund managers and all the other sl65
buyers out there.

This car was not made for us, it was made for everyone that wanted to own a Ferrari, but didn't want their fillings shaken loose during a ride through the city
or need a trip to the chiropractor after a cross state trip. They are trying to pull in a different set of rich with this car and for that they will need to up their game
on more than just improved track times, but like Jim said on issues like cowl shake, and reliability of the hard top.

If you're wondering if this car will appeal to their intended audience- send along the press photos to your rich friends wife along with some photos of a Bentley GT Convertible and an SL65 and ask which one she would choose- and I think you'll get a much better idea of the potential sales figures of the car- than listening to the members of Fchat.

In any case, while the California seems to be met with a yawn from most of us, Ferrari I'd imagine has more riding on this car than anything they have produced in decades. Financially, this car would pave the way for improvements in reliability, technical innovation, and F1 investment. So while, many of you may Ferrari are bastardizing the brand by producing it, if you would like to see the alternative look no further than Lamborghini. I suppose it comes down to choosing the lesser of two evils, would you rather your F430's interior looking like an Audi A6's? Or some rich guys wife driving a car with same prancing horse on her hood as you? I guess we know which one the guys from Maranello chose.

 

I didn't read the 190+ posts here so I'm sure that it's been said before: it looks like yet another mainstream massed produced car. Without an F badge it'll get lost in the crowd after time just like a 330 2+2 which without the badge is just another old car.

 

Probably not at all...seems like completely different cars and targeted at different consumers. I would think it would affect the 430 more, because it is an older design which is more attractive to social climbers because of the lower price.

Probably yes the first and second year of production. Then it might get interesting.

With your insight, your guess would probably be better than mine.

Agree 100%