The End of Ferrari as We've Known It

Its the beginning of a different Ferrari. You cant tell me that exclusivity isnt part of what makes ( made ? ) Ferrari what we love. Something hard to obtain , to experience and to enjoy. Would it still be an event to see a 430 if they were all over the place as 911 are ? I dont think so. I am passionate about Ferrari but i see mysefl disagreeing with the brand more and more..Not just the models they make, but the way they treat their customers . I have been to the factory and didnt see anything extraordinary in the sense of passion and enthusiasm..it was just another high tech factory and we were treated as tourists who visit any museum eventhough we were coming as the Ferrari club from France. Worse even, the 599 was just out ( april 06 ) , we had in our group at least 3 Enzo onwers and numerous other potential customers..You would think they would have shown us the car..but no. We were told not to touch the 2 599 that were driving around the factory. WTF !

 

A very strong brand. Very strong. High performance + race heritage + exclusivity. And now, great build quality. Bless 'em if they can crank out 1000 F430s a year. It's a company. They want to sell products.

 

What a bunch of winers, none of you have even seen a California in person. Pictures usually do not do the new Ferraris justice. Give it a rest until you see one!

Ferrari has made 6, and 4 cylinder front engined cars as well....god forbid they made another 4! And yes, that was sarcastic....it was a great car on the track and won a bunch of races. There is more to a car then the amount of cylinders it has....

 

I suppose some people do gain pleasure from the exclusivity of their car. To me that seems kind of odd. But whatever. If one gains pleasure from actually driving the car, then production numbers shouldn't impact that at all. It could cause prices to drop of course. Those still dying to spend $200k can buy the Ferrari for $100k and donate $100k to their favorite cause (cancer research would be mine), and then they'll still be in a very exclusive club.

 

Since day one, all Enzo cared about was racing. Unlike most other automobile manufacturers, he started making racecars way before he even considered making road cars. He finally realized that he could sell road cars and use those sales to continue to finance his racing efforts. And today, more than 60 years later, Ferrari whores itself out in every conceivable way, for one reason: to continue financing its racing efforts. Each year, Ferrari makes more money off of logo licensing than it makes off of selling new cars. Think about that - 6,000 x $200,000 = $1,200,000,000 - and they make more than that off of a horse...! Ferrari doesn't care about its customers - if they did, there wouldn't be so many threads on here complaining about how Ferrari treats its customers. That's how it's always been. Ferrari concentrates all of its efforts into racing - and licensing the logos and selling quarter-to-half a million dollar sports cars to you folks is just another way to continue funding their F1 world domination.

Then perhaps I'm the minority on this one. I still stare every time I see a Porsche Boxster - but maybe that's because I've driven one and I know its capabilities. When I go to the beach, I don't get upset about all of the beautiful women there; and none of them seem any less beautiful because there are so many of them in one place. Exclusivity really means nothing to me. I don't see genuineness in liking something because it's rare. Would diamonds sparkle any less if there were more...? Would the 355 sound any less amazing if Ferrari made a million of them...? Would Vida Guerra's derriere be any less succulent if she were one of six identical twins...?

 

Part of the mystique of the Ferrari brand is that they are somewhat difficult to buy. You do not go in to your Ferrari dealer and choose from a dozen new 430's, nor do you haggle on the price. Limiting sales of the car to less than what the market is demanding is part of the strategy of Ferrari to keep the marque so desirable. This is much like DeBeers did with diamonds for years.

 

Don't forget cars actually cost money to produce....

but seriously how many of you have an Acer Ferrari laptop? Thought so.....

 

LOL, I know a guy who has one - and the Ferrari camera - and both are a constant pain.

 

I dont stare but i look at a boxster driving by ..but when i see a F430 or a Ferrari, i usually try to follow it, open the windows to listen etc..I dont know about the sound but im thinking it wouldnt be the same event it is if you could listen to it several times per day, every day of the week.Diamonds wouldnt sparkle any less but your eyes would get used to that sparkle.. Remember what they say about hot chicks, that somewhere , there is someone tired of banging her ..

 

When I eventually buy a ferrari (or ferraris) I intend to avoid anything following the 456/550/575 those are the modern cars I would want to own. Otherwise you can't beat a classic (especially V12) ferrari.

 

I agree. There has been nothing since then that I burn to own, with the POSSIBLE exception of the 360 Stradale. Even if I had a quarter mill dumped in my lap today, I would look for a cherry F355 before anything else.

 

I do. Not because my 328 is the most expensive car on the road -- it's probably about what a common BMW 5 costs -- but because it's rare and gorgeous compared to everything else out there.

There was a Euro car gathering not far from where I live a couple of days ago, mostly kids with BMW e46 M3s and VW GTIs. I had the 328 there and I literally had 5 or 6 of them at a time asking about it, taking photos, etc. These guys are all younger than than my car. Point is, you just never see these cars around. There was a Porsche 996 Turbo in the same row of cars and no one bothered to walk up to it -- common car. Ferrari still has the mystique, although the styling has drifted a bit recently.

If Ferrari raises production to near Porsche levels, it will be cashing in on the brand. You can argue that $200K is a lot of change for a car. But look at 360s -- they're sinking well below new Mercedes pricing, and they're available everywhere. I tend to agree with the OP on this one.

 

What is your analysis on Lamborghinis compared to the above comments?

 

to my ferraris always had that mystery to them. its slowely dying with the new models. dont get me wrong, i still love most of the models prior to 2000. but since then for me its just been snowballing down hill. i find myself more interested in Paganis, Koenisgseggs, Spykers. they offer exclusivity, and they arent trying to capitolise on their history.

if i had the money, i will still buy lots of ferraris, just propbably nothing current.

 

I love to read all of this doom and gloom, as if anyone here has a proprietary interest in Ferrari.
This is a company like no other. It owns the most recognizable car trademark on the planet and it produces less cars in a year than GM or Toyota do in a week.
Its cars always attract comment whether good or bad and it is sold out of its production for a couple of years into the future.

It is certainly a better company than it was 15 years ago, when it was literally trying to stay alive day by day and it is far better off than in Enzo's day when it was literally bankrupt and he had to sell it to FIAT.
I wonder how many of these naysayers would turn down a new Ferrari of any model if it was offered to them. I'd say not one.

There will always be those who hanker for the "good old days" but they were not so good back then. The cars were literally crap, falling apart from the factory and needing constant maintenance every time they were driven even short distances. The only saving grace they had was that the company was so appallingly bad they couldn't sell anymore than a handful of cars resulting in their current scarcity - and as we all know today scarcity and old age create perceptions of value.

I love the old cars for what they represented back then - an individual tilting at the windmills of the great industrial powers and the cars happened to be quite graceful and charming. But they were not good cars. They drive like trucks, they have brakes that are a joke and the engines are fragile and finicky. In stark contrast, the 599GTB is a world beater in quality and performance and quite rightly the demand for the car is extraordinary - way beyond the capacity of the current facilities. Why should the company not capitalize on their achievements of creating fine automobiles and where the market craves them. Even if they build 10,000 cars a year, Ferrari will be an insignificant volume producer by any standards.

I love the old cars, but I enjoy the new cars every day. I hope that Ferrari continues to go from strength to strength, creating better and more cars so that the enjoyment of these wonderful creations can be spread even further afield than they are now.

 

They should just raise the price of the cars they already make. People are waiting in line for 'em.

That way they'd get more profit without making another car.

Exclusivity(what is left) would be maintained or even increased.

I can't stand this car nor the idea of Ferrari marketing it to housewives.

It's an expensive Porsche 924.

 

There have been very many Ferraris whose looks I love, and a few others, throughout the marque's history, that I don't.

For example, I can't quite bring myself to like the 308GT/4. (And I'm sure that when it came out, someone said, "Since when does Ferrari make mid-engined V-8s with four seats?") I like the 365 and 512 BBs better than the Testarossa and 512 TR/512M. I like the 308 better than the 328. There are several elements of the 348 that I have to question, but I love the 355. The 360 not so much. . .

Get the point? Along the way, Ferrari has done a lot of things for the first time. They have produced some of the world's most beautiful cars, and some, uh, not so attractive.

The oft-repeated premise that a "true" Ferrari must have a 12 is patently ridiculous. Ferrari's heritage is not something that can be erased, no matter what their corporate leaders decide to do in future. Furthermore, I fail to see how a $200k+ car is going to "cheapen the brand name" somehow. . . and, frankly, sneering at "poseurs" while lamenting a loss of "exclusivity" smells of hypocrisy.

 

...before the first break on Monday.

 

The base of Ferrari’s true exclusivity was rooted in their performance advantage over all other cars back then.

Today a tuned $25K Japanese car may be as fast as a 360.

Desirability shall now derive from cachet and perceived uniqueness.

Your woman’s passion for a $25K Kelly handbag from Hermès is about as reasonable as your enthusiasm for a Scuderia.

Ferrari is doing a nice job at maximizing its image. Of course, this pisses off many tifosis, but are those pissed off tifosis buying 430s or 599s?

Did not think so.

 

I really can't understand all this talk about the end of ferrari as we know it. Coming from somebody who has only recently become fascinated with the marque but its impossible for me to not say a ferrari is a ferrari is a ferrari. Regardless of whether it is a 348, 308 or a California if I or 95% of the world sees a ferrari cruising down the street they are going to be impressed and many of you purists need to understand that even though you might not like the soft lines or engine positioning of ferraris an overwhelming majority of the world is saying "holy %$)& look at that ferrari!" And you should be proud of that! You should be proud that your support has built this company up to the point where they can put their name onto something and it immediately has a legendary aura around it for the general public. Stop shunning your own popularity, ferrari isnt a club, its a business and their job is to be popular. You can bash ferrari all you want for going soft but the bottom line is that they are still making cars that turn heads for a new generation.

 

I agree, I already said this is Ferraris SL

but why would they try to muscle in on what MB has already perfected ?

and the Corvette is better looking, faster, and much cheaper and will probably be built in similair numbers

The Cali is totally the poser mobile for guys who want the badge but dont have a clue about the history

It is a sad day in F history

 

Piu uno !

 

I have no proprietary interest in Ferrari, but as a lifelong sports car enthusiast the marque means a lot to me (and did even before I had one). I also admire Porsche. I think there's something very noble about motorsports and automotive bloodlines, and Ferrari is very evocative in those aspects.

Trademarks can be flogged to death. Admittedly Ferrari produce far fewer cars than GM, but is that really the benchmark? And can we have an authentic sports car without video game dashes, power seats and ~4000 lb curb weight?!

Looking around the new car showrooms right now, the company I salute is Lotus. Colin Chapman would approve.

I agree with this.

Look, a big part of what's wrong with Jag -- which used to be among greatest marques in the world -- is that they got soft, abandoned the sporting market for luxe, and the resale of its cars is appalling. Even if you love the XK (and by association the Ford Taurus ), you have be a financial idiot to write a check for a new one.

Ferrari is nowhere near that sad state, but with digital dashes, automatic-like transmissions, conservative styling and a flood of recent used ones on the market, I think the brand is at risk of being watered down.

Look at the 360, which for all intents and purposes is the same as the F430: you can pick up a 360 in as-new condition for the price of a Merc SL. Granted, that's a lot of cash for most people, but it's not dream-car money for the guy/gal who can drop $125K on a Benz or Porsche Turbo.

If F149/California production ramps up much beyond the 360/F430, which have become common in Ferrari terms, I think we'll see prices take a huge hit in the secondary market. Ferrari is legendary, in part, for its resale. That is not a given. Rarity counts. I think Climb's suggestion is the right one.

</soapbox>

 

I'm not sure that modern Ferraris are valuable in the resale market, other than the 599 and perhaps the 430 spider, in terms of Ferraris less than 20 years old. The rest of them have taken huge hits versus MSRP. 360's, 355's, 348's, Testarossas, 456's - all without exception very cheaply available in the resale market.

I think the romance of Ferrari has gotten to you.
In reality if Ferrari builds 5,000 cars or 10,000 the market will not notice it. Porsche is building over 100,000 cars years! 911 turbos and GT2's are still highly regarded and sought after despite a gussied VW SUV in the Porsche lineup and , for heaven's sake, a 4 door Porsche! I haven't seen any evidence of the Porsche mania out there subsiding. Obviously not, because they sell every car they produce.

I've been around long enough to remember when the 308 was panned as the Fiat of Ferraris and was definitely, in the eyes of the purists (perhaps the parents of the whining lot we have in this thread today), the beginning of the end for Ferrari. The nerve of the company, producing a cheap 8 cylinder car based on the BB! What were they thinking!
As it turns out the 308 has become almost universally described as one of the most beautiful of Ferraris. Time heals everything and so it will be with the California, especially when it is proven out as a terrific GT that obliterates everything in the same class.

 

No worries~ Ferrari as you know it already ended when they put a V6 behind the driver in a car that doesn't even wear the prancing horse badge......... I think that was almost 4 decades ago.