Compliment: "That's a beautiful Corvette!"

I would explain it with a much simpler theory: For some people sport car only equals Mustang or Corvette, so when their brain seems to begin to start to believe they see a sport car, it has to be a Mustang or a Corvette even though they confused a sporty chick pea for a car ...


You concede them too much sophisticated reasoning!

 

You go it.

To most people a sleek sports car is a corvette. Not everyone is into cars.

Just like I cant tell fashion designers apart.

 

^I am pretty good at telling cars apart AND fashion
Possibly a dangerous combination lol $$$$

I agree that it is probably people just not knowing. If it's clear they are just admiring the car, take it as a compliment and let it be...

 

...and to some, all sports cars, especially red ones, are Ferraris. When I had a C6, a very enthusiastic guy at a gas pump asked, "So, how do you like driving that Ferrari?!" I'm amazed by how many people ask if my Cayman S is a Ferrari or a Porsche.

I'm sure when I finally decide to man up and join the Ferrari crowd, I'll be asked about my sweet Tiburon. Ah well...

 

I got setup on a blind date a number of years ago with a beautiful young lady. I picked her up in my 2002 porsche 911 twin turbo. After she got in the car and we got to the restaurant she made a fatal error. She told me how much she loved my porsche boxster. I decided that day that you better not buy a car to impress people because most people have no idea about cars anyway. I still spend way to much $$$ on my cars anyway and I love every second of it.

 

There's a difference?

 

Kara- You are probably one of five people on the whole planet who I believe wholeheartedy can distinguish both great cars and great fashion. Your future husband is going to be one lucky man, but I pray he is born with great taste, or he will be toast, or, at the very least, toasted.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

I'm convinced most casual spotters think my 308 is a Vette...makes perfect sense, as preceding posters have noted.

But, I still get a share of folks who know what it is, stop to talk, etc. Surprising number in their early 20's, too young for Magnum, even.

Now the old 330 4HL...that was a car that truly attracted attention, everywhere, from everybody.

It was most often mistaken for an Aston DB5. Since it had a sunroof, I got a lot of ejection seat jokes.

 

They don't get under my skin, I find them amusing. I think it only gets under the skin of replica owners!

Dave

 

My Gallardo used to be confused for a Enzo Ferrari.

The 360 for a Corvette on a few occasions.

F430 for a Enzo Ferrari a few times too and many times for a Lamborghini.

The NSX for a Ferrari at least five times.

The 328GTS for the Ferrari in Miami Vice!!! But no one ever confused it for anything but a Ferrari and when I worked in Puerto Rico girls loved it to death.

The Testarossa for a kit car many times or if not a Lamborghini.

 

I drove my 550 out to the motorcycle club races this weekend. An 8 yr old boy came up and asked me it that was a Ferrari? Yep, I said. COOL he said. Wanna sit in it in the drivers seat? I proposed. Uh, can I?

Sure. Kid had a major smile, got behind the wheel and made Ferrari sounds while gripping the wheel. Blurted out a coupla good peel out sounds.


Future Ferrari owner, I gotta figure......he went running off to tell his parents. He was pretty excited......

 

Maybe the flamer knew full well what it was and was trying to engage you in conversation?

 

The admiring observer, who is not a car buff, simply uses the word Corvette in a generic sense for all sporty cars.


He may not even know Corvette is a brand name.


Kind of like Kleenex is used for a tissue.


Or "Aspirin" (which was a trade name for a Bayer product) was used so long for salicylic acid that it actually BECAME a generic name.

 

I think everyone over the age of 10 knows what a Corvette is, and wouldn't use it to refer to a Mazda Miata or Porsche 911. It's probably just a question of rarity. Everyone has seen lots of Corvettes, Miatas and 911s. Not so for Ferrari.

In some parts of the country -- as in Ohio, where I grew up, -- you just never see a Ferrari. Even in dry and warm San Diego, I rarely see a Ferrari on the road, so I can understand why people mistake them for commoner cars.

Everyone posting here has a heightened awareness of cars, so we forget that to the public the Boxer/308/328 are basically the same car, as are the Testarossa/512 TR/F512M. No one knows what a 456 or 599 is, which is probably why they have huge prancing horses on the back. For most people, it probably takes something as in-your-face as a Countach wing or Testarossa cheese graters to really register.

 

Lol. At least she got the "Porsche" part right Alain. Most woman couldnt pick apart an F430 from a Focus.

Chris

 

I've got one of the new 575 Mustangs. I don't care what anybody says, Detroit kicks out some bad ass cars!

 

The Corvette is one of the top American car icons of all time, so I am sure most of the time it is meant as a compliment. For someone who has a 928, I hear, "Nice German Corvette" all the time!

Have had many people mistakenly identify my cars, not just the Boxer. Good opening to talk cars if I want to. I usually have great exchanges with people who make any comment, I am just a sucker to talk cars, lol!

I do feel that how we (FCar owners particularly) respond either enhances the image that we are snobs (in fairness, there is unfortunately some fuel for that fire), or that we are just enthusiasts who love our cars.

W

 

The similarity ends at the tail lights and besides, everyone knows they look like the Impala from the back!

 

I don't think Corvettes have stole much if anything from Ferrari, it is kind a weird argument. I know the 70-72 Vette's copied the 'egg crate' grills and vents from Ferrari, but I think that is it. I know that Bill Mitchell was a fan of E-types back in the '60s and the '56 was lightly based on a Gullwing Mercedes... But

I would say that the 550/575 and 599 resemble a Corvette more then a Corvette resembles any Ferrari. The 599 is very close IMO to a Corvette in terms of looks, profile etc. It is likely a function of wind tunnel design more so then anybody copying anybody.

BTW, what/when was the first Ferrari to have quad tail lamps? I know Corvette has been doing it since '61 (and never strayed from it), so it's always weird when Ferrari guys comment that the rear of a Corvette looks like a Ferrari... That is like me claiming that Todd Bridges stole my first name even though he is 20 years older then me.

 

Who gives a ****? It should only matter to one person.

 

And that's why I love my 348 there is no mistaking it for anything else than a Ferrari, I love those cheese graters on the side...

 

Some probably say it to make you mad lol, I have LOL.

 

One Sunday morning I got up early and took J6 for a long drive. After a few hours I stopped at a dinner for breakfast. After breakfast I walked out and started to get back into my car. There was a 911 parked along side. A guy wearing a Porsche jacket and Hat was standing next to a girl who was looking at my car.

"That's a kit car." The guy in the Porsche jacket said to the Girl.

I got in and started up.

The Girl said:

"That doesn't sound like a Kit Car."

Before I shut the door I said to the guy:

"That ones a keeper."
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I bet the guy is too dumb to be aware of that....

 

Nice. Very nice.