Ferrari chairman Luca Di Montezemolo to quit after 23 years

That's pretty much what I heard. They say you can't beat a dead horse, but I guess you can beat a prancing horse to death. Fingers crossed. The only up side, if you can call it that, is this will make the LDM era cars more valuable in the long term. Another chapter in Ferrari history. There was the Enzo V12 era, then classic V8 era of the 3x8, then the LDM era. Now we could be looing at the "It's just a Fiat with a badge" era.

 

Ldm successes vs flops--- a lot more of the first than the second. How many car makers can say that?

 

Funny thing is, as I read this title out loud at the breakfast table, my wife (who couldn't care less about anything automotive) dryly blurts out: "everything has an expiration date".

 

I predict the priority of Ferrari's F1 team in the company just went down one huge notch. LDM was a direct connection to Enzo's F1 period. That's all gone.

It's just numbers now.

 

The numbers have always mattered. Lets not fool ourselves here. We have a new direction strategically because of those numbers.

 

No, I think LDM really wanted to win. I don't think Fiat gives a crap if they do or don't as long as the cars go around the track and people still buy the prancing horse caps.

Ferrari may have one it's last world title. That's rather sad.

 

Dont care how many they produce, just want some great cars. While the 458 was the first really great looking ferrari in a while its underhwelming to drive below 9/10ths.

Of course if the half baked 4c is sergios vision then houstan we have a problem.

My guess is Sergio sees Fiat as dead. He vcan push Afa and Maserati sales in the upper mid range and lower upper range. Ferrari can be boosted for about 10 or more years at the risk of brand corruption, but by then the share price will be huge and sergio a hero.

Look at lambo(ferrari), porche (Masser), audi (alfa) sales, that is the sergio playbook.
In the end there is little to no profit in econo cars and euro production costs too high, but in the rpemium segment profits abound and he has soem great brands to play with. the triuck will be deleoping good enough products and if the 4c is anything tog o by, its not good. Great styling a cf tub but unmdeloped motor and strut suspemsion smacks of cynical development ala GM of old, ie the consumers cant tellt he difference so cheap out.

Kinda makes one relaise that lotus woudl be a greta buy, the last authentic sportscar brand out there, and an ability to produce cars profitably for 100k.They just need soem devlopment and to be part of soemthign larger for distribution. Wish trpoyota would buy them.

My guess is all pre sergio ferraris just wen tup another 10%.

 

Luca was amazing for Ferrari, even in f.1 terms...he might ****ed up things in the latest years but the 2 best periods in Ferrari f.1 history hapened under his direction...i for once will always be glad for everything he did for Ferrari even i didn't agree always with his decisions.

 

Yeah right : only mentioned in a few other threads in the four hours before yours !!!!!

 

The way I look at it, FIAT is about the business and the dollar. To sell the hats, they have to win. To sell more FIATs, they have to win. I believe they think that success in F1 is critical to their goals.

LDM, was good about making the stupid pouty faces at the races he attended, but it seemed little had changed at Scuderia Ferrari in terms of delivering top level cars. There's no excuse for not being at the top last year or the year before when there were years of the same engine configuration. V8's... it's something Ferrari knows about.

Time will tell if anything changes. We'll see.

 

LOVE IT.
LOVE IT.
LOVE IT.
(And it's probably more than just 10 lousy percent.........)

Marcel Massini

 

+1, and at the same time it's already a sad story now.

 

Good news would be: "Marchionne announces return to production of 1960s models."

Luca leaves just as the team was getting better. Alonso's car wouldn't start at Spa. At Monza, it started fine, it just didn't stay started. In Singapore, they should be able to start the car, keep it started for a couple hours and achieve a fine 5th place. Continuity is everything in F1.

Ferrari should run a second car, that's my only issue with Luca.

 

LdM will be well remembered for.
As for numbers I believe they also matter at Mercedes and they are winning...

 

An aristocrat being replaced by a technocrat. One produces art, the other produces appliances.

 

I don't know what to think. I admire Luca, and Marchionne, for different reasons. I hope SM doesn't **** the brand up too much, it would be a disservice. The cars are better than ever... And please, Mr. Marchionne, keep your sedan and SUV ideas at bay!

 

As always it will be interesting...

 

Luca left because the team is not winning and the reports from those fired sound like a broken and vindictive, slow to change style of management. Not innovative or fast moving to create a winning car. LdM was also reported to have been the final authority on all decisions per those who left. He wrote is own exit with those decisions.

Good or bad. He was also credited by Costa for making good ones when the team was winning. So things are bad and dont appear to be getting better? They let Stefano leave etc etc. He was next logically given that virtually all major players below him are gone.

Not rocket science and he virtually assured his own departure in Monza with a rebellious and silly press conference knowing full well his bosses would see it. He asked to be fired and was. No shock at all.

 

I'm the last person to want to see change so this isn't thrilling info for me. But from a practical perspective. How much did the brand/mystique/motivation degrade as a result of the LdM period? I'm trying to be optimistic here.

 

They'll go down market... I bet we see a new entry level to compete with base 911's... I can't lie though, I'd probably buy one.

Sedans and SUV's.... also on the table.

Porsche has it right with their current line up... they just also need a smaller Panamara to compete with BMW 5-Series.

It's about the $$$$$$.... I would agree that Ferrari's brand is under utilized.

The LaFerrari's, 918 Spyders, and P1's will always be around as limited special editions.

 

More from Ferrari.com:
“I leave after 23 unforgettable years”

Maranello, 10th September 2014 – “Ferrari will have an important role to play within the FCA Group in the upcoming flotation on Wall Street. This will open up a new and different phase which I feel should be spearheaded by the CEO of the Group.

This is the end of an era and so I have decided to leave my position as Chairman after almost 23 marvellous and unforgettable years in addition to those spent at Enzo Ferrari’s side in the 1970s.

My thanks, first and foremost, to the exceptional Ferrari women and men from the factory, the offices, the race tracks and the markets across the world. They were the real architects of the company’s spectacular growth, its many unforgettable victories and its transformation into one of the world’s strongest brands.

A warm farewell and my thanks also to all of our technical and commercial partners, our dealers across the globe and, most particularly, the clients and collectors whose passion I so wholeheartedly share.

But my thoughts go also to our fans who have always supported us with great enthusiasm especially through the Scuderia’s most difficult moments.

Ferrari is the most wonderful company in the world. It has been a great privilege and honour to have been its leader. I devoted all of my enthusiasm and commitment to it over the years. Together with my family, it was, and continues to be, the most important thing in my life.

I wish the shareholders, particularly Piero Ferrari who has always been by my side, and everyone in the Company the many more years of success that Ferrari deserves.”


Truly an end of an era...I'm sad to see him leave Ferrari.

 

From Ferrari.com:
“I leave after 23 unforgettable years”

Maranello, 10th September 2014 – “Ferrari will have an important role to play within the FCA Group in the upcoming flotation on Wall Street. This will open up a new and different phase which I feel should be spearheaded by the CEO of the Group.

This is the end of an era and so I have decided to leave my position as Chairman after almost 23 marvellous and unforgettable years in addition to those spent at Enzo Ferrari’s side in the 1970s.

My thanks, first and foremost, to the exceptional Ferrari women and men from the factory, the offices, the race tracks and the markets across the world. They were the real architects of the company’s spectacular growth, its many unforgettable victories and its transformation into one of the world’s strongest brands.

A warm farewell and my thanks also to all of our technical and commercial partners, our dealers across the globe and, most particularly, the clients and collectors whose passion I so wholeheartedly share.

But my thoughts go also to our fans who have always supported us with great enthusiasm especially through the Scuderia’s most difficult moments.

Ferrari is the most wonderful company in the world. It has been a great privilege and honour to have been its leader. I devoted all of my enthusiasm and commitment to it over the years. Together with my family, it was, and continues to be, the most important thing in my life.

I wish the shareholders, particularly Piero Ferrari who has always been by my side, and everyone in the Company the many more years of success that Ferrari deserves.”


Truly an end of an era...I'm sad to see him leave Ferrari.

 

I am NOT eager to see a Ferrari SUV…or 4 door sedan. I'm just not ready for that and I don't want it at all.

The urge to sit on the floor and stomp my feet and scream at the top of my lungs is very high right now.

 

No one likes change, but change is necessary for the Italian brand survival. VW now owns Ducati, Italdesign and Lamborghini, even Perugina chocolates isnt Italian anymore! There is no reason why any single Italian brand can't compete with VW or BMW. If I were Sergio I would use Ferrari and Maserati to my advantage and it seems to be working with the Maserati Ghibli.

 

Horrible news. Too bad the Federal Government didn't combine Chrysler into GM instead of giving this Opportunist Hack Marchionne a Company for free. Remember it is the profit from the Chrysler Trucks that is allowing the Hack Sergio's FIAT group to make any money.