Ferrari chairman Luca Di Montezemolo to quit after 23 years

So reason number 376 why Newey did not go to Ferrari is suddenly interesting ????


So much speculative bull**** both on this forum as on others.........everybody seems to know everything while actually nobody seems to know anything..............

 

Ferrari Is Going To Build More Cars To Keep Rich People Happy

 

It's just a Palace Revolt...similar to 1962...


I am not pretending to "know anything"....

Like DF1, I just drive a car with a little horsey on the horn button.
His are nicer.....

 

'Top of the morning' Mr. G.....hoping all is well.....

I'm saving up, for my ticket next year...and a jacket and hat!!

 

It's a slippery slope, this "increasing production"..I certainly understand output capacity, and the $$$ they have put into the Factory.

It can bite them real quickly, as previous customers (Enzo, for example) learn that their "x of 399 made" is actually "one of who knows how many" made..

That's a real world misrepresentation.....or "fraud" is another word, that comes to mind.

As to the resignation, on my "brief morning meeting" it was rather a one sided conversation, and I noted the papers were all dated from the day before!!
I got my hat, my Penn Senators, my surf board, and left the Hospital.....

 

Welcome but I think you might want to take a look at the many other threads already begun addressing this very issue

 

Should have come to see me. We fix those problems.

Art

 

Too true.

 

I was thinking about this on the way to work today.
I disagree on reducing the production numbers to maintain exclusivity. What needs to be taken into account is population growth. So many more people are on this planet and so many more people are getting rich that they could actually increase the production numbers and still maintain the percentage of exclusivity (or even decrease it!).

 

The beginning of the end..

 

Isn't the FF SUV enough ?

 

Ferrari exclusivity HAS declined over time, even under Luca di Montezemolo.
50's Ferraris were made in single numbers or at worst a few dozen for each model…The most "common" 60's Ferraris -and up until the 365 GT 2+2- did not number more than 800 units during their entire production lives.
We started going into the thousands in the 70s and once we got into the 90s we started seeing Ferraris being made at the rate of thousands per year. If I am not mistaken the 355 was the first model to be made in over 10,000 copies (the Testarossa was just under 10,000 and the 348 approx 8,300).
We have seen cars with Ferrari engines before, witness the Lancia Thema 8.32, the Fiat Dinos (and the Stratos) although at the time Dino was positioned as a different brand to Ferrari. Putting a prancing horse on mugs, caps, t-shirts and key fobs WAS a crass marketing trick that worked wonders for Ferrari; in my eyes it devalued the brand, in the eyes of non-owners it enhanced it. Same goes for the amusement parks. They all create fans who will rush to buy a Ferrari once they have enough money to do so.

Luca Di Montezemolo saved Ferrari; he improved the product, made it profitable and allowed all of us to enjoy what the brand is today. We should thank him for it and he will be recognised as the second most influential Ferrari head after Enzo himself.

Anyone who may have wanted to keep the company the way it is should have found a way to get rid of Fiat. The Marchionne move is just business; it is what any shrewd manager would do. Share the platform, raise production to 20,000, but also use the floor/chassis for Alfas, Maseratis etc. Don't make a SUV, but build a Maserati SUV with Ferrari engines. Use Ferrari suspension "technology" (read: branding) for sporty hatchbacks.
It will make more money for shareholders, more money for Marchionne. The only people who will be unhappy will be the old customers who will now form the minority…And you know what? Where are they going to go? Porsche is the same and so is Lamborghini. There is no small firm that can produce 7,000 cars a year AND build them at a price that mere mortals can pay. Pagani is too small and too exclusive and the one company that perhaps can do it (Maclaren) is too "cold" for me.

Still, I'd better keep that Dino, F12 and my Speciale Spider! Look at how desirable Porsche 993s are now, while you can't even give away used 996s...

 

The biggest Italian Sports newspaper today..........

(Pullover = Sweater)

Marcel Massini
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Lots of truth here. But those old cars were just terrible! And yes, it is just business. But the current Ferrari formula is balanced as it offers style, exclusivity, performance, and panache -- and it is hugely profitable. That balance is apt to be disrupted now.

 

The only problem for Luca is Ferrari's current performance in F1. I couldn't believe it that Ferrari actually supported the turbocharged F1. You know, those guys like Mercedes, Renault-Nissan, VW, etc; They are the best when it comes to turbo. It will be difficult for Ferrari to compete with those king of turbo. Next : Diesel F1.

 

Verdict: Guilty as charged.

 

sweater = no style

 

You need to look at Ferrari's old cars in the context of the era they were built in. I ve owned a 250 Lusso and a 330 GTC and I have driven some of the others…If you compare them to anything made in the 60s -with the possible exception of Alfa GTAs, Lamborghini 350s and the odd Flaminia Zagato- they stand out, MUCH MORE than Ferraris stand out today.
The GTC is still a great drive today, I would happily buy another one. A 250 SWB is still a terrific and exciting car and the same applies to a 275 GTB/4
I think you re being a little too hard on them!

One thing is certain…599 GTO, 599 SA Aperta, 458 Speciale Spider, 430 16M, 550 Barchetta, 360 Challenge Stradale, they are all good cars to own right now…The next batch will share its engine or chassis with another 30,000 units...

 

The technocrat and the aristocrat...efficiency vs. passion.

 

and what's in hell wrong with that ?

 

OK. I accept your point. And I have driven a 250 SWB and loved it, though I found the 275 GTB/4 a little ponderous. And these old classics are what made the brand in the first place.

 

I suspect (but don't know) that the F1 business is just cover for other things. Luca had his share of winners in his time.

As for the turbocharged formula, it was writing on the wall. The formula was going to go turbo and the coming generation of V8s will be TT, so the technology connection will support their bread and butter road cars (though the V12s will remain NA for now).

I don't like TT exotic cars though turbos are ok for "lesser" rides. I will probably move over to the F12 for my next sports ride (already have an FF which has the lovely response and sound you can die for) but will wait to see how the 458 replacement shakes out. Maybe there will be an engineering miracle.

 

For some people nothing. For some people everything

If buying a car that depreciates the way a modern 911 does is ok for you
If going to the factory and meeting the same person that helped you design your previous car 4 years ago means nothing to you
If you find the notion of a Maserati Quattroporte that looks and feels like a Chrysler (and shares plenty of components with them) attractive
If you are a Mac P1 owner and believe that building 3 different models of Maclaren (650, P1 and the new one) using the same engine is an attractive proposition
If you consider a Ferrari diesel the latest advancement of the brand (or the Ghibli diesel for that matter)
If your lifelong dream has been to drive a Ferrari SUV
If you like the sight of a Ferrari dealership that has 30 brand new cars parked outside with discount stickers on them waiting for buyers (I can show you several Porsche dealerships like that)
If owning a $50,000 Ferrari sounds like a great idea to replace your Boxster

then the new setup will suit you perfectly and there is NOTHING wrong with that. We are just different
Marchionne may still continue the Montezemolo legacy. Perhaps we are wrong in being pessimistic...Lets see