Yes we agree. To be symetrical you need two sets of different wheels. Ferrari made the mistake on the FF and on the 458.
Geneva's tour by Harry Metcalfe (812 part starts at 33:45) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOsqp-mXrUo He talks about the gap between the rear window and the spoiler. He also describes the rear as "much better looking than the F12's", which may sound like a heresy to some.
Wow that goldish yellow on the 488 is beautiful! As for the 812, I believe a gloss black rear diffuser would work better with brighter colors.
Well an interesting day in Geneva. Biggest disappointment the AM Valkyrie. Looked like an egg had been dropped onto a skateboard and if that cockpit is comfortable for two I would be amazed. Let's be fair, it's really a single seat race car whose development has been financed by its buyers who have had to pay very substantial stage payments, substantial enough to make a friend of mine ask for his initial deposit back. You could tell where the star if the show was by how the crowds built and it was the Ferrari stand, and the Superfast. Avid readers will recall my initial impression at a private factory view where I left liking the side and front, being unconvinced by the rear and very disappointed by the quality of the interior. What happened in Geneva? The matte grey car happened and I found it much more convincing as an overall design, the side profile really beginning to impress me and the rear becoming more cohesive as I always anticipated and hoped with a more suitable paint colour. I think what also really helped was seeing it in a more human environment, a far better setting than the rather antiseptic Atelier. Consequently I think it will look even better on the street and it certainly is a much more modern take, moving the basic F12 design well into the future. Sorry, but I'm sticking to my initial impression on the interior and I have seen enough of them over the years. Simply put it's definitely cheaper and it's a money pit, a trap, as is the whole car! Think back to when LDM said the plan was not to sell more cars but to make more on options. Well Macchione has taken this to a new level and not only wants to make more cars but also to make more on the options and that has to have been part of the design brief. The biggest disaster are the air vents, so cheap, in fact frankly just shoddy on a car at this price point. The door side panels in grey metal/plastic, couldn't decide which, are below par and the non carbon parts are just cheap, especially the mess around the central bridge, as attached, which is a meeting of four materials, one of which appears to be a cheap plastic which doesn't seem to appear anywhere else. The CF alternative is a different world. I cannot recall, but I think the bridge on the F12 was metal whereas this is plastic. In short, we are being sold a very clever, good value, canvas on which we can paint at some considerable expense in order to bring the interior up to standard and make a considerable difference. This is carried through to the outside where once you have seen the endless potential carbon addenda, the many areas of black on the red car just appear disappointing. There is so much of it, that, unless you spec very carefully, you run the risk of your $400,000 Superfast looking like the cheap version. The problem is that it wouldn't surprise me if you could spend around the cost of a new Porsche, a 911 not a Cayman, on carbon, inside and out. That's is a way to make money on options. Best colours for my eye will be Ferro, GT, GS, something of the same tonal palette as all the vents etc and then anything but a plain black interior. Mix it with a lighter relief colour and it will be fine, or use lighter colours overall. Add carbon and it will be a nice place to be. I like it a lot more from this trip and have the start of a spec beginning to form in my mind. I think we are going to be surprised by the reaction when this car hits the streets and I am finally genuinely glad I have my order in. What worries me is the expense but for Ferrari, it looks like mission accomplished. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Agree with this but I was expecting base price in UK to be more. I understand the business model to get more value out of limited production numbers but if that allows buyers to personalise their cars more I for one can live with it.
I suppose you could take the attitude, especially with our rubbish currency, that the base price should be £25k more and so you automatically have that in the bag to spend on upping the quality to what it should have been in the first place.
No doubt the strategy has changed on options. I spec'd my 488 very sparingly and didn't do TM and managed to add £50k to £182k with ease. I could easily have added £70k. There was a time not so long ago when options added 20% per car on average. Now it's closer to 30%. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
As always, update and thoughts are much appreciated. And great to hear on colors as I am leaning towards either ferro or GS (had a T in ferro and 12 in GS noted earlier) with a lighter interior. What did you think of the sabbia? I love ferro but havent seen it on a 12c GT Ferrari in the flesh. very disappointing that bridge is plastic, do you think that's just preproduction? Thanks!
If I were to spec this car it would be a shade of metallic grey and every single piece of carbon fiber option both inside and out. Talk about a margin pinchers delight....I bet the tally for every CF option will be in excess of $130k USD.
Tim, I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head and from their IPO Prospectus, the add-ons from Atelier/Tailor Made are one of their key revenue streams.
It will be interesting to see spec and price of 488 VS. I thought the 458 Speciale was "value" as the basic car included most of what you would want. I only added about £15k in options to get my perfect spec. I am assuming this will change !
http://cdn.gearpatrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Geneva-Auto-Show-Gear-Patrol-41.jpg What a car! Look at the line!
As I said, about the price of a 911, just on bits of carbon which must have cost them what, $10,000 to make. Is this a McCarbon or Novitec opportunity?
Tim thank you for your thoughts on the 812 and its good to know that your opinion on the car exterior looks has improved considerably after seeing it for the second time. Coming from someone that has eyes and sensitivity to interpret in the best manner what a GT Ferrari should be, your thoughts are no doubt extremely valuable to this community. Concerning your evaluation of the interior of the 812, it appears that Mr. Macchione has resuscitated that old maximum which stated that when you buy a Ferrari you get basically an engine and a car with it. What you described about the interior design brief and the cheap quality of some materials isnt admissible in a car of this price. The sad thing is that this behaviour indicates clearly that Ferrari evaluates new customers as being people that dont care or dont take notice of these details and when they do, Ferrari believes that they have unlimited resources and can spec. in terms of upgrade whatever they want. Lets hope one day Mr. Machionne will read your posts and learns something from a knowledgeable and dedicated Ferrari customer.
I think the options debate is quite interesting. A 562bhp 458 with a reasonable amount of options cost over £200k in 2010. Soon we will be able to buy the 812, at probably a 25-30% increase in price, for the flagship V12 model, 7 or 8 years later and 240hp or so more. Actually, my dealer's 458 spider demo was £300k and was not TM, so in some ways , there is almost no price increase. If the idea is to keep price increases to a minimum, and allow more personalisation, I think that's a good thing. Out of interest, I didn't look closely for long, but it seems that the vents and the bridge are the same items from the Lusso. I know 100% the bridge is aluminium and I have also been told the vents are too. The vents were a bit more confusing to me, because they didn't not feel quite cold enough to the touch to convince me they were metal. However, another member asked the question specifically on the Lusso test drive and was told they are a very thin, lightweight metal, more expensive than previously. Personally, my first impression, as with the Lusso, was not "ooh, it's a bit cheaper in here..." I think there are only a few components that are genuinely 'cheap' items, such as the plastic piece behind the bridge, the plastic piece somewhere around the steering column, and that's about it. Whether you like some of the 'non-cheap' items is another point entirely. But I don't think they are trying to save cost, but more likely ensure that enough people avail themselves of the options list. Given the pricing strategy above, I think I prefer that.
Actually yes, some of the best interiors have very little. The F40 is beautiful. So too the 430 Scuderia. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Interesting Tim. So what does this mean for future resales since it generally accepted that one does not reap back the returns on expensive options when selling. My plan is to drive my F12 for along time and then perhaps get a "pre-loved" 812 with 2000 miles on it in a nice spec for pennies on the dollar.
My personal opinion is that some of the more needed options will retain their value as they bring the car up to a proper GT spec, other, more personal preferences will not.
Very much agree, its not so much that options add value, its that some options make a car easier to sell down the line , witness Daytona seats, certain wheels or (even more so) handling packs on older cars. These days selling a car without an LED wheel or in particular Shields is going to be hard. Thus certain options are needed, others ill advised if thinking of re-sale, though one hopes its never all about "re-sale". I was surprised by the interior of the red show car in Geneva, both the omissions and the (red)inclusions. A car that's been to Tailor Made or has an unusual color restricts your eventual market unless you find a buyer who loves your vision in which case you could get a premium. So if anybody is now specifying a RHD 812 in Verde Zeltweg, Rosso Rubino, or Blu America over a classic GT interior please PM me when you are thinking of ordering that N/A - Hybrid in a few years time.
I am told that there will be no 812's delivered in 2017. First deliveries in early 2018. Possibly RHD & LHD will debut at the same time. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk