Forza mag spot on regarding Porsche.

Is bigger better?

Commentary by Aron Jenkins
Forza February 2020

Maranello's future looks bright indeed, unless you're concerned about the marque losing exclusivity due to rising production numbers. Or, if like me, you worry that Ferrari might turn into Porsche

Back in the early 2000s, the German maker of sports cars broke its 50-year mold and introduced the off-road-ready Cayanne. Porsche purists were horrified, but the SUV made the company rich.

Today, Porsche is now a SUV company with a small sideline in sports cars. I think Porsche's identity has changed permanently for the worse.

 

Both the Cayanne (an SUV) and the Boxster (a sports car) saved Porsche from death's door. Now, Ferrari is following the same roadmap, by upping production volume and adding an SUV. Perhaps the marque willl be a bit less exclusive, but it seems a wise investment on Ferrari's part.

And by the way, even at higher production numbers, I rarely see any Porsches on the road even here in the wealthy Northeast. Even at higher production volumes, I won't expect to see many Ferraris, either.

 

Porsche is dead to me.

1988 Porsche 944 S - 1995 Porsche 968 Cabriolet

Rust in Peace

IMHO

 

Ferrari can learn a lot from Porsche. They reintroduced the manual gearbox with the 911R. They now have many models that offer the manual option. The sports car range is amazing and visceral. The GT3, GT3RS, GT2RS are serious machines! They also brought back the flat six NA to the Boxster Spyder and Cayman GT4. Porsche also is serious about providing service and parts for their older classics from 356 to 914 to 911 to 928 etc. have you been to a Porsche Experience Center lately? It’s amazing. You can performance drive most of the range. I have a 246GT Dino and there’s really nothing for me at a Ferrari Dealer. I would never trust them to service it. There are little to no correct parts available from them or technical support. When I drive my 356, early 911 or 914/6 to a Porsche dealer I feel welcomed. If I were looking for a CUV or EV, I’d prefer buying a Porsche. At least I’d feel welcome. Porsche keeps their heritage alive and accessible.

Check this out:

 

All great points.

 

Would you trust your dealer to service your air cooled cars? I'm not so sure about my local dealer working on my 930 and 3.2 Carrera cab. The tech's training is based on the latest water cooled stuff, so unless they have an old timer, it may be difficult.

 

The two local Porsche dealerships were completely terrible with my 993 C4S.

Matt

 

The guy who services Porsche at my local dealership has been doing so for 25 years at that dealership.

So yeah, I trust him.

Joe

p.s. I did the Porsche Experience Center in 2016. Fun.

 

I agree. I wish I did not have ultra bad Porsche mojo. Porsches 100% break on me...its not the car. If I could owe Porsches it would be gt3cup for racing and cayanne diesel for daily.

 

Yes,

Yes, my dealer near me is Rusnak Westlake Village. They have a Porsche tech that’s been there for over 25 years. He works on my ‘72 911. Knows MFI and all the nuances. Has lots of air-cooled Porsche’s there. I totally trust him.

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That orange and car are stunning!

 

Thank you! It’s Tangerine/Blutorange. Mostly original paint. Tourist delivery at the factory summer 1972.

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I don’t think Porsche v Ferrari are necessarily apples to apples compare.
As a disclaimer, I have both in my garage.

1. Ferrari’s provenance is a racing company that needed to build customer cars to finance that effort. This alone meant it wasn’t going to be a car for the masses.

2. That racing heritage attracted the wealthy of the time (and still does). It is by far a more aspirational purchase than any production Porsche so the target audience is materially different.

3. Ferrari’s increase in production numbers are a little misleading. If they were going from 7,500 units to 10,000 units of existing lineup it may be dilutive to brand. But they are increasing the numbers with new models or simply spider versions of existing or planned (F8, F8 Spider; 812, 812 GTS, etc.); others are limited runs (Monza 1&2); couple of new models SF 1&2 and the SUV.

3. None of these have an entry price point anywhere near Porsche. And based on dealer orders demand is there at all levels.

4. The SUV at $275k remains a very aspirational target, while a multitude of soccer moms can drive a Macan.

5. The Roma is likely to be priced as an entry level car similar to Portofino and and still well above an entry Porsche.

6. Porsche has always (more or less) been a mass production car for the public with roots in VW, albeit lower production numbers than VW but my impression (not an expert) is that those production figures are driven by price, more so than preset availability.

7. Not to detract from Porsche’s racing heritage they far and away the endurance gold standard.

Just an opinion from an enthusiast. Both Marques are fantastic. I don’t personally believe Ferrari brand is in danger. That said, if the bankers and economics nerds get too vocal, they could lead a pressured management to screw things up eventually.

 

Regardless of social standing, the biggest difference I see between Ferrari and Porsche is Porsche has a better relationship with their customers. They seem to listen more and make their history more accessible. Porsche is authentically tapped into the past and future. An enviable position. Makes me feel good about being an enthusiast.

Ferrari seems to sell everything they make, so from a business perspective, seems like they’re doing a great job. In the public spotlight, they do a good job of connecting with their heritage. Behind the scenes is something else. Apparently, even if you have an older Ferrari such as a 355 or 360, parts other than mechanical are difficult to get. I can only imagine what a 15 year old LaFerrari will be like.

Seems Ferrari’s business model is the latest racing technology adapted to a road car. I don’t disagree with that. For me though, I look for the most engaging visceral driving experience in a car I fall in love with. New Ferraris, for me, are too big and complex. I would love a smaller, more analog experience. Also, I see buying a Ferrari as an investment but they get “old” too quickly. Quickly replaced by the latest model. Great for some, not for me.

 

All great points. I have only been an owner of the Ferrari a short time so very limited experience on the relationship side. Appreciate your thoughtful reply.


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Since you have both a Ferrari and a Porsche, please keep sharing your experiences!

 

Will do!


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Best post and photos ive seen a long time...dream garage!

 

Thank you! I think they compliment each other. The Dino was Ferrari’s answer to the 911. Each is a completely different experience, with the brand, driving, parts/service availability and culture. It’s like having a wife AND a mistress and they’re best friends!

 

Since you asked. Went to F dealer (Ferrari, Mas of Ft. Lauderdale) last Saturday just to introduce myself to service manager. They did the annual on my 458 before I took delivery from an exotic car dealer in town but not a F dealer. Couldn’t have been nicer or more accommodating. Looked up a fee things for me, talked about the car and generally spent time getting to know each other. Impressive given it was a Saturday and 4 pm.



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