Ferrari Today - There's Something Missing

Yes, indeed, I would have had a 4C if it had a stick

 

I would have had a 4C if I could get in and out of it easily. I am not so good contorting my body any more.

 

Let us postulate that there is a beautiful supermodel willing to have sexual relations with you, often, and for a long time, but is completely limp in bed?

This is what all those marvelous digital conveniences do to the driving experience. They leave you limp. You may be faster, quicker,.....

But I would rather have an analog experience, myself, personally.

 

L-O-T-U-S


Sent from my 16M

 

So then what is the automotive equivalent to Viagra?
Stick?

Sent from my 16M

 

[emoji28]

I thought about this thread today as I picked up my Cali after getting new tires & chatting w kids at a gas station while filing up. If you think Ferrari is missing something, you need to get out and chat w some kids. Maybe show it off at a car show, not a fancy concours, but a local show. No one I've met in the 4 years of owning my humble beige Cali ever asked about the transmission, what kind of sump it has, stickies, transmission sensors, yada yada. I can't count the number of kids who have told me they dream of owning a Ferrari some day...T

 

While I believe that Ferrari's name will be cemented in history partially due to how you can buy anything with a Ferrari logo, I think there is something else missing. I'm currently watching a McLaren F1 documentary on youtube because I'm too poor for cable. Gordon Murray goes on to say that he knew they could have turbocharged the car and given it a semi-automatic gearbox and that would improve performance. He said he felt that would take away from it being a driver's car. Look at how well those have gone down in history despite no lineage. (I concede that may have been partially due to the speed record) Their price and reviews speak for themself. I'm not alone with my generation (I'm 29) with not being interested in all of the latest and greatest tech. I think we have surpassed a point of how much power and tech can we put into a road car and still make it useable and engaging on the road. I think that is takes the fun out of cars. Hell, a lot of my friends are buying 80s cars instead of new ones. The 90s cars are also an interesting market.

Then there is the styling. I honestly don't love the modern Ferraris. I don't think they look bad, but I don't think they look $200k plus good. I think the Laferrari looks great, but for most of them, it seems like they try to cram as many angles and sharp corners as possible onto the car. I prefer the rounded styling. I don't even really like how the 458 looks. *runs for cover*

I'm also not going to go on a rant as to why I love the peasant 360 platform, but I have had better performing cars that I will never love as much as the 360.

 

Ferrari oversaturated the market at a time when every other high-end carmaker was doing the same. They DID overplay their hand (dealers did in the US at least) with the Lusso/ Pista fiasco. The dealers didn't know that Ferrari would flood the market with F8s etc immediately following the Pista. Ferrari has lost its way and will lose its perch in the automotive hierarchy as the alpha brand. Being as objective as I can be (I love Ferrari) the competitors offer far too similar if not superior products. Ferrari wanted to be Hermes. Hermes didn't have MANY other truly competitive brands that it was competing with. (LV is the closest and they too have over saturated...LV has become a mall store!). The next generation of cars from all the major brands will put Ferrari on its heels. Honestly, what were they thinking coming out with that many new cars that quickly....insane. Cleary no love for their best clients or value retention let alone brand mystic. The best buy for Ferrari may very well be RACE for the time being....

 

The issue is Ferrari is now a listed public company. They have shareholders and stock markets they have to keep happy. Releasing limited numbers of each line is no longer going to generate the revenues needed to keep the dividends coming. Yes, they have shafted their customers by not giving due consideration to the second hand market. In the short term they may reap the rewards of higher sales volumes, but in the longer term, the lower residual values will push their customers to look at cheaper, similar (or better performing) cars such as Mclaren, Porsche, etc,... where values have already taken a hit due to oversupply. One other thing to bear in mind, is the constant need for manufacturers to developer more and more fuel efficient power units. This will inevitably drive the need to release new models to drop those units into. For those of you that think the powertrain of the 488, F8, portofino etc is the same unit, you are mistaken. Having been to the launch of the F8 at my local dealer recently, they described how each iteration of the engine has been changed/developed. I just hope that the specialness of Ferrari won’t get lost in the drive to keep the shareholders happy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I hear ya but the Pista and F8 are pretty different. The F8 is a luxury car and the Pista is a sport car. Kind of different buyers. Also Isn’t anyone can get the F8 I believe and they were a bit more selective with the Pista, no?

 

No the Actually the F8 and the Pista are virtual clones just option an F8 with carbon fiber and race seats and it is the same car with a few different body panels
And still 100k less.... Ferrari screwed up with this one at least in the USA both are great cars dont get me wrong but they pushed to hard on the Pista and before they built 1/2 the cars they pop out the F8 ... i feel bad for anyone that actually bought a car they did not want so they could get the Pista . the 100k difference is not really an issue ...

 

Keep in mind that the F8 is a stop-gap measure, because the "Little Brother" V6 hybrid would not be ready in time, and keeping the 488 going would lead to diminished sales.

It was the only way to keep the product cycle relatively on time. I'm glad they made it.

 

One big problem is the SEC. Even though Ferrari only floated a small interest, they are subject to all the SEC rules as if the company was 100% public. This means Fiat has to step up their game. For example, Ferrari is now subject to the Foreign Corrupt Payments Act. They can't do business they way they used to.

 

Nitrous

 

Absolutely!!
Except for the engine sound I dare to say that my Evora (with stick [emoji39] ) delivered a better overall driving experience than a Scud: better steering feel and damping.


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met FerrariChat

 

Learned the Porsche recipe with all the 911 variants...manual then not manual then, oh, another manual ....
Then Mac....new model every 6 mos.
Keepin’ up with the Jones’


Sent from my 16M

 

Or KERS ....


Sent from my 16M

 

Agree 100%
One time I took my Lotus Exige 260 and
Scud to the track and much preferred the Exige - much better roadfeel and handling.
Hard to make a 4 banger or 6 sound great but nothing beats the Lotus for road feel.
I felt the Evora was a bit heavy compared to the Elige...but understand the direction Lotus needed to go to survive



Sent from my 16M

 

Agreed the F8 is a great car with great looks . I saw it at pebble this past summer and really like everything about it...not sure if i will get one but i like it..
It is probably thr best looking of the new wave of cars .. well after the Pista ..

 

I agree. The point I am making is the difference of driving experience of the Pista vs F8. They are quite different. The F8 is smooth and the Pista angry. I will say I’ve only driven the F8 and whom I’ve spoken with who has driven both agree with this.

 

Much of that is lack of weight.

 

Exactly... “add lightness”


Sent from my 16M

 

Which is why it is nice to daydream about an entry-level Ferrari, i.e, $250k. Minimum safety stuff - airbags, abs, traction control. Maximum cool stuff -- assisted power steering, manual with a real clutch, cloth droptop, small, but big enough for fat Americans. Frankly, 450 hp and torque is all you'd need. And, and, it has to sound like a F360 with a tubi.

Hmm, sounds like a big Miata.