Please offer this option: Classic instrumentation package

I was thinking about this when reading the Roma Speciale discussion today. That’s my favorite current Ferrari. It’s a forever design, IMHO, one of very few modern cars that I seriously admire. But…

The interior is going to date badly, like pretty much every other high end car. I like what Porsche has done with the entertainment/nav PCCM update for models up through the 996, because you can replace dated technology bits with something modern and OEM-looking. Great idea, but the rest of the digital displays look like crap. So, same issue even with the 992-gen cars.

These are expensive cars that end up looking like last decade’s video games inside. Think 1984 Corvette digital dash.

(OK, sorry for that image, try to unthink 1984 Corvette…)

What if Ferrari, Aston, Porsche et al offered a premium analogue gauge package with nav delete? I don’t use the in-dash nav anyway. Market it as Heritage (Porsche), Classiche (Ferrari), etc. Then you could keep the car for 10 years without the old video arcade feel. Either work with VDO or Veglia, or even TAG Heuer. Make instruments like classic race timers or watches. You keep your Rolex forever, so why does your $300K Ferrari or Porsche have to include obsolete nav and yester-tech gauge clusters?

/rant



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I keep thinking what will happen with keeping these digital cars going as they age and are no longer supported and systems start to go south.

 

Some will be nothing but scrap, others, like the 360, have people like @360trev to reverse engineer the computerized bits and others who've come up with novel solutions. Ferrari's live on!

 

It is so much cheaper to just throw a screen in there rather then constructing actual gauges with gears electric motors etc. The screens are cool..but they are a cost savings device..the whiz bang stuff is just a gimmick.

 

True. But we're talking about $200,000++ cars. I wouldn't expect this option in a Kia.

Full Porsche dealer retail on a brand new fuel/temp VDO combo gauge on my 911 is $1295 (I had mine refinished instead, wanted to retain the original gauge...)

Can Ferrari come up with that kind of money?.

 

Trouble is..the screens can be made to look far more expensive then just a set of gauges. The wizz bang of the screen just looks like money.

That said..these exact same people would never wear a digital watch. Only a mechanical Rolex will do. I personally like a beautiful set of mechanical gauges in a sports car. It is a must for me.

 

I think the screen technology has reached the point where an Audi A4 virtual cockpit is as good as anything Ferrari can outsource. It's like comparing a new iPhone to a new Samsung phone: nothing more boring than the comparison.

And yes, watching the green-lettered gauges in my 356 come to life was the essence of starting up a sports car. Would be just as cool in a Daytona, and even the 964 feels like a serious machine. No stupid wake animations or logos required.

 

Flippin stellar idea!! A lot of people including myself would pay a premium for the package on an order and frankly would pay for retro-fits if available for pre-owned cars.

Write the letter to Ferrari and let the signatures flow!!

 

I wonder what company could take on this project.. a jewel like set of Yeger gauges would be gorgeous..

How would one power the gauges without getting too invasive with wiring etc. Those screens also work as gateways to other functions in the car HVAC for instance.. I'm sure somthing could be done tho..

 

Want to see a dated digital display? Take a look at the Aston Martin Lagonda. Cathode Ray Tubes!

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https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/04/the-aston-martin-lagonda-was-a-technological-marvel-when-it-worked/

 

I love the old 80s digital gauge clusters! That being said, a mechanical gauge option would be awesome and really set Ferrari apart from the way everyone else has gone. I think it would still need a center screen though to handle all of the functionality that folks have come to expect without having a wall of buttons.

The digital displays do allow the cars to remain up to date though, as long as the manufacturer is still supporting it. The decade old Tesla Model S's digital dash still looks modern because it still gets software updates.

What I would love to see is manufactures open up the software for the these digital displays, at least on the older models once they stop supporting them.

 

A few thoughts…

1. The legendary sports cars, like an F40 or 911 Carrera 2.7 RS, somehow have all the functionality needed to drive. Add a smartphone and I have everything I need. If you need more functionality in your classic/exotic weekend car, look at an E-Type or Daytona. Works of art with daily driver functionality. Walls of cool buttons or switches.

2. Digital displays could be update-able, but most just get old and look dated. Either way, it feels more Costco than Maranello or Stuttgart.

3. And yes, it would set Ferrari apart. I routinely see expensive, obsolete navigation systems in exotics that have covered 3,000 miles in 10 years. Seriously? How often are people getting lost in their Ferrari? Stop competing with Toyota. Be upscale. Rolex, not Casio.

4. Tesla definitely has the software updates figured out. But I question whether a Tesla is collectible, forever car. I actually don’t mind all the digital tech in disposable daily drivers. In 20 years, they’ll all be recycled anyway. I would assume the buyer of a new Ferrari is planning on it being worth keeping for decades.





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