Has Ferrari Lost It's Luster?

But that depends on what one is looking for.....I'm set on classic exotics, but have never owned anything newer with a modern automatic transmission.....Ferrari just doesn't have the car that checks the most boxes. Lamborghini and McLaren do.

The closest fit in my case is a Scuderia, but other cars are better fits.

 

Wow this is a pretty depressing thread.
When I pulled it up, I thought there would be a lot of counter opinions, but instead yall dig in deeper LOL !

I'm still super delighted to be getting my new 430 soon. Lambo is VW, so even more of a corporate giant, McLaren... I mean... How much DNA is there.

 

I pretty much buy what DD is selling. I never really thought about Ferrari loosing luster. I thought it was just loosing luster for me having been there done that and being an old ****. I just thought I have mentally moved on from the hassle of owning and driving them. None of the new cars look good to me. I think the 430 was visually the best of the 8's and the Maranello the best of the GT 12 cylinders. In a similar way while I race vettes, I don't own a C8. I love the concept and drivetrain but can't stand how they look.

 

I do not think so but what Ferrari is today is merely representative of what the car industry today is. Imagine they had carried with NA and did not adopt turbo chargers.

 

Having watched the video, the content seems pretty superficial, aimed to appear knowledgeable and incite a return viewership (just like lots of news-selling techniques). There is little factual basis for the opinions , little to no recent business production numbers and financial results compared to previous periods in a quantitative manner. The overall sense to me was fear-mongering and Chicken Little. Of course, if one does that long enough sometimes it is correct even if the basis for the remarks is weak. The video strives to appeal to the emotions rather than supportable logic.

Citing Ferrari Chat appears to have been done to offer a sense of confirmation, to give the speaker an aura of authority, rather than a discussion of what actually is discussed in the threads here or who would be participating in these threads.

The automotive business is fickle and faces many uncertainties, some for the first time. We do see a lot of manufacturers struggling to get the balance right.

In light of the overall automotive business news these days, the video question is reasonable to ask. It would be good to see evidence which helps answer the question. In the meantime, enjoy the drive. They are cars.

 

They were openly showing their disdain for customers back in the late days of the 360, waaayyyy before their turbo/hybrid invasion.
I guess they were slightly more subtle about it in the 80s/90s as Brian noted, but then they started winning championships with Schumacher.

 

Ferrari simply have so much money now, they don't have to care about their cars, their customers, even their F1 racing program is nothing more than a vehicle to sell more Ferrari branded garbage. They are selling defective products, then shrugging and walking away because it isn't their problem. This is on top of stupid prices, the dumb waiting list game, and it's no wonder people are starting to tune out.

In reality, none of that really matters. The people who aren't tuning out are the people who buy these things with couch cushion money and view it as nothing more than a fashion accessory.

I can't say I blame them, either. They are a public corporation whose mandate is to sell luxury items at maximum cash extraction value. I know I certainly wouldn't balk at charging someone $40k for a $2k paint job and another $7500 for squirting $8 worth of paint on brake calipers.

Further, it isn't just Ferrari who love playing stupid games. Porsche is full in on it now, as are all these companies selling overpriced pseudo luxury EV's where the only really luxurious item is the price tag.

At least we can still admire their old clunkers.


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The 599’s are dropping? Guess I haven’t paid enough attention lately but I’m still kicking myself for not pulling the trigger on one for $89k a few years back…just couldn’t fathom giving up my manual tranny.

 

Possibly yes but inherently Ferrari know they whatever they do customers will still buy the cars they make and to some degree I think the jumping through endless hoops probably appeals to some people.

 

Well, dropping *again*. They were cheap, and then got expensive through COVIF and are slowing dropping again. Right now 140-160 seems to be asking prices for nice ones

 

I thought he just got that? In any case, I can only afford one stupidly high car payment at a time

 

Man that's nice! It's interesting how much of the styling language is reflected in the Cali T.



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Good un.

 

This is the only Ferrari I can get excited about

 

A Ferrari strap on!!!!!! Brilliant.

 

With the official trademark of course.

 

Yes.

 

296 looks awful and a V6 no thanks.

The last good car for me was my F8. Probably only going to but older ones now.

 

Yes the the new ones have…truthfully for me the 911 series are more exciting

 

What is temperamental, emotional has a musical voice, a comfortable inside, a great ass and we can’t live without?.....

 

Wow, finally a reasonable response to the original post! I mean is this a Ferrari / Ferrarista chat? For real? All the hate... wow!

I'll go against pretty much all the comments made above and say this:

While I do question the modern hybrids (SF90 and 296s), I absolutely love my F8 and my 812. Had the F8 for 2 years and the 812 for 1, I've done >10k miles / year in both, tracked them, dozens of hard mountain passing, and they've given me ZERO issues. Including the Novitec exhaust system on both. Nothing but joy. I don't have sticky buttons, and the overall driving and ownership experience has been simply phenomenal. What do I compare it to? I also own a ML 600LT (want to talk about reliability now?), I've owned 2 GT3s (loved them, but boring compared to Ferrari), and Lambo Huracan EVO (also great, but not a Ferrari).

BTW, I also have put 4k miles on a 2009 430 Scuderia and so it now has 18k and again, zero issues. And... 4k miles in 2 years on an F355, driving it hard all the way to the 9k RPMs. Having said this, I do spend quality time and money on proactively servicing all my cars, including of course oil change and pre and post-track inspections, every year, religiously.

Next, in line with @mcw's comment, I'll try to stick to some facts. I believe Ferrari is not only the last of independent car brands, but also the most profitable by far too. I think it is nearly 5 times higher than the next most profitable manufacturer (Porsche). Then a simply query using Perplexity and you get this:

• Consistent Growth: Ferrari has demonstrated a consistent upward trend in sales over the past decade, with only a slight dip in 2020 likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Record-Breaking Years: The years 2022 and 2023 have been particularly strong for Ferrari, with sales exceeding 13,000 units in both years.
• Recent Performance: In 2023, Ferrari achieved a 3.3% increase in shipments compared to 2022, totaling 13,663 units.
• Regional Performance: In 2023, Ferrari saw growth in several key markets:
  • EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) increased by 1.8%
  • Americas saw a 10.6% increase
  • Rest of APAC (Asia-Pacific excluding Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) remained substantially flat.
• Production Limit: It's worth noting that Ferrari had previously maintained a self-imposed production limit of 7,000 cars per year to maintain exclusivity. However, this limit has been lifted in recent years, allowing for increased production and sales.

This data demonstrates Ferrari's strong market position and growing demand for its luxury sports cars, despite global economic challenges and the exclusive nature of the brand.

More over... there's all this complaining about turbos. May I remind everyone that 1) the F40 and 288 GTO were both turbo-charged and 2) Porsche and ML also went turbo in 2016, 3) Like Porsche's special GT line, Ferrari does still offer a V12 NA in the 12 Cilindri. So may not hate their customers that much...

I can keep going... A lot of what they're doing is one 1) due to regulation, 2) due to being a public company. No one can control the regulations and choosing to go public may or may not be a popular choice to many here, but... well see stock price attached. And you know what, may be expensive but I'll take the Purasangue over any other SUV out there.

I'm obviously a big fan, but I'm also concerned with the very latest models and especially with the new pricing. However, has anyone see what Porsche is doing with the new GT3s??? The wonderful Revuelto is what, $750k without options??? I don't think it's right to go after Ferrari when everyone else is doing it, Ferrarichat guys!



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The Ferrari brand will lose its luster when the average person stops running down the street to take photos and videos every time one drives by. I live in Los Angeles/NY and that mania around these cars hasnt dissipated one bit IMO. Older generations always frown upon what the next generation loves, and younger generations tend to not have that same nostalgic feeling about what previous generations held dear. Kids love what is new to them the same way we did when things were new to us. That goes for cars, films, television shows etc. Look at the disputes on here daily about how the CS is better than the Scuderia, but the Scud is better than the Speciale, but actually the Speciale is better than the Pista and bla bla bla. Life is valleys and peaks. Is the brand trying to find its footing in a new hybridized world that was thrust upon them? Sure. Will they break a few eggs in the process to figure the way out. I think so. I’m in entertainment and there’s a rule we tend to live by: Never count real talent out