Top 10: Worst Italian Cars | FerrariChat

Top 10: Worst Italian Cars

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by Tobias, Feb 26, 2006.

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  1. Cozmic_Kid

    Cozmic_Kid F1 Veteran

    Dec 1, 2005
    7,572
    Denmark
    Full Name:
    B. Frandsen
    I think the list is pretty accurate, apart from the Mondial. Surely there must be another car that is worse.
     
  2. Kds

    Kds F1 World Champ

    The very first car I ever owned.....a FIAT 124 Spider.....wasn't on the list.....should have been, if my ownership experience was anything to base it on.......
     
  3. snj5

    snj5 F1 World Champ

    Feb 22, 2003
    10,213
    San Antonio
    Full Name:
    Russ Turner
    It's just another inexperienced journalist meeting a story deadline pulling a 'list' out of his butt.
    Poorly researched, poorly written, third person subjective and inaccurate - other than that it's ok.
     
  4. J. Salmon

    J. Salmon F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Aug 27, 2005
    4,363
    VA
    Sorry, but however impractical, this car was every boy's fantasy car for many, many years. It still looks absolutely menacing, and has the sound to match.
     
  5. Miltonian

    Miltonian F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2002
    5,966
    Milton, Wash.
    Full Name:
    Jeff B.
    Extremely stupid and pointless article.
     
  6. ClassicFerrari

    ClassicFerrari F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jan 7, 2004
    16,798
    Toronto
    Full Name:
    Vasco
    Agreed! These guys are nuts. The Countach!? That car should be on the list of 10 best! :(

    I totally agree with the Maser BiTurbo. Although a great looking car, you look at the car the wrong way and it costs you min $2500.00 in repairs.

    I also agree the Mondial should NOT be there.

    Vasco
     
  7. sjmst

    sjmst F1 Veteran
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jul 31, 2003
    9,853
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    Sam
    I drove a Lancia Beta. VERY enjoyable.
    And, the Mondial is "Successor to the unloved 308GT4." Unloved? These are the cars to snap up. I think they are going UP.
     
  8. Slim

    Slim Formula 3

    Oct 11, 2001
    1,735
    Pacifica, CA, USA
    Full Name:
    richard
    Yours must not have been old enough, because somehow I'm driving a 37 year old one as my daily driver. Certainly one of the best fun-for-the-money cars available today.

    There are "bad" cars, but I think mainly there are mismatches between owners and cars. And sometimes people expect more out of a car than it was ever designed to be. Some cars, especially ones not made in Germany or Japan, require more attention than the owners give them, and without that attention they break down. But for those who don't mind tinkering or modifying and upgrading, who enjoy having that hands on connection to a car, almost any car can be reliable and fun. (and I should know: I've had 8 Fiats and have driven them as my daily drivers for the last six years, ha!It's so much more fun than driving a modern car).
     
  9. robin's308

    robin's308 Formula Junior

    Jan 14, 2006
    306
    Honolulu
    Full Name:
    John
    countach... they must be blind, deaf, and dumb to write that in the article. the mondial? terrible article
     
  10. classic308

    classic308 F1 Veteran

    Jan 9, 2004
    6,793
    Westchester, NY
    Full Name:
    Paul
    I drove a Fiat Strada, got over 100K miles out of it and never left me stranded.
    Fuel Injection made all the difference. Car was ugly, which is probably the ultimate sin for an Italian car......

    Sam-which cars are the ones to snap up, the GT4s or the Mondials?
     
  11. RussianM3_dude

    RussianM3_dude F1 Rookie
    BANNED

    Mar 15, 2004
    4,097
    Switzerland/Montreal
    Full Name:
    Nikolai Petroff
    No offence to modial owners, but mondial was not a very good Ferrari, I mean it was an ok car, but for a Ferrari it was a bit lame. Hence the prices are so low for it. I mean I talked with a Ferrari dealer and asked him what was his most unloved Ferrari and he said mondial.

    Flame suit on.
     
  12. Koby

    Koby Formula 3

    Dec 14, 2003
    2,307
    The Borough, NJ
    Full Name:
    Jason Kobies
    HAHAHA, what a bunch of loosers for putting the Countach on that list, Henry Biggs/MSN please hand in your testicles. I doubt any car has ever been the focus of more bedroom wall posters, or ever will be. Is is the ULTIMATE exotic.
     
  13. andrewg

    andrewg F1 Rookie
    BANNED

    Sep 10, 2002
    4,667
    Chester, England
    Full Name:
    AndrewG
    Shock horror........Journalist writes complete load of Bollocks!

    Henry Biggs should be included in the list of top 10 Worst journalists and obviously hasnt driven a Strada Abarth or any of the other cars on the list
     
  14. Chiaro_Slag

    Chiaro_Slag F1 Veteran

    Oct 31, 2003
    7,789
    CA
    Full Name:
    Jerry
    The Countach has no business on that list.

    And WTF is this??

    "Nowadays Mondials can be snapped up for under ten grand but we wouldn’t advise it."
     
  15. Simon^2

    Simon^2 F1 World Champ

    Oct 17, 2005
    12,313
    At Sea Level
    Obsurd article.

    Pretty clearly they wanted to include a Ferrari and a Lambo on the list so they just picked a couple cars that they could rationalize in some way.

    Regarding the countach and parallel parking and reverse... Rearward visibility in the F40 isn't that great either, and I've never parallel parked the F40, and hope I never have to! Would this author dare to put an F40 on the list?

    As for the modial, and specifically the cabrio.... the "hood piled up pram style" all 80's convertibles did the same. Besides, look at the Jag XK8 and Aston Martin DB7 , their "hoods still piled up pram style" until about 2005 and 2004. Lucky they're not italian or they'd be on the list too.
     
  16. sjmst

    sjmst F1 Veteran
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jul 31, 2003
    9,853
    Long Island, NY
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    Sam
    As much as l like the Mondial, I think the GT4's are the ones to keep your eyes on.


    That may be. You just have to understand it for what it is. It is not a superfast car. I think it looks good and is fun to drive. I just took all three of my sons for a ride in it today. That's all I need to say.
     
  17. donv

    donv Two Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 5, 2002
    23,988
    Portland, Oregon
    Full Name:
    Don
    Without having read the article, I'd like to point out that none of you (with the partial exception of SDortonF40) are defending the Countach's driving experience, or reliability, or overall ownership experience.

    The defense of the Countach seems to come down to "Hey! It looks cool! I had a poster of one when I was a kid!" There are plenty of cars which are cool looking and impossible to live with.

    Now, "Worst" is certainly subjective, but a "hardest to live with" list might well include the Countach.
     
  18. racespecferrari

    racespecferrari F1 Veteran

    Jan 31, 2006
    7,583
    Suffolk, Uk
    Full Name:
    Pete.G By The Sea

    Firstly who the F%@K is Henry ''I know Sweet F.A. About Cars'' Biggs, is he any relation to Ronnie Biggs the great Train Robber?!?!?!?, what a talentless jerk.

    blindfold anyone and start up a Mondial and ask them what company made it, even my gran would probably say ferrari

    And as for the Countach, apart from needing a car-less road to park its awesome with the sound and the peformance plus its over the top looks

    Biggs should be in the top 10 'I wanna be like Jeremy Clarkson wannabes competition'
     
  19. racespecferrari

    racespecferrari F1 Veteran

    Jan 31, 2006
    7,583
    Suffolk, Uk
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    Pete.G By The Sea
    I'd like to know what that muppett has in his garage, probably a robin reliant or a 2cv, couldn't handle any more power
     
  20. WJHMH

    WJHMH Two Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 5, 2001
    25,364
    Panther City, Texas
    Full Name:
    WJHMH
    Agreed, the Countach is the best representation of modern Italian design.

    At that price let me know where to find one. I'm sure that statement makes Mondial owners happy.
     
  21. Bullfighter

    Bullfighter Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jan 26, 2005
    22,352
    Indian Wells, California
    Full Name:
    Jon
    He says he has a Lancia Beta in the article.

    I agree, the Mondial is looking pretty svelte compared to the rest of the junk there.

    It's subjective, but the Countach seems like it belongs on the list. The flares, scoops and wings are awful, and the whole thing isn't exactly daily-driver reliable. The Boxer and TR are infinitely better, IMO, and the TR especially you can actually drive in real life. Except for the classic Miura, I think Lambo's best era is happening right now.
     
  22. 412monzaindy

    412monzaindy Formula Junior

    Mar 8, 2005
    876
    Ontario Canada
    Full Name:
    PBI
    I still have my GTV-6 parked in a barn now going on 12 years.
    parts were and still are priced higher than some of my 308 Ferrari parts

    Fun to drive but mechanincally, real bad I can still hear the rust crackle from here. ( I still remeber quite vividly, Head Gaskets (2) timing tensioner updates, to 164 specs (3), timing belts, blowing of the intake ( 20 times) 2nd Synchros, clutches, on and on and on.

    Owned a Strada, 100K on that, not bad as far as reliability. Also had a Lancia Beta, in 76, was a pretty good driver. and never let me down.

    Fiat 124 loved it.

    I had them from new.
     
  23. EpDarks

    EpDarks Rookie

    Dec 26, 2005
    13
    Totally worthless article. I never read car articles from non car enthusiats. What do MSN writers know about cars?

    "Skinny tyres made the Countach a handful in corners"

    Yeah, those 345mm rear tires were way to small, its not like they were by far the largest tires ever put on a production car. This guys info is wack.
     
  24. J.P.Sarti

    J.P.Sarti Guest

    May 23, 2005
    2,426
    First series LP400 Countach had Michelin XWXs on 7 and 8" rims.

    Don't know how many have actually been in a Countach but they get alot of heat from the trans tunnel and engine combined with a huge windscreen and greenhouse side window with the lower window that opens 2" its a sauna on a good day.

    I don't think the design has aged very well, the same with the Diablo, especially compared to a Boxer or Daytona as they still look clean and fresh, all the scoops, plastic side flares date the Countach and Diablo.
     

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