Age of 599GTB buyers

Not true, the 512BB is the last Ferrari road car with a engine direct from the Ferrari race cars, the whole car is as close to a v12 race car as you can get not to mention real race history not some made up challenge series just for one model of car.

New Ferraris are far from it, and concerning only wanting a 2 hour blast also untrue I have driven mine all day and still want more as its much more comfortable than any 3x8 or 355 as its roomier inside and rides better.What gets tiring is all the attention the car creates if you are in town as you can't just drive in peace which is why I take it to desolate areas to run.

I will never own a 5.99 unless they get real cheap not worth it IMO, it just doesn't appeal to me in the styling department, too bad as the performance will be great.

 

Forget the Murcielago.

Let's put this into perspective:

Luca D VS Enzo Ferrari
Enzo VS F40
550M VS 275GTB
360M VS Dino
599 VS Daytona

Err - I know which Ferrari era I'd rather have in my multi-car garage in spite of the performance differential.
Ferrari are commercially very astute - they are diversifying their customer base by broadening the appeal of their cars. As a result the cars MUST be less extreme and MUST be more everyday propositions otherwise sales would be restricted to a small hardcore of customers and sales would be weak.

Sorry but this has left Ferrari-thrill seekers like me (the hardcore) with nothing but disappointment.
Being in my 20's, I am prepared to put up with a bit of discomfort and driving effort if I'm getting a beautifully styled car with a fantastic involving driving experience - style and experience COMPARABLE to Ferraris of yesteryear.
Let me repeat: "style and experience COMPARABLE to Ferraris of yesteryear."

I'm not getting that becuase LDM is chasing the money (and succeeding) whilst Enzo Ferrari was chasing what HE thought was the idea of a dream car (and losing money).

Chasing the money = making cars perfect for the demographic most able to purchase them... i.e OVER 40's.

Whereas people like me in their 20's with the funds to buy these cars think WTF???? I may as well start wearing slippers and smoking a pipe.

Oh and make no mistake - the 599 may be a great looking car but it's a rubbish looking Ferrari. I'm not about to tell a 275GTB owner that my newly delivered 599 is "elegant or gorgeous" or tell a Daytona owner that it's "such an involving drive."

I'm seeing this "dilution" with Porsche as well - you can spec a 997 GT3 with heated seats and a bloody sunroof - this on a car which was as close to a road-going cup race car in the 996 GT3 RS guise as recently as two years ago.
Instead, I'll probably have to buy a classic Ferrari, or look to another marque.

One thing I won't do is idiotically declare my blind undying love for anthing wearing the Ferrari badge. Silly really.

 

YAY!!!!!!!

Someone who understands... the 512BB is a bastard difficult car to drive and the driving postion is appalling (in Right Hand Drive at least) and reliability is suspect..... BUT WHAT A FABULOUS CAR.. A true racer that demands a lot but delivers one of the purest hits of Ferrari 12 cylinder experience EVER. Brilliant car.

Suppose that was marketed to over 40's too was it? No - unlike the 599 it was a young mans car that old men could afford. Not like this new cruiser.

 

Don't discount the 360 and the 550 since they did quite well in various racing series. Sure, they're street cars first, but their racing derivatives have brought in the wins.

I think it's likely that we'd see a 599 racing car in a year or so.

 

LOL. Too funny.

Tangential arguments and attempts to correct the follies of youth.


Forza,


Cavallini

 

No, my friend, that car would be the F50, which had more racing deriviatives than any previous Ferrari model.

But I see and respect your views of the 599's styling. It's not for you. Fine.


Forza,


Cavallini

 

If these are your preferences so be it, as I stated earlier.

But as I see it, the automotive world today is not at all the same as it was in the 1960s, the era to which you wish compare Ferraris.

What Ferrari has done is to make true 24/7 supercars; cars that eliminate the daily-driver from the equation. You may argue that the "soul" of Ferrari is lost in this bold move.

I, however, would argue that I love the fact that I'll be able to HAVE ONLY FERRARIS in my garage. No MBs, Porsches, BMWs or whatever else I may have needed if my Ferrari were a 512BB or some other great weekend blast car that I wouldn't want to bother with sitting in traffic or if it's raining and snowing, or if I want to take a five hour road trip with my wife and future kids. Only Ferraris in my garage, a CGT and maybe a QP. What's more beautiful than that.

And the last time I checked, Ferrari was a business, which means their goal is to turn a profit.

Now, for a more "raw" experience you could buy a CS, a GT3 RS, or a Viper. Or you could "mod" a 360 or a Maranello.

I see your points in the differences between older Ferraris and recent ones. But behind the wheel I've heard no complaints, only rave reviews, as I've also heard about the differences between the Murci and the more "pure" Diablo.

At the end of the day this is the only point that matters.


Forza,


Cavalini

 

What racing heritage does the F50 have in its motor?

The 512BB flat 12 based motor brought Ferrari to several F1 Championships in the early 70s.

 

Glenn o Glenn, is this the first post of mine you ever bothered to read? Last time I checked and I could be wrong, I've NEVER came across anything about a car that could even possibly be related to politcal speech. Your grasp of the obvious is strong though, it is just a car. The grasp of the subtle, sigh, a bit more work is needed.

 

That's what it has become. The point of it was to figure out what the target age demographic of the car is.

Everyone ignored that and started comparing things and bringing a whole bunch of crap into the thread. Then the older guys get defensive, the younger guys put it down, and they go back and forth, dodging the original question.

 

Can't say I'm a follower of your past works, my friend, so color me oblivious.

Alas, such is the bane of the internet, behind these veils of anonymity I know not who I speak with, nor of their tone. I cannot see their raised eyebrow, their smirk, nor their tongue firmly planted cheekward.

As such, forgive me. If your post was of material made of irony, then its substance makes much more sense to me.

Danke.

 

dude, just go out and have fun with your Audi Murcielago. Today's Ferrari's are obviously not your cup of tea, so it is a mystery to me why you would want to spend such an amount of time and words on the subject.

 

Well he is just a "boy".

 

Couldnt agree more.

 

I think the 599 is great and I am 35. Does anyone know if they will offer it with a stick shift?

best regards,
Jerry

 

Well, given that you're one of several people who thought the comment was directed at them, it must have struck a nerve somewhere.

I was not commenting at anyone in particular. The statement was simply an observation - as true of the 599GTB in this case as it has been true of big Benzes, Bentleys, Cadillacs in their heyday etc.

I am also unaware of any superstar status that you ascribe to me, and I learned a long time ago that the only thing to do with money is to have a healthy disrespect for it, otherwise it tends to own you, rather than the other way around. So please, take a Xanax or whatever other antidepressant is currently in vogue and chill out .
I really don't give much attention to any specific opinions on this forum that I would take time to try to insult the poster. This is a forum, isn't it? - a place to exchange ideas, or so I thought.

 

The F50's motor was taken from the then current F1 car.

It was also the first time a Ferrari road car used the exact same suspension and engine height and placement, and other technicalities that I've forgotten, from the F1 car.

This was a very publicized fact. Google it if you don't believe me. That's why the real comparison between Ferraris and Porsche's should be the F50 and the CGT, which are both direct extensions from the track.

Hell, there's an old episode of Top Gear where Clarkson raced and compared the F50 to an older Ferrari F1, driven by Tiff Needle. Ferrari agreed to do this because they wanted to emphasize the direct F1 relationship of the F50. Clarkson discusses in detail how many firsts the F50 was for Ferrari or any road car at that time.

Go to Racingflix.com if you want to download the video. It's a great site for car videos as a whole. Well worth the $5.99.


Forza,


Cavallini

 

Here is the only thing I *know* about this subject with absolute total surety:

When I was 8 I would've drooled all over the sidewalk had I seen this car on the road.
When I was 20 I would've planned and schemed about how to make a dream come true to have this car in my garage.
At 38 I am pleased with myself that I had the foresight to order this car sight-unseen from my dealer two years ago.
At 40 I will not be able to sleep knowing that my 599 GTB Fiorano will be arriving in a few days.

If you want to kid yourselves that Ferrari worries about demographics and focus groups and runs itself like GM -- go right ahead. The entire production run of this car is already guaranteed to be sold. Ferrari, as a company, try to produce cars for its enthusiast-based clientele. I don't believe that they deliberately aim for an older client (that niche is very nicely covered by Buick and Cadillac). The products that they've made in recent years to me show that they are simply focused on building the most beautiful and exciting cars, with incredible performance .... period. If that means that they're too expensive for most younger clients ... well, frankly, it's ALWAYS been that way....

 

Not quite. The thread starter called the 599 an old man's car. That's what started the arguments.

I think it's no mystery that LDM wants cars that will be widely desired and widely used, unlike past Ferraris that were weekend and track day cars.

He said and did as much with the 360. I don't know why it surprises anyone.

I also don't see anything old-manish, whatever that's supposed to mean, about the lines of the 599. It's gorgeous and very now, but still very classically Ferrari. That's a very difficult objective to achieve.

Of recent cars, I would say only the Enzo has been a greater design acheivement. It's easy to make a mid-engine exotic that has a singular purpose. But to make it a truly stunning, over the top work of art and intensely fast in a straight-line, from 0-100-0, and a banshee on the track is an entirely different objective.

The 599 has achieved something similarly stellar because of it's engineering and all-purpose abilities.


Forza,


Cavallini

 

I am 41, a V12 coupe guy and the 599 type. After I bought my Vanquish last year Iwas very much looking at trading in my spider on a 575. Because of political reasons (the boss) and the fact that it was the last model year I didn't. I thought I'd wait it out and see, I got no problem paying over sticker rather than waiting.

I'm not a fan of the car, but I haven't seen it in person. Some cars are photogenic, others aren't i.e. IMHO a Ford GT looks nice in pics, but in person I didn't care for it.

That being said, I'm getting an LP 640 and keeping my spider and Vanq, the former will be my wife's car.

If an aftermarket tuner (Hamman/Imola etc) can do a nice replacement front bumper instead of the current (hideous) one, I'd consider buying a 599, though that is not the only styling cue I don't like, just the obvious "hairy mole" that needs immediate attention.

The bottom line is some people like GTs (maybe they tend to be older?) and some like sports cars (? younger ?). Who gives a ****? If you want to buy it buy it, if you don't don't. It's just a ******* car forchrissakes.

 

Superbly put.



Forza,


Cavallini

 

Another alternative is to buy the older cars that DO have attitude. I debated between a Testarossa, which my heart told me I wanted, and a 550 Maranello, which is a better car. I went with the Testarossa, and I am absolutely glad that I did. If I could afford it, I'd get a 288 GTO before I would buy any of the modern Ferraris exactly because of the driving and stylistic excitement in the older cars. It would be fun if Ferrari would make something more financially accessible than the Enzo, with the dramatic flair of its cars of the 50s through the 80s.

 

7 pages on this thread and not one person from this site under the age of 35 has come forward to say that they are actually going to buy it.

Also an interesting comment from Ferrari's PR Manager in Evo:-

"The 575 was aimed at more of a GT customer, but now the 612 is our GT flagship. The 599 is a pure sports car but with the kind of practicality a 575 customer needs."

Do we as Ferrari buyers (regardless of your age) want practicality in a Ferrari over drop dead gorgeous looks?

Is a pure sports car really pure if practicality is a key design factor?

 

I do- the roads around here are not the greatest and while I understand what a sports car is, I like to have the ability to drive it to everyday places too.