calls apparently answered_Ferraris to get smaller

Do you talk to yourself ?

G

 

Replace the word Ferrari with Porsche and 12 cylinder with air-cooled and you have normally sane people crying over an inefficient cooling system that died 10 years ago, thankfully. You will see a repeat of that situation here. Like it or not, the "12 cylinder or walk" guys will be crying during the concerto......

It WILL be a problem for Ferrari because a certain portion of their fan-base will disown the company but yet stay around to bash the current cars, no matter how much better they may be.

 

LOL, I think he does....have you seen the threads in the 599/612 Section?

 

the old man will be turning in his grave.

 

Nick,

Did you see the EVO article, it is actually very entertaining...

 

As a transaxle Porsche straight four owner I know the bias toward everything not having an aircooled 4 to 6 Zylinder boxer in the least interesting position in the car I know very well. But thats another story and part of the fun of owning a 308 is that people know exactly I could afford an air cooled 911 and therefore theres no more need to proof when I say I own the 944 because I like IT and not because I just couldn't afford a 911 but wanted to drive a Porsche.
When I bought the 308 the seller (a friend of the owner) told me, for them a Ferrari is front engined and 12 zylindered. I thought: OK, it's the same thing all over again. But with the Ferrari its easier. Its simpley a matter of age. For my - and the following generations, a Ferrari is Mid engined and has a V8. Magnums 308 had it, the 288GTO had it, the F40 had it. The front engined V12s where just the boring GT cars of my generation. We become the next target group for Ferrari now, that for many the children are out of the house and the now higher budget has to fill out the unused sparetime.

 

Now wait just a minute.

The flat crank is what gives the Ferrari it's distinctive sound. Loose the flat crank, and you loose an ESSENTIAL element to the Ferrari experience, the sound. How many times have you heard people describe the "wonderful music" that the Ferrari engine produces, that F1 wail, the glorious sound of the exhaust note. Sorry, but the flat crank stays.

 

and historically thats always been 12 cylinders
i love the v8's too dont get me wrong - but a "musical" ferrari to me has always been a 12

 

Yes and its very interesting - or as you put it "entertaining" (a curious choice of word - deliberate ???)
im a big fan of the ethos "racing improves the breed"
and i do welcome any moves to utitilise newer and lighter materials and of course a move back to smaller cars is a great idea. (the fact that the current "small" ferrari is physically nigh on the same size as the flagship model of a few yrs ago is ridiculous)
what i dont want to see though is ferraris become more playstations on wheels.
Im already concerend that more and more people dont understand what an Fcar is supposed to be about, yes an F1 gearbox is great on a racing car and yes its great on a playstation game, but on a regular road car it removes part of the tactility involved in driving, and inmy eyes thats never a good thing.
The really worrying thing here though is the proposed move away from a 12 cylinder car.
This to me is ferraris signature, and a move away from that is yet another nail in the coffin of heritage and a step closer to hell.

 

You can hear the mechanical music much better with the top down.

If you want a somewhat affordable Fcar that points you in the direction of a 575 SuperAmerica for a 12 cylinder.

The 550 Barchetta has a funky top...can't drive over 75 with it up.

What other 12 cyl "affordable" convertible Fcars are there?

PS. I love my 360 spider and it sounds so great with the top down. Mid-engine, 8cyl tho.

 

+1

Yes. and F1 race cars the engine behind the driver for a reason. the mid-engined cars seem more agile and sporting to me while the v12 are more GT cruiser in approach.

 

I don't care if it's the a V8, V10, or V12, it MUST have a flat crank in it to get that distinctive Ferrari F1 sound.

 

the boxer, the tr series were of around the same period as the cars you mentioned and were all mid engined 12 cylinders.
the F40 successor the fantastic F50 is also a V12.

the point your missing is that these days (and indeed for the last 20+ yrs) there are 3 levels of new ferrari ownership.
whatever way you look at it the V8 cars are entry level - and yes mid engined.
then we have the GT cars with a big V12 up front
finally we have the ultimate - the "Super" Fcars - the last 2 of which have been v12

so to say to your and following generations that ferraris are mid engined and with a v8 is pretty short sighted and blinkered.
oh and btw whilst magnums car may have had a v8, sonny crockets both had 12 cylinders - and hes way cooler
(and yes we all know the daytona was a replica, but in the series it was meant to be real)


finally - for all those of you who seem to think a flat plane V8 is where its at simply watch and LISTEN to the following clip
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-919398666610227238

 

thats really not the case - pls do some research.

 

It may not help much. Self perception is often more deep seated than reality.
________

OK - let me say it again. A Ferrari is a 12 cylinder car. A Porsche is a rear-engine and an air-cooled car. This is the way.

12 cylinders forever - (and BTW, these do also have shared crank throws, and which is totally beside the point-).
________

This interesting thread is the first time on this forum that I have ever had a really good reason to challenge the Bullfighter. Do you have a repressed envy of the flat twelve, sir? - if so, that is an easy enough thing to remedy.
________

I do not like V10 engines because I once owned exactly half of one - a Mercedes 5 cyl Turbo-Diesel. And it was just about the roughest thing I have ever driven, with the possible exception of my grandfather's Gravely lawn tractor.
________

Finally, what in the hell any of this has to do with a V12 car's COOLING SYSTEM I will never understand!!!
________

Now, I am just waiting for somebody to tell me that a hybrid 4cyl turbo 1.1 litre Ferrari will be good for me.

James

 

thanks - nice link

but that was why the big IF I ever...which BTW, will be NEVER get a Porsche....why bother? I DID like them but in another totally different world now...liking it too

 

Is that so? Well then I guess the V8 that Ferrari is currently running in their F1 car doesn't make it a Ferrari. Or the V10's that they ran for just about a decade, also didn't make the cars Ferrari's. NOT!!! The road cars are nothing more than a way to get money for the F1 race team, were the "real" Ferrari's are.

 

Uhhmmmmmmm... It wasn't me that said that "a
Ferrari is a 12 cylinder car" first. I think the guy that said it first was pretty stubborn, too. Heard he refused a visit from the Pope when he was at death's door, even.

But, OK, then - you modern revisionist guys win. I give up.

Real Porsches are turbo V8 SUV's. With front water cooled engines. Real Ferrari's have automatic transmissions. Real Corvettes have a blue flame six and a powerglide.

 

Boy this thread is giving me a headache, I think whatever Ferrari produces will not disappoint either way. They seem to get it right 90% of the time.