Question about Shields

Ok, I know that there are certain options on ferrari's that are personal and ultimately beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But I cannot get my head around shields on Ferrari's. Why do so many people want them or put aftermarket shields on their car?

To me it just breaks up the lines of the car and make the fender look more busy. And unless the car is yellow, or the calipers are yellow, they often clash with the color combo.

If i remember correctly, Enzo used the shields primarily on his race cars.


Im not trying to start a fight, this is an honest question. Why are shields such a big deal?

 

All I can say is that when I take my shields off (they're magnetic), something seems to be missing. The only other identification on the car's sides is the center wheel hubs, and that's easy to miss, so the shields help make up for that.

As for the racing connection, when my 328 was built, Ferrari was still mainly building and selling road cars to raise revenue for the racing team (the reason they began building road cars in the first place), so I feel that connection with Ferrari's racing program, no matter how tenuous they might seem.

The magnetic shields are inexpensive and easy to take off or replace, and these are the "better" magnetics, with beveled edges, so they look like a permanent installation to the untrained eye, a much better value than the expensive shields available from the factory. Of course, they will not adhere to aluminum bodywork!

 

Pic please.

 

Also it is like using a nice tie tack , just adds something extra.
As one famous man said "ever girl needs just a little Lip Stick".
John
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My F-car didn't come equipped with factory shields, so why would I consider knock-offs?

 

Having seen F430s both with and without shields I can say, unequivocally, that I prefer to have the shields. I think the car looks better with them. Those who didn't had the option of ordering the car without them.

It really is as simple as that.

 

Except your car doesn't need identifying from the side. By who? Some dork at the traffic lights? Someone you pass on the interstate? Who cares? You know you are driving your Ferrari when you are inside, behind the wheel. That's all that matters. Just saying.

 

This is not a big deal. You either like them or you don't. Pretty simple.

 

Because more people like to look at Ferraris than to actually drive their Ferrari. Enzo would not be ammused.....

 

Actually Enzo would be laughing all the way to the bank. He regularly used to make jokes of rich American "boy's who would come to the factory to pick up their cars - only half finished, and make them wait and or "up-sell" them to another model, which had only been made for the street - which in reality was an older racing model.... If he "liked you" he would take you for a drive him self, and then when you paid more money than originally planned he would take you to lunch... that was in the 50's.... He really could not have cared less for the road cars, they did carry his name so he wanted them to be nice when they left the factory - he did not like complainers - but if they broke down the next day... could not care less.

by the 80's he was exclusively focused on racing - and having his old boys club for lunch... it was more of a play thing for him then. After 69, Fiat paid him an annual "rent" for the factory as well as "racing sponsorship" for the rest of his life, in exchange Ferrari ceded his 50% of the stock at his death, with 5% to Piero and remainder to Pinninfarina, and several other long term Ferrari managers. when Ferrari "asked" his engineers to build the F-40, he was thinking about going to LeMans - IMSA racing, and used it as a way to have Fiat fund the development - remember this was aobut the time he built the Indy car as well... It's interesting that Ferrari never kept any of the racing cars he built, when he died, he had several rooms of his Modena Home - an entire building in down town Modena - that had hundereds of tarnished trophys just piled up in corners and laying on the floor. those are the ones in the Ferrari Museum ....

It is true that when Ferrari was alive the only cars that could carry the Scuddeto ( shields ) were the ones that were sanctioned by the racing dept - Mr. Ferrari... I have them on my car, as a tribute to the racing ...which drew me in to Ferrari in the first place. for me its an entirely personal - inside meaning .... don't care what others think.

When I was in Maranello in 1989, I bought two scudetto stickers that I kept saying that I would only use when I got my own Ferrari... so they waited in the bag till 1994.... today I have the originals but have put on the heavier metal ceramic shields ....

 

+1 ...they are a factory option, so why not!?

 

You answered your own question right there. Some people just like te look of them.
As far as the shields being only for race cars, those days are over. Things have changed. Cars today have connections to the race cars and that's enough for me for the cars to have them. With the transmissions and if you look at the back of an F12, the copy and pasted a part of an F1 car.

 

I just love the prancing horse logo, esp black on yellow, so I like having it on the side of the car. It feels like something is missing when it's not there IMO. I don't see how it breaks the lines of the car at all.

I also like it much more on colors OTHER than yellow, since the contrast is what makes it pop. It's also always bothered me that the yellow of the shield is a slightly different hue from giallo modena. I think if I had a yellow car, I'd probably go with a carbon shield.
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IMO it looks a lot better with them.

 

You don't like them - yadda, yadda, yadda - I do - blah, blah, blah.

Hope that clears everything up.

Cheers,

George

 

If I recall correctly, Gianni Agnelli's personal Testarossa had shields during Enzo's lifetime.

 

My car came with factory shields.

To me, it is another detail that makes owning a Ferrari unique. You don't see shields on Pcars, Lambos, Astons, etc.

For me, my Fcar without a shield is like a day without sunshine.
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I like the shields as well. It kind of looks like something is missing without them. I think if my car didn't have the factory shields, I would probably have added them. I'm not sure though, because the add on ones don't look 100% correct to me either. I do however LOVE the factory ones!

 

They came as standard equipment on the 599 GTO.

 

I have some really cheap magnetic shields I bought on Ebay for about 10 Bucks. I always have them on my 308. Often I will stick them on my 250 too. Last week I put them on my 66 Jaguar.

 

It's an american thing, in a country where you cant really drive at speed, and most people don't really know how to drive anyway, a ferrari is a hey look at me fashion acessory. That is also why most are red with tan. Its all living in the image of ferrari racing without ever actualy doing the hard driving.

It is also good business for ferrari, how do you make more profit if you limit the supply of your "brand" you have a lot of acessories to drive up the price.

But then with the exception of the 458 all the newer ferraris are cartoon pastiches for the hey look at this crowd anyway, as a credit to ferrari thery srtill perform great. This is a contrast with porche who have even made the 911 a bloated softie no amtter what the performance specs say. I think it was Clarksoin who said the Maclaren lacked Zing in comparison to the 458. So a round of applause the ferrari who still keeps zing and passion in their cars as a "core brand" value, while the others(except lambo) miss the point of driving a supercar almost entirely.

So yes if selling sheilds give ferrari extra profit so they can still build a few superlative cars, then its a good option.

 

I love shields...on the sport but not GT cars.

 

If the car has never even seen a track, you're a poser imo. As my car didn't have them and wasn't available with them, I don't think it'll ever get them.

Besides, I drive a screaming yellow Ferrari, I really don't need another badge on it to tell people. I wouldn't be able to see them from behind the wheel, anyway. I think Ferrari (rightly) figured that if people were going to plaster the cars with the badges, they might as well do it themselves and make a 1000% profit on them. I view them the same as all of the useless CF interior panels - I'd rather spend my money on track tires and rental fees than that garbage.

 

If you haven't taken your Ferrari on at least one epic adventure of 1K miles or more - including an overnight stay - you're a poser imo. lol.

There is no right or wrong about shields. You either like them or you don't. Same with tracks: Going around in circles bores the hell out of me - I'd rather aim for the horizon - but I'm glad you enjoy going nowhere fast.

Cheers,

George

 

Ahhh but in texas you can still drive fast on nice clear open roads, esp hill country. Elsewhere its traffic, potholes and gestapo city traffic police, so the track is the only option at least if you want to DRIVE.