Motortrend rips Ferrari in the latest COTY | FerrariChat

Motortrend rips Ferrari in the latest COTY

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by 96redLT4, Feb 21, 2021.

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  1. 96redLT4

    96redLT4 Formula Junior

    Feb 20, 2009
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    Jim
    Not sure how much faith you guys put in the car rags but I kind of like that Johnny Lieberman and think these are 'car guys'. Car is the F8 Tributo and it didn't finish dead last but 6th out of 7 just behind a Corvette and just ahead of a Porsche SUV. They were surprised to have an F8 and said Ferrari usually won't participate if Lambo comes. They liked the straight line speed but did not like the steering or brakes which required (what would have been a $20K) rebuild at the track. They can't be called biased as they picked the 488 GTB as COTY in '17. They did imply however that they have subsequently learned that the 488 Ferrari supplied was a chipped 'ringer'. Thoughts?
     
  2. JAM1

    JAM1 F1 Veteran
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    Motortrend is a turd magazine that hasn’t been relevant for decades. The last time I was interested in what they considered the car of the year was as a freshman in grade school. Who cares what they think.
     
  3. 96redLT4

    96redLT4 Formula Junior

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    Sorry guys. I have to make a correction. The competition is for 'best drivers car'. I guess the points remain the same though
     
  4. crinoid

    crinoid F1 Veteran
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    Their Deputy Editor Bob Sorkanich is an idiot. He wrote a review of the 488 (?) and repeatedly kept complaining that it didn’t sound like an F12 or 812. Well, it’s a V8 and not a V12 BOB, ya moron.
     
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  5. Natkingcolebasket69

    Natkingcolebasket69 F1 World Champ

    A friend of mine knows Randy their test drivers and apparently at Laguna Seca he is faster in the 488 than tributo. I went back and checked his time and he was. Not sure how that’s possible but I guess he didn’t mesh well with it on the track...
    But yeah really I’d take the F8 over anything they had anyways;)


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  6. Redneck Slim

    Redneck Slim Formula 3
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    Ferrari offered and provided that car to MT. It should have been perfectly prepared (like suspension alignment).
     
  7. spirot

    spirot F1 World Champ

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    Motor Trend has not in my opinon ever been a good car magazine. I guess if you want to know about the latest Ford f150 or something like that its ok... but for a Ferrari test? no. Road and Track used to be somewhat ok, and Autoweek slightly better. no American "Car" magazine has ever been that good on cars. You have to go to the UK for a serious car magazine.... EVO, Octaine, CAR or one of the speciality marque mags. .... only time I leaf through Motor trend is in an airport and its left in the gate area.. or on the plane.
     
  8. krazykarguy

    krazykarguy Formula Junior

    Apr 17, 2014
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    I let my MT subscription lapse when Arthur St. Antoine started 'writing' for the rag. I couldn't make it through any of his convoluted drivel in one sitting, even though he frequently waxed poetic about Ferraris.

    That was at least 10 years ago, I can't imagine that it's gotten any better since then...
     
  9. BJK

    BJK F1 Rookie

    Jul 18, 2014
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    Find something bad to say or that has been written about Randy Pobst. He driven hundreds of cars on track setting many lap records, is down to earth, no-nonsense and tells it like it is straight shooter.
    He's worth watching and listening to. I put him right there if not above Chris Harris (who plays for the camera too much, imo) :)
    .
     
  10. 96redLT4

    96redLT4 Formula Junior

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    I think that was the point. How could the 488 have been so much faster/bettter unless they were given a tuned ringer.
     
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  11. 96redLT4

    96redLT4 Formula Junior

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    Agree. I think he tells it like it is and is a real enthusiast.
     
  12. paulchua

    paulchua Cat Herder
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    It's an open secret Ferrari likes to control media. Since Ferrari will never be the 'best' on paper in many instances. This fact contradicts the persona Ferrari spends much time and money to protect.

    Owners know first hand, there are just as many detractors (press not immune) gunning to take the top gun down a notch (or several.) The hyperbole toward our brothers in Modena is hard to find elsewhere beyond politics. (Jeremey Clarkson - yeah, I'm talking about you.)

    Is it the right marketing strategy? I will argue most Ferrari purchasers are not hardcore enthusiasts. The double-edged sort of Italy's finest son being fashionable means they are especially susceptible to blows from mass media.
     
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  13. gw32

    gw32 Formula Junior

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    I agree 100% about Pobst. Very experienced sports car racer with many wins at all the big tracks.

    While I don't care for car mag's as much as I did in my youth, I have enjoyed an appreciated the annual MT Best Drivers Car issue. For over 10 years the mag has tested 10-12 cars each year against each other including a drive from LA to Monterey and 3 days at Laguna Seca where Pobst drives each car to get a best lap time. They include a track map with each cars times, speed and g's through each corner with commentary. Having raced LS many times in a Porsche 911, I find the data interesting and informative. They also include a page that list lap times for the over 100 cars that they have tested. All driven by Pobst and utilizing a standard test regime.

    The F8 lap time was about 1/2 second a lap slower that the 488. They said that in the 2017 test the 488 didn't do very well on the 1st day and 4 factory mechanics worked on the car over night and significantly improved lap times, they speculated that the car may have been chipped to around 800 hp. Still, lap times in the 1:31-32's is insanely fast for a street car. When I was racing about 7-10 years ago, a well driven Porsche 997 Cup was in the 1:29-30 range. Interestingly, the winner this year was the Lambo Hurracan Evo even though it was 1/2 sec slower than the F8 and a full sec. slower than the 488 in the 2018 test.
     
  14. LMPDesigner

    LMPDesigner F1 Rookie
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    Two things:

    1.) I know Randy Pobst. For a long time know. Fast, intelligent, fair. If car is good he will say so. If it is bad, he will say so. No chance he is playing games.

    2.) Ferrari has been known for years to cheat on almost all of the cars they supply for track tests. They have been caught many, many times doing that. Just how they play. Like it or not that is how it is. So my guess is that the 488 tested was tweaked in some way.

    Of course that doesn't explain why the F8 was so poor a performer, other it not being that great a car. (The 488 overall has a lot of issues--not nearly as refined and nice a car as the 458.)

    Even Ferrari (lots of times) fails to get it right. But sometimes perfection (458 Speciale as an example.)

    This coming from the chief designer of the Ford GT.
     
  15. crinoid

    crinoid F1 Veteran
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    RP is the ONLY redeeming value of MT.
     
  16. BJK

    BJK F1 Rookie

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    That's enough for me. He's worth it! :D No nonsense, straight shooter. Oh, and FAST !
    .
     
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  17. yoda

    yoda F1 Rookie

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    Agree in regards to Randy Pobst. I've met him a few times and had a couple good conversations. He is the real deal. I see him as an American version of Tiff Needell. In this case I suspect the 488 was quite the ringer.
     
  18. merstheman

    merstheman F1 Rookie

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    Just as an aside, don't doubt the fact that every manufacturer probably sends out media-special cars. Not just Ferrari.
     
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  19. JAM1

    JAM1 F1 Veteran
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    Still, if Ferrari had juiced the 488 test car they would have done it with the F8 too... right? That argument doesn’t make much sense to me.
     
  20. 96redLT4

    96redLT4 Formula Junior

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    ^^Actually they joked in the article that Porsche usually sends out a friendly PR type person to just sort of hang with the car but F sends out a hard core team of technicians ready to do everything possible to achieve victory
     
  21. spirot

    spirot F1 World Champ

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    Funny Story about St. Antoine:

    In July of 1990, I attended the Windfield Racing school at Paul Ricard in France. this was the American version of the Windfield Elf school. so there are about 20 American's and mostly ages ranged from 19 to 23- 24. except one guy who was clearly older, at least 30. So as you start to get to know each other this kid I met says to me under his breath, that's Art St. Antoine... from MT. I'm like who is that because I never read the magazine. so fast forward 3 days later - Art and me are in the same group - 1st group that goes out in Martini F-Renault normally Aspirated cars. its the morning of our last day, and we are basically now doing open lapping. passing is allowed anywhere on the club track. ( south loop where DeAngelis was killed ) Art is first out, I'm 4th. we get about a dozen laps. I don't know what was going on that day with me, but the car felt so perfect, I was really in the zone. I quickly start to pass the other two guys in front of me, I'm like this car has so much more performance. by lap 5 I'm seeing St. Antoine up front, and start closing in. we spend the last 3 laps nose to tail, basically racing, each time I thought I could pass him it was too late - I did not want to cause an accident. (One of the owners Simon De Latour was adamant - you cause an accident you are paying for everything... and I was pretty broke!) so I just kept up the pressure, and we finally got the In board, and came in next lap, when we got out Simon was there and comes right over to both of us and I thought "here we go, he's going to rip me a new one" "Well done,that was some really great driving"!

    St. Antoine and me both got an invite to the Pilote Elf - later that Fall... i went and got knocked out in the 3rd round, but also got the chance to run ( as a pay driver for a local Nice FFRenault team. ( I was living in Switzerland and once my work / residency permit was up, I had to reapply from my home Consulate... so had to come back to the USA.. and life got in the way. Fast Forward, 6 months later a copy of the magazine shows up from Antoine with a whole article on the school... I'll post it when I have time to scan the pages.

    Art was a very nice guy, very fast, and overall I liked him!
     
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  22. Natkingcolebasket69

    Natkingcolebasket69 F1 World Champ

    Chris is a much much much better journalist though.
    Randy puts you to sleep, Chris has a good personality


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  23. Natkingcolebasket69

    Natkingcolebasket69 F1 World Champ

    I think u are wrong about Clarkson.
    He is a fan, has had plenty of Ferraris and has dissed them as needed: 348 felt like it had tired made of wood, the 412 was horrible in everyway, the old Testarossa was a dog, people think most Ferraris are amazing truth is they aren’t, and he also didn’t like the 575 vs the Aston.
    All of the above are quote from him on top gear. He did of course also said that Ferrari was a scaled down version of god;)


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  24. LARRYH

    LARRYH F1 Veteran
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    IS that you ... If so great job...
    L
     
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  25. paulchua

    paulchua Cat Herder
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    Remember this though about Clarkson my friend. His first review of the 348 was nothing short of amazing. In fact, the song he chooses to epitomize it was Tina Turner's "Simply the Best."



    We all know how much he loved the 355, however, experiencing both first hand - I will say it's quite the stretch to say one is garbage, the other the best car he's ever had.

    Clarkson had a mea culpa on this - saying he drank the cool-aid and is now on the wagon. I argue he's never put the beverage down. Take the 412, easy to pick on considering its chassis was first made in 1972. Clarkson declared this 2012, can you imagine picking a car made 40 years ago, and compare it to a 612?

    Besides, I argue Daft Punk put the 412 back on the map as 'cool' in every way.

    On the Testarossa (don't forget the Mondial was its dinner) - Clarkson declared the F50 as the worst car in the world in history.

    Never mind I am very close to Clarkson's NSX Laguna Seca time with a Mondial t.

    Clarkson's primary job is to be a comedian, entertainer first, car reviewer second. His whole style is exaggeration and hyperbole. In fact, I argue that's what makes him successful as most folks are not hard-core car enthusiasts.
     

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