It's a pity Ferrari never followed on the original mid-engine V6 Dino, IMO. That was a winning recipe. It was light, nimble, small, powerful enough and raisonnably affordable. That would have given Porsche something to think about. Instead Ferrari (like many manufacturers it has to be said) went heavier, larger with excess power, and overpriced.
What ever happened to the 1600 pound sports car ??? A car you can thrash within an inch of its life and still be respecting speed limits............. A car so small and carries so little energy you can spin the car unexpectedly and remain on paved surfaces.......... You don't need anything more than 4 speeds or a top speed over 120 MPH..........
The Dino is alive in the modern 296. The 308 GTB could have been a Dino if the GT4 had not flopped. Yes, the 296 is big, but all cars have grown. Then why not a smaller Ferrari. Because small cars are supposed to be cheaper. Cheap cars have to be built in bigger numbers to be profitable. More cars mean different logistics, dealership network... It's complicated.
My first sportscar was a second-hand Triumph TR6 Petrol Injection. A typical British body-on-frame roadster with a 6 cylinder in line pushrod engine. Nothing sophisticated, although it had independent rear suspension (which the Ferraris didn't have !), and 15 inch wheels.. I recently looked at its characteristics, and couldn't believe it was only 155 inches long (the size of a super mini), just 61 inches wide (unbeliveable these days) and weighted 2491 lbs. Now I understand why I enjoyed it so much, it wasn't perfect on the mechanical side, but its 150hp were more than enough for my enjoyement, and to reach 120mph. I traded it after 2 years for my first 911, which was roomier inside. Cars have grown too much and gained a lot of weight.
Yes, the Mazda MX-5 is the sole survivor of that genre. Even Honda gave up on the S 2000 which was very good, IMO.
Right. The newest incarnation of the MX-5 has performance that rivals the S2000. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for an inexpensive and reliable sports car that’s fun at any speed.
depends how they move their money around but racing side should be self sufficient or very close to being self sufficient. Their roadcar business is an entirely different discussion...
1600 lb. is a tough ask unless you're looking at something like a Caterham 7 or a three wheel Morgan. Even my '59 TR3 weighs 2000 lb. What's cool about the newest MX-5 is that it weighs roughly the same as the first generation.
Definitely F1 is making money for them, but overall, it's just a failure. The current F1 project has been nothing but disappointment for close to 20 years now. Imagine that. I really thought the momentum Michael built, was carried on through Kimi, and the early stages of Fernando's stint. Regards the car, i believe it's perfect marketing. Ferrari are one of the few brands, where they can make and sell anything (there will always be market and demand for their products). I guarantee you that if they sell smaller, curvy, stick shift, less powerful cars, it will be sold out within a short space of time.
I absolutely agree on all fronts. But quite simply put, Ferrari doesn't take the risk on building more entertaining drivers cars because they don't need/want to. I wish with all my heart Ferrari would make a genuine T50 rival. How great would that be? A low weight, tiny, high revving V12 in a carbon chassis weighing under 1100kg with a manual gearbox. And in an aluminium chassis have it's V8 powered little brother with the same concept, weighing under 1250kg. You and I both know they'd sell like ice cream on a hot summers day. The F1 team is simply a marketing vessel right now. So long they're top 3 they're pretty happy. Right now it looks like it'll be a (nother) winless season and stand not only at risk of not finishing P3, they might even drop as low as P6, they definitely can't be happy with that. Nor will the drivers be. With every day that passes and Lewis doesn't sign his Mercedes contract, the threat grows larger that Leclerc takes the Merc seat. If Ferrari manages to lose the guy that's been bleeding Ferrari since he could walk, well....embarrassing is not quite the word. It's beyond that.
Frankly everyone don’t care about Mekies. We need good engineers and a strong team leader. And replacing Vigna..
