Noting these 2 paragraphs, it seems Aston has out-Ferrari'd Ferrari: And yet I’m not getting the pure, unbridled joy that I did from the old 812 Superfast. The savagery is missing. The breathless response. The sharp-edged noise and even the eye widening, brain scrambling performance. The 12Cilindri is faster than an 812 Superfast. But it never feels as manic or maniacal. It would be wrong to say that the 12Cilindri has been dumbed down as this is such a high quality, beautifully resolved car. But considering it’s named after its engine, there’s no question the V12 is less central to the whole experience than it once was. In pursuing a more rounded proposition, some of the magic has been suppressed. Driven unshackled, the Vanquish is quite an extraordinary thing. It doesn’t shrink like the Ferrari but its character and venomous performance make it grow in stature. It’s an odd feeling. You’re intimately involved in the process of making the Vanquish move but also get to look on in awed wonder. Swept along by the performance on offer, agog that you can hustle and cajole a car this big and powerful with such economy of movement and stunned that its poise remains even under the most intense scrutiny. It’s phenomenal. Truly. A car built around the virtues of a V12 engine but determined to do so much more than pay homage to tradition. It is more of an event than the Ferrari. More alive. More joyous. More optimistic. It’s also a landmark for Aston Martin. Let’s hope this is the start of a long, hot summer for this often troubled company.
I saw the 12C yesterday on the lawn at Cavallino. Yikes. And the F80; extreme yikes. Incredible to see the new lineup juxtaposed against the greats. Boy how the mighty have fallen. Thank god those old cars exist and we can continue to maintain, enjoy, and purvey their beauty and simplicity.
If you are the same age as the classic Ferraris, your reaction is completely normal. I think its difficult for Ferrari to keep its old owners satisfied while also reinventing itself for the next generations.
They have ZERO interest in "old owners" anyway. Potential clients older than 39 are not of interest, no matter if billionaire or not. Management and marketing dept just don't care. Marcel Massini
Yes one long time owner was turned down. He was specifically told "we are going to give the younger buyers a chance this time" and that happened a few years ago.
Hello, the roads look very much like the SS80 (Passo delle Capannelle) and the historic SP17bis to Campo Imperatore. The former (you can drive from Teramo to l'Aquila) is great but quite crowned with motorcyles and cyclists in summer, the latter is pictoresque but very narrow. I hope it helps.
You can thank European Regulation (EU) Np 540/2014, which mandates a reduction in noise level from the current 74 decibels to 68 decibels by 2025. The EU is doing its very best to destroy its auto industry - I see a recession coming to the EU very soon
Spend time in Florida / Midwest - midwest XX's went to 50 - 60 year olds and no need to mention FL Electric interactions / marketing heavily involved in making segment a success - perhaps electric. F80 required generations of Halo car purchases - F80's more like 59 on avg. Yes younger likely gets bonus points - doesn't offset high net worth let alone negate it.
I think coming even more soon with the possibility of higher tariffs on cars from the EU. They have 10% tariff on our USA made cars. We have a 2.5% tarrif on their cars now. I sense that this will be changing soon which will really effect a $500,000 vehicle
ALL cars have gone up, I was being specific to Ferrari/exotics, as to reasons why they are approaching unaffordable for basic people. We don't see people driving a 430 as a DD in Canada in January. SOME SUV's can approach 80-90K - if you want them to, and so are 4x4 pickup trucks. It's insane.
Amen to that - how did the blue Dino look compared to these new cars? The tree-huggers are slowly going to eliminate the high-performance car as we know it now
A Ferrari is not for the average person. I have mitigated my costs by using classic/car event insurance and limiting my miles to 1,000 per year, which is enough for me, and by buying a used F12 instead of a new 812. Of course, buying a 10-year-old F12 has a few things I am addressing - some sticky buttons and a floor mat clip that came off. I can see why super-rich people would just opt to custom design their own brand-new Ferrari with a warranty and maintenance plan included. In some ways, Ferrari has come a long way since the 80's when anyone thinking of buying a Ferrari had to deal with much worse build quality and frequent timing belt changes. In my opinion, when Ferrari goes fully electric cars with the V12's and the 458 will become even more desirable
Insanity is a hemi Jeep Wrangler starting at $95K and optioned with off-road goodies to $125K. 10 years ago I bought one(without the V8 available then) for $60K all optioned up. Still would want one but they are now going electric (good grief)
