10 Years After

Indeed.

None of us will live forever, and we aren't getting any younger.

If you want it, if you can afford it, get it.

It really is that simple.

 

I am not worried. Ferrari seems to be the only supercar manufacturer that really dares to re-invent itself. Take the FF for instance. Miles away from what people would expect from Ferrari. Initial reactions were shocked. Now, when the car has come under scrutinee from the international press and it turns out it is yet another masterpiece, the outlook on the car is changing. And of course, it is sold out on the spot. Just because Ferrari don't limit themselves to the perception others have of Ferrari, they will survive in the end. That, plus their priceless competition heritage. In the end, everybody wants a piece of that.

 

Lol, I reckon.

 

Is that a hint Bernie ? Don't laugh, I tried convincing my wife on a 512TR in rosso corsa, but she says its too old...

 

That looks pretty nice.........

 

Too old??!!!! Blasphemy!!!! It's a classic!!

 

Neat thread. However, Ferraris are about the combineation of performance, looks, and attraction. You do get a huge amount of thumbs up while driving one, people get out of your way on winding roads (which they don't do in anything else), and they are fun to drive. However, the current technology is such that they have become either Japanese or German in their soul. That isn't good.

I'm debating buying a 458, haven't driven one yet, but I'm told they are a huge improvement over the 430, but I've got to see it for myself. But, and this is a big but, I absolutely hate the automatics (had one in the 360, and really didn't like it). So, I'm torn between upgrading to a much faster, easier to drive car, and having a very fast car with a manual transmisison.

Thanks for the thread Dale, keep up the good work.

Art

 

I agree with you on the manual transmission, I guess I'll stop with the 430...'as if"..

Franco here sent in a very nice example when his 458 was ready, that would have been a good one. He took good care of it..

 

I think that at the rate we're going technology wise, we will stop driving these car all together... They will be driven either by an onboard computer or by remote control and we will be mere passengers along for the ride...

psorella

 

My head is all over the place. I would love to get my hands on a 512TR, but at the same time, I find the 599 GTB a gorgeous looking machine....Kind of goes against everything I said in my first post.... I can be like that... I complain about modern Ferrari's, then I buy one wishing I had an older one.... What am I to do???

 

I cannot disagree more!! Maseratis look awsome, some of the sexiest bodys on the road (Gran Turismos, Quattroporte) and they cannot be mistaken for anything else (piece of art on the road).

I recently bought one and I get the looks and cheers (thumbs up) every day. I have a friend who owns an Aston Martin DB9 and he gets the same treatment. That's the real world!

The time is over when only Ferrari was making beautiful cars with extreme performance. Aston Martin, Maserati, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche, ... make fantastic cars too. And these other brands generally sell them for less than Ferrari.

I agree with other posts that Ferrari has to make cars that people want (not dream of) but want to buy, meaning they are right to have more and more cars that can be driven regularly, including daily drivers (California, 612, 456, FF, ...), cars with all the modern comfort, cars with gorgeous looks (try selling an ugly, unsexy, uncomfortable car just on its performance and the market becomes very tiny, F40...).

I used to own a 456 years ago and I loved it. I now have a Maserati (my brother too) and may add a sexy drivable Ferrari in the next year or so (California, 612, 430).

Ferrari should be careful about prices because, except for rich collectors who may want racing cars at any cost that they do not drive (a Ferrari with a few thousand miles per year is simply ridiculous!!), prices and resale prices are simply absurd. There are many other alternatives as sexy and as good as Ferrari.

I am a car lover and I love Ferrari of course. But it is now only one of many other brands that offer incredible cars (competition).


[Quote: Originally Posted by 430man - For all the talk about how everyone wants a raw enthusiast car, please tell that to the folks who are upside down in their Scuds. The demand ain't that great. People will simply demand more from Ferrari in terms of reliability. In the future, they are going to have to compete on performance, luxury, reliability, technology]

++1

 

For all the porsches I have owned I have never gotten a thumbs up nor a glance as I drove. In my manual 360 (that is, gated shifter) I can't go anywhere without a thumbs up or admiring looks. Do the M5's or Lexus offerings with higehr horsepower inspire this in others, No. And that is the mystery and the marque.

I'm surprised that everyone has focused only on the material and not the IP. Ferrari has done something VERY well.. and that is manage the brand in and of itself. Granted it may appear to an enthusiast that the theme parks and the Puma sneakers have gone "too far".. but based on my encounters.. their management has been impeccable. I surmise that the brand will still be coveted and held as an "elite product" as it is today by your average American.

 

Disagree.....the FF was a quick rebuttal to the Panamera and other 2+2 coupes which have had successful sales recently.

Yes the car is fantastic, but Ferrari was miles behind on this one if you consider them to be ahead of the curve.

 

I'd go with the 512TR. It's an icon and a brute.

 

Yesterday at the monthly meeting of the Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society the president of McLaren USA gave a presentation about the new McLaren MP4-12C and had one out front on West 44th Street plus a carbon tub for everyone to see.

Twin turbo 3.8 liter V8, pretty nice looks, MSRP around $220,000. Plan is to sell 1,000 worldwide with 350 targeted for North America.

I wonder how it will stack up against the competition, including Ferrari?
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With respect I disagree with all of this. High milleage is not determined by reliability but rather market perceptions, there are F cars with 100 000 miles on the clock and they are still running. The strides made in the last 10 years regarding reliability and build quality have been immense, as immense as the step forward in technology and as much as I detest it, luxury.

Take the 599 GTB, launched in 2006 it today remains the definitive GT supercar, off hand I cant think of another V12 front engined car that competes with it for all around ability and performance, so to say Ferrari is competing in a single dimension is, I feel missing the mark.

 

Looks great in that colour.

Id still prefer a 458 over that car, but its still very nice and certainly very fast.

 

You have no idea how wrong you are.

 

+1.000.000. Ferrari isn't the dream for everyone and many on this board have a hard time believing it... Being a car guy I appreciate all kind of models, Ferrari has the brand but there are thousands more that would turn me on.

 

Ferrari is one in car racing no competition can beat them.

 

Trust me; I'm 100% correct about my own opinion Never said Ferrari was the only correct answer to all questions. I think not. This was all about how Ferrari is somehow losing their greatness. My point is simply that no other car, not one, insipires the same response from the general masses.

 

IMO the new McLaren will represent one 458Italia "not sold" on a one to one basis.

It's weak point will be "You know how bad parts availabilty is, on a Ferrari?"

Well, McLaren will be x1000 times worse that that!!!

 

I was looking at some used SLR's online the other night. I remember how sexy I used to think they were. Still do, just not as much. I was offered an SLS by a local dealer a while back, had just bought my 360. Now "that" is a beautiful and interesting car. Doesn't remind me of a current production MB either, while the SLR of course does.

 

There's an SLR sitting in the corner of the shop I use, as well as some kind of Aston Martin by Zagato.....

They have a nice dark silver 612 also.....

 

The last Stirling Moss version would be the one to have, we saw one shipping thru Dallas on the truck...

Bugs would hit you in the face, tho......

I cannot help but think the values on these would be like catching a falling knife....

The new production Gullwing looks cool in photos.