That is hilarious, nice man. My first line in my original post was something about how the 612 reminds me of watching the Discovery channel, but I wasn't sure if all the Euros get that channel on Sky. PERFECT!
i'll reserve judgement until i see it the flesh, but without a doubt, this prototype of the 612 is much better looking. hope this is what the 575M replacement will look like.
Tell me that I'm stuck in the 80's but I'd take a 412 over this car and pocket the odd $250k left over.
Let's stuck together in the 80's Last week we could see the 612 on several TV-car-magazines in action. Driving on a wet winter street in the mountains. Hmm, sounds good, looks fast. In comparison to the pics from Genf, the styling seems much better Let's wait and see it in real life. REM: Some cars are not 'photogenic'. forza cinquevalvole
I'm sorry but that car has to be the worst design by Ferrari ever. I have seen the car in person at the Toronto Autoshow...I didn't even waste the space on my camera for it. It was the burgendy color. Ferrari really has to do an amazing job with the 575 replacement inorder to really grab people to want to buy an expensive GT. Espeacialy when cars like the Benz, BMW, Aston, Bently etc are around. It a real shame to say the least. A total waste of a good chassis and engine IMHO. Tom
the one i saw in person was better looking than the pictures... i dont love but is sloooowly growing on me...you can argue with the performace and refinement .....now if you want ugly look at the gallardo.....too many sharp geometeric shapes...the car is too short and the back is hideous....only look ok in black....i quess not too bad from a tractor company...murci looks much better
Should I respond with the obligatory "but all Ferraris are FIATS?" lol, love it when uninformed morons bust out the tractor references. Every car company has a skeleton in its closet bro, best not to go rooting back there... My new phrase for the day: "I guess the 612 isn't bad coming from FIAT." And FYI: 9 out of 10 people would pick the "ugly" Gallardo over a 612 if parked next to each other, possibly even 19 out of 20. But I guess you're a rebel! LOL
I was at the Atlanta Auto show (where that photo was taken). The car is really wonderful, but more impressive to me was the Maserati Quattro right behind it!!! The Maserati looks infinitely more appealing in real life than in the photos. The only turn off was the Ferrari salesman who was representing the cars, he was a total tool. He reminded me of "Shooter McGavin" ffrom Happy Gilmore.
I'd honestly like to drive one but I don't think I'll buy one. Does it have a gated shifter option or just paddles? This is my favorite angle of my 456 - really screams Daytona to me - it drives somewhat like the Daytona too, but with better steering. I think if someone is going to have more than one Ferrari, the 456gt is a must have.
I like the headlights. I also like Bangle's designs. Go figure. The 456, while I like it, is somewhat dull and boring. Of course, the 12cyl 2+2 was never meant to be a cafe racer, but more of the elegant "Gentleman's Ferrari", so somewhat dull and boring I guess is OK. The 612, however, brings a much more aggressive look to the table, while maintaining, and even increasing, an air of elegance. I like it. Perhaps I shall pick one up on Tuesday.
Haven't you realized? it's always the same everytime a nwe F. comes out everyone complains it's ugly. and then everyone agrees ...it has grown inside
the 612 in the flesh is a magnificent car and oozes class. I saw the same one as Aircon in Melbourne motorshow and it was in burgundy and looked a million dollars The car looks, and is, powerful but the overall impression I got was it 's size! It really is a large car and has phenomenal performance to match and carries 4 full size adults in luxury, I would certainly be putting my hand up for a backseat trip of a couple of hundred miles without any problems Some people are obviously hard to please and I'd like to see what they use as a 2+2
Guys.... the average Ferrari buyer is aging, up from 54 to 62 now. (AutoNews ran the story from one of the auto industry's major stats companies like J.D. Powers) You don't think that kids growing up now playing X-box are the target of Ferrari. Sexy cars are as dead as the 80's. When you are selling to some Senior Citizens you want to capture the cars they dreamed about from the 1950's and 1960's. I think the 612 is a great success for Ferrari and its most important customers.
I still think that the Maserati coupe, given the prices used are going for now, is hard to beat for fun, fast and somewhat practical 4 seater. I suppose if you must have a Ferrari with 4 seats, the 612 is worth a look but for my money, I would just as soon take the maser. Heck, for the price of a 612, I could have a Maser daily driver, my 355 street car, AND a 360 Challenge car. And I would be very, very happy.
Excellent point. The car is overpriced by quite a bit. This car should be selling at $189k-ish sticker.
couldnt agree with you more buddy, the maser 4porte is such a beautiful car and has so much potential. the only big downfall is the roughness of its gearbox wich is not acceptable for the category. they should come out with a fully auto box for the 4porte with the option of cambiocorsa
I saw a light blue 612 at the Ferrari Challenge races at the Infineon Raceway(Sears Point) north of San Fran.today. The car is the classic average 4 seat styling. However, when I sat in it...oohhh...i'm 6'6" and I had headroom!! I'm getting ready to buy a 99 550 from FSF tomorrow maybe, but i will have to remove the seat bracket risers to give me an extra inch of headroom. I told my wife about it, and she said I should get the 612!! Holds the kids, better fit, etc. I told her it will lose so much value...but she said because of my size, I should get the 612 instead of the 550 and be more comfortable. wow! I'll have to sleep on it and decide. They were giving rides around the track in a 575 and the Maserati's today(no 612 rides)...the 575 looked so good. The 360 Challenge cars are so cool also!! Going to the races tomorrow...will see if the 612 styling has grown on me overnight....the 500+ hp makes it easy to appreciate. Bill in San Diego
Hey man- good for you! That 612 is a keeper and so is the wife! Get it in Red, looks fantastic. Appraisals must be pretty lucrative if you are thinking about dropping $230 on a car... congrats!
Appraisals are out of control in high appreciation areas, particularly California. It's been a great business to be in the past three years. The honeymoon will end shortly after the Presidential election however as the Fed will become more active in rate manipulation and the 10yr bond rises back above a 40.00 yield. This determines the lending rate on 30 and 15yr fixed mortgages, which determine the demand to refinance existing homes as well as purchase new homes. I would expect appraisal demand to drop off by 40 - 75% during 2005 from where it is now, but it's just a guess. We said that last year about 2004! Back to the 612: Mark do you really think Ferrari is specifically going after the geriatric-set with this car? That demo you quoted is higher than the average Caddilac owner's age, which is considered to be the worst (oldest) in the industry. Makes sense to some extent, but I'd need to see some analysis. This is the demo that every company on EARTH avoids, and its why ads on 60 Minutes are five times cheaper than ads on any middle-dwelling anonymous teen comedy show. God knows their poor eyesight helps during the final doc signing on the 612...lol thank you thank you, no need to clap, and please tip your waitresses. We'll see what happens with the next Maranello, it's on deck at the moment. If it's hideous, Ferrari is done in my book, I don't give a **** how many they sell past this point. The 360 was the beginning of the end, that was the first time I can remember that a new Ferrari body design was actually worse than the one it replaced. Even the Stradale is barely acceptable, and its aero add-ons do wonders for the standard rollie-pollie Modena. At least we'll always have the dominance of the 80s. When GTOs and TRs and F40s roamed the roads free from criticism. Times sure have changed.
Only Ferrari can pull this car off. And that doesn't say much about their customers. IMHO most people wouldnt give this car a second look if it didn't have a prancing horse plastered on the back. I really hope they do a better job with the 575/550 replacement. Personally I like the 360 styling, even after all this time. I just wish they would stop short changing their customers on the performance side. The 911 beats it confortably in every department. Sometimes I get the impression they really don't give a **** about pushing the envelope. Personally I chose the Gallardo (black) over the 360. I thought it looked amazing in black. And the performance eclipses the 360. P.S. Did any of you see the pininfarina concept sketches for the 612 on the topgear website. I can't find the link anymore, but here's another (see pic at bottom of page). http://www.cardesignnews.com/news/2003/031020ferrari-612scaglietti/ Looks alot better, huh?
