wanker
Wow, 7 pages and counting on this thread? I guess it must really suck when the CEO of the company that made your car says your car sucks. Luca has been trashing post Enzo, pre Luca Ferrari for years. This is nothing new. It's just his way of saying, "look what I've done to turn around Ferrari".
Posted on www.ferrari.com today which is the official Ferrari website. So all questions are seen seen by ferrari. If anyone else has access there, please post up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once again Mr Montezemolo criticises the Ferrari 348 as being one of the worst models Ferrari have ever made. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvrlI3xGRaE Not to mention the numerous comments he's made in magazine interviews over the years. For example: Di Montezemolo illustrates what happened with an anecdote. He'd finished the World Cup flushed with its success and decided to reward himself with a yellow Ferrari 348. But just after taking delivery, he was beaten away from the lights by a Fiat Strada hatchback-the hot Abarth version admittedly, but an indignity nonetheless. "So, at my first meeting as Ferrari chairman, with the MD of our road car division, he asked, 'How is the 348? Fantastic?' I said, 'Listen, don't say this to me because I'm a customer.' I knew well the problems with the car, and I made a list of them." He soon realized what he needed to do to revive the road-car division. "At that time, the company was less forward-looking than when Enzo Ferrari was there. In terms of road cars. The Testarossa, 348, Mondial-cars similar in architecture, mid-engined, very hard to get in and out of. The world was changing. A Golf GTI was as good in acceleration as a Ferrari 348. A Ferrari 348 not as fast as a Strada or a Golf GTi? That's interesting. I had a Golf GTi and I can confirm that it does not come any where close to the 348's performance. So why make these comments!!! Is he just using the 348 to show how he "made things better" when he arrived at Ferrari? As a 348 owner myself, I find his comments both inaccurate and highly insulting, as do many other 348 owners around the world. (see: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=257634 for owners opinions). Is this really how the Chairman of Ferrari should behave. Does he not relalise that making such comments just alienates him from his customers? Perhaps we aren't lining up to buy the latests models from Maranello, but he should remember that we still add to Ferrari's profits when we buy his over priced parts for our so called "rubbish" 348's. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'm having difficulty. I think I'm now registered, but the site is so slow I can't reach the forums before it times out. I suspect a massive conspiracy orchestrated by none other than Luca Cordero di Montezemolo himself! I'll try again a bit later. All the best, Andrew.
....... why continue this obsession with Luca? He did not have a personal vendetta against the 348, he was only speaking the truth ...... the stock 348 was not a great 'performer' ......... Ferrari made its reputation from 'high performance' and the road going 348 was not very 'high performance'. The nsx clearly outperformed the 348 ..... this is not defamation but fact. .... maybe Luca was not very diplomatic about it and hurt peoples feelings (apparently continues to do so ... ) but it needed to be done. If Ferrari continued to build expensive under-performing road cars ...... the company would have been cheating its customers and its reputation. IMO it makes no sense in maligning Luca and the 355 in order to lend validation to the 348 ...... it makes more sense to make your 348 to where you are happy with it, rather than worry if others 'approve' of it ............. last I remember ....... I bought 'my' F-car to make 'me' happy ................... .
It's one thing to say internally that Ferrari needs to do better and then show the world you can. Since Luca di Montezemolo took the helm, the fortunes of Ferrari certainly improved. However, it's quite something different to publicly declare a previous model to be the "worst Ferrari ever made" or to make up barely believable stories about it being trounced by a Volkswagen. It looks very much as though he did have a personal vendetta against the Ferrari 348 because it was a car designed and authorised before he held the top spot in the company. I'm following Sy's lead and offering my support for the Ferrari 348, as I honestly believe Mr. di Montezemolo's comments regarding this model were inappropriate. Here's my contribution: We'll see if Ferrari (and Mr. di Montezemolo) actually listens... I'd be very happy if they did. All the best, Andrew. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'm not sure I get this at all. It was something he said almost 15 years ago. This post makes it out to be something he said last week. I doubt the 348 or any past model is a concern to the corporate brass. Quite frankly, what Ferrari did at the time was put together the worst Ferrari. Don't get me wrong, I love my 348, and I think it's a great car, but it got it's bad name because of the poor quality it was delivered with. To spend $100k on a car in 1990 only to have multiple recall issues with it - is not acceptable. If Lexus released a car today that have 15 recalls in it's first months, it too would be looked at as a failure. Ferrari almost was forced to point out what they did with the 348 was a mistake, and it was something they would never do again. I just don't think you should get all worked up over what he said 15 years ago. 15 years later - the 348's shortcomings are irrelevant. Even if they say it's performance was sub-par at the time who cares. If you by a 348 or even a 355 today for performance - you're throwing your money away.
Have you read the whole thread? He did say it virtually last week! At the launch of the 458 he again denounced the 348 as the "worst Ferrari ever made", and continues to do so in interviews about the new 458. If it was merely something he said 15 years ago then the fans of this great classic Ferrari could forget about it, but he continues to admonish it today. In my view, that's unacceptable. Of course the car had its problems, but it does no good for the Chairman of Ferrari to bash it. He's looking back and he should be looking forward, concentrating on the future of the company while leaving those who can appreciate this classic Ferrari for what it is in peace to enjoy it. All the best, Andrew.
Thank you very much. Give me approximately 10 years (less if I can manage it) and I'll make it even more official. All the best, Andrew.
Really? Fiorano laptimes.......... 1 second slower than a 288GTO. Not too bad!! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Wow...well so much for the information in Forza that claims the 355 was 7 seconds faster than the 348 at Fiorano. I'm not seeing it!
Andrew what I was trying to say is enjoy your car because 'you' like it regardless of what the company guy or anyone else says about it. There are lots of other cars that have bad reputations because of 'general consensus' ....... don't let that determine your satisfaction with the car. Heck ..... I bought a 914 because 'I' want it ..... I will make what I want and the many bad reviews it received in its life are not gonna discourage me ...... from this or any other 'project' I take on . As for Sy he is just a troublemaker who thrives on conflict. He is obviously insecure about his car which is why he is constantly comparing his 348 to the 355. I would have more respect for Sy if he was just happy with his car for what it is, or what he makes it and stops trying to make this some sort of 'competition' ....... +1 ............. Andrew you seem like a really good guy ...... don't let Sy lead you down the path of destruction. 1 second is an eternity ..... against 'older' technology ................
Thanks Oz and don't worry, I'm not after a Ferrari 348 to impress anyone - I agree that would be the wrong reason to buy any car. I want to own one because it captures my imagination. I just really want a mid-engined V8 Ferrari and I love the side strakes, which captured my imagination from a very young age, so I won't be put off my purchase by LdM's personal views. My impression was that the 348/355 'competition' was a very good natured bit of friendly rivalry and fellowship. Thanks very much Oz, I also think very highly of you. Oh, I'm sure Sy's not trying to lead me to destruction. Besides, I'm not a sheep and I'll follow only if I agree with what he's saying at the time. All the best, Andrew.
Not a comment I expected from you to be honest and it's the second time you made it.. I won't bother posting in this section anymore then as I don't want to be seen as causing "trouble". Bye
With all due repsect, the 348 is still VERY high perfromance. There wouldnt be too many guys that can push the car to its limit on the track, let alone the street. I know I cant!! It still is a very fast car today, I can only imagine how "fast" it was compared to all the other cars when they first released it in 1989.
