Can an All Electric Ferrari really be a Ferrari?

That's interesting. The Dino was my dream car when I was in high school and had an X1/9. Out of range by the time I was ready for a Ferrari, so I bought a 308 after getting a 456M to get close to that experience. Glad I did, but the performance envelope left me wanting more, and I don't like the heavy low speed steering at all (The x1/9 was light at all speeds). I just can't get excited about cars that old anymore, so I bought a 360. It's performance is perfect for me. I'm sure I wouldn't care for a Dino now, even at 308 prices.

 

Not sure your analogy with airplanes holds? Most folks don't own their onw airplane, airplane racing is not nearly as popular of sport since far less folks relate to it. But you still have all the sensoritory experiences. I know they have glider/sail plane races but are they even covered by the media? Is there any excitment except for the participants? Does anyone (non pilot) relate to glider/sailplane races at all. Most every one drives a car currently so most folks have at least a casual interest in cars, airplanes maybe not so much? IMHO

 

This is really a interesting thread. So many things to consider.

First will our kids or grand kids really care about cars more than say a TV, toaster or refrigerator? If the next generation of vehicles are electric and are self-driven what is the big deal about a car, just another appliance. A comfortable living room to be transported in which may not even be owned just shared. The current generations have a completely different view of the vehicle as everyone has pointed out, as technology evolves the opinion and feelings toward cars may change vastly. As mwr4440 said the magic of the car may be gone in the future?

Ferrari was originally all about racing and secondarily selling cars to support the racing, currently not as much. What racing is about, the competition and the senses, visual, auditory, and smell. When as a kid, I went to my first sports car race it was a full sensory overload. Cool looking cars competing on a road course, the engine noise, the smell of castor oil and racing fuel. Wow it was just so much to take in, made it fun, exciting and addictive.

Fast forward to a future E race, similar looking cars, little or no sound from the engine, perhaps some tire noise and a little electric whine and no smells except perhaps the hotdogs from the vendors. Hmmm, much less to get excited about why bother going to a race, where is the fun? I recall as a kid watching slot cars race which was interesting for about 10-15 minutes if you weren’t driving. Racing is only fun, to a spectator, if it is interesting, exciting and a large group of people can relate to the event. If not then the event will not have much appeal to many spectators. Racing is way too expensive to put on if there is not a large following. Curling is a competitive sports event, no sound (the brooms don’t make much noise and the stones are pretty silent on the ice), not so much excitement as the stones glide into the target, no real sensatory experience, yet they still have curling events just not much following.

So IMO the answer to the question will it still be a Ferrari if all electric? Well yes but not in terms that current generation has come to know it. But the battery powered all electric car may be a brief interim to a whole different technology say fuel cells or something completely different than battery electric powered cars. Someone pointed out that there is just not enough raw materials to have billions of battery powered cars. Plus the car companies will sell far less parts and service, less new cars (just put a new body on old chassis?), perhaps many less car manufacturers and dealers with far less potential for profit? Hard to see why future buyers will pay 10x for a Ferrari if there is not so much difference in the future vehicles. Ferrari and all exotic car manufactures will have to find some way to distinguish themselves from the ordinary to continue to exist, if not racing then something else?

Most all of the folks on this blog come from a generally similar time frame/background relative to vehicles so it is difficult for us to imagine what will appeal to future generations especially if cars become just another appliance?