Chris Harris - How Ferrari spins

Besides being a repost, we've known all along that Ferrari plays the same games with comparison tests as all other car makers. I'm just thankful Ferrari is smart enough to know how the game is played and keeps the field level by using the same rules as everyone else. That way we get fair and valid comparisons of it's cars against all others.

Nothing new here, move along....

 

It must not bother Chris Harris too much . His personal driver is a 599 GTO......

 

I thought he sold his Maranello because he was "so fed up with Ferrari." I haven't heard that he drives a 599 GTO. I didn't think he made THAT much money as a journo

 

I wonder how long this type of crap has been going on? For a long time Ferrari didn't want any owners of Enzos' supplying them to magazines for testing, even threatening not to sell cars to those who did in the future if they let a magazine get their hands on one. Guess now we know why that was.

It's unfortunate that Ferrari is "gaming" the system by sending cars set up for a specific track for comparison tests, or providing cars with more power than the stock version of the car for testing. Supplying extra sticky tires is BS too, I want to see the cars compared on the tires that they are sold with, not a set of stickies that drop a lap time by two seconds.

When I read a comparison test I want an honest comparison, let the chips fall where they may. If Ferrari is bringing cars to these tests that don't represent their certified production vehicles, then they are actually guilty of false advertising. If they get caught supplying cars that had more power than their production cars they could be in for a lawsuit. Remember when Ford got caught advertising bigger horsepower numbers and had to fix a bunch of cars that didn't meet what they advertised, even though it was a limited production car. There were some 458's that were giving magazines 1/4 mile trap speeds of 138 mph where more "regualr" cars were trapping under 129... That's a huge difference and one that can't be accounted for by "production variation", or track conditions.

Could you imagine the fallout if a prosecutor took Ferrari to court for doing this? The bad publicity would be a lot worse than all the good comparison tests.

I can see the headline now "Ferrari supplies modified cars for comparison testing". Their well cultivated aura would be mud in a few days. REALLY DUMB!!!!

I bet the Old Man is rolling over in his grave... He was fine with the concept of "here is what I make, take it or leave it". He might have supplied a customer with "tweaks" or hotter cams if he asked for it, but whatever he showed you is what you got. Sending "ringers" for road tests is something that corporate wannbees would do, not something from a company with the supposed intregity of Ferrari.

I am more than a bit disappointed.

 

Solofast : all these points were covered the first time this was discussed last month - basically all manufacturers have always done it

 

He bought a used 997 GT3 mk1.

 

What he said!

 

Where's the wooden F50?

 

solofast and OP, please see here: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=313836

 

No biggie. I was a worthwhile subject to discuss.

 

I know the US legal system is at kindergarden level, but this is ridiculous even by US standards.

Supplying a car for a roadtest is not advertising.

 

When I had a 97 Lotus V8, you could have the car in neutral or gear with the clutch engaged and rev the car to 5K RPMs and it would increase the turbo boost to "road test mode." You would have about 10 seconds to launch the car. The car was fast under normal conditions but using this trick the car went like a "scolded co'k"

MB

 

Like Inspector Renault I'm Shocked!

 

When I had a 97 Lotus V8, you could have the car in neutral or gear with the clutch engaged and rev the car to 5K RPMs and it would increase the turbo boost to "road test mode." You would have about 10 seconds to launch the car. The car was fast under normal conditions but using this trick the car went like a "scolded co'k"

MB