Yup. Consider this: those owners who put shields on their cars are merely celebrating and identifying themselves with the proud Ferrari racing heritage. The factory makes no bones about their road cars being created and sold with the singleminded purpose of funding the racing program. Ferrari pride is what it's all about. Most Ferraris don't need badges to be recognized as Ferraris anyhow.
I doubt if this is true. The logo/badge is perhaps the most widely recognized of any brand around the world. HOWEVER, I would bet that if there was not a huge logo on the front fender, at least 95% of people would not know if it was a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Mustang, or a kit car.
Wrong. Ferrari team is something like "squadra di Ferrari" and team Ferrari would be "Ferrari squadra" or "squadra Ferrari"
I've got an F40, and of course it has the "real" shields on the fenders. However, I've seen some of the race-prepped F40s with a third enamel shield on the right side of the black mesh on the rear of the car (to the left of the right-side tail lights) and would love to put one there on my car. However, all the replica shields seem to be stick-on, and I'd prefer a shield with two threaded posts so I can put a lock washer and nut on the rear to keep it on at high speed and high vibration. Anyone know of a replica shield with threaded posts? Also, FWIW, I have replica enamel shields on my bright red Hummer. I removed the H2 logos and put the shields on the fenders. It's my Ferrari tow vehicle, and it's kinda the correct red (GM's Victory Red), so I feel no guilt. Put em on, don't put em on. It's YOUR car, and it's YOUR call.
And thus began the controversy: The 288s, at least, were supposed to be homologation specials. Adding SF shields to a car the factory has not campaigned is tantamount to wearing a Vietnam Service Ribbon when one never got closer than being awol from the Oklahoma National Guard.
Franklin...the decals of the 1950's were not "stick ons" , but an actual decal that you soaked in water and slid off onto the surface. The NART emblems were of the "peel off" type. Joel
No, such a VSR would state a lie, while shields on any road Ferrari simply imply support for Ferrari factory racing and add a little extra Ferrari-zing. The factory itself acknowledges this by putting SF shields on various road cars that it has not raced, including the 288GTO and the F40.
Do what you want. It's your car. But notice that most of the cars the factory displays, in Paris or wherever they debut a car, don't have sheilds. I think it's more of a North American thing. I prefer the lines of the car to the interruptions of sheilds and brightly colored brake calipers, that distract from the fluidity of the design. (Red calipers are now found on the most mundane cars.) If someone doesn't know that my car is a Ferrari, then so be it.
True about the recognition, but if you count the number of cavallino emblems on a stock Ferrari it's not like you're in stealth mode anyway. Between the silver prancing horse on the rear, the chrome Ferrari emblem on the deck, the prancing horse on the grille, the enamel emblem on the hood, and four hubs with yellow/black emblems, the typical 3x8/355/TR doesn't have a looming identity crisis. In fact, it's some of the classiest badging in the industry - legendary brands can afford to whisper. To each his own. I guess I would be reluctant to buy a car with aftermarket shields unless they could be easily removed. There was a comment earlier about how the shields detract from the lines of the car - I tend to agree.
http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns15955.html http://www.gp2005.com/news/controller.php?lang=en&theme=ferrari&team_id=&month=11&seasonid=2&nextMode=GpNewsForm&news_id=15868
...It never was 'rocket surgery'. And my last two cents on the controversy: Until the factory started putting them on the supercars, starting with the -Omologato 288, the SF shilds were never correct on anything other than a factory race team vehicle. Previous to that, they are not, and were never, a symbol of individual support for the factory team [full stop]. They still aren't. On a privately owned street car they are a mere affectation. As they were then offered as part of the Scaglietti customization program, with the 355, they are still faux, but barely tolerable by being supplied by the factory. There's a very simple test for correctness: Try showing your Platinum 101pt 365 GTB/4 at any concours, with Speedgear-sourced vinyl shields on the front wings. You will get what you deserve. Yes, you certianly can do whatever you wish, it is indeed your car and you've paid your money: But if it was yours to own would you also paint bigger t*ts on La Gioconda? (...To intentionally torture a previous analogy.) The Old Man restricted the shields to his racing programs, I don't think FIAT's marketing department had any right to change that for a measley extra ~$150k per year.
I understand your post, but why post it towards me? I was only talking about scuderia and squadra, what those things mean in english... Funny about La Gioconda, but I admire art like that too much.