Future of Ferrari

I think Ferrari has the least to worry about.

Has Ferrari made 50,000 cars? How many does Ford sell in a month?

I think Ferrari will switch from internal combustion to whatever's next when the time is right. I don't see the brand going away, and for the amount of mileage these cars travel -- in the hands of the affluent -- I would guess $5/gallon gas isn't going to persuade many to hang up their keys.

 

You think so... Check back with me in 2021... I tend to think we have 40-50 years to go before the real crunch hits...

I don't think the folks at Ferrari SPA are losing any sleep over this.

 

I've actually wondered this myself. As the years go by, more and more manufacturers are developing new technologies for their cars that rely less and less on gasoline. I have no doubt that Ferrari will survive for many years to come, because, face it, if you can afford a new Ferrari, you'll be able to afford the gas no matter if it's $3 a gallon or $10 a gallon. But what will this do to the used F-car market?

I don't know what will happen to people like me, who, in about 10 years will be looking for a used F-car (if all goes according to planned), but will not be able to afford one new. I'd hate to have to factor in as much money for gasoline as I would have to for major services. It's just that many more people that will not realize the dream of owning an F-car.

 

The enthusiast market will continue long after we are commuting by teleporter. As long as we have roads and freedom, we will be enjoying these cars.

 

And if Marelli is making teleporters, I will continue to enjoy these cars.

 

Nothing's going to change. As gas gets more expensive, it will become a status symbol to consume it with engines that get ridiculous mileage.

 

My Ferrari gets about 20 MPG cruising at 70-80

There's plenty of oil in the ground, and lots more untapped here in north America

Global warming means more tropical vacation spots

I ain't worried

 

Even if oil runs out. You can make Bio fuels from plants.Ferrari will be the last brand to give up the internal combustion engine.
The bigger threat is driverless cars coming to the market place in 15-20 years and eventually all cars will be driven by computers.
Since they will be safer the Feds may mandate all cars sold to be driverless.
Then the point of owning a Ferrari may become questionable.

 

At today's currency conversion rate, we in lovely old Britain pay the equivalent of $7.16 per gallon already. As and when oil becomes scarce, you can count on the price being significantly higher than this...

 

We are already seeing signs of a different, yet old fuel, gaining more attention. Audi is racing diesels and now you can get a diesel engine for your Cessna. Jet engines run on Jet-A , kerosene. Not much difference between the two. As gasoline becomes more expensive it will price itself out of existence , the suppliers will gradually reduce the types of gasoline they produce and in the end will produce a single kerosene/diesel derivative. So your great grandson's Ferrari could very well be propelled by kerosene/diesel fuel. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

 

Oil reserves will not run out and the price of gasoline will not become prohibitive in any of our lifetimes. Maybe in 100 years......but who cares. We'll be dead. That is the most politically incorrect thing I've said all day.

 

I'm all for a diesel ferrari, MONSTER torque!!!

 

I agree...there is a huge lag in the exploration process so the 'peak oil theory' keeps building more momentum. But, with the advancement of new technology and the apparent news of Calgary's oil sands which contain enough oil to supply north america and more, we're at the cusp of witnessing growth in production again but it will take awhile for the entrenched peak oil theorists to realise production can grow.

 

Isn't going to happen because each barrel of petroleum yields certain, defined fractions of gasoline, diesel/kerosene and heavy products like tar. You can't convert 100% of petroleum to diesel. As long as we have petroleum we'll have gasoline.

 

In ten years there will be speciality shops converting gasoline-cars to electric, leaving only the beautiful outer body shape and perhaps a few snazzy interiors...everything else will be modernized...and it will be considered the height of cool to drive "old style" in famous car models while powered by electrics and operated by hyper-modern chips for all internal cockpit features like A/C, lights, etc.

Consumer cars already parallel park themselves (e.g. Lexus). UAV's in the air can fly themselves. You see where this is going.

Your converted electro-hot-rod will be eligible for the high-speed lanes that are protected by software algorythms from crashes, but allow manual driving so long as it's safe regardless of desired speed.

The wealthy and the up-n-coming will convert first, making it cool, because they will want their classic cars to be elegible for unlimited manual/human speed driving (which will require special computers and steering controls as safety backups much like our ABS functions as a braking terrain/surface "backup" device today).

Technology won't be an oppressive nanny so much as it will become more and more a guardian angel...kicking in only when it has to (ala anti-lock braking systems and airbags today).

So to get such cool status, you'll be buying the new cars so equipped as well as converting your old cars. Otherwise you won't be allowed in the hyper-speed "safe" lanes.

 

Diesel doesn't require petroleum. That's optional.

Coal works. Natural gas works, too.

 

I don't think it will change anything, besides, I don't believe in global warming. Its been happening at a staeady pace for 5000 years, Earth is just cycling...

 

I believe that we ARE seeing global warming. How else do you explain
- More storms
- stronger storms
- having 100 year storms (twice in two years)
- seeing that the "normal" warming/ cooling cycle takes thousands if not tens of thousands of years and we are warming way quicker than that.
- all ssorts of other anomalous weather patterns

However the question posed by that is who to beleive do I believe the "well paid" petrochemical company spokesman on the left or the hopefully independant professor on the right. I mean if you want to pay me enough money I will find you a perfectly explainable reason why we should cut down every tree in every forrest and turn them into massive parking lots. Wouldnt you if there was enough money in it. And you dont need to be scientifically correct you just need to get the message out there and if people read it well youve won.

But apart from that you also have the negative pressure of supply and demand. The demand from not just the developing world but also the developed world grows each year. Just look at the states, europe, china even New Zealand where I come from. We use more fuel each year than the year before. So not only do they need to find x billion barrels this year, but x + 5 percent next year, and x + 10 %, then x+15 % and on and on.
Where does that end.
Then again maybe there is a limitless quantity of oil and its all just an excuse to pump up the price (like the pun "PUMP" i crack myself up).
I reckon the fuel companies have stratagies maybe even NON-OIL products ready and just waiting for the right moment/ price level/ need etc. and they will run in a Internal combustion engine, the only thing that might be an issue is they would need to be non poluting, or would they ???????

Regarding F-cars I think they will move with what ever tech works at the time.

Tim

 

My Gallardo gets 9.76 mpg at 50-60mph.

 

This thread makes me depressed , i don't want to hear my dreams of owning a Ferrari in the future diminishing...and NO i dont want to face reality!!

 

WELL SAID!! BRAVO!!!!

 

All well stated. The mileage is about right for my 360, and I believe that if Ferrari put an overdrive gear in the box, fuel mileage could increase substantially.

I notice cruising at 70-80 the revs are higher than I would like. Drop that down 15%-20%, and fuel mileage would increase proportionately.

As to G/W, it's interesting how around election time many politicians "warm up" to the idea! (pun intended but I'll probably take "heat" for that!)

I definitely would not lose sleep over this concept, and I agree the earth is cycling.

There is more oil trapped in Siberia than the world has probably used to date! Once an economical means of extracting it is proofed, oil will flow for a very long time.

Keep driving those F cars. Get rid of the Hummers and the big SUV's!

 

I think there might be major implications involved in this topic.

I think the transition to non-fossil fuels will not be an easy one for the car manufacturers. It will be forced upon them. Look at what happened to the cars of the 1970s when the car industry was forced to meet new strict emission regulations. It took them 20 years to finally get back to the horsepower ratings of the 1967 cars. Remember how pathetic a 1970's Mustang II was compared to the 1965 - 1969 Cobras. So, the implication of this tough transition means there is likely to be a decade or two of a lot of unexciting cars being made. I think this time period might start in 2010 or so.

When you couple this assumption of a major upcoming "unexciting car era" to the fact that a car's beauty is a timeless attribute, it could create a huge upsurge in the values of the current era f-cars.

On the topic of timeless beauty, this is why certain f-cars will always be highly valued. For example, Lussos and Daytonas had certain "just right' proportions. They were beautiful when new and continue to stay at the top of those rankings.

The other trend that is happening is the rapid growth in the population of people that can afford an f-car and reach the stage in life where they seriously want one (perhaps around the mid-life crisis age of 40 - 55 years old).

So, given the spike in customer demand and the even more limited availability of exciting cars, it is possible to see the current 360/430 and 550/575/599 cars go through the roof in terms of resale prices in about 10 years. Perhaps reaching as high as $500k to $1M per car.

 

You guys seem to forget what happens when we run out of fuel(which wont happen in my life time). Cars wont be affected at all. Its flight travel where it will hit hard. As far as I know you cant make a plane fly on batteries......