Here is the latest rumor on the 360 replacement

Yes it is. I still continue to hear the 360 replacement will be the 4.2L and the 4.6L. So I'm still not positive. But those that say they have heard from their own very reliable sources its going to be the 4.6L then I have to say thats what it'll be.

 

Ferrari needs to give up on the 575M. I say this even though I think it's a fantastic car and very beautiful. Today there is so much more competition for the high end auto market. Don't forget that cars with MSRP over $100,000 appeal to a small (2-4%) part of the market. In the "modern era" of Ferrari (1975-present) Maranello made it's name producing the best style and performance you could buy. Today many carmakers have well styled, limited production (or semi limited) offerings. Examples that have arrived to compete in the market since the 1997 US intro of the 550 include, BMW Z-8, Aston Martin DB7, MBZ AMG series and Porsche's GT2 just to name a few. People who are not "car folks" (like most of us here) want the best bang for the buck. They usually couldn't care less about Ferrari history, racing etc. So when you try to sell them a $200,000+ auto that can't perform significantly better than $90,000 to $145,000 offerings from other manufacturers that have "pop cluture" appeal, it's a tough business. The Ferrari line-up is too cluttered with underperforming models. Ferrari is not the at "top of the heap" anymore.

The Enzo (or NNO) is a step in the right direction. It did my heart good to see the R&T cover where they said the "fastest car tested". They had produced a car that outperformed the mighty McLaren F-1. They even found the car very user friendly and even did a road trip in it. They loved it even beyond the stunning performance numbers. The thing that I found interesting is that the R&T test car wasn't furnished by Ferrari North America, with thier support and blessing, No it was a private owner who offered the car to them to test. Why would Ferrari get shy about showing off the finest performing car perhaps since the F-40? Bad job with the PR, IMHO. Now, say what you will about the love it/hate it styling, such is the way with daring design, but the Fact is Ferrari can produce a great road car.

The 612 is another example of the company spread too thin. While I think it's a nice replacement for the 456, I wonder how many resources went into it that could have been spent on making the V-8 mid-engine cars better.

In summary, I feel that Ferrari needs to go back to a two car line-up until they can prove that they can produce cars that put them back on top. They have the Supercar with the Enzo, now we need a mid-V8 that can be put up against anything and come out on top, both in style and performance.

My .02,

007

BTW: I didn't even want to get started on how poor the dealer and Manufacturer support for these cars is. This is another element that is killing the legendary name.

 

BTW, a new 575M sat at Scottsdale Ferrari for quite a while (3-4 mo.) in 2003. Finally it sold but I have it on good authority that is was discounted to make the sale.