If you were Luca, what would you do?

I'd stop being a sell-out. Force everyone to crush their Ferrari phones, digicams, computers, socks and other various BS.
I'd stop putting out automatic transmissions (including the current F1s). Except for someting innovative, like 2 clutch trannies.
Ask Pininfarina to wake up. Or whoever designed the Enzo, 360 and Scaglietti. Ferraris aren't just beautiful anymore, they need time to get used to ... WTF?
And I'd buy the FIA too. And make F1 races with no pit stops and no radio contact.

 

Nothing really except for:

Keep the 575M (with increased Hp of course), and make the 6-speed to F1 ratio a bit bigger.

The 420 or 430 w/e it shall be named, give it more Hp and Torque so it doesnt have to compete with the Gallardo, instead it will just crush it.

Try out a Ferrari GTS class to stop Corvettes reign, Audi can have LMP b/c those cars are amazing piceses of engineering that, i think, only Germans can make.

Make road cars more reliable

And Finally i would give myself each current Ferrari, and that are renewed every 2 years.

 

Cut back on the F1 budget--you only have to win the championship by 1 point, not 150--and use that money to go after an overall win at LeMans.

Just think, next year will mark forty years since Ferrari's last overall win there, and 32 years since their last real factory effort.

Ferrari views F1 as the pinnacle, but the people who actually buy their cars are probably more interested in sports car races like LeMans.

I think the Enzo would be a good starting point for an Audi-beater.

 

LOL!

 

First of all the 456 and 550 replacement should have been one car. No reason to have 2 front engine GTs.

Second bring back the Mid engine 12, but at a more reasonble price and production number.

 

i'd immediately commission myself a black on black NNO and then put someone else in charge for the next year so i could go play with it...

 

Reign in everything:

Pull out of F1 (everyone seems to hate us.)

Develop a great LMP.

Control image. It has gotten out of hand.

Develop a better, more close-knit relationship with dealers and car owners.

Keep Maserati in check. Strictly a uxury coupe/cabriolet, entry-level exotic and luxury sedan unit. Trofeo is great, but MC-12 is badged incorrectly.

Reorganize Ferrari dealer network.

Expand Maserati dealer network. Include stand alones, but no co-op dealers with competitors' marques.

Get Maserati racing competitively.

Limit marketing to racing and dealer ads.

 

(for at least one road going Ferrari model...)

Eliminate superfluous automation and electronic nannies/"driving aids" including F1, stability control, electronic throttle, etc.

Impose drag limited max speed of 150 MPH.

Make smaller, lighter (2500 lbs max), and more nimble.

Match or exceed Porsche's level of reliability and low maintenance.

Banish LED/LCD screens of all sizes.

Make it impossible to stow a golf bag.

 

Excellent points Jim.

 

isn't he running Fiat Auto now too, or just Fiat?

 

I'm at totally on board. Fire the japanese who designed the Enzo body. It sure is cool, but not in keeping with Ferrari's Italian heritage, in my decidely not professional opinion. Get the Pinifarina spirit fired up that worked sculptures like the Dino, 275, etc... As far as modern body styles, I can only get interested in the Maranello design...

And you're right, the brand dilution is insane. They need to keep that hard fought brand equity from being washed out. Heck, I even saw a Ferrari (Acer) notebook PC!!! COme one, the prancing horse is being turned into another cheap piece of 14 karat bling-bling for Snoop Dogg to hang on his neck.

 

Bring back a mid-engine V-12 and stop the flow of FerrariChat guys that keep buying Lambos.

Have you been to the Lambo-chat section lately? ...Every week
someone else (who has been a long time F-chatter) is joining the dark-side.

Ferrari, please put some "exotic" back in your street 12's

 

I will keep my Dino for a long time I hope, but next modern sports car for me is a Lambo. I really like Gallardo, but I really don't fit in it. Unless they mod the seat to lower it and push it back a bit. I need to test drive a Murci and see how it fits. But I agree...

 

Fire the Japanese designer & hire a proper Italian at Pininfarina

I'd like to see a new Testarossa & a a retro Testa Rossa

The prototype race car would be great but then they'd probably not do as well in F1 because of the lessened focus

As for not being a sell out, get used to it, It will only get worse. I think Ferrari is following Harley Davidson's lead. Now where is that Ferrari thong I want for the ladies ?

 

Why ? What fun is going slow ?

 

I'd concentrate on re-making Fiat, including Fiat Auto. A very significant challenge, to be sure, but also, I think, the opportunity of a lifetime.

I'd also ignore this thread as it relates to Ferrari, a company which sems to me to be doing fine. The Maserati part of the Ferrari Maserati Group IMO presents a more intriguing business opportunity.

 

I agree that people are more interested in sport car races such as Le Mans. However, Enzo didn't care about his street cars, only his racing. And it appears as if thats still somewhat true in Ferrari as they only really compete in F1.

 

Here's my perhaps warped logic...

First of all, this would be a road-going Ferrari so a 150 MPH limit would not be unreasonable in most countries. Make it 175 if you like.

You can make an extremely quick (ie, high acceleration) sports car without also making it extremely fast (ie, max speed). I think most owners would prefer a quicker Ferrari over a faster one.

My reason for imposing some drag limited max speed is to de-emphasize drag reduction as a primary design objective. This would enable a wider variety of designs to emerge. And forcing designers to focus on max acceleration instead of max speed would also encourage smaller and lighter designs.

 

If I were Luca I'd definately build this fine SUV for the US where gas is creeping over $2 a gallon, probably to stay there

 

If I were Luca I would (among other things probably)

Invest a few dollars less in Formula one, starting with Mr. Schumachers salary in the first place.

If possible financially, set up a 100% factory sportscar team that could compete (and win) at, for instance, Le Mans.

Take the ridiculous so called "merchandising" to a halt. I mean: Ferrari notebooks, cellphones, bikes and surfboards... COME ON... Who wants Ferrari to produce that crap anyway.

Hire a proper Italian designer at Pininfarina to make the modern cars look a bit more Italian, again.

 

Looks like little chance of this, here's what I found browsing for the identity of the Enzo 'stylist'; http://www.pininfarina.it/eng/press/press/06_02_04.html

So, the guy returns back to Pinifarina. I think this Okuyama character is a superb designer of car bodies, but I see them more as next gen NSX, not next gen Ferrari. Well, if you take a look at Italian design and fashion lately (I can say this being Italian), you can see some bizarre tangents into the elite and strange. Furniture, clothes, boats... frankly alot of it looks tacky to my tastes. Perhaps Pinifarina leadership wants to stay off the path and to hard left...?

 

1. Schumacher is worth it. The relationship has worked well for both Schumacher and Ferrari - so I wouldnt change anything here. If Tiger Woods can earn $83 million without anything great to show for over the last year, Schumi certainly deserves it - he has demolished Barrichello in equal cars...

2. Yes in addition to F1.

3. "Caveat Emptor" or "A sucker is born every day" .... If there are people willing to pay for it ... why not cash into it - also helps pay Schumi's salary

4. Would agree with you somewhat ... the F430 scares me

What I would do if were Luca:

1. Give Sameer a free Ferrari 575 Maranello for being a loyal fan

2. Shoot any insider who suggests building a four door Ferrari or a Ferrari SUV.

3. Do his best to make sure Schumi does not retire till 2006 and hopefully convince him to stay longer

 

1. Schumacher is worth it. The relationship has worked well for both Schumacher and Ferrari - so I wouldnt change anything here. If Tiger Woods can earn $83 million without anything great to show for over the last year, Schumi certainly deserves it - he has demolished Barrichello in equal cars...

You got a point in that one. But be it Tiger Woods or Michael Schumacher, both have completely ridiculous earnings. And nowadays everyone at the FIA shouts that Formula One must become far less expensive in the near future. Each driver has one engine on a weekend, in the future perhaps one engine for every 2-3 races, engine size will be smaller, etc, etc. But they still pay those multi million salarys each year. Sure, they are good sportsman and they deserve to get paid for what they earn, but all this is a bit of a silly contradiction if you think of it all.

 

i dont question Shumi's driving ability for a second...but with regards to him 'demolishing Barrichello in an equal car' - i think team tactics and strategy has something to do with that too....

If i was Luca, i would bring back a design philosophy to mirror that of the 288 GTO, testarossa, 355 and F40 combined with the raw performance of the F40 LM and finally an exhaust note that sounds like a race car! (not like a stock 360 - sounds 'tinny').