Mercedes/McLaren to enter the "360-competitor" segment...Autoweek

What kind of dumb a$$ question is that? Any Enzo's that you may have opportunity to ride in/drive should be limited to 400hp

Here is one thing you can do with 600+ hp.... guess what car

 

LOL... i was trying to make a point... Thanks for completely deflating it...

 

you have 6X the fun you would with 100HP!!! Geez, isnt that obvious?

 

That's not a hood ornament, it's for the reverse thruster which is going to replace the current out-of-date braking syetms we use today

 

LOL...! Unless you're Michael Schumacher (or Bob Callahan), 600 horsepower isn't that much different from a lesser amount if you're on some really tight, twisty road...


Mark, i would assume that's an NNO; more specifically, Costa's NNO...

 

LOL...! You guys are creatively brutal...

 

HAHAHAHA. Honestly though what were they thinking when they made that air brake on the SLR.

 

Mercedes can never make a true sports car. The SLR was supposed to be the car to challege the Enzo and the Carrrera GT. Already the people who put deposit on the car are grumbling because the price has been increased considerably. Not to mention the delay in getting the car into production. Apparently Gordon Murray was quite frustrated because Mercedes keep interfering with the car and the finished product was much too heavy for Gordan's liking, Mercedes put too much "luxury" into the SLR.

They would do the same to the 200,000 dollar car too. So I don't see the competition. I'd worry about Lamborghini though, but not Mercedes.

 

Victory,

Are you familiar with the CLK-GTR?

It is a Mercedes and it is most definitely a true sports car.

Greg A

 

Sure I know. It's made for the track. Mainly to win LeMans and they did. Those that are sold as road car to the public are only for homologation purposes. The CLK-GTR is not a road car. We are talking about sports car in normal production line and made for the for the road.

 

A Mazda Miata? Seriously, I agree that unless you track a car all that power is mostly unused except for a few short trips. I own a Z06 with 700rwhp and while the acceleration to 150 mph is fun, is doesny occur very often. I really prefer my 360.

 

Yeah, until you hit the throttle upon exiting the turn. Buh bye. If you can't handle 600hp, stick to Ford Mustangs. I'll take the 600hp car.

 

I get such a laugh out of the auto press. The title of this Autoweek cover is "secret supercar that could best Ferrari". Have any of you noticed this same title virtually every month on mags for many months? The GT40 came out mags read "Ferrari beater", Gallardo "Ferrari beater", Chrysler supercar "Enzo beater", etc.

Now all this is pretty stupid because an exotic car is always more than the specs on paper. I'm sure the mags know this, but it's a good gimmick to help sell mags. "Ferrari Beater!!". This has already proven itself for years. The Z06 Corvette matches the 360's performance for a fraction of the price, yet 360's are still selling like hotcakes. Porsche 911TT/GT2 offer better performance than the 360/575 yet the P-cars are sitting on lots while the Ferrari's are selling like hotcakes. New Gallardo is out, but Ferrari's are still selling like hotcakes while the Gallardo's are readily available on showrooms Companies have succeeded at beating Ferrari's performance specs for decades, but Ferrari isn't going out of business anytime soon.

PS- This one is the biggest joke yet. Who the hell wants a sports car with an automatic transmission? Mercedes is nuts.

 

i prefer your 360, too...

 

This is a made up article about a made up car. Why debate the looks when the picture is just a magazine artist's sketch? Why argue about power and usability when we don't know if such a car will be made and what it will be powered by and who will develop it? I think some of us have lost sight of the fact that the article is pure conjecture.

 

You're right. Its an airplane!!!

 

Unless I've been asleep for the last 5 years, when did the CLK-GTR win Le Mans?

Let's see, Bentley last year, Audi three in a row before that, BMW the year before, 3 Porsche wins, then the McLaren, another Porsche, 2 Peugots, a Mazda then the Jaguar. That's everything since 1990, no?

 

Good point Jason, I just realized how many cars are going to be in this class soon, I hope it doesnt become flooded like the supercar market a few years back and collapse.

Off the top of my head I see these, some are just speculation...

Ferrari 428 Monza (if thats its real name)
Lamborghini Gallardo
Ford GT
Mercedes thingy (this topics car)
Porsche 911 (GT2 and GT3, possibly the 998 Turbo)
Alfa Romeo 8C
Chevy Corvette "blue devil"

possibly a Lexus supercar
Koeniggsegg (a bit pricey for this segment, but I want to include it)

If you count the 3 Porsches but not the Koeniggsegg or Lexus, thats 8 cars gunning for the Ferrari 360 replacement, and with possible convertibles of the Gally, Mercedes, Ford and likely Chevrolet, thats a LOT of cars in one price segment, all with Ferrari in their sights. But then again, all of those examples will appeal to different customers, and Ferrari will always have their die-hard fans.

Im gonna try to clear the screens up a bit in PS so I ACTUALLY READ the fine print

 

Just to clarify, I think one of the previous posters is wrong about sales volumes. Porsche is a business that wants to make and sell as many cars as possible. Ferrari is not in that mold by any stretch as they operate within a strict number of units manufactrured per year (4000 is it? Rising to 5000 to include new markets?). So saying that Ferraris are selling like hot cakes and Porsche GTs are not is simply because Ferrari has limited the supply to such an extreme, wheras Porsche makes as many as possible and just sells them.

 

True point about the 911TT but not the GT2. There were less built than 360's but they're easy to get.

Total production:

2001 192
2002 690
2003 500
2004E 400

US+Canada sales numbers:
CY 02 (Calendar Jan-Dec) : 194 units
CY 03 (Calendar Jan-Dec) : 94 units.

 

Indeed. I recall reading an article in Autoweek that was an interview with a Ferrari official about the 612 and he said something to the effect of "Yes, we know people are always out to beat Ferrari, just like in F1."
It is interesting that so many cars match or best F-car raw performance figures but not sales figures, as you said. It is the total experience, beauty, performance, street and racing history, exclusivity, and that sound, that make Ferrari the second most recognized name brand in the world, and the premier automotive brand, as well as an extremely difficult target. The competitors should follow Pagani's lead who did not want to "out Enzo, Enzo", but to make the first Pagani. Porsche does this to a degree and Lambo, but the others seem to be chasing windmills. But as someone else mentioned on this thread, competition is very, very good for us.

Forza,

JPR