Not really. One likes what they like. It's their insistence that it must be sound over everything else, or you are not a true enthusiast, that rubs me the wrong way... The concert will always be the better experience, but the sound will be worse, compared to the studio recording. Thing is that both the studio and the concert are about the music. Engines are build to move the car, first and foremost. A nice sound is a boon. That's not my opinion, it's a fact. No, not everyone, I am not that presumptuous to think I know best. It applies for a lot of people though. Those who take their cars out on a canyon/mountain drive though, are of a different breed. Goes without saying that petrolheads get along well, even if they have different tastes. I used to be into rugby, played a bit myself, but the animosity drove me away from it. The car community is always cordial!
It depends. If they could recreate the sensation of the 250 (raw, sonorous, relatively light, unfiltered driving) I probably would. If they gave me Lusso performance in a car with airbags, Apple Car play, GPF and 1500kg weight I wouldn’t! You can get that by buying a basic VW Golf I also still drive my Dino which is even slower but offers sound, feel and driving enjoyment. Don’t get me wrong, I love modern cars and progress. I just miss the romance associated with old machines Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
you got me with vw golf . I drive my old gti once or twice per month and each time it puts a huge smile on my face. I got it while back for wife, and never sold it. Yes, the speed is nowhere comparable with my other cars, but speed is not everything. I guess i just don't enjoy driving heavy cars... and they are becoming more and more heavy
restro cars are popular and hugely expensive - typically £1m or so that shows (to me at least) there's a market for slower but characterful cars imo if ferrari made another batch of 355's and porsche made a batch of 993's but some how made them EU compliant then they'd sell lots! no manufacturer has had the balls yet to test the market to potentially end the power wars though, and it's probably most likely from feedback that the majority of customers won't buy the new model unless it has more power than the last. I'd be interested to go on a drive around the roads I like with a 296 infront of me in the 458 and see in real terms whether they are actually any faster as the most prohibiting thing for me typically is I don't want to die and the 458 is already suicidally quick on UK windy roads imo
Singer is a great example. Apply updated materials and manufacturing techniques (and a big budget) to an older car without changing the essence of what the car was. They aren't the fastest cars on the market, not by a longshot. But they're beloved by a significant subset of the enthusiast community. I'm with you - I'd be thrilled if Ferrari could find a way to put a car or two in its lineup built in a similar vein. (Not sure if such a thing is even possible for a manufacturer in today's regulatory environment though.) I'd still want them to make the 296 too. Something for everyone!
Sound, like many elements that occupy the enthusiasts mind, is very subjective. But, what we can say is that WHY sound is emotive is because good sound always suggests added power and race pedigree. More cylinders, more moving parts, more power = ‘better’ sound. No denying V12s sound sweeter, smoother. But it’s because we have for so long associated those sounds with extra performance that we love them. A 3 cylinder Japanese 660cc K car has a lovely sweet thrum to it. But no petrolhead thinks that’s especially cool, because it doesn’t suggest power. So Realzeus is right, great sound is a by-product of making cars powerful. Let’s not kid ourselves that Enzo wanted to build cars that sounded great but didn’t win. He wanted to win. Desperately. Ask yourself this question; if Enzo had a crystal ball and a designer came up with a car that sounded terrible but was a race winner, would he build it? You know the answer. So let’s not conclude Ferrari is about sound. It isn’t. It’s about powerful, high performance engines winning races. The sound was just a by-product of that. And it’s why many of us love the sound - we think it suggests high performance and speed. We’re now pre-conditioned. Nothing wrong with it. But it’s not what Ferrari is about. Classic cars (and we have a few) are fantastic. But we love the way they drive because we are making allowances for them. There is a natural nostalgia that is the lens through which we drive old cars. Our Tubi-equipped 512M has unbeatable sound, it is simply spectacular. But if the SF90 XX took anything from that driving experience, well, to say I would be disappointed would be an understatement. Do I not love the F512M then? Of course not, I absolutely love it. But it’s because it’s from the 80’s/90’s and I can understand the era and I interpret the driving experience through my experience of living though that era. Or our 73 911, the same thing. I couldn’t even drive in 73 - I was four! But the smells, the thought that my grandparents loved cars like this and I can enjoy what they did (or would have loved to have done). It’s such a compelling thing. And the air-cooled early Porsche engines sound great too. But I wouldn’t be putting up with the foibles from our 2.4 air-cooled engine in a modern Porsche. Modern needs to be modern because the old has already been done. And the reason why Porsche don’t make a Singer is because of the low volumes that Singer work to, which not only affords them a lot of leeway but also suits their very low overhead set up. Pointless for Porsche or Ferrari to try that. Alpine introduced a very low weight, simple, low-price but highly driver-focused car. The sort of thing all the so-called enthusiasts lusted after. The journalists promptly hailed it as a masterpiece. And then nobody, including those journalists (except I think James May) bought one. If any of us think we know better than Ferrari or Porsche, I’m not betting we’re correct.
I'm not sure that is an exhaustive explanation, at least not for everyone. Top fuel dragsters are immensely powerful, but I don't particularly like the sound. Same for big block V8s. Or today's F1 cars. My F8 sounds OK, but not nearly as good (IMO) as a V12 (or straight 6 or V16) from the 50's and 60's - despite its clear association with vastly more power. And it isn't just period romance; as much as I love the 750 Monza, it doesn't sound particularly good to me. I'm sure there are some subconscious associations contributing to my preferences. At the very least, the fact that it's a great car making the sound - not a washing machine or a lawn mower or a moped - is what makes it part of a holistic, enjoyable experience. But I believe there's more to it. I found an article (I'll try to find and post it) that looked at the sound waves produced by different engines. Honestly the science was way beyond my pay grade, but the synthesis was that V12s had a musical character, similar to some brass instruments. Others (inline 4 and 60° V6 if I remember correctly) looked more like noise with no clear signature. Accidental outcome? Of course. But a very happy accident in some cases.
Know better how to run a profitable company? Definitely not. Know better how to build a car? Nope Know better how to navigate the exceptionally complex regulatory and political landscape? Not close. Know better what their customers want (on average)? No way. Know better what I value in a car? Yes, I'd imagine I do. That's all I'm talking about. FWIW, I love (almost) everything Ferrari is building today, even if it doesn't always reflect my exact preferences. (I do not look forward to the electric era, however.)
Can anyone confirm if this XX has a door window frame? In the configurator it seems like it. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
You mean framed door windows. Unlikely - however I read there is an option to spec sliding plexiglass windows in which case you would have a window frame - like in a racing car. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Perhaps it’s the angle, but I’ve several like this and in every one of them the front looks enormous. In person the SF90 front looks smaller.
I thought the car looked fantastic when I viewed it in person- the front, nor any other part, looked out of proportion. Yet I go back to pics and sometimes I start to pick it a little bit apart- I’ll stick with my initial impression as thats how I saw it in real life. Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat
They had one at Ferrari Challenge at Road America a week ago. Amazing improvement at the rear compared to a regular SF90.
I think this is what the SF90 should have always been aesthetically. One thing I dont like is the exclusion of the Cavallino Rampante on the rear end. It feels a bit missing- but when I think about it, not sure where they would put it. I figure they seem to know what they are doing Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat
Remember the first Ti calculators or bag phone vs iPhone 15pro - Dino compared to the XX I have a lot of old metal - wonderful but they are mood cars and frankly tired of hoping they don't leak / work and take time patience etc. Todays Ferrari's are insanely usable all around. Romance - XX vs Dino - it's not a bad way to enjoy Ferrari either way but to take away the media press specification delivery of the first road legal XX is naive given the thread section. Anyone can go buy a Dino today - no offense but its true. Can we please make this thread worthy of an XX. Ever read posts from XX owners going into Dino section?
Totally agree! Given there’s no space for a cavallino on the back, I’m thinking about having a large nose ring made that I can wear while driving my XX. PM me if interested
When I collect my XX Spider I assure you I will continue writing in the Dino section too Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat
