Ferrari - Now vs the future

Tea 1000

Interesting article on Autocar about Montezemolo's departure.
He could well have a point, Ferrari as a road car brand at the moment have never been better. Selling more cars than ever and no press magazine has anything other than glowing reviews about all their products. That's a stark contrast to the early 90's, when the coolness of having a Ferrari was the only reason to have one, aside from that they were fairly shít.
With a new CEO intent on using the brand to boost the other brands, that can only spell trouble.

Neilw

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Selling more cars than ever and no press magazine has anything other than glowing reviews about all their products.

Don't Ferrari vet their reviewers before allowing them in a car, then review what they've written/filmed before its released?

Chris Harris was banned from reviewing their cars because he gave opinions the didn't like.

Tea 1000

Neilw wrote: »

Don't Ferrari vet their reviewers before allowing them in a car, then review what they've written/filmed before its released?

Chris Harris was banned from reviewing their cars because he gave opinions the didn't like.

They do something along those lines alright, but Chris has got his hands on them via other means and still loves the current crop! But they are a bit mafia-like when it comes to that sort of thing.

PrettyBoy

Neilw wrote: »

Don't Ferrari vet their reviewers before allowing them in a car, then review what they've written/filmed before its released?

Chris Harris was banned from reviewing their cars because he gave opinions the didn't like.

Are you joking?

PrettyBoy

LIGHTNING wrote: »

That's true, Ferrari always make 'adjustments' to reviewers cars to make them better than the stock cars.

What do you mean "that's true"? He stated something completely different to what you're saying, never mentioned a thing about Ferrari tweaking press cars

Neilw wrote: »

Don't Ferrari vet their reviewers before allowing them in a car, then review what they've written/filmed before its released?

Chris Harris was banned from reviewing their cars because he gave opinions the didn't like.

Neilw

They also got their solicitors onto an owner who painted his car light blue with those meow meow kitty stickers all over it.

MadYaker

Neilw wrote: »

They also got their solicitors onto an owner who painted his car light blue with those meow meow kitty stickers all over it.

I call bullsh!t on his, what exactly were the solicitors supposed to do? Once you've bought the car it's yours and you can do what you like with it.

PrettyBoy

Genuinely can't believe how gullible some people here are...

Anjobe

MadYaker wrote: »

I call bullsh!t on his, what exactly were the solicitors supposed to do? Once you've bought the car it's yours and you can do what you like with it.

I presume this is the story in question...

PrettyBoy

Neilw wrote: »

They also got their solicitors onto an owner who painted his car light blue with those meow meow kitty stickers all over it.

The internet has mislead you. The weird wrap was not the issue. The cease and desist from Ferrari was in relation to the Deadmaus replacing all of the Ferrari logos on the car with his own "Purrari" ones and then using it for commercial purposes.

Tea 1000

I take it from the derailment of the thread that no one on boards gives a flying f**k where Ferrari is headed then!

Anjobe

Tea 1000 wrote: »

I take it from the derailment of the thread that no one on boards gives a flying f**k where Ferrari is headed then!

Given they're never going to produce another Daytona or 250 GTO etc whoever is in charge, then I have to say probably not, no, I don't...

PrettyBoy

Tea 1000 wrote: »

I take it from the derailment of the thread that no one on boards gives a flying f**k where Ferrari is headed then!

What would you expect from the "car enthusiasts" that contribute here...

Anjobe wrote: »

Given they're never going to produce another Daytona or 250 GTO etc whoever is in charge, then I have to say probably not, no, I don't...

:rolleyes:

@ Tea - It's sad that Luca has left, he was instrumental in turning Ferrari around and building it into the massively successful company it is today. Hopefully Marchionne will see sense and refrain from shaking things up too much - his track record doesn't exactly inspire confidence but it's too early to jump to conclusions.

jimgoose

What exactly does "using the brand to boost the other brands" mean? Sticking a Ferrari badge on the latest Daewoo Dyspepsia in order to sell millions of them to cool Asians? Bad move - the Asians aren't that bothered about the badge, and such a thing would send Ferrari's current loyalist hardcore running to the competition in droves. :pac:

Tea 1000

PrettyBoy wrote: »

What would you expect from the "car enthusiasts" that contribute here...


:rolleyes:

@ Tea - It's sad that Luca has left, he was instrumental in turning Ferrari around and building it into the massively successful company it is today. Hopefully Marchionne will see sense and refrain from shaking things up too much - his track record doesn't exactly inspire confidence but it's too early to jump to conclusions.

I don't know if Luca had gone past his best too. Like a really successful football manager, who seems to have lost the creativity that made him great, and wonders why reputation isn't getting results.
Either way, Marchionne might not be the right man for the job, and if numbers are all he's interested in, then he almost certainly isn't.
Time will tell, but it might be a case that Ferrari are at their peak right now.

Neilw

PrettyBoy wrote: »

The internet has mislead you. The weird wrap was not the issue. The cease and desist from Ferrari was in relation to the Deadmaus replacing all of the Ferrari logos on the car with his own "Purrari" ones and then using it for commercial purposes.

Ah sure same same only different, ott from them anyway

Han534

bigger and better

PrettyBoy

Tea 1000 wrote: »

I don't know if Luca had gone past his best too. Like a really successful football manager, who seems to have lost the creativity that made him great, and wonders why reputation isn't getting results.

Just so there's no confusion, the only part of Ferrari that hasn't seen results is the F1 team in recent years. The drivers aren't too blame either, the cars just haven't been quick enough. I'm not sure if Luca's departure will prove to be of any benefit whatsoever to the F1 team.

Meanwhile, every road car for the last 15+ has received universal acclaim with the 458/F12/FF/Cali/LaFerrari arguably being the strongest model range the company has ever had. Record profits are recorded year after year. It's sad to think that Ferrari may be at its peak but now that Luca is gone it looks like it could well be the case

wotswattage

When you look at something like this it makes you realise how special Ferraris are, but also how much of that has been lost in recent years.
They are still amazing, but with the advent of so many top class rival supercars these days Ferraris almost seem to be heading into relative monotony..

Watch the vid and you'll see what I mean!
Excuse the quality there is only one other version up and its far worse...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isr_fUuXpzo

EDIT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isr_fUuXpzo

ShadowHearth

Hmm, I will never ever will be able to afford or own ferrari, same way most people in here. So why the **** people even care?!

jimgoose

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Hmm, I will never ever will be able to afford or own ferrari, same way most people in here. So why the **** people even care?!

Because the Ferrari is a thing of rare and special beauty. Because a world where such a thing can exist is that little bit nicer than one where such things are made extinct by accountants, 'elf'n'safetyinnit, and the bloody EU.

wotswattage

And they are more affordable than you think!

What people pay for a 5 year old diesel audi A4 is what other people pay for a Ferrari!

jimgoose

wotswattage wrote: »

And they are more affordable than you think!

What people pay for a 5 year old diesel audi A4 is what other people pay for a Ferrari!

At the risk of enraging hordes of middle-aged men with carpet warehouses in 'Uddersfield, I'm a Miura Jota pervert meself!

PrettyBoy

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Hmm, I will never ever will be able to afford or own ferrari, same way most people in here. So why the **** people even care?!

Because we're not all as pessimistic as you.

Tea 1000

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Hmm, I will never ever will be able to afford or own ferrari, same way most people in here. So why the **** people even care?!

I can never be Batman but yet I really enjoyed the Christopher Nolan films... I can never sleep with Mila Kunis, but I don't feel the need to stop looking at her in movies!!
Some things make life for some people a little better just because they exist. Someone out there is making a car for engineering sake, not for the shopping run sake.
When you're at a car show and a Ferrari drives by, the world immediately around you is temporarily a slightly better place! Most people don't care, but I'm a petrol head, and this is a motors forum. I thought a topic on one of the pinnacle of motor manufacturers might be worthwhile as a nice change over "Is Zingwongwang a good make of tyre? It's for my brothers Daewooooo ****itIhatedriving".

cadaliac

We could all be pessimistic and say that Ferrari are at their peak. (Irony :rolleyes:).
Anyway, the F1 chapter of Ferrari is probably going to play a bigger part in the history of the company than we think.
OK, the company is flying now, the F1 arm of the company is not.
The boss is gone, new one in. So, is this for the sake of F1, or, for the sake of the company as a whole?
The whole essence of Ferrari is its racing pedigree. Maybe the focus is its failing F1 team now, and the road cars will hold their own?
I think the focus will be very much on the F1 arm for the foreseeable future. They have the money to attract the best people. Its just not happening now. I think that the longer Ferrari are not competitive in F1, the more damage it is doing to the company as a whole.
my 2c.

mailforkev

I think historically one division flourishes while the other flounders. So right now the road cars are great, race cars not so much. Schumacher years had the opposite.

Rumour was that di Montezemolo was off to Alitalia.

Muppet Man

Very slightly off topic, I thought this was an interesting article about how hard it was to buy an F50, or even take one for a test drive... Initially owners were keen to allow it to be test driven, but ominously backed out at the last minute... Rumours were that ferrari were blocking the test drives.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/ferrari-f50-road-test

Muppet man

PrettyBoy

cadaliac wrote: »

We could all be pessimistic and say that Ferrari are at their peak. (Irony :rolleyes:).

You're referring to my post saying that they may be at their peak? After mentioning in the previous post that I remain hopeful that thing's won't change too much under the new management and that it's far too early to jump to such conclusions anyway? Very pessimistic of me alright :rolleyes:

PrettyBoy

mailforkev wrote: »

I think historically one division flourishes while the other flounders. So right now the road cars are great, race cars not so much. Schumacher years had the opposite.

Can't say that I agree with this.