When Function Overrides Form: WTF Is Up With Ferrari Producing Ugly Cars These Days?
02-10-2006, 05:21 PM
#1
TECH Resident
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Palolo Valley HI, or Whitter SoCal
Posts: 751
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
When Function Overrides Form: WTF Is Up With Ferrari Producing Ugly Cars These Days? Question, is anyone else besides me as stunned as I am at how ugly the latest crop of Ferraris are? I mean ok, there will always be the classics like the infamous 250 GTO, the stylish but somewhat unloved 246 Dino, the sharp looking awesomely straight 80s built for Group B Rallying 288 GTO and the beautiful F40 often considered the greatest of the Ferrari supercars. But classics and ubercar specials aside, Ferrari design has taken a header over the last few years IMO. I'm beginning to wonder if function is taking full precedence over form these days over in Maranello.
First things first. Now in my opinion, the super Ferraris are sort of exempt from my argument because they're built strictly to go fast and tend to incorporate either designs that are familiar, or what's functional. Nonetheless, it's interesting to see how the design of the last few Ferrari supercars have progressed (or regressed depending on how you look at it) over the years. Yes the Enzo is one functional machine, but it is ******* ugly. The 250 GTO will always be a beaut and a classic so we'll let that one be. The 288 GTO built to go rallying was based off of the 308 GTB in terms of design. A good looking car to begin with in it's own right. The came the awesome looking and straight 80s F40 and then the F50 and F50GT. Both of which were sort of evolutions of the F40 in terms of design. But then almost a decade later we get the purely functional Enzo and FXX. Now this to me was a sign that Ferrari may perhaps be thinking that form no longer plays a part in terms of design. But again, the Enzo is their supercar, what about the lesser more streetable Ferraris I thought?
Lets look at the last 15 years or so of Ferrari design. Starting at the bottom there's the F430. Now the F430 is much more agressive looking then the bland 360 Modena. I'm sorry, but the 360 Modena barely looked sexy unless it was in Challenge Stradale trim. I guess it's tough to follow an act as great as the 355 and even the baby Testarossa 348 that came before it in terms of exterior design. Both the 348 and 355 were great looking small Ferraris. From the 348s baby Testarossa look to the 355s sleek "pop up headlights are still a fad" and "it's time to bring exposed round tailights back to the small Ferrari" design cues. I loved the look of both cars and found the 360 a bit to bland for my tastes. The F430 is an improvement, but those intakes at the front are a bit too huge and pronounced. I wish they'd tone them down because the Enzoesque rear is some hot ****.
Moving up to 2+2s... well 2+2s have never been Ferrari's area of expertise in my opinion. When the 456GT entered production in '92 as a successor to the front engined 412 which was discontinued after '89 it would also end up replacing the Mondial T which would later disappear in '93. Since the departure of the Mondial, Ferrari hasn't offered a mid engined 2+2 leaving only the front engined 456 and now the 612 as their only 4 seat offerings. In terms of design, the 456 was a good looking in my opinion. A bit bulbous but hey, it was a 4 seater afterall. For a 2+2 it was a beautiful looking car and I was sad to see it go when it was finally replaced. Especially when it was replaced by the obnoxious looking 612 Scaglietti. WHAT THE **** IS THAT **** ANYWAY? What an UGLY UGLY car the 612 is. This to me was the second mistep by Ferrari in terms of design. Ok so the 360 was bland looking but not ugly, and the Enzo was ugly but highly functional which I guess I could forgive. But the 612. What a disgrace to Ferrari design that thing is. From the clean smooth lines of the 456M to this thing. WOW, just WOW. From the long *** hood to the long wheelbase which was stretched simply so that one could fit two 6 footers in the back. Yet again, more function over form which results in a disaster of a design.
Finally we come to Ferrari's GT line of cars. With the demise of the F512M we'd also see the demise of the mid engined F12 Ferrari GTs. What we'd gain is the first front engined 2 seat GT Ferrari since the Daytona which ended production in the mid 70s, with an all new V12 replacing the infamous F12 motors made famous from the time it first appeared in the 365BB during the 70s up until the F512M which ended production in '96. That front engined GT was the 550 Maranello. And what a beautiful car it was. From the Viperesque hood scoop to it's sleek glass hatch. Lets face it, while the Berlinetta Boxer series of cars weren't the greatest of designs, the Testarossa was a hottie. What a looker that thing was. Design cues even carried over to the baby 348. Replacing it would be no easy task, especially since Ferrari would be returning to it's FR roots with it's successor, but the 550 succeeded. It was a great design which even looked good without a roof (550 Barchetta) and with a flip top (575M Superamerica). So of course Ferrari would make sure that the successor to the car which resurrected the front engined Ferrari GT would be beautiful right? WRONG. The 599 GTB is shaping up to be a 612 minus 2 seats and pentastar wheels from the 80s. Frankly I am disappointed and find the thing to be just plain and pure ugly. The 599 for me marks the nail in the coffin for what I think is the downfall of Ferrari design over the last 3 or 4 years or so.
Somewhere along the way I think Ferrari forgot that when 7 year old boys dream about their cars, they don't quite yet know what a 6.0L V12 is. They dream about their cars because they're beautiful works of art. Form and function must work hand in hand when it comes to performance cars. One cannot supercede the other IMO. Personally I feel Ferrari has forgotten that beauty is not found through a .29 drag coefficent.
First things first. Now in my opinion, the super Ferraris are sort of exempt from my argument because they're built strictly to go fast and tend to incorporate either designs that are familiar, or what's functional. Nonetheless, it's interesting to see how the design of the last few Ferrari supercars have progressed (or regressed depending on how you look at it) over the years. Yes the Enzo is one functional machine, but it is ******* ugly. The 250 GTO will always be a beaut and a classic so we'll let that one be. The 288 GTO built to go rallying was based off of the 308 GTB in terms of design. A good looking car to begin with in it's own right. The came the awesome looking and straight 80s F40 and then the F50 and F50GT. Both of which were sort of evolutions of the F40 in terms of design. But then almost a decade later we get the purely functional Enzo and FXX. Now this to me was a sign that Ferrari may perhaps be thinking that form no longer plays a part in terms of design. But again, the Enzo is their supercar, what about the lesser more streetable Ferraris I thought?
Lets look at the last 15 years or so of Ferrari design. Starting at the bottom there's the F430. Now the F430 is much more agressive looking then the bland 360 Modena. I'm sorry, but the 360 Modena barely looked sexy unless it was in Challenge Stradale trim. I guess it's tough to follow an act as great as the 355 and even the baby Testarossa 348 that came before it in terms of exterior design. Both the 348 and 355 were great looking small Ferraris. From the 348s baby Testarossa look to the 355s sleek "pop up headlights are still a fad" and "it's time to bring exposed round tailights back to the small Ferrari" design cues. I loved the look of both cars and found the 360 a bit to bland for my tastes. The F430 is an improvement, but those intakes at the front are a bit too huge and pronounced. I wish they'd tone them down because the Enzoesque rear is some hot ****.
Moving up to 2+2s... well 2+2s have never been Ferrari's area of expertise in my opinion. When the 456GT entered production in '92 as a successor to the front engined 412 which was discontinued after '89 it would also end up replacing the Mondial T which would later disappear in '93. Since the departure of the Mondial, Ferrari hasn't offered a mid engined 2+2 leaving only the front engined 456 and now the 612 as their only 4 seat offerings. In terms of design, the 456 was a good looking in my opinion. A bit bulbous but hey, it was a 4 seater afterall. For a 2+2 it was a beautiful looking car and I was sad to see it go when it was finally replaced. Especially when it was replaced by the obnoxious looking 612 Scaglietti. WHAT THE **** IS THAT **** ANYWAY? What an UGLY UGLY car the 612 is. This to me was the second mistep by Ferrari in terms of design. Ok so the 360 was bland looking but not ugly, and the Enzo was ugly but highly functional which I guess I could forgive. But the 612. What a disgrace to Ferrari design that thing is. From the clean smooth lines of the 456M to this thing. WOW, just WOW. From the long *** hood to the long wheelbase which was stretched simply so that one could fit two 6 footers in the back. Yet again, more function over form which results in a disaster of a design.
Finally we come to Ferrari's GT line of cars. With the demise of the F512M we'd also see the demise of the mid engined F12 Ferrari GTs. What we'd gain is the first front engined 2 seat GT Ferrari since the Daytona which ended production in the mid 70s, with an all new V12 replacing the infamous F12 motors made famous from the time it first appeared in the 365BB during the 70s up until the F512M which ended production in '96. That front engined GT was the 550 Maranello. And what a beautiful car it was. From the Viperesque hood scoop to it's sleek glass hatch. Lets face it, while the Berlinetta Boxer series of cars weren't the greatest of designs, the Testarossa was a hottie. What a looker that thing was. Design cues even carried over to the baby 348. Replacing it would be no easy task, especially since Ferrari would be returning to it's FR roots with it's successor, but the 550 succeeded. It was a great design which even looked good without a roof (550 Barchetta) and with a flip top (575M Superamerica). So of course Ferrari would make sure that the successor to the car which resurrected the front engined Ferrari GT would be beautiful right? WRONG. The 599 GTB is shaping up to be a 612 minus 2 seats and pentastar wheels from the 80s. Frankly I am disappointed and find the thing to be just plain and pure ugly. The 599 for me marks the nail in the coffin for what I think is the downfall of Ferrari design over the last 3 or 4 years or so.
Somewhere along the way I think Ferrari forgot that when 7 year old boys dream about their cars, they don't quite yet know what a 6.0L V12 is. They dream about their cars because they're beautiful works of art. Form and function must work hand in hand when it comes to performance cars. One cannot supercede the other IMO. Personally I feel Ferrari has forgotten that beauty is not found through a .29 drag coefficent.
02-10-2006, 09:26 PM
#3
On The Tree
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 166
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Jayzvette
Beats me Lamborghini and porsche cars ain't much better
.... and nostalgic.
02-11-2006, 12:05 AM
#4
TECH Enthusiast
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Davenport, Iowa
Posts: 593
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wow, finally a thread on here where I can feel at home with everyone else.
I HATE the looks of the current Ferrari lineup. There's literally not one car that looks good IMO. The 575MM was the last of the good ones, and its replacement looks like a 2-seater 612S... I'll be right back: I have to puke.
Seriously, not even the F430M looks that good, and unfortunately it's the best looking car in their stable right now.
I miss the '90's-Ferrari, where every single car in their lineup had me drooling puddles.
Their '90's model range is as follows (early to late): 348, F40, Testarossa, 512TR, 512M, Mondial Cabriolet ( I don't think they made Mondial coupes in the '90's), F355, F50, 550 Maranello, and the 456GT: of course, they all had their model variants, but those were the '90's Ferraris, and those were when Ferrari-design was at its peak.
IMO, nothing says "Ferrari" more than the Testarossa/512 cars. God what a timeless look.
512TR:
[img]http://www.exoticcarsite.com/pictures/Cars/ferrari/512tr/ferrari_512tr-
8.jpg[/img]
By far one of THE sexiest cars ever created.
As for Lamborghini, I also have to agree with Jayzvette. I used to be obsessed with Lamborghinis more than any other THING in my life, and I still love them, but they're absolutely nothing like they used to be. Real "Lambos" ended with the Diablo IMO. That was their "swansong", if you will. That car will go down as my all-time favorite car: the car that got me hooked on cars, that made me dream of cars, that had me travelling across the MidWest with my dad just to see these things back when I was younger.
Porsche, they're getting much better with the 997. That car much resembles the 993, which is a damn good thing. I'd easily say the 997 is the Porsche that got me back into Porsche. I now keep an eye on that company and its new cars, mostly what they do with the 997. Great car.
But yes, the main thing with this is Ferrari, and their design levels are far from the emotional lines of the '80's and '90's cars. Now they're nothing I'd wanna be seen in pictures with, except only to say "Hey, I saw a Ferrari." There's no drama when viewing these new models anymore, no chills or goosebumps. Just "...What the F* happened?" is all I can seem to muster when I view these cars now.
I HATE the looks of the current Ferrari lineup. There's literally not one car that looks good IMO. The 575MM was the last of the good ones, and its replacement looks like a 2-seater 612S... I'll be right back: I have to puke.
Seriously, not even the F430M looks that good, and unfortunately it's the best looking car in their stable right now.
I miss the '90's-Ferrari, where every single car in their lineup had me drooling puddles.
Their '90's model range is as follows (early to late): 348, F40, Testarossa, 512TR, 512M, Mondial Cabriolet ( I don't think they made Mondial coupes in the '90's), F355, F50, 550 Maranello, and the 456GT: of course, they all had their model variants, but those were the '90's Ferraris, and those were when Ferrari-design was at its peak.
IMO, nothing says "Ferrari" more than the Testarossa/512 cars. God what a timeless look.
512TR:
[img]http://www.exoticcarsite.com/pictures/Cars/ferrari/512tr/ferrari_512tr-
8.jpg[/img]
By far one of THE sexiest cars ever created.
As for Lamborghini, I also have to agree with Jayzvette. I used to be obsessed with Lamborghinis more than any other THING in my life, and I still love them, but they're absolutely nothing like they used to be. Real "Lambos" ended with the Diablo IMO. That was their "swansong", if you will. That car will go down as my all-time favorite car: the car that got me hooked on cars, that made me dream of cars, that had me travelling across the MidWest with my dad just to see these things back when I was younger.
Porsche, they're getting much better with the 997. That car much resembles the 993, which is a damn good thing. I'd easily say the 997 is the Porsche that got me back into Porsche. I now keep an eye on that company and its new cars, mostly what they do with the 997. Great car.
But yes, the main thing with this is Ferrari, and their design levels are far from the emotional lines of the '80's and '90's cars. Now they're nothing I'd wanna be seen in pictures with, except only to say "Hey, I saw a Ferrari." There's no drama when viewing these new models anymore, no chills or goosebumps. Just "...What the F* happened?" is all I can seem to muster when I view these cars now.
02-11-2006, 06:55 PM
#5
TECH Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Gulf Shores and DC
Posts: 3,877
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I personally like the looks of the new Ferraris. Vehicularly function will always trump style in my mind. I personally think my 03 Stang GT looked better than any of the 4th gen FBodies. However, the FBody is built for a purpose and one can even tell that in its outer appearance. The Stang was built to look cool. The 512 shown above is a gorgeous car, but I would not take ten 512's for one F430. The F430 is built to run and run it does. The body looks like it does because it is designed to support that mission.
02-11-2006, 08:37 PM
#6
TECH Resident
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Palolo Valley HI, or Whitter SoCal
Posts: 751
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well for me Lambo and Porsche are a different story. At first I hated the Murcielago's excessively angular and chiseled look, but it's definitely grown on me. The Gallardo is also pretty sharp looking (no pun intended) and with such a futuristic look to both cars, I was disappointed that the Miura show car didn't carry at least a couple sharp creases here and there like they did in many artist renderings. Personally I like where Lamborghini design is at the moment. Sharp and angular like the Countach of the 80s but subdued and smoothed out if not too conservative. I must say that as much as I like the looks of both cars at the moment I will admit that Lambo didn't take any risks with the Murcielago and the Gallardo which I hope they do with their replacements. The Diablo was the perfect blend of smooth and I'll kick your *** looks.
As for Porsche. Well I'm a fan of the 997 and while many people might want to kill me for saying it, I liked the 996. I do think it was a step down from the wonderfully designed 993 but I can't blame them. The 964 along with the 930 retained the classic 911 shape so when the 993 showed up it had it's work cut out for it and wow what a beautiful car it was. With the switch to water cooled motors and a breakaway from the traditional oval headlamps, there were bound to be purists who despised the 996 but I found it to be a pretty decent looking car. While I understand that the 997 is supposed to reel the 911 back in a bit in terms of design to a more evolutionary 993 look, I don't like that Porsche took a step back and wish they would have pushed the 996 design a bit. Nonetheless I still find the 911 an attractive car.
As for the Boxster. Well I have to say that I was shocked when I first heard about the Cayman. I know Porsche was planning a coupe version of it's Boxster since the 986 gen car but never got to it since the Carrera GT and Cayenne were deemed priorities at the time. Regardless, the first time I saw the 987 Cayman OMFG I DIED. I know some will say it's nothing more than a Boxster with a roof but man is that thing sexy. Just like the BMW Z4 Coupe, putting a proper roof onto the Boxster turn the car into pure sex on wheels. I was never too big a fan of the Boxster, but the Cayman is just plain pure Porsche and I love it.
As for the Carrera GT, sexier than the Enzo is all I can say. I love it's looks much more than the Ferrari ubermobile and am kind of sad to hear that it's value is actually decreasing unlike Enzos, Mac F1s and SLR McLarens.
The Cayenne... yah it's fast but honestly, **** THE CAYENNE. Yes it brings in a shitload of money so that we can get faster 911s in the form of the just announced 415hp 997 GT3 but hey... **** THE CAYENNE. Yes there are rumors the V8 will find a home in an Aston Martin Rapide/Merc CLS type 4 door Porsche possibly dubbed Panamera but again... **** THE CAYENNE. What an ugly POS that thing is. The only great thing about the Cayenne is the 4.5L Turbo V8 under the hood of the Cayenne Turbo and Turbo S models.
As for Porsche. Well I'm a fan of the 997 and while many people might want to kill me for saying it, I liked the 996. I do think it was a step down from the wonderfully designed 993 but I can't blame them. The 964 along with the 930 retained the classic 911 shape so when the 993 showed up it had it's work cut out for it and wow what a beautiful car it was. With the switch to water cooled motors and a breakaway from the traditional oval headlamps, there were bound to be purists who despised the 996 but I found it to be a pretty decent looking car. While I understand that the 997 is supposed to reel the 911 back in a bit in terms of design to a more evolutionary 993 look, I don't like that Porsche took a step back and wish they would have pushed the 996 design a bit. Nonetheless I still find the 911 an attractive car.
As for the Boxster. Well I have to say that I was shocked when I first heard about the Cayman. I know Porsche was planning a coupe version of it's Boxster since the 986 gen car but never got to it since the Carrera GT and Cayenne were deemed priorities at the time. Regardless, the first time I saw the 987 Cayman OMFG I DIED. I know some will say it's nothing more than a Boxster with a roof but man is that thing sexy. Just like the BMW Z4 Coupe, putting a proper roof onto the Boxster turn the car into pure sex on wheels. I was never too big a fan of the Boxster, but the Cayman is just plain pure Porsche and I love it.
As for the Carrera GT, sexier than the Enzo is all I can say. I love it's looks much more than the Ferrari ubermobile and am kind of sad to hear that it's value is actually decreasing unlike Enzos, Mac F1s and SLR McLarens.
The Cayenne... yah it's fast but honestly, **** THE CAYENNE. Yes it brings in a shitload of money so that we can get faster 911s in the form of the just announced 415hp 997 GT3 but hey... **** THE CAYENNE. Yes there are rumors the V8 will find a home in an Aston Martin Rapide/Merc CLS type 4 door Porsche possibly dubbed Panamera but again... **** THE CAYENNE. What an ugly POS that thing is. The only great thing about the Cayenne is the 4.5L Turbo V8 under the hood of the Cayenne Turbo and Turbo S models.
02-13-2006, 09:53 AM
#7
I agree with you, Ferrari's styling apex was in the mid 90's. The cars have gotten steadily uglier. Although I didn't mind the 360 (in lowered Stradale trim its pretty good looking), it looked kinda bloated to me. The F430 with its massive nostrils looks ridiculous. And I haven't liked a Ferrari supercar since the F40. Enzo's gotta be rolling in his grave somewhere. The 456 was a beauty, the 612 not so much. There are some good design elements in the 612, its just out of porportion. Its hard to believe, but the styling batton has been passed to Lamborghini. The Murcielago and Gallardo are modern interpretations of classic Lambo styling. I think they fit nicely next to the Diablo and Countach. Oh, and **** that tarted up Toureg from Zuffenhausen!
Trending Topics
02-13-2006, 02:19 PM
#8
Staging Lane
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't really have anything to add other than that I couldn't agree more with the OP.
Not that I'll ever have the money to own a Ferrari but they have simply stopped looking good to me. I remember I started to take notice with the 360 that the trademark Ferrari grille was missing, this dissapointed me.
The 550/575 was probably one of my favorite cars of all time, I hate to see it go.
And those pentagram wheels on the new car are just frigging awful.
Not that I'll ever have the money to own a Ferrari but they have simply stopped looking good to me. I remember I started to take notice with the 360 that the trademark Ferrari grille was missing, this dissapointed me.
The 550/575 was probably one of my favorite cars of all time, I hate to see it go.
And those pentagram wheels on the new car are just frigging awful.
02-13-2006, 07:43 PM
#10
TECH Resident
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Palolo Valley HI, or Whitter SoCal
Posts: 751
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Toasty
For the uninformed on Ferrari...
This thread sucks without pics.
This thread sucks without pics.
I created the thread to discuss Ferrari design. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that you should at least have some knowledge of Ferrari design before coming in here. I post pics in threads dealing with concepts and debuts because they're all in one place. No way in hell am I posting pics of some 15 or 20 different Ferraris. If this thread sucks so much without pics, YOU POST THEM. Everone else who has replied seems to know what I'm talking about.
02-16-2006, 04:31 PM
#11
On The Tree
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 169
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
First, let me say that I enjoy your posts Matt.
They are informative without too much bias on any one make which is key when it comes to these topics.
As for your Ferrari notions, I believe it's the overall homogenization from single ownership over multiple car companies.
The days of a beautifully sculptered fender and rear quarter will never be had, because there is no more originality.
Look no further than the massive Retro trends going on now.
Function will always win over a curvaceous design in this day and age.
Audi/VW's ownership of Lamborghini is another good indication of this process.
Both Lambo's look like the W12 prototype(and subsequent Nardo W12) from +/- ten years ago.
Ferrari's new approach seems just like that of everyone else, push the wheels within inches of the outer reaches of the fenders and rake the front and chop the ***.
599GTB is a C6/Lexus SC430 splice.
In any case, I still can't afford one, but if I could, Porsche would get my money based simply on their working man's approach to speed and engineering.
They are informative without too much bias on any one make which is key when it comes to these topics.
As for your Ferrari notions, I believe it's the overall homogenization from single ownership over multiple car companies.
The days of a beautifully sculptered fender and rear quarter will never be had, because there is no more originality.
Look no further than the massive Retro trends going on now.
Function will always win over a curvaceous design in this day and age.
Audi/VW's ownership of Lamborghini is another good indication of this process.
Both Lambo's look like the W12 prototype(and subsequent Nardo W12) from +/- ten years ago.
Ferrari's new approach seems just like that of everyone else, push the wheels within inches of the outer reaches of the fenders and rake the front and chop the ***.
599GTB is a C6/Lexus SC430 splice.
In any case, I still can't afford one, but if I could, Porsche would get my money based simply on their working man's approach to speed and engineering.
02-18-2006, 10:37 PM
#13
TECH Resident
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Palolo Valley HI, or Whitter SoCal
Posts: 751
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by CMSDave
First, let me say that I enjoy your posts Matt.
They are informative without too much bias on any one make which is key when it comes to these topics.
As for your Ferrari notions, I believe it's the overall homogenization from single ownership over multiple car companies.
The days of a beautifully sculptered fender and rear quarter will never be had, because there is no more originality.
Look no further than the massive Retro trends going on now.
Function will always win over a curvaceous design in this day and age.
Audi/VW's ownership of Lamborghini is another good indication of this process.
Both Lambo's look like the W12 prototype(and subsequent Nardo W12) from +/- ten years ago.
Ferrari's new approach seems just like that of everyone else, push the wheels within inches of the outer reaches of the fenders and rake the front and chop the ***.
599GTB is a C6/Lexus SC430 splice.
In any case, I still can't afford one, but if I could, Porsche would get my money based simply on their working man's approach to speed and engineering.
They are informative without too much bias on any one make which is key when it comes to these topics.
As for your Ferrari notions, I believe it's the overall homogenization from single ownership over multiple car companies.
The days of a beautifully sculptered fender and rear quarter will never be had, because there is no more originality.
Look no further than the massive Retro trends going on now.
Function will always win over a curvaceous design in this day and age.
Audi/VW's ownership of Lamborghini is another good indication of this process.
Both Lambo's look like the W12 prototype(and subsequent Nardo W12) from +/- ten years ago.
Ferrari's new approach seems just like that of everyone else, push the wheels within inches of the outer reaches of the fenders and rake the front and chop the ***.
599GTB is a C6/Lexus SC430 splice.
In any case, I still can't afford one, but if I could, Porsche would get my money based simply on their working man's approach to speed and engineering.
Thanks man I appreciate that. I figure with the amount of fanboyism and bias around here, I'd be nice to have an objective voice every now and then. And since I tend to pretty much like everything thats fast and has 4 wheels, I think it suits me to be unbiased... well unless we're talking about GMs current **** ups, Ferraris current design direction and everything that Chris Bangle has touched.
02-19-2006, 12:17 AM
#14
TECH Veteran
iTrader: (12)
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Rockville, MD
Posts: 4,354
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i personally like the modena... i dont like the strait/boxyness of the 80s ferraris. tthere are certain things about each car i hate and love. the enzo is jus a class of its own. they took their irl car and stuck a body on it and sold it for a **** load of cash.. its a status symbol and always will be. that lil horsey will always be worth a lot to someone.
03-02-2006, 05:01 PM
#15
Teching In
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't like the rear of the 599 GTB Fiorano, but I hope Ferrari races it in the GT1 class of ACO racing against Corvette C5-Rs and C6-Rs.
550 Maranello
575M Maranello
New 599 GTB Fiorano
575 GTC
The 'C' in the name stands for 'competizione'
2004 12 Hours of Sebring
550 Maranello
575M Maranello
New 599 GTB Fiorano
575 GTC
The 'C' in the name stands for 'competizione'
2004 12 Hours of Sebring
03-08-2006, 10:44 PM
#16
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (29)
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: 906 (Sault Ste. Marie MI)
Posts: 349
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Glad to see there are other Ferrari fanatics like me. When I got my Z and my little bro started getting interested in cars, he kept asking me "...what is it about Ferrari's that make you so obsessed with them..?" Well I couldn't really give him a good answer because you need to see and hear them to appreciate them completely. Its just something you cannot put into words. We went to Chicago for the NHRA drags last year and I took him to 2 dealerships and we actually got to see (and hear) a 348 go by. Of course when I heard it leave the stoplight I spun around to see what the HELL is that sound. He did too and I and that moment he figured out what they meant.
03-22-2017, 03:39 PM
#17
TECH Apprentice
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 355
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm sorry but the enzo looks like someone crossed a f1 car (not pretty) with a praying mantis (definetly not pretty)
The old Testarossa and even the F355 to me were much better styled than some of the modern stuff where form rules function.
I think the stylists should worry less about lap times and more about bringing back beautiful cars.
My old c3 isn't the most aero, but it looks better than most and still gets alot of thumbs up.
I have a couple of Ferrari kits cars if anyone wants the look with american performance and maintenance costs.
True Ferrari's come with some of the most spectacular boffo maint costs I've ever heard of. Lambos too. My buddy Stan was a girly photographer and was trying to impress a spectacular blond, he revved it up and dumped the clutch and tore out the ring and pinion. 20k later he figured out he couldn't do what he could with his "junk" ZR-1.
The porsche guys found out the same thing.
The old Testarossa and even the F355 to me were much better styled than some of the modern stuff where form rules function.
I think the stylists should worry less about lap times and more about bringing back beautiful cars.
My old c3 isn't the most aero, but it looks better than most and still gets alot of thumbs up.
I have a couple of Ferrari kits cars if anyone wants the look with american performance and maintenance costs.
True Ferrari's come with some of the most spectacular boffo maint costs I've ever heard of. Lambos too. My buddy Stan was a girly photographer and was trying to impress a spectacular blond, he revved it up and dumped the clutch and tore out the ring and pinion. 20k later he figured out he couldn't do what he could with his "junk" ZR-1.
The porsche guys found out the same thing.
