Thread: Is Ferrari really as it once was?

Not to bring this back up, but I wanted to share this....
F355 - $28k


Edit: Whoa whoa whoa, hit the brakes. Just noticed it was a Salvage title.

One of the best Ferrari's of all time is and has been for some time, in the daily driver price range.

It should be noted that black F355 Spider had 50,000 miles on it. Someone knew that car was meant to be driven. In a few years, the average price for a F355 will be in the $30-50K. Possibly the best bang for the buck even at today's prices.

A big reason why the flappy paddle gearbox was ever installed in a Ferrari was because it upped their potential customers by about 20000%. Auto makers don't care if a couple of hundred guys get angry if they can't have a manual, when in return they get 10000 new customers that can drive their cars daily.
It's all about making money, not making everybody happy.

And all this cr** about people who doesn't know how to drive, only buy the cars to brag about them etc, I don't think every single one who owned a Ferrari in the 80's and early 90's were all hardcore enthusiasts either..

I do however agree that it sucks that both Ferrari and Lamborghini are getting rid of the manual gearbox. I mean it can't be that expensive to make a car that can have both a manual and a DCG.

Originally Posted by Zlaatan

And all this cr** about people who doesn't know how to drive, only buy the cars to brag about them etc, I don't think every single one who owned a Ferrari in the 80's and early 90's were all hardcore enthusiasts either..

I do however agree that it sucks that both Ferrari and Lamborghini are getting rid of the manual gearbox. I mean it can't be that expensive to make a car that can have both a manual and a DCG.

No, not all of them were hardcore but you had to be more of a driver in the first place to properly drive a manual transmission car. It takes more skill than twitching your fingers to "shift" through gears and that's if the driver doesn't have it in auto. Super cars shouldn't even be able to shift themselves like an automatic, it's sacrilege! And no, it wouldn't cost Ferrari or Lamborghini much if anything to have a 6 speed option. They could charge $10K for the manual option, and for the few that would care about it, that wouldn't matter. What is $10K on top of a car costing $200K? Audi, Porsche and Aston Martin all have manual transmissions still on their exotics, with the exception of the One-77. In the end, there is no reason the manual has to die. You can make it expensive to keep it alive, but at least it's alive.

I'd bet any test driver out there, if you drove a F430 with a sequential transmission and another one with a manual, you'd enjoy the manual more on a nice twisty road or at the track, both closed for your own enjoyment. Make a 458 Italia with a manual transmission, properly make one, and I'd also bet people would love the manual more. There is a thrill and excitement in being able to control the traction of a car and how fast it shifts with your feet and hands. To be able to burn rubber while shifting gears going 40 MPH.

But, alas, it comes down to a popularity contest in sales, especially in America. Not everyone can drive a manual transmission, it just is too demanding of your attention while you're on the phone bragging about your new sports car. Or not as cool when talking to your drinking buddies about your Formula 1 transmission, the very same used by Ferrari's racing team. The same racing team that is too embarrassed to re-enter the manufacturer's championship in endurance racing after the likes of Ford and Porsche dominating in the late 60's and early 70's. They let other, private teams, race their cars at LeMans. But you'll never see a Ferrari LMP class race car roaring down the Mulsanne Straight of the Circuit de la Sarthe in the 24 Heures du Mans.

jesus holy christ this thread has gotten out of hand.
If people wanted the MT so much, they would have bought them. Did you you go out and buy a MT Ferrari? the fact is that the majority of people didn't want them. So when the engineering and designers and ferrari got together to start designing the next Ferrari, they looked at the sales figures of MT in their previous model, and looked at how much money it would cost to develop a MT for the next model, and they decided it wasn't worth it. These companies aren't super profitable in the first place, thats why they're all owned by larger companies, because selling 500 cars a year for 300k doesn't exactly leave everyone rolling in diamonds and fur. and that's a good year.

Do I wish they would continue making exotics with MT, yes. Do i understand why they dont? Yes. And there are plenty of cars out there that will continue to have MT. Porsche said they would keep making it, so go ahead and buy a MT GT3. The Viper still has it, so go ahead and buy that as well.

And at least, regardless of the transmission, we can still hear the mighty roar of a high revving engine sending chills down our spines, before the hippies of the world force us into electric cars. Now THAT, will truly be a sad day.

Originally Posted by TurboBaron9

And at least, regardless of the transmission, we can still hear the mighty roar of a high revving engine sending chills down our spines, before the hippies of the world force us into electric cars. Now THAT, will truly be a sad day.

I understand why, but that doesn't make the anger or sadness over the fact any less. I guess the next best thing would be for someone to come out with an aftermarket conversion for newer Ferrari's. It would cost a bit but it is doable however not so easy. Nothing is impossible and such a thing could become quite popular.

As for the enviro-wackjobs, I have a good feeling too many will fight a bloody battle over being forced into electric vehicles. The car community is too large and the grip of oil is too great, I'm certain such issues won't even exist before I die. Regardless of what oil companies are doing for alternative energy, oil is what keeps the lights on. Until oil becomes so expensive and over regulated to the point that it is no longer economically feasible to sell on a large scale, the world will run on internal combustion engines. What they use for fuel however could fluctuate, E85 is being forced into the system in an incredibly inefficient way, but this is getting into a whole different conversation that is a thread in itself.

Originally Posted by Drftfan

Is Ferrari really as it once was?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Sir Robbins

Ferraris after the F430 scud are all rubbish!

No they aren't.

Originally Posted by BG

No they aren't.

YES, they are

I will say some of the cars' paintwork finishing has been appalling- holograms and buffer trails and RIDs, oh my! To be fair Lamborghini and Porsche and BMW are all similarly guilty; a professional detail straight away is a must.

How are we determining this 'poor quality' from modern Ferraris? The engine blocks are still cast in-house and body panels are still hand-fit; the leather is beautiful and the noises the car makes are exquisite as they are refined. If you wanted mirrored birds-eye maple veneers then go to Rolls; you only get carbon fiber dashes here.

^^ The question originally asked, is Ferrari really as it once was?, has nothing to do with quality. The quality of Ferrari isn't really changing, most likely improving with new technology. That isn't the point though. The question comes down to Ferrari being boring these days. What you think about that is your own opinion. Some say Ferrari is boring, some say Ferrari is at its best.