Is This The Death of Ferrari for True Enthusiasts?

"Raphmoe" (raphmoe)
09/11/2014 at 12:32 • Filed to: Ferrari, Ferrari Cars, Autosport, Car Culture, Reviews, Racing, F1

Ferrari is dead to me, you, and everyone who truly loves cars. Today is a sad day. Pictured above is a track day that Ferrari holds for their rich, entitled owners who care more about how the car looks then the soul trapped within the prancing horse found on the engine. There was a time in 1964 when Dino Ferrari (son of the late Ferrari Montezumelo Enzo) described Ferrari's as "true enthusiast vehicles that will kill you if you do not gently roll on to the throttle whilst feathering the clutch". Yes, clutch pedals used to be available on Ferraris, when they were real cars. The dog paddles found behind the wheels of the new Ferraris are lifeless and boring; truly, tragic.

I was inspired to write this post from the great coverage given by !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! over the past few days. Their insights in to the brand are helpful for us, true enthusiasts. Ferrari doesn't care about you, they care about people who buy their cars! What a shame. Who puts Ferrari posters on their walls? Who lusts after these great vehicles such as the F40, the F50, the 250GTO and the Bread van circa de Catalyuna? Us. The last remaining Jalops. Ferrari has given up on us buy building cars "americanized" as Jason says.

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My good friend !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! summed it up beautifully while talking to Travis:

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Ferrari's are no longer cars for the true driving/GT enthusiast, they're flamboyant, finicky, fragile toys for the rich man. Some of them are still used for autocross and track days, and those that use them for such should be given accolades. But I can't recall any brand change it's core values so quickly as Ferrari, and not for the better. For them, it's about money, and money only.

What a shame. Shame on you Ferrari for making the 458 Speciale which is a flamboyant toy. Shame on you Ferrari for producing the La Ferrari which is clearly designed for some rich and snobbish hollywood heiress. Shame on you Ferrari for creating the FF; a poor attempt to recreate the italian breadvan shooting break of olde which we all loved. Shame on you for Ferrari for creating the F12 Berlinetta which is obviously a soft, slow, GT Car that is hard and uncomfortable for long cruises. Shame on you Ferrari for giving up on your core principles of raw speed, passion, and heart. Today is a sad day. 9/11/2014, Never Forget.

DISCUSSION (31)

spanfucker retire bitch > Raphmoe
09/11/2014 at 12:37

Poe's Law was in full effect right up until the very last sentence.

Bravo sir, Bravo. Absolutely marvelous satire.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Raphmoe
09/11/2014 at 12:37

Ferrari has been missing that spark for quite some time. Enzo may have been a bit of an asshole, but damn did the company make some amazing things under him. Not to mention, they can't even get the sound of the engines right!

Their cars may have been shitty back then, but they were much more interesting.

Alright now that I read it. . . I can't tell if you are serious or not. Pretty sure you weren't with that last line. Either way, I still stand by what I said. Although all the people that hate the current Ferraris will all change their ways in 20 years, saying how it was better back then.

mcseanerson > Raphmoe
09/11/2014 at 12:39

Ferrari never cared about road cars. They only sold them to prop up racing and good for them for being up front and saying what matters. I'm never going to own one and I haven't desired a modern Ferrari the way I have a 60's model in years so to hell with it. I don't care if they're charging $2 million for a glorified of Camry if it helps them get results on track.

For Sweden > mcseanerson
09/11/2014 at 12:45

I miss the old days when only real racers like Tom Selleck and Charles Windsor drove Ferraris

Lalkidu > Raphmoe
09/11/2014 at 12:45

I would never get a modern day Ferrari. The one I lust after is a 550 Maranello with one of the last 6 speed gated 'snickety-snick' shifters they ever made.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Raphmoe
09/11/2014 at 12:45

Kinja'd!!!

yellow ferrari

SHUN THE NONBELIEVER. SHUN. SHUNNNNNN-NN.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Raphmoe
09/11/2014 at 12:46

Shame to see Ferrari go down like you say. They really were an exclusive car brand. :(

PORSCHE FTW!!! Sure they're nowhere near as exclusive as Ferrari(that could change in the future? BUT, you can use it on the track and drive it daily! It's the ultimate in driving/GT enthusiasts. :)

Kinja'd!!!

BrtStlnd > Raphmoe
09/11/2014 at 12:50

Brands that are dead to TRUE JALOPS:

1. BMW - The M division is watered down

2. Subaru - They didn't make a hatch or something about an awesome old Legacy GT

3. Ferrari - Only for rich douchebags, which I wish to be someday

4. Toyota - Let's add the Beige_____ prefix to every word

5. Acura - Beak Beak Beak Beak BEAK BEEEEEEAAAAAK and why don't they make the Integra

6. Lotus - Why the hell don't they make lightweight deathtraps that they can't sell anymore?

7. Mini - Mini? More like Fatti Bloati, guys!?

Brands that are totally not dead to TRUE JALOPS

1. Saab - They're just so unique, man. They just need a chance. Quit being such a sheep!

2. Pontiac - They should really build a RWD powerful sedan. That would totally save them.

3. Mitsubishi - They just haven't updated the Galant or Lancer in 20 years because they're TIMELESS

4. Mazda - I don't care that they still make cars that immediately rust. EnthusiMiataManual!

Raphmoe > BrtStlnd
09/11/2014 at 12:52

Agreed! Saab and Mazda make the best cars.

PushToStart > Raphmoe
09/11/2014 at 12:54

Before I get started, let me say that I too miss the old Ferrari, I would love for a clutch pedal to still be available, but at the same time, the criticism you're giving here for the new Ferrari is totally unfounded. they might not be as "driver oriented" to you because they don't have a manual, but they're still driver's cars if you're up to actually drive them. The 458 is a hell of a car, and just because a lot of owners now are just "rich kids" doesn't mean there aren't owners that use then to their potential, it just isn't seen as much. You go onto Jalopnik (or any car site, really) and see "Ferrari 458 crashes and burns on the highway" but never "Ferrari 458 goes to track day, and gets driven hard by owner". This is because the latter isn't really a story, but it doesn't mean it's not happening. And the Speciale is even more insane than the standard 458, and whether or not you like all the new tech, cars like that wouldn't be possible without it. Sure, they may be more of technological masterpieces than displays of craftsmanship (like in the older times) but they're still mind boggling, none the less. The big problem is a lack of appreciation for the new stuff, and that's just an issue with many people's attitudes. And it seems from this article (no offense) that you're letting your attitude and emotions get in the way of facts. You called the F12 "slow". Yeah, I don't think a 3 second 0-60 time and 210 mph top speed is slow. The FF is debatable, some like it, some don't. I can see people's beef with it, but again, like it or not, it's a very fascinating and impressive machine. The LaFerrari isn't "clearly designed for snobbish owners", it's designed for extreme performance and speed. This isn't anything outside of what many great cars are designed for, it's just that most people who can afford the price tag happen to be snobs. That's not Ferrari's fault, you can't expect a car like that to be affordable to the greater gear-head community.

Basically, you're griping about the owners of the cars, but blaming it on the company. Sure, Ferraris now are different than they used to be, but it's a changing world, and at the heart of it, Ferrari has always been about performance and speed. It would be stupid of them to say "no, we'll make cars that don't handle as well and are slower, just to preserve older school tech." So please don't be ignorant, and suggest that their latest cars are piles of shit designed for all the wrong reasons. It's just not true.

Ex. President Mack41 > BrtStlnd
09/11/2014 at 12:55

No Suzuki love? THIS LIST IS BULLSHIT

HammerheadFistpunch > Raphmoe
09/11/2014 at 12:55

Ferrari enthusiast have long been an endangered species and I think Monte is a big part of that.

ACESandEIGHTS > BrtStlnd
09/11/2014 at 12:56

If this is a troll then I got screwed because I bought it.

Pontiac: G series was saving them. The Solstice was world-renowned. It will never be, but it should come back.

I'm going to add to list one AND list two: Volvo, at least old Volvo. New Volvo is Ford/Audi Lite with pretty much zero Scandinavian left.

vorspringing > Raphmoe
09/11/2014 at 13:05

Some of them are still used for autocross

Not so you'd notice.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > BrtStlnd
09/11/2014 at 13:05

Ummm, not sure where you get your info on Mazda, but none of the ones I've owned have had rust issues.....

BrtStlnd > ACESandEIGHTS
09/11/2014 at 13:09

Whaaaaaaa?

Raphmoe > PushToStart
09/11/2014 at 13:11

i am trying to report on the facts that I have learned from fellow enthusiasts. Thank you for the input and I will learn from this.

505Turbeaux > Raphmoe
09/11/2014 at 13:20

Kinja'd!!!

BOOM! Good post

oppositeblog.kinja.com

PushToStart > Raphmoe
09/11/2014 at 13:22

It's well written, it's just that to say that Ferrari is dead to everyone who loves cars is a really strong statement. I still consider Ferrari to be my favorite car brand, because I love their history (F40 is my favorite car of all time) but at the same time, I know I definitely consider myself to be an enthusiast. And it's not just this article, I've seen and heard it before, that the Ferrari of now is basically garbage because they aren't making cars like they used to. And it gets to me because the only reason so many people think this is because they refuse to accept the technology. The 458 is a great car, just because it has flappy paddles and traction control doesn't mean otherwise.

nermal > BrtStlnd
09/11/2014 at 13:25

You forgot to add VW to the good list, because MK7 GTIs (with factory magic front diff option).

BrtStlnd > 505Turbeaux
09/11/2014 at 13:25

What is oppositeblog?

505Turbeaux > BrtStlnd
09/11/2014 at 13:28

it is a feeder for Best of OPPO, and sort of a readers digest of Oppo, where DasWauto, davesaddiction and myself weed through all of the posts and pick out the ones with substance or interest. Also I have heard the FP monitors it for front page shares

Raphmoe > 505Turbeaux
09/11/2014 at 13:33

oh wow thank you, I am honored.