Minor Annoyance

"CAcoalminer" (CAcoalminer)
12/27/2014 at 11:24 • Filed to: None

I still cannot understand why Ferrari creates such terrific vehicles but rarely provides them for comparisons. Also, why are publications banned from testing customer's cars for comparisons?

Autocar's recent comparison of the Porsche 918 and McLaren P1 illustrates this sad fact perfectly:

Why no LaFerrari?

There was one simple reason for the absence of Ferrari's rival hypercar here: Maranello was invited to provide a car for this test but declined. At the same time, Ferrari made it clear that were we to test a private example, we would not be invited back to Maranello any time soon. Which is a shame because, having driven all three, albeit on separate occasions, I'm reasonably certain that LaFerrari would, shall we say, have acquitted itself quite well in this contest. But there you go…

Source

Thoughts?

DISCUSSION (53)

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 11:27

http://jalopnik.com/5760248/how-fe…

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Fred (FreddsterExprs)
12/27/2014 at 11:30

Yup. And that is precisely why I am over Ferrari.

Apart from the F40, I no longer care about any of their cars.

CAcoalminer > Fred (FreddsterExprs)
12/27/2014 at 11:32

I remember this article but it seems that Chris and Ferrari have made up.

Brian Silvestro > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 11:34

I seriously don't understand it. It would only benefit them. Their products are all pretty much the best in their respective segments.

CAcoalminer > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2014 at 11:35

My thoughts exactly.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 11:38

Yeah they did. Maybe Ferrari realized that he's the Internets darling. But it shows their philosophy: win at every cost. Even if their cars are awesome they will make sure that they come up on top.

Brian Silvestro > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 11:38

I mean even if they compared a 4 year old 458 with 20,000 miles on it to a brand new Huracan, the 458 would still win every single time.

Racescort666 > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 11:41

They are afraid of losing/being found out that they pull shenanigans when they provide cars for testing. They provide a team of engineers when they bring cars for testing. If it's done on a track, they show up to the track early to make runs before a member of the press even shows up. What's the best way to never lose? Cheat. Also, you can't lose if you don't show up. You also lose credibility but most of their customer base doesn't care about that.

CAcoalminer > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2014 at 11:42

True, the Huracan understeers a bit too much. However, what I find most puzzling is that they don't want magazines testing customer's cars. Why? Are they different in some way?

Brian Silvestro > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 11:44

THAT'S what's interesting here. It really doesn't help their reputation.

CAcoalminer > Fred (FreddsterExprs)
12/27/2014 at 11:49

Very unfortunate.

I can still remember the Road and Track comparison of the 458, 12c, and ZR1. Essentially, Ferrari and McLaren brought teams to look after the cars where as Chevrolet just provided the car and that was it. To me, that's true confidence in your product.

CAcoalminer > Racescort666
12/27/2014 at 11:51

That's unfortunate.

CAcoalminer > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2014 at 12:00

Indeed. I love their vehicles but silliness like this and snobby dealerships (like the one closest to me) have really put me off from the brand.

Tareim - V8 powered > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 12:01

They don't want magazines testing customers cars due to Ferrari not being able to spend a day testing and setting the car up to be how they want it resulting in a potential bad review when compared to another car

Luke Murphy > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 12:03

This still surprises me. When they actually do comparisons they always seem to win, they have the largest and most dedicated fan base of any manufacturer and can seemingly never make enough cars. I suppose I understand the "unknown provenance" argument in a situation like a Top Gear review which millions of people are going to see and care about but also, most Ferraris sit about in a garage all year covered up and being trickle charged. Most likely they're all perfectly fine anyway.

It looks like you're hiding something Ferrari. You don't need to.

Also please bring back the gated manual.

CAcoalminer > Tareim - V8 powered
12/27/2014 at 12:05

That's odd. It seems like you set up a test car in the same way as you would a customer's car. Therefore, there shouldn't be any variance between the two.

Tareim - V8 powered > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 12:08

You would hope that would be the case but no unfortunately not, they would setup everything to make sure it suits that specific track to make the driver (press guy) think wow, that was great rather than saying something along the lines of, "it's a great car however it lacked [insert whatever] while doing [insert whatever]"

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 12:09

Yes. Ferrari uses "juiced" press cars with better tires, more power, special tuning, etc. They prohibit testing private cars because that would prove what they deliver to the public isn't as good as what the press claims it is.

CAcoalminer > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
12/27/2014 at 12:15

Well that's just ridiculous.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 12:17

Have you read the article posted in the first reply yet?

I agree completely, hence my stance on Ferrari. They are a cult, and now that there are so many equally as good options out there, there is zero reason to genuflect at that altar anymore.

PushToStart > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 12:27

Yeah, basically what others' have said, they apparently like to make their comparison cars "special". You'll notice that most, if not all, of the LaFerrari review/overview videos on YouTube take place at Fiorano because that way Ferrari can control exactly how the car is set up for that track and surrounding roads.

I also think I remember that they behaved the same way when Top Gear UK asked for an Enzo. They didn't actually end up getting an Enzo to review until some famous guy lent them his.

dogisbadob > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 12:37

Auto journalists need to automatically rank Ferrari dead last as a penalty for that shit. 30-second lap time penalty, 10-point penalty, etc. Too bad Chrysler is selling them; I had hoped Ralph and Serg would put a stop to that shit.

Consumer Reports needs to test Ferraris :p

Aaron James > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2014 at 12:41

It really wouldn't benefit Ferrari at all, They have already established the brand and sell every car they build well ahead of it's actual production. The only people it benefits are the magazines and those of us who will never be able to afford a Ferrari.

CAcoalminer > PushToStart
12/27/2014 at 12:46

Interesting.

CAcoalminer > dogisbadob
12/27/2014 at 12:47

Haha CR testing Ferraris would be terrific.

CAcoalminer > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
12/27/2014 at 12:51

Yes, I have.

While I don't condone their behavior, Ferraris are still the premier driving machines.

Cé hé sin > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 13:02

Porsche usually do the same.

CAcoalminer > Cé hé sin
12/27/2014 at 13:04

Very true.

Brian Silvestro > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 13:09

I wonder how long they can keep this kind of behavior up without any repercussion.

Probably a very long time.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 13:14

I'm pretty sure for that expensive a car, anything is just as much an experience to drive.

Brian Silvestro > Aaron James
12/27/2014 at 13:17

But what if people like CAcoalminer want yo see comparisons to better decide what car to buy??

CAcoalminer > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2014 at 13:21

True mainly because my friends and acquaintances don't seem to mind. The long time customers like them don't experience the snobbiness and, in some cases, actually embrace it because they feel privileged. However, what they don't seem to take into account is how they would feel if they were new customers and were experiencing this treatment.

Brian Silvestro > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 13:27

Exactly. Eventually the older, experienced customers will start to go away, and more new customers will start to show up. It seems that the majority of the wealthy population of new exotic car buyers are self made, hard working people. Not the type of old money, snobby buyers that Ferrari are used to. So these people getting turned away will mean less and less business until they change something.

Aaron James > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2014 at 13:29

Ferrari doesn't care, if an actual potential Ferrari buyer doesn't buy one because there are no reviews, there are plenty of other actual buyers who will gladly take his production slot. With the LaFerrari in particular, the buyers were pre-selected and then given the "privilege" to purchase. It was never available for the average rich dude off the street who just read a magazine to go buy one. Magazine reviews only benefit us dreamers, this is the path Ferrari has chosen and it's worked out just fine for them. It's all about limited availability and "elitism" Please note that by no means am I saying that I like it or this is how it should be, just that this is how it is.

PushToStart > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 13:29

yep... I'm a huge fan of their cars but I won't pretend that they don't act a bit snobby at times.

Brian Silvestro > Aaron James
12/27/2014 at 13:32

You do make valid points unfortunately.

CAcoalminer > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
12/27/2014 at 13:40

I'll agree that all cars are an experience to drive in that price range but there are definitely differences in how each perform.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 13:54

You mean different cars drive differently?

Wow! I had no idea.

Snark aside, I do not care about Ferrari because they behave so pretentiously and act so superior. Even if they made the best cars in the world, and that is up for debate now that Lamborghini, Pagani, McLaren, Koenigsegg, etc are around, because they act like spoiled children I refuse to care about them.

What I don't get is that you have read how they behave, complained about it being poor, and yet still defend them. Why?

Saying because "It's Ferrari." just proves they can get away with anything.

CAcoalminer > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2014 at 13:59

Very good points. Interestingly, I've been pleasantly surprised at how many young people and first time supercar owners I've seen at the McLaren dealership. As you mentioned, many are hard working individuals who have moved up through companies or started their own businesses and were impressed by the fact that McLaren really seems to care about their business unlike some other brands. So, while Ferrari will do just fine keeping their model of "exclusivity," I really feel that companies like McLaren, Lamborghini, and even Porsche will take care of the individuals who Ferrari neglects.

CAcoalminer > PushToStart
12/27/2014 at 14:01

Very true.

CAcoalminer > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
12/27/2014 at 14:08

That's fine. You can use your money as you please.

What are you talking about? I've made it clear that I don't agree with their actions but that doesn't mean that their cars aren't impressive driving machines. For instance, I am disappointed with Kobe Bryant as a person but that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate the fact that he is an incredible basketball player.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 15:11

They already sell every one they make, and have one of the strongest brand followings in the world. I assume, in their eyes, they have nothing to gain and everything to lose.

CAcoalminer > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
12/27/2014 at 15:22

I can understand this.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 15:25

...but I'm still not happy about it.

Brian Silvestro > CAcoalminer
12/27/2014 at 15:26

McLaren seems to be the stand-out brand here because like these young and new wealthy people, they're also new to the arena. It's not like they can afford to turn these people away, so they embrace them. McLaren also seems to be the most...techy, if you know what I mean. The most technologically interesting.

CAcoalminer > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
12/27/2014 at 15:44

Neither am I.

CAcoalminer > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2014 at 16:09

Very true.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2014 at 16:40

McLaren pissed off a lot of buyers by obsoleting the 12C so quickly. Check out the depreciation on those...

Brian Silvestro > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
12/27/2014 at 16:44

Yeah I'd be SUPER pissed if I bought a car then less than 2 years later it was just replaced with something so much better.