What would Enzo Ferrari have gained had he partnered with Ford instead of relented?

"Wheelerguy" (wheelerguy) 11/23/2015 at 02:52 • Filed to: Late-nite Question TIme, LNQT

0

13

OK, we know the story: because Enzo bitched around Henry Ford kicked the latter’s outfit FOUR TIMES at Le Mans to show him. But what if Il Commendatore just swallowed his pride and struck the deal? How strong a shock wave would that have been, and what would Ford and Ferrari look like as marques today?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to come up with a new story that deals with this alternate version of history.

TheHondaBro > Wheelerguy 11/23/2015 at 03:01

4

Contrary to popular belief, the GT40 didn’t result from Ford being butthurt. Instead, they built the Pinto. They succeeded in building a car that can burst into flames just like a Ferrari.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Wheelerguy 11/23/2015 at 03:02

1

Ferrari accepts the deal, but states that every ford product made must include at least some portion of the “fezza driving experience” meaning, they need to be good drivers cars. this launces an alternate history in which ford and its brands create performance-orientated vehicles through the malaise, and usher in a new era of sporty cars, leading to an America where 80% of vehicles are RWD or AWD, and 75% o vehicles are manual. Italy gains the strongest European economy, and manages to account for 35% of European car manufacturing. FCA becomes a thing in 2000, and they instantly become the largest auto corp in the world.

Wheelerguy > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 11/23/2015 at 03:32

0

Shouldn’t that be FFA already?

Sam > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 11/23/2015 at 03:47

1

Alternatively, Ford demands that Ferrari make them a mid-engined sports car to compete at Le Mans, under the moniker ‘GT40’. They then proceed to stomp everyone at Le Mans for the next 12 years, when they pull out due to a tragic testing accident killing a driver. They then kill off Ferrari and bring some of the engineers in house to work on making a sports car called the ‘Mustang’ as both a tribute to the American plane and to the old Ferrari logo.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Wheelerguy 11/23/2015 at 04:33

2

Judging by Ford’s treatment of Jaguar, Volvo, Mercury, Edsel and Lincoln I expect they’ll probably steadily grind them into the ground with unimaginative and uninspired designs that are either sickeningly retro (X-Type/S-Type), ill-thought (Mercury/Edsel) out or just bland (Lincoln).

The only brand that has been managed with a modicum of success in Ford's lineup has been Ford.

Bluecold > Wheelerguy 11/23/2015 at 04:47

1

Looking at Fords performance with other brands, Ferrari would be either sold to the Indians, sold to the Chinese, taken out behind the shed, or being allowed to limp on as a shadow of its former self.

I like the current history better.

Although it would save the incessant whinging on the internet about ‘you know that one time a million fucking years ago, before there even was internets, Ford beat Ferrari a few times, but still did not even match Ferraris winning streak before that’.

Ferrari won 1960 to 1965. Ford won from 1966 to 1969. The former streak is more impressive, because 6>4. But since Ferrari did actually win stuff in important road races after that, and Ford only ever won Le Mans a few times, Ford wankers can only think of those few times Ford won.

Fuck that noise and compare these:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Raci…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuderia_…

Not that Ford even counts race wins by a Ford-Cosworth DFV as their own, as they provided a bit of development budget for the engine. In reality, no Ford engineers had worked on the engine.

Wheelerguy > Bluecold 11/23/2015 at 06:42

0

But somehow I think this is what Ford fans would love to see. Sure, they hated Ford as they rotted Mercury, Jaguar and Volvo, but Ferrari?

Still, you’re right. I’m more than fine with having this kind of event.

And besides, Ferrari won more American endurance events than Ford. Isn’t that a head-scratcher?

boxrocket > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/23/2015 at 06:57

2

Except Ford kept those marques alive, and gave them lots of R&D money, and by doing so, they were able to leapfrog ahead of themselves under their new owners, which is great for them, but also kind of dumb for Ford (and of the former PAG, I believe Aston Martin is still hemorrhaging money but getting better due to imminent DB9 replacement). They needed the sales to refocus on themselves, and in doing so all the brands are better than where they were, and Ford took a major loss all around. Quite the caretaker.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > boxrocket 11/23/2015 at 07:14

0

I’ll agree with that view of things actually. All of the marques that were under Ford’s wing have done well since they were sold off. In a way that GM has utterly failed to do with most of it’s stable, Ford has released it’s marques into the wider world with enough of a support network to succeed (and bring profits back to Ford by providing them with engines and tech to use in their cars). However, it still stands that none of those marques flourished in the way that those in the VAG group have.

I’d put it down like this:

1st: VAG Group. Good at finding niches for multiple marques within their structure, providing enough of a difference between them to keep originality but enough of a similarity to keep down costs. Whatever they’ve done, it’s worked.

2nd: Ford. Not particularly good at developing and sustaining sub-marques while directly under their ownership, but excellent at post-sale support meaning they still get profits coming in after a marque is sold. Clever.

Last: GM. Quite successfully plows marques they own into the ground with lacklustre or misguided development and failure to find profitable niches for them to fit into. Terrible post-sale support means death of a number of marques and no post-sale revenue for GM. Bad all-round.

Not quite certain where other conglomerates fit in just yet. I think we need time before we can tell how FCA will fit in...

JGrabowMSt > Wheelerguy 11/23/2015 at 07:56

0

Mass produced fauxrarris.

Ford brought the assembly line, Ferrari brought the name.

wiffleballtony > Wheelerguy 11/23/2015 at 08:54

0

Well the new Ford Fusion might look different.

wiffleballtony > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/23/2015 at 08:58

0

Your story on VAG may end differently depending on how their scandal possibly forces then to kill off brands or sell then off.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > wiffleballtony 11/23/2015 at 09:01

0

Yeah I have been thinking for a while that the whole VAG empire could likely come tumbling down.

Not the fault of their mismanagement of marques though, so they’ve still got that going for them.

I would be surprised if they don't cull some brands as a result of their financial problems though so you're probably bang on there...