I have never heard Porsche accused of anything like this - And figures they put out themselves always tend to be conservative (0-60 on their site) as far as I remember. Anybody know otherwise?

 

I've never heard Porsche be accused of this either.

 

Nope i havent either, but then again i guess thats the difference for Porsche, Ferrari make supercars, thats it. Porsche makes small sportscars like the Cayman and the Boxster right through to top line (but hideous) SUV's. Would Porsche care if EVO gave car of the year to the 458? i doubt it, cars like the GT2/GT3 RS are halo cars for Porsche, incredible cars, and showcase what they can do, but the stuff they make the money from is the bread and butter 911's/Boxsters, and they have that sector tied up. For Ferrari on the other hand, their rival for the GT2/GT3 is their flagship model! They can't afford to come second best...

I don't condone their actions as i don't think it's the sporting way, but at the same time i can see why they'd be prepared to do whatever it takes when a huge chunk of their sales will come from winning.. or rapidly dissapearing to Porsche or Lamborghini if they lose!

By the way this is one seriously popular article.. i posted it on the Club Scuderia forum and that's upto 6 pages now.. can't beat abit of controversy! ;-)

 

Boy the guys at F-chat are pissed lol. Yeah it's sad if Ferrari is really up to no good, which wouldn't surprise me, but you should never buy a car based on performance alone. Otherwise instead of my little 911 I would have bought a used c6 corvette....yuck.

 

If this article does make any wakes in Ferrari, next time EVO asks for a car and Ferrari remembers that Harris works for them, than I wouldn't be to surprised if they said no just because of what Harris did.

 

 

Clarkson could be making eleventy billion a minute, it wouldn't be enough for all the entertainment he provides.

But I expect Clarkson to make big money, he's huge and mainstream. I'd honestly never heard of Harris outside Evo. It's good to see that talented people make it as well, without the top gear shennanigans.

 

Let's just be honest about something.

Porsche and Ferrari are very different companies and very different cars. That isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Porsche is the pinnacle of a well engineered machine. They are built so tightly and run so strongly. I always love that sound of a Porsche door shutting. It sounds like it makes an airtight seal. The stance of a Porsche from behind is so incredibly sexy. But the cars still have that German utility-first feel to them. It is almost a type of sterile perfection.

Ferrari obviously focuses on one thing - rarity and exclusivity. Everything about Ferrari intrigues me. The factory, the history and even their snootiness impresses me. Now, Ferrari does not make the same airtight product that Porsche does. But even that is part of the whole Ferrari experience. In fact, there is something charming about the little imperfections you find in each one that indicates a largely hand-built machine. The look, feel and even the smell of a Ferrari just scream individuality and passion to me.

I own both a Porsche and a Ferrari. My 2007 Turbo was my dream car when I bought it. A Ferrari F430 was on the table but I made a conscious choice to buy the Porsche instead. I have never regretted it. I love that car and will likely never sell it. My Porsche is actually a much more expensive and faster car than my Ferrari. But nobody admires the Porsche nearly as much. To most folks, it is just another 911. Also, the Porsche is faster in a straight line, but the Ferrari is much more fun in the turns. It is lighter and more agile. But it does lack the Porsche grunt.

Also, I just don't get the same excitement out of my Turbo that I do from my Ferrari. And all I have is a 2004 360 Modena! I can't even imagine what a 458 must feel like. There are still times when I am driving down the road in my 360, see that horse on the steering wheel and think to myself "I am driving a Ferrari!" When the car is brought up from a valet, I just get a total thrill when I see it. I constantly look back at it after I park and just get chills every time that I see it. AND IT IS JUST A 360.

In short - like many others - I just love Ferraris. This article, the mechanical issues, the exorbitant cost of ownership or the way some people automatically hate you for owning one doesn't bother me and would not dissuade me from buying another in the slightest. In fact, I am almost always plotting my next Ferrari purchase. It drives my wife crazy. As long as I can afford it, I plan to continue buying Ferraris.

There are many other members who can speak on this subject much more definitively than I can. Look at H20 Skier, Mike S, GrayTT and RUF MD. These guys are the real experts.

But - for me - Ferrari is special. So is Porsche. But Ferrari is just different. I don't care what quibbles Chris Harris has.

The only real solution is to buy both.

 

Thanks for who ever imbedded the article and fixed the title for me, im kinda of noob and not sure how to do all that stuff, so chime in so i can give you some rep

 

Dana nailed it.

I really could care less about this sort of thing. It's just business to some extent really.

Buy what moves you. At the end of the day that's all that matters.