FIND A CAR REVIEW

Advertisement

Ads by Google


Page 1 of 2 (20 items) 1 2 Next >
Sort posts Rate this thread
  • Ferrari F450 will appear at Frankfurt

    Feb 13, 2009 8:43 AM

    Ferrari will unveil its F430 replacement at Frankfurt in October, giving its biggest-selling model a life of just five years.

    Code-named Ferrari F142 and expected to be christened Ferrari F450 in production, the new V8-powered car will be largely new, with few carryover components in the chassis or bodywork.

    While it was only released in 2004, the Ferrari F430’s chassis was heavily based on the 360 Modena whose parts dated back to 1999.

    Production of F430s has slowed recentl...Read the full article
    • North
    • Joined Nov 19, 2008
    • 591 Posts
    • Status: Offline

    Re: Ferrari F450 will appear at Frankfurt

    Feb 13, 2009 8:45 AM

    I think it looks stunning! totally stunning!! (obviously want one!!)............it dates porsches........

    • tonym911
    • Joined Jan 16, 2009
    • 479 Posts
    • Status: Offline

    Re: Ferrari F450 will appear at Frankfurt

    Feb 13, 2009 8:54 AM

    North:

    I think it looks stunning! totally stunning!! (obviously want one!!)............it dates porsches........

    Sadly, the pic is of an Enzo.
  • Re: Ferrari F450 will appear at Frankfurt

    Feb 13, 2009 9:06 AM

    tonym911:
    North:

    I think it looks stunning! totally stunning!! (obviously want one!!)............it dates porsches........

    Sadly, the pic is of an Enzo.

    Perhaps, North meant that "Enzo" looks stunning. :D

  • Re: Ferrari F450 will appear at Frankfurt

    Feb 13, 2009 9:57 AM

    Why show the Enzo pic? Beyond the brand there's no point. Misleading tripe.
    • North
    • Joined Nov 19, 2008
    • 591 Posts
    • Status: Offline

    Re: Ferrari F450 will appear at Frankfurt

    Feb 13, 2009 10:20 AM

    No.......I hold my hands right up....I thought the picture was the new car!!......I did not know that was the Enzo!...I just saw it the pciture and figured it was the new motor! and thought....flippin' 'ell that is super cool and I want one!! (not that many people would refuse one!!).

    I must confess I do not know all the Ferrari range and that is also true of my knowledge of other exotic cars.......I could not tell anyone all the different types of Zonda for instance......or Lamborghini really (appart from a couple and one of them is an old one)........

    My car knowledge is mainly medium/high volume production units and F1.....much beyond that appart from AMG and the showcase exotica my kowledge of actual "models" fades!.....I am technology based and hence why I am into technology and strategy i.e. in terms of NPD (new product development)/technology development...its what I do!...I work across many sectors including automotive.

    So is this new one supposed to be like the Enzo???

     

    • giulivo
    • Joined Aug 29, 2008
    • 283 Posts
    • Status: Offline

    Re: Ferrari F450 will appear at Frankfurt

    Feb 13, 2009 10:30 AM

    If the F450 really is as quick as the F430Scuderia, which is (around Fiorano) exactly as quick as the Enzo, and only slightly slower than the Maserati MC12 (the Group's record holding road legal car around Fiorano), I suspect that the much more expensive Enzo and F599 will become rather pointless.

    • ianf
    • Joined Apr 17, 2008
    • 25 Posts
    • Status: Offline

    Re: Ferrari F450 will appear at Frankfurt

    Feb 13, 2009 10:57 AM

    Very excited about a new car.

    Giulivo; you're right about the 599, but as we now have the 599 HGTE (which is usually the swan song version before replacement) I don't think Ferrari will leave like that for long.

    • Vertigo
    • Joined Apr 14, 2008
    • 182 Posts
    • Status: Offline

    Re: Ferrari F450 will appear at Frankfurt

    Feb 13, 2009 11:00 AM

    Actually the pictured car is the Millechile concept car, which was intended to display Ferrari's efforts to significantly cut weight in their future cars. Because the concept's purpose had nothing to do with its visuals, it didn't receive any styling, therefore they basically just made it look like a mini-Enzo (in my opinion the most visually successful Ferrari since the Testarossa). Presumably the fake wheels aren't a part of the weight-saving programme though......

    giulivo:
    If the F450 really is as quick as the F430Scuderia, which is (around Fiorano) exactly as quick as the Enzo, and only slightly slower than the Maserati MC12 (the Group's record holding road legal car around Fiorano), I suspect that the much more expensive Enzo and F599 will become rather pointless.

    Not really. The Enzo has been out of production for several years now, and like the F40 and 50 its real value is as an icon - Ferrari doesn't produce flagships very often. The F40 is beaten at Fiorano by a 360CS and standard F430, but I'll wager that has absolutely zero effect on anybody's desire of the car.

    As for the 599 - it's a grand tourer, one of the best in the world (perhaps the best). The fact that it's so ludicrously fast is just a bonus - I don't think any buyer would be bothered by an all-out sporty supercar being faster around a track. The only people the news is likely to upset are Scuderia buyers.

     

    Anyway, on-topic... this is about what I'd expect, lots of models have a ten-year lifespan (with a mid-life refresh), and you have to remember that the F430 is a (very) heavily updated 360. The standard F430 is currently lagging quite a bit behind the game - the new Gallardo (for almost the same price as a regular F430) is an iota off the pace of the stripped-out Scuderia, and the GT-R is faster in a lot of situations for a ludicrously lower sum of money. Sales have slowed. The time is definitely right for a replacement.

    As for insiders saying this will be one of the most beautiful Ferraris in years... well, that's not exactly difficult. Every Ferrari currently on sale is stylistically flawed in my opinion, and while cars like the F355 and 456 were certainly acceptable, I think the Enzo and Testarossa have been the only 100%-stunning Ferraris since the Dino 246GT of the early 70s.

  • Re: Ferrari F450 will appear at Frankfurt

    Feb 13, 2009 11:22 AM

    Vertigo:
    As for insiders saying this will be one of the most beautiful Ferraris in years... well, that's not exactly difficult. Every Ferrari currently on sale is stylistically flawed in my opinion, and while cars like the F355 and 456 were certainly acceptable, I think the Enzo and Testarossa have been the only 100%-stunning Ferraris since the Dino 246GT of the early 70s

    I think I'm in the minority in actually quite liking the F430, in a purposeful sort of way, but I'm really not keen on the look of the fat arsed California, the whaleshark 612 or even the 599 very much. Lets hope the F450 is the real stunner we're promised. 500 bhp isn't that much nowadays - you can get it in a £50k car, so the weight will be the big issue on the new model, lets hope for around 1100kg, plus there's that upstart new little Mclaren lurking round the corner that Ferrari really won't want to lose to. 

    • North
    • Joined Nov 19, 2008
    • 591 Posts
    • Status: Offline

    Re: Ferrari F450 will appear at Frankfurt

    Feb 13, 2009 12:26 PM

    Vertigo:
    Actually the pictured car is the Millechile concept car, which was intended to display Ferrari's efforts to significantly cut weight in their future cars.

    Vertigo hi...so is this the new car?.......or concept close to it?

     

  • Re: Ferrari F450 will appear at Frankfurt

    Feb 13, 2009 12:47 PM

     

    North:

    Vertigo hi...so is this the new car?.......or concept close to it?

    I'm not looking to put words in Vertigos mouth, but neither I'm afraid.

    Ferrari ran a press day (I believe back in late 07) when they announced their focus would be more towards advanced lightweight materials, more efficiency and reducing emissions, rather than outright power. They gave this car as an example of how it might work in practice, although it was only ever a scale model, meant to be an Enzo type car but the same size as the smaller F430. It was just a mock up (the wheels are just photocopies) but was meant to have a small capacity twin turbo V8 and some sort of hybrid system

    It was more a statement of intent at a time when the focus was switching to being greener and more environmentally aware, and the EU was looking for car manufacturers to lower their average CO2 across their ranges, rather than any future styling direction.

Page 1 of 2 (20 items) 1 2 Next >
Back to top

All about Autocar

Newsfeeds

Subscribe to our news with our RSS feeds

Advertise

To advertise with Autocar contact us

Buy our magazines

Discover our titles at themagazineshop.com

Autocar latest issue - cover 8.2.12

NEW ISSUE OUT NOW

FAST, EASY & SECURE
SUBSCRIBE NOW>>