Ford buys Ferrari

I'm glad that I unleashed your inner social critic. I personally believe a problem with our world is that people yearn for Ferraris when a Corvette offers as much performance for 1/3 the cost.

I have both, still own the Corvette, had Maserati, Porsche, Lamborghini, Aston, Jaguar, each offers its own personality. But I will always love my 612, it was truly a super car, would buy it back any day.
 
I'm glad that I unleashed your inner social critic. I personally believe a problem with our world is that people yearn for Ferraris when a Corvette offers as much performance for 1/3 the cost.

Ahh but not all corvettes are created equal. Personally Id much rather a ZL1, L88, L89 or 327 fuelie than the base model small block. And if that's ok then I can't see why its not ok to want a car with different technichal characteristics, different styling and an intimately close association with a highly successful global racing effort
 
A Ferrari has soul, it is art, it is feminine and mysterious, it is not just another car, barely machine it is emotion made of metal, leather and rubber. Ford would destroy it they build a commodity, they build a function, they market emotion but do not actually have any. Look at Continental, an ultra luxury brand that became a badge, a model, an option, and who really even remembers? Look at each luxury brand they bought, it was nothing but an investment, and the GT 40 was how long lived? How many sold to the public? It was ego and once Ford was proud they walked away, they would fold up Ferrari in the same way, the thing makes no more sense than falling in love, it does not translate into Dollar and Cents or survive it. Ford did better giving its engineering support or money, Ford does best making F150s. What we would get is a Ferrari II suitable for the mass consumer, power everything, anemic fuel efficient and soulless commodity, another reason to cry at the state of our world.

Amen brother!

However if Ford buying the company meant that it could sustain sports prototype racing into the 70s and have a real crack at Can Am and maybe Indy then the buy out might be successful. But as you suggest, they'd buy it as a marketing scam, milk it dry and drop the wrinkled husk when they were finished.
 
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