So Chris Harris of Evo magazine and trashing the Miata fame goes after Ferrari, mentioning how absurd their fleet practices are with calibrating their cars to tracks, giving magazines ringers, and generally being difficult. You can read his tirade here:
http://ca.jalopnik.com/5760248/how-ferrari-spins
What he doesn't mention are two things:
1) From a reader of The Truth About Cars: Porsche does the same thing as far as North America is concerned, and no one is calling them out on it. And I seriously doubt other companies aren't doing the same thing. Come on, the GT-R can hit 60 mph in 2.88 seconds with 530 hp and 3,800 lbs? And I'm an alternate on Jamaica's track and field team behind Usain Bolt...
2) All auto journalists in magazines take bribes, kickbacks, good press from PR people at car companies, and all sorts of other luxuries from the job. While many of them are good enough to disclose what freebies they get out of the deal, a lot of them aren't. Also, all of those "short take" cars and whatnot that they give glowing reviews for, if only on a half-page...they have to, or else they won't be allowed to get to drive the cool cars. Or that's how it was described to me by the former editor in chief of a major car blog. There is so much brown-nosing, product placement, and senselessly nonobjective evaluation of cars that they have to do as part of their jobs. They get PR pushes all the time from big companies.
It's hypocrisy all around. Harris only mentioned one side of the equation.
Quote of the Year........
"How fucking paranoid do you have to be to put even stickier rubber on a Scuderia? It's like John Holmes having an extra two inches grafted onto his dick."
:clap:
Quote from: the Teuton on February 16, 2011, 08:08:29 PM
2) All auto journalists in magazines take bribes, kickbacks, good press from PR people at car companies, and all sorts of other luxuries from the job. While many of them are good enough to disclose what freebies they get out of the deal, a lot of them aren't. Also, all of those "short take" cars and whatnot that they give glowing reviews for, if only on a half-page...they have to, or else they won't be allowed to get to drive the cool cars. Or that's how it was described to me by the former editor in chief of a major car blog. There is so much brown-nosing, product placement, and senselessly nonobjective evaluation of cars that they have to do as part of their jobs. They get PR pushes all the time from big companies.
It's hypocrisy all around. Harris only mentioned one side of the equation.
I won't read any reviewer that seems afraid to give a negative review. Road & Track, when I subscribed years ago, was overwhelmingly positive. Autoblog is overwhelmingly positive. I didn't renew R/T and never read Autoblog's reviews. But there are way too many publications that -- for reasons I may or may not agree with -- have no qualms with bashing a car if they feel it deserves it for me to think there's that much of a problem in the auto-mag industry.
Quote from: ifcar on February 16, 2011, 09:31:58 PM
I won't read any reviewer that seems afraid to give a negative review.
This is the biggest reason why Motorweek sucks so badly.
When I read stuff like this, it makes me hate their cars. If I ever win the lottery I will just buy a used Ford GT instead, even if I wanted a Ferrari.
Quote from: SVT666 on February 17, 2011, 11:15:42 AM
When I read stuff like this, it makes me hate their cars. If I ever win the lottery I will just buy a used Ford GT instead, even if I wanted a Ferrari.
Yea, I'm sure they all do it but to different extents. I love some Ferrari's and other cars from high end brands. But I'm not sure I could deal with being one of the ass holes who owns them. The more I talk to some of the Ferrari, Lambo and 911 guys the more I never want to be one. At this point I'd rather have an LFA and give a middle finger to HH.
Fuck that. There's no way people's perception or the attitude of other owners would dictate what I buy.
I'd buy a 911 GT3 RS, and enjoy the ever loving shit out of it.
Another example of Ferrari's asshatiness. Want to collect your new car at the factory, thus saving Ferrari the cost of shipping it to your local dealer? That'll be an extra charge, sir!
http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/autocarconfidential/archive/2011/02/22/the-problem-with-buying-supercars-is.aspx
Seriously, this is almost as bad as GM charging you extra to build your own Corvette engine while the factory workers stand around and watch you do their job for them!
:wtf:
A guy I spoke with some time ago (who owned a 360 Modena Spider) said the reason he want with a used Ferrari instead of a new F430 is because waiting on the list not only would have taken a bit longer but he would have had to pay a $100,000 premium for the car.
That means roughly $300,000 for a car no quicker than a Z06 Corvette. Insane. Ferrari's waiting list is corrupt.
Quote from: Madman on February 22, 2011, 04:50:48 PM
Another example of Ferrari's asshatiness. Want to collect your new car at the factory, thus saving Ferrari the cost of shipping it to your local dealer? That'll be an extra charge, sir!
http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/autocarconfidential/archive/2011/02/22/the-problem-with-buying-supercars-is.aspx
Seriously, this is almost as bad as GM charging you extra to build your own Corvette engine while the factory workers stand around and watch you do their job for them!
:wtf:
I understand paying extra for the experience to build your own engine (though that fee should include airfare and hotel), but extra to pick it up? That's BS.
Quote from: MrH on February 17, 2011, 03:30:33 PM
Fuck that. There's no way people's perception or the attitude of other owners would dictate what I buy.
I'd buy a 911 GT3 RS, and enjoy the ever loving shit out of it.
+a lot
Quote from: Madman on February 22, 2011, 04:50:48 PM
Another example of Ferrari's asshatiness. Want to collect your new car at the factory, thus saving Ferrari the cost of shipping it to your local dealer? That'll be an extra charge, sir!
http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/autocarconfidential/archive/2011/02/22/the-problem-with-buying-supercars-is.aspx
Seriously, this is almost as bad as GM charging you extra to build your own Corvette engine while the factory workers stand around and watch you do their job for them!
:wtf:
It's genius; a win-win situation. The price of a Ferrari isn't based on the cost of the parts, it's based on emotion and people's willingness to part with that much cash to get their hands on one. These people have so much money that they probably don't know or care that Ferrari is profiting even more because of this arrangement, but they do care that they can visit Modena and feel like a true part of Ferrari's H&H.