Future classics in the making
Atty. Jerome G. Neri
The Scrutineer
AUTOSTRADA Motore, the Philippine dealer of Ferrari, Maserati and Jaguar, was in Cebu with their cars. They had an event at Shangri-la Hotel Mactan where they presented various Ferrari’s, a Maserati and a Jaguar to the Cebuanos. Of course, the stars of the show were the Ferraris. They brought an F12 Berlinetta, F458 Spider, FF, and California T models.
What surprised me was the FF. The FF is the first all-wheel drive Ferrari. It is a big hatchback and a four-seater. Seeing it on TV and in the magazines, I did not like it. I found it to be an ugly looking car. After seeing it up close and personal, my opinion has completely changed: it is such a nice car that how it looks on TV and in the magazines do not do justice to it at all. It is now my favorite Ferrari.
The Ferrari FF is a 640hp V12 beast that is easier to tame and more adaptable to different road conditions as compared to the other models. The 640hp traction is important and with all-wheel drive, the FF has more power that can be transferred to the road. Yes, on paper the 740 hp F12 Berlinetta may be the better performer, but this performance will only come out on a racetrack or perfect road conditions where traction can be maximized.
The most expensive Ferrari on display was the F12, which is priced at P34 million and the cheapest is the California at P22 million. The prettiest one was the F458 Spider.
FERRARI PHILOSOPHY. Ferrari is primarily a racing team, then a car company. They sell cars so that they can race. Racing in Formula 1 is their priority and it is this philosophy that made Ferrari the legend that it is today. The cars they make use technology they developed for racing at the very top level. Other car companies join racing in order to promote their cars.
However, recent developments have worried Ferrari enthusiasts and fans. Ferrari is owned by Fiat, which now has merged with Chrysler. Fiat-Chrysler has decided to divest itself of its Ferrari shares by offering floating 10 percent of its shares in the stock market, while the rest will be distributed among their shareholders. In the meantime, Ferrari president and CEO Luca di Montezemolo resigned from his post. Di Motezemolo is widely credited for making what Ferrari is today: a very profitable company and one of the strongest and most recognizable brands in the world, while keeping the brand exclusive and production low at 7,000 units per year.
Di Montezemolo was replaced by Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne. The word is that these two do not see eye to eye with the future of Ferrari, as Di Montezemolo wants to keep the exclusive allure of Ferrari, while Marchionne wants to expand Ferrari. In fact, it has been reported that Di Montezemolo has been quoted as saying, “Ferrari is now American, it is the end of an era.”
RACING TEAM. In the racing team, the team principal Stefano Domenicalli was replaced by Marco Matiacci. Matiacci has been with Ferrari for some time and was in charge of their road cars in North America. He has no racing experience. Then we see Ferrari ace driver Fernando Alonso leaving Ferrari for Mclaren. Right now Ferrari is better off than Mclaren, and for Alonso to leave Ferrari, thinking that he has a better chance of winning another world title in McLaren, a team which Ferrari has beaten for a few years now, indicates that the change in Ferrari is discomforting.
If these changes really spell an end of an era for Ferrari, the cars that were displayed at Shangri-la are the last cars produced under the leadership of Di Montezemolo, and may eventually be considered as the last of the true Ferraris. Therefore, there is a good chance that those expensive cars are going to be future classics. I may just have seen the last of the true Ferrari cars.
