R8 V10 vs F430, prices are level! Now what?

I agree with you as welll, I have owned my Ferrari for 7 years and still love many other makes and cars, I still am a tifosi first, but there are many other great cars out there. 2 of my better friends in the local Ferrari Club have replaced their Ferraris with Audi R8s and have never looked back. There are many great alternatives out there right now and no marque is immune from comparison, competition only benefits us car enthusiasts. I am personally very impressed with the new Corvette Z06, it is a great time to be a petrol head!

 

Ferrari is not a mass production car company, Audi is. Just because they are car companies does not mean they can be compared. It's like saying an apple can be compared to an orange just because they are fruit, not for any other reason.

The VW group comprises a lot of car companies, all sharing the same development, production, parts, and in many cases the same production line for several cars, it makes financial sense to do that.

Audi make more cars in roughly 3 days than Ferrari makes in a year.

A Ferrari is a supercar, but that does depend on what your definition of a supercar is, the 288, F40 etc are extremely rare specials, call them what you want.

Comparing the two cars compares the companies, they are very different, just as the R8 and a Ferrari, whatever version you want are.

One company takes bits from it's group of companies and assembles them together, the other does not. An excellent example is Bentley, with the exception of the leather, Bentley do not make any part of their car, they assemble bits to make it, the engine, gearbox and running gear (complete powertrain) are shipped assembled from the factory in Germany, the body panels and chassis are made in Ireland and the rest are VW parts. They do stitch the leather together themselves though, they are very proud of it. Also before any one states I don't know anything about Bentley, I live 3 miles from the factory, it is the biggest employer in the area, I know dozens of people who work there, in just about every dept. The Bentley test driving route runs past where I live, so it's easy to spot the cars they are testing when they break down on their test runs, and you get to see the camouflage models every so often.

It's simply really, if you want a Ferrari, buy a Ferrari. If you want an Audi, then buy an Audi.

We should really start a comparison between a Maserati Quattroporte and a Ford Mondeo (Fusion I think in the USA) as they are the same price, if that's the only reason to compare different models. I can buy a 2 or 3 year old quattroporte for the same money as a Mondeo. Both have the same number of seats, same number of wheels.

 

Well, you can compare apples to oranges, actually (both fruit, both have nutritional value, both can be used to make juices, both grow on trees...) and there are different apples and different oranges. And some of both are great, and some are rotten.

Audi makes a bunch of different cars, true. But the R8 is a special car, built in a special facility, in lower numbers than the 430 was made. It is true that there are parts on the R8 that are used on other cars (the NAV/sound system for instance) It is ridiculous to say that this means the end-product cars "cannot be compared". Some of the parts are shared with the Gallardo (the Graziano built gearbox for instance). The brakes on a Murcielago are fitted to the RS4. Does that mean Lamborghini cannot be compared to Ferrari? Because a whole lot of people do.

This all reminds me of the multitude of comparisons between the 430 and the Ford GT when it came out. How crappy that car was, a wannabe Ferrari, and it will depreciate like a stone. Now the GT is appreciating and is more valuable than a 430, which was 2X the money in 2006. And that car is just a "Ford". So there must be no way on God's green earth that THAT thing can be compared, not to a FERRARI...

No one has said the R8 is a faster or more sporting or more sexy or more anything car than the 430, but to say it is impossible to drive them side by side and compare them requires consuming Ferrari branded Kool-Aid for many many years.

 

Did you mean, to YOU it is Irreverent? I am not referring to the spelling error.

To me it is reverent.

 

Wow. So due to production numbers we can't compare. Interesting view. Btw...Ferrari doesn't make ALOT of the parts on their cars....tires, wheels, electronics, fuel injection, brakes etc...the list is long. So what...Ferrari's are not as exclusive as they used to be...over 20,000 f430's were produced. That's mass production. Perhaps not on the scale of GM or Toyota...but we're not talking about a Pagoni or Maclaren or Bugatti or Koennigsig(sp?) of which are all truly produced in very very small numbers and they are the only cars produced. Even an Enzo or Laferrari is still produced in a facility that makes THOUSANDS of other cars per year. With all models Ferrari probably makes 10k cars a year....not exactly hand made. Pagoni makes maybe 5 year. So the next time someone "dares" to compare a mass produced 458 with a truly limited production super car like Pagoni or Mclaren we'll have to call the "comparison police" and cite them for bad taste....

Stop the madness....

 

No, R8 production is far higher than 430 production, more than twice the volume to date.
The plant that builds the R8 built a total of 262k cars in 2012.
Great car!

 

The Audi R8 is a great car. Owned mine for 4 years. Had both the R8 manual and a 360 spider at the same time. The R8 does everything well, is very refined. The 360 is just more fun to drive. In addition when I walked into my garage my eye and others immediately went to the 360 spider. I then drove a 458 and all bets where off. Which car had to go? I put the R8 up for sale the next day and ordered a new 458. Having said that I still respect the R8 and probably will own another one some day. The point is Ferrari is not the only brand to love but it is very special IMHO.

 

The way I see it, Italians like Pavarotti and Germans LOOOOVE Hasselhoff. They both love singing but they interpret music slightly differently. It's just what you're into. (btw, Pavarotti's dead and the Hoff is high as a kite)
Alberto

 

Things like this should be easy to look up... I could understand if it's close but like u said it's more than twice. I wonder where these misconceptions come from?

 

From what I can gather on various sites there were roughly 21,000 r8's built through 2012. Which would be a fairer comparison to the f430...Not sure about 2013-2014....but 4k a year seems to be the avg. Let's not forget the R8 is actually going on 7-8 years of production worldwide. Seems they produce similar numbers as Ferrari...Both great cars...

 

At the end of 2008 there have been nearly 10,000 R8's been produced.
On July 17th 2012 the 20,000st car a R8 GT Spyder was built.
I don't know the exact production numbers of the different types of F430 but there must be more R8 than F430 as to be seen in daily life

Harald

 

There is no universally accepted definition of "supercar." IMO, just because a car has a production number greater than a few hundred doesn't mean it isn't a supercar. To me, if a car provides exceedingly high performance for its time, is exceedingly expensive, is produced by an exclusive manufacturer, and is relatively rare (as compared to say a Corvette), it may be considered a supercar.

When it first came out, many considered the 430 a supercar. It's because of the passage of time and faster cars having been produced since then that the term seems less applicable to the 430 today. As for the R8 V10, it's a closer call. It provides high performance, is expensive, is relatively rare, but the big strike against it is its manufactured by relatively pedestrian Audi. As for the cars on the next level, like the McLaren F1, Veyron, La Ferrari, etc., I'd call them hypercars.

Regardless, these are just labels. It doesn't matter to me how people categorize my car. What matters is the driving experience it provides.

 

I just bought a 2006 F430 spider Red/Tan in a six speed manual. I have only driven it a few times but it is such a fantastic car, love the sound of that engine! I have owned Porsche's for years from base 911's, GT3's and Turbo S's. Time for a change. When I was looking for a Ferrari, I was looking at the 458 until I found out you could not get a manual six speed, only paddles. My last two Porsche's had paddles, and while fun, not nearly engaging as the six speed. I just order a 2014 R8 V10 Plus 9 (six speed manual of course), I am expecting delivery late May or Early June. I will post my thoughts after I have driven both.

 

Just curious on your impression of the 430 vs. your GT3. I have buddy who owns both and he "likes" the 430 but absolutely loves the GT3. Both cars same era... Circa 2007 or so.

 

Good for you getting the manual trans. I hope more follow your example regardless of whatever they choose to drive.

 

Last weekend I drove my red 430 coupe to In-n-out burger for lunch. I sat outside because it was a beautiful day (CA winter = 75degF). While eating, five different groups of other people arrived and walked up to the 430 to admire it. Young boys took photos from every angle. Adult men asked if it was okay for them to take a photo of it. An elderly couple looked through the rear engine glass, admiring the machinery within, and the wife commented on Italian style.

A few times a day, whenever I enter my garage, I stop and stare at it and recognize its beauty. Sometimes I make a special trip to the garage to look at it.

Ferrari's are somehow a dream realized in carefully sculpted metal. They are unique and special as demonstrated by the reactions they evoke in many people.

Driving this car around and sharing it with other people is like owning a piece of art and putting it on display for everyone to enjoy.

I have nothing negative to say about Audi, Lexus, Acura, BMW, Mercedes, etc. They are great car manufacturers.

 

I'd have the F430 if the R8 was half it's price. While I like the Audi and respect its performance and abilities, it's just a bit boring (to me at least)

 

Still prefer the F430.
I can't describe the feelings while I'm driving it.
I tried the R8 too but...Boring car for me.
It's not the same thing.
I think it's not legit to say "Oh well, the R8 is faster and it has the same price".
I hate people who say "I can reach a better top speed with less money".


Sent from my iPhone 5S using Tapatalk.

 

I have both a F430 with MT and a R8 V10. Both are great cars. Both are exotics. However, the F430 is more raw and special. The R8 with the magnetic ride is as compliant as an Audi sedan but with exotic looks and V10 power. The R8 is my DD exotic while the F430 is my weekend exotic. As for the current prices, my 2005 F430 is worth twice as much as my 2009 R8 V10 (approximately C$200k vs C$100k), both with around similar mileage (27,000 km or around 17,000 miles).
BTW I'm surprised that R8 steering wheel and fuel cap are similar to that of an A3 that I rented in Germany, and not as nice as those on my 2008 BMW M3, let alone as those on my F430.