F8 Anyone still ordering an f8 or waiting for v6?

There is absolute truth to the arguments made opposing what you say. There are a LOT of people who feel this way. No one was as critical about the 488 when it was released, but there is something about the F8 that is just uninspiring. The F8 is Ferrari’s offramp to mediocrity in the supercar world, and the next step (LB) will probably be faster, but certainly not better.

The F8 is a product born out of laws, regulations, emissions requirements, social trends, etc. Not raw passion for the core Ferraristi. There are a plethora of Ferrari owners with Dino’s, 250GTO, Testarossas, etc. who would never choose to own any of Ferrari’s modern offerings from the post-Pininfarina generation. Why? Because they simply lack that passion which attracted them made decades ago to Ferrari. The cars are NOT the same anymore. Period. The F8 is androgynous and could be rebadged as a plain jane Mclaren or anything else and few would ever notice different.

Arguments of people who “don’t know how to drive the cars” are shortsighted and demonstrate one is drawing for straws, and serve to justify in ones own mind that they are correct by attacking the driving capability of critics. Contrary what you wish to believe, People who don’t know how to drive these cars ARE THE ONES DRIVING 488, F8, etc. Not the 355, 348, 430, Testsrossa, etc. because there is no room for error on the older cars.

In sum, the F8 is a phenomenal car, an incredible piece of engineering, and is among the best of the best in the supercar world. But it also abdicates in the minds of many people what a Ferrari is and should be.


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Fair enough...

My view is this: I think the V6 route - maybe with some sort of hybrid component - could be a very interesting angle. I also think announcing it too soon might cause people to opt out of the F8 to some degree - especially as the F8 production gets near its end and Ferrari starts handing out F8 allocations like free kettle corn samples at a Farmers' Market. From a purely corporate / PR standpoint, I think Ferrari is making some of the same mistakes and going down the same bad path that Osborne Computers did back in the 80's - namely: announcing new products too soon and causing people to take a 'wait and let's see what's new' stance.

As far as the V6 stuff, I have my doubts that Ferrari can pull it off, but I'm willing to keep an open mind. I think if Ferrari takes what they use in F1 and applies some of that to a V6, that could work if done right. Let me put it like this: if the V6 revs to 12,000 RPM's and there's an electric motor and KERS unit involved, then I'd be a lot more prone to test driving that than just buying a rehashed 488. But if it's just another twin turbo job with an electric motor, then I'd probably remain on the fence.

With or without the V6 stuff, I previously already declined my F8 allocation (last year); so that puts me squarely in the 'not ordering an F8' camp, either way you slice it.

Ray

 

I've only briefly been behind the wheel of a TR; but just based on that, I feel like it takes a brave man to drive those fast around a twisty road lol

Ray

 

I almost bought a 512TR some years back. My guess would be the low slung giant motor over the rear wheels helps keep the car planted

That's interesting about the FF. I have test driven the 812 and liked it a lot - it felt light and nimble, given its size and weight. I'm super curious what driving the F12 would be like.

Ray

 

Sounds like me.

 

Or you could just completely opposite..I picked this up from a customers house this weekend..needs some fix ups..serious fun tho. Would wouldn't believe what is behined those garage doors tho..
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My first car was a 1966 Mustang.

Great car, but had to replace everything on it 3 times.

I'll stick with the Japanese and the Italians lol.

Love the wooden steering wheel though!

Ray

 

I have owned a 360, 458, now a 488 GTB. I also have an F8 on order and can happily say that I have enjoyed every Ferrari I have had the honor to own and drive. I don’t see why there is such criticism here over any of these cars. About the V6 Hybrid, I am in wait and see mode. Seriously though, how can anyone complain about driving a Ferrari? Image Unavailable, Please Login
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I am with you 100%, 355, 360, 430, 458, 488, and F8 on order. Wait to see on the LB, definitely interested, but just as much happy to buy the last non hybrid V8 Ferrari, that IMHO looks terrific.

 

Did you test drive the F8? what are your thoughts about the sound?

 

I drove two F8 tributos and an F8 Spider. Interesting thing was of the two F8 Tributos that I drove, the one with more miles on it definitely had a stronger exhaust note. That being said, I was actually surprised that all of them didn’t sound as bad as expected from reading posts here on the forum. I am very happy to be purchasing one and am sure I will get a ton of enjoyment out of every mile I put on it. I got used to the lower exhaust note with the 488 so the F8 sound does not bother me. One thing I would tell anyone is to always drive these cars in manual mode if you are worried about the sound. The auto mode will always choose a higher gear which contributes to a flabby low end exhaust note that probably contributes to many of the bad sound reviews.


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I think too many people who drive the F8 (or even 488) are put off by the sound, or lack thereof. Drive one with a Novitec exhaust, I think you may change your mind.

 

Seeing all of the posts in this thread made me consider what might be driving some of the conversation.
This all seems a function of age, length of years being a car enthusiast, memories, nostalgia, etc., etc.
If you are in your 70's like I am, having owned a ton of sports cars ranging from, Austin Healeys, Lotuses, MG's, Jaguars, Porsches, earlier Ferrari's
and 80's Lambos, a lot of memories, most of them positive shaped the way I viewed a sports car. What I like would differ greatly from someone who, for example, is in their 30's or even 40's. All of this is pretty moot, since I came from strictly manual transmission cars with not a whole lot of horsepower.
What made a car exciting was the whole package. Shifting manually through gears, wringing out an engine that didn't have that much power, the
smells of oil and gas, everything that doesn't exist for the most part in the exotic car world. So we are left with big horsepower, comfortable environments, cool
air conditioning, no oil or gas smells, very little distraction, tremendous acceleration combined with go cart handling.
I don't need 700hp to make me happy. I am also attracted to the more conservative looks of the 458. I am presently looking at a Alfa GTV 2000 because it
sends me right into the wheel house of what made a sports car fantastic to me. To me!!!!! Not anyone else, so this exercise, while fun to read, becomes personal taste and in my opinion the only metric that means anything. Enjoy whatever floats your boat.

 

One of the things I personally have found make a difference and answer some of the "why" in relation to why the newer cars feel less connected is the setup and the tyres. The current crop of Ferraris come from the factory with a VERY safe setup, and that definitely makes the car feel less connected and agile. I've been talking about this often on these boards, especially the understeer. This is a problem and does deduct from the experience. Add better tyres that ride much smoother, makes no noise, and have lots of predictable grip that is very progressive on the limit, and you end up with something that is a bit "tame".
I've driven an F355 with MPSS shoes, and it feels a lot less loose and "raw" as some would put it, because the comfort and grip just makes the car feel a lot more sedate.

If you dial in a 488 with proper camber, proper toe specs etc. it becomes a very different animal. Normally in a 488 with the electric seats you have a car that is a bit annoying during spirited driving as you slide in the seats a bit. Dial in the car and you now have a car where you feel like you sit on the door armrest in the turn because it has that much mid corner grip. And like a race car, the rear end will demand your attention during hard braking, you will have grip for days when powering out of the turn - that is until you don't and like the race car, it spits you right off with little to no warning.

What a car feels like has just as much to do with how it is set up as how the ESC nannies are programmed, and how the engine flairs and sound.

If Ferrari should do anything to satisfy the more "hardcore" group, it should be offering more of a custom set up program. It could be like this.

Prior to taking delivery, you go to Fiorano, or perhaps take delivery on your local track etc. Then you spend a day with some techs and get the car set up for you and according to your wishes - and your abilities. Could also be done as part of Corse Pilota perhaps.

To put it a bit blunt. I don't think the car itself is the problem. I think the problem lies in the fact that Ferrari sets every single car up so that even the most ditzy "daddys girl" on Xanax can drive it in a rainstorm without climbing sign posts.

 

Good thing we have all these different cars to choose from. Some people are happy with a 308 which is gorgeous but super slow, not my cup of tea. Some like the really old stuff, but in the Ferrari world that is out of touch for most. For some the 458 or 599 are the pinnacle of their pursuit. The bottom line is no one here is going to change the opinion of anyone else. Different strokes for different folks. I had a 355 and a 458 and other than the exhaust note I would not trade my F8 for either one.

Drive the F8 with all nannies off through a right hand bend going 80 mph and you will feel the soul of the car as well as your testies shrinking in your pants. LOL

 

Exactly This!!!

 

Pretty much any modern car has so much grip and power that you really need to get some track time to safely push the limit before you really know the car. Sure you can throw it into a sharp corner and mash the gas to kick out the rear, but that's nothing like finding the balance of a four wheel drift in a mid speed or high speed corner. When I got my first modern turbo car (F80 M3) I found it was pretty dull and questioned keeping it until I got to take it to a track day and really feel it run in its proper element. My 458 is already pretty fun to drive even without pushing hard, but the grip level is so much higher than anything else I've driven that it's pretty much wasted until I get a chance to drive it at a track with decent runoff room to feel comfortable pushing it.

 

Yep basically what I was going to post/ask. It’s funny how people think a loud car is more fun…. You can make a F8 loud I guess then it would have soul…lol

 

As a matter of fact they do. With most really rich guys you would never know.

Average joe trying to look rich stands out like a sore thumb.

 

I'm in my 30s and the F8 is a fitting vehicle for my age bracket. I purchased a STO for my NA needs.