Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Sexiest looking red Ferrari?

[Charles Perry (charles]

I don't think excess is bad if it's done tastefully. I guess that sounds
like an oxymoron, but I think the Testarossa and the Countach are the
two most recognizable designs ever in the exotic car world - not
necessarily to car people like us on the list, but to the every day
person on the street. Show them either car and they will likely
correctly guess the brand it came from without seeing any badging.

Do the same with a 599 Fiorano or Aston Martin DBS and I bet they get it
wrong. I think a lot of what is missing in today's exotics is this
stylistic excess. Designs are wind tunnel oriented to make great top
speed numbers, but those will rarely, if ever, be touched by most
owners, whereas most owners of truly different cars will often just sit
in their garage and admire the lines. When I'm driving my exotics, I
pretty much always park them in the farthest possible corner of the
parking lot. I don't do it to avoid dings (although that's a bonus). I
do it because I just love the feeling of drooling over my own car as I'm
walking back to it. I would probably really enjoy driving a 612 for a
day or two, but I would never look forward to just staring at it in an
empty parking lot corner.

The difference is that in the TR and the Countach, the excess was a
stylistic theme which coherently guided each part of the car, whereas
excess that becomes bling is excess for the sake of the detail, rather
than the whole.

-- charles 


 
_______________________________________________
 
Charles G Perry IV
Vice-President, Engineering
 
Carolina Sound Communications - MuzaK
7630 Southrail Road, BLDG B
N. Charleston, SC 29420 
(843) 571-4488         www.carolina-sound.com
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-----Original Message-----
From: Larry B [mailto:larrybard [at] hotmail.com] 
Sent: Monday, May 04, 2009 7:00 PM
To: Charles Perry
Cc: The FerrariList
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Sexiest looking red Ferrari?


Charles,

 

Interesting perspective (Martin's) that "stylistic excess" is evidently
a virtue in this comparison.  (My personal view, which may not be
inconsistent with his, is that the 512TR is also characterized by
"stylistic excess" -- but the Testarossa's look is even more excessive.
But he and I apparently disagree about the comparison, insofar as I
think in this case that less is more.)

 

You're right about the decklid -- mine is body-colored (red, of course).

 

Larry


P.S.  I have learned not to try and defend the looks of my nose; quite a
futile battle.  Can't help it.  Born that way.

 


 

Date: Mon, 4 May 2009 18:34:28 -0400
From: charles [at] carolina-sound.com

I do like the Testarossa nose better than the 512TR, which is a little
less classic in my opinion. The 512TR does have the most beautiful
Ferrari wheels of all time, which is probably a big part of why I like
the nearly identical 355s as well. Clearly the TR interior is pretty
dated looking at this time, but I think the dark lower portions on the
exterior make the car look considerably more sleek - almost floating on
its wheels.

Ambivalent about the darker decklids on 512TR, but many owners have made
those body-colored, which says something.

The F512M was stylistic excess. I could maybe have dealt with the
exposed headlights, and I kind of like the rear taillight treatment, but
the wheels and NACA ducts were just precursors to modern bling.

-----Original Message-----
From: Martin Stark [mailto:MStark [at] Copper.net] 

In two words .... stylistic excess. The 512TR is a bit dimensionally
reined in.

Larry B wrote:

I may be biased, but am genuinely interested: you really prefer,
aesthetically, the Testarossa to the 512TR?  
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