By Jonathan Mellberg
There is a very serious war
raging in the streets. It is a battle for my very soul (or at least my
adoration). It has nothing to do with my marriage and nothing to do with the
church. This is a much more serious matter. Who is better, Ferrari or Porsche;
or more specifically, who is more deserving of my love...
Let’s deal with you naysayers,
first. Those who’d exclaim “What about Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Aston
Martin, etc?!” (insert other insignificant contestant here). Let’s knock these
out right now. Lamborghini may be Ferrari’s biggest rival, but it’s not much of
a rivalry. Its racing heritage isn’t as storied, its breadth of product too narrow, and its quality, though worthy of its supercar status,
still pales next to Ferrari. It may be the raging bull, but it’s still not as
good as the prancing pony.
Next: BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and
Audi. All are great autos in their own right, and each knows how to build their
own super car (or the closest thing to a car that’s super). But at the end of
the day, the same tune sung by nearly every automotive journalist is this: They’re just not as good as the benchmark. And that benchmark for as long as
I’ve been reading has been the Porsche 911.
American sports cars: Do I really
need to explain? Yes, I’m an automotive ecumenical; I love the Mustang, the
Charger, the ‘Vette, the Camaro, the Challenger, the Viper, and any other Detroit-Three
heavy hitter. But we’re talking about Ferrari and Porsche here; the kids need to
sit at their table.
As for Aston Martin, Jaguar,
Maserati, and the like; this discussion involves A-Team players, not junior
varsity. Aston Martin can’t build a decent engine anymore, so they’re
having M-B do it for them. Jaguar is just finally getting back into the game of
true sports cars with the new F-Type, and Maserati (aside from the MC12) only
makes cool touring rides, not real sports cars. No offense! I’m sure any car
from any of these makers is fine for 8/10’s driving or less. But I’m not here
to tackle the merits of pedestrian driving. This discussion is about >
9/10’s driving and the four-wheeled gods that can accomplish that.
1964 Porsche 911
We’ll begin by conceding that
Ferrari is Zeus and all other runner-ups are demigods at best. But as much as I
can appreciate the pinnacle of perfection, I really gravitate toward the
underdog. We’ll concede that Porsche is that dog. We’ll also concede that the
Porsche 911 is no Ferrari F12, and that the 911 is one of the most funky but enduring
designs on the road. Funky, and beautiful; really it’s perfect. Its profile is
an example of 50 years of carefully guided evolution. And despite its seemingly
questionable decision to place the engine way out over the rear axle, it is
(and has been) one of the best handling sports cars in history. That’s not to
say it’s easy, because it isn’t (so I read). It’s rear-heavy weight
distribution gives the 911 very unique handling traits that some would quickly
call “hairy”, which is probably the last descriptor one would use to describe
the Ferrari F458 Italia (another car that places the engine behind the driver, but in
Ferrari’s case, places the engine amid-ship, between the front and rear axles).
In Ferrari’s case, its go-to benchmark car (not to mention its entry-level car)
is all new, having only been around a few years. And within a couple more years
the F458 will be no more; it will be replaced by another amazing vehicle with
its own limited lifespan. That’s how Ferrari rolls; no nameplate is exempt from
extinction. And once they’re gone, they’re gone (save for the Testarossa and GTO nameplates). Meanwhile, Porsche has been dutifully
crafting 911s for the last half century.
Porsche 959
And speaking of crafting, allow
me to present a more elaborate critique of design differences between Ferrari
and Porsche. Whereas Ferrari is equal parts flowing lines, crisp surfaces, and
general sexiness, Porsche is more commonly bubble-butted, frog-faced, and
anthropomorphic than the stable breeds from Italy. If you took my last sentence
as an attack on Porsche, please don’t. Sure, Ferrari is sexy. It’s like
declaring the Sun is hot. It’s not a revelation; it’s a fact. What you don’t
generally expect from Porsche is the same magnetic attraction to a brand whose
outlines are bulbous and whose face seems ready to “ribbit”. And then you discover what’s under the hood and how it all works together so gloriously and then you fall head over heels, as I did.
Ferrari F458 Speciale
For starters, how does Porsche
squeeze so much power and speed from its flat-six motors? Add turbos to them
and you’ve really got a problem with velocity enforcement. In helping put all
that power to good use, Porsche developed all-wheel drive well over 25 years
ago; it debuted on the mind-boggling Porsche 959, the precursor to the
modern-day super car. This served as the basis for subsequent Porsches equipped
with AWD, notably the Carrera 4s and future 911 Turbo models. And the world has
been a better place for it. Ferrari wasn’t far behind with its 408 prototype in
1988, but its AWD system was abandoned along with the car. That is, until the
2012 Ferrari FF. Why Ferrari waited as
long as they did to introduce AWD to any of their cars is curious, but only if
you don’t understand Ferrari; or at the very least, pretend to understand them,
as I do.
Ferrari V12 engine (from the 599 model)
It is the same reason that
Ferrari doesn’t offer (and won’t according to Ferrari brass) an SUV. It’s the
same reason that until now Ferrari hasn’t explored hybrid technology. It’s the
same reason that only a very small handful of Ferrari’s have featured forced
induction (turbocharging). Ferrari isn’t here to cater to trend and obsession.
Ferrari isn’t interested in producing more cars only to make more money (of course, I may have spoken too soon: read up on Luca De Montezemolo's radical departure from Ferrari). And
Ferrari isn’t interested in doing what the other guys are doing. Ferrari is
only interested in building Ferraris. What exactly does that entail? It means
creating very special, very limited-production cars with breathtaking designs,
howling V8s or screaming V12s, and performance that slaps the face of its
competition and asks “E che tutto quello che hai?!” (Italian for “Is that all
you got?!”).
Now can you see my dilemma? Which
automotive titan more deserves my praise and affection? Can I really continue
to root for both winning teams? Sooner or later I’ll have to pick a side and
proudly fly their colors. But I think I know where I stand. In the end, the
Porsche brand represents a more realistic goal of possible ownership. That,
combined with their AWD obsession and a history of comfortable interiors paired
to insanely fast powertrains makes me really think I could fall for Porsche.
But the reality is this: I love Ferrari. I love that they’re snobby enough to
build one less car than demand calls for. I love that they still believe an
unassisted V12 engine at full song is still the pinnacle of auditory
effervescence. I love the fact they refuse to buckle under trend and demand and
build themselves the first Soccer-mom Ferrari SUV (though it would be pretty
frickin’ sweet if they did). I love (and hate) that Ferrari autos are so far
out of reach I’d be better off trying to steal one than work hard and save my
entire life just to buy one. And I love that I drove a Porsche Boxter S and
thought it was the greatest thing ever, until I drove a Ferrari F430.
-Thank you for reading The Wheelspin Journal-
photo by the author
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