RE: PH Fleet: Ferrari 599

[GusB]

I know, I know.... I was a little star struck in the car anyway so minor details were overlooked....

[LuS1fer]

I agree the key should be something good. I had a Mazda 5 with a "flick-knife" key which should be the norm. The newer Mondeo has a normal key that sticks in your leg as does the Mustang and the Fiesta has the old Ford needle style key which is worse again.

I also had a Corvette C4 with a steeply raked windscreen with clap-hand wipers. I've lost count of the times I lost vision when the wipers lifted well south of 100mph and that slowed the party right down. However, quality was not a hallmark of any of the car so at least it was consistent.

[pb63]

So what if the key is a bit of a souvenir...it's what you're putting it into and turning which is more interesting...keys are like fancy handbags - it's what's holding them...Always substance over form...

Having said that I thought the stupidest key I’ve seen to date is the one in the new Zonda...like a toy car... give me a scruffy bit of red plastic anyday...

[drcarrera]

I think the "key" for my Aston's quite nice - nicer than the Ferrari one anyway!




What's not so nice is Aston insisting on calling it an Emotion Control Unit! And the fact that if you drop it on the floor it'll break and your local dealer will relieve you of several hundred quid to get a new one!

And as for the mention a few pages back of the Macca P1 not having any windscreen wipers - how's that going to work come MOT time ?!

[Alfakid]

carinaman said:

Thanks crusoe, it does look a bit like a key for a 156.

Definitely, the number of times I got in my 156, turned the key, and was left with two halves of plastic shell and the key with a PCB stuck in the ignition! Happy days!!

[Gary C]

Drop the windows a little and you suddenly realise what sultry music you’re leaving behind.

I read that as slutty music on the first pass

Which actually sound appropriate somehow.

[wemorgan]

Interesting to read how many people consider the key important. Verses major OEM how about Ferrari's lack of R&D in almost every engineering aspect in the car - that's what would concern me more if I had >£100k to spend, which I don't

[Krikkit]

wemorgan said:

Interesting to read how many people consider the key important. Verses major OEM how about Ferrari's lack of R&D in almost every engineering aspect in the car - that's what would concern me more if I had >£100k to spend, which I don't

The key isn't the be-all, but it is the thing that you have to carry about to use the car. If it was just a nice piece of metal or carbon (not hard to make, even for small people like Ferrari) it wouldn't be an issue. That thing is just awful.

As far as engineering goes Ferrari clearly spend their time on the important bits - engine, suspension etc, then work their way down. Thing like wipers, interior switch quality, that's near the bottom and gets skimped on. The right balance imo.

[LuS1fer]

NOTHING should be skimped on in acar that expensive.

[Porkie]

Chris Harris said:

Bad photo of bad key

Ugly... but least that looks like it pops the boot.

It drives me nuts that my F430 key doesnt have a boot release button on key.... have to go back into car. put key in ignition, flick boot release... PITA!

[pb63]

drcarrera said:

I think the "key" for my Aston's quite nice - nicer than the Ferrari one anyway!

What's not so nice is Aston insisting on calling it an Emotion Control Unit!

[AndrewD]

Porkie said:

Ugly... but least that looks like it pops the boot.

It drives me nuts that my F430 key doesnt have a boot release button on key.... have to go back into car. put key in ignition, flick boot release... PITA!

On my 16M there is a little loop of cable under the dash you can pull instead of turning on the electrics and pressing the boot release button - still means you have to open the car door of course - doesn't your F430 have something like this?

[wemorgan]

LuS1fer said:

NOTHING should be skimped on in acar that expensive.

Maybe not, but then those cars wouldn't cost £100k, but £200k. But even £200k cars cut corners. Where does it end? It doesn't.

[chrissull]

Even the Pagani Huayra key looks pretty daft, and that's 850k?!

[Porkie]

AndrewD said:

Porkie said:

Ugly... but least that looks like it pops the boot.

It drives me nuts that my F430 key doesnt have a boot release button on key.... have to go back into car. put key in ignition, flick boot release... PITA!

On my 16M there is a little loop of cable under the dash you can pull instead of turning on the electrics and pressing the boot release button - still means you have to open the car door of course - doesn't your F430 have something like this?

is it a red loop of string? I've always wondered what that does but didnt wanna pull it!

THANKS!

[tyrewrecker]

wemorgan said:

Maybe not, but then those cars wouldn't cost £100k, but £200k. But even £200k cars cut corners. Where does it end? It doesn't.

Ends at ZONDA!

[carinaman]

Cars are another area for personalisation (other than making your own to steal a BMW)?

I'm thinking of Rowan Atkinson's piece in CAR Magazine when he ordered his Ferrari 456 and had that little wooden box with the different colours of leather, so it would seem much of the Ferrari experience for new buyers is a bit special so I can appreciate why how that specialness could be undermined by a not very special key.

[f328nvl]

Porkie said:

Chris Harris said:

Bad photo of bad key

Ugly... but least that looks like it pops the boot.

It drives me nuts that my F430 key doesnt have a boot release button on key.... have to go back into car. put key in ignition, flick boot release... PITA!

But at least that's progress; My old F550 had no boot release on the key, the release was also on (passenger side of) the dash plus when it rained, if you did open the boot, all the water on the boot lid was deposited in the boot itself, soaking your stuff.

[TonyHetherington]

My take on the Ferrari key was that if you walked into a pub and said you had a Ferrari, and used the key to prove it, then no one would believe you and thought you'd bought the key from eBay

(yes, I know such a thing would be crass, but nevertheless you take my point I hope).

[BaronVonVaderham]

Very interesting how faults become 'quirks' on desireable exotica.

It saddens me somewhat though, I aspire to own/drive something Italian and ridiculous (either from Enzo's shed or that tractor manufacturer) before I shuffle off my mortal coil and having built up these iconic cars and brands to embody automotive perfection, is this what i've got to look forward to?

Bad design I can forgive and even find amusing, but poor build quality on something so expensive is unacceptable.

So, the question is: which italian supercars are actually made properly?