evo fall out with 'major manufacturer'

[E30M3SE]

varsas said:

I think it's Ferrari. Read the letters section 'Shifting attitudes' and Chris Harris explains all (perhaps in more detail then the editor intended, but they you assume he checked Chris's response)

Bingo.

[lauda]

E30M3SE said:

Bingo.

Indeed, that seems to have cleared that one up! I guess the question is, why does Ferrari care so much about it? It's slightly petulant behaviour - it's not like a brand new customer 599 GTO is going to be any different to the press car. Is it...?

[camshafted]

Ferrari is part of Fiat and Alfa - all makes sense!

[anonymous-user]

lauda said:

E30M3SE said:

Bingo.

Indeed, that seems to have cleared that one up! I guess the question is, why does Ferrari care so much about it? It's slightly petulant behaviour - it's not like a brand new customer 599 GTO is going to be any different to the press car. Is it...?

probably not, and is the owner really going to notice?... most 599 GTOs will be used to charge around the middle east as their owners new toy. if the press car had 20 bhp more than the customer car, it would take a talented driver anda racettrack to find it...

ferrari care because the new mclaren will be a better car than the 458.

[Tyre Smoke]

lauda said:

fizz876 said:

Im guessing its most likely Ferrari- their PR machine would make Hitler look soft.

One word wrong and you better be sure you have an explaination as to why?

Not the first time this this has happenned - I heard rumours a few years back TG got in trouble with Aston and they refused to give them cars for a while but the power that TG is they had to relent - i heard they were not to happy with James May sitting naked in one of their Aston and the fact they didnt tell them the car would be leaving the UK...

Acutally, I seem to remember that there have been some 'differences of opinion' between evo and Ferrari previously over a Car of the Year feature when the latest Ferrari which had received across the board rave reviews came second to a Porsche.

Can't remember which Ferrari that was or how long ago it was though.

Evo is Porsche biased? No! Surely not!

[lauda]

Tyre Smoke said:

lauda said:

fizz876 said:

Im guessing its most likely Ferrari- their PR machine would make Hitler look soft.

One word wrong and you better be sure you have an explaination as to why?

Not the first time this this has happenned - I heard rumours a few years back TG got in trouble with Aston and they refused to give them cars for a while but the power that TG is they had to relent - i heard they were not to happy with James May sitting naked in one of their Aston and the fact they didnt tell them the car would be leaving the UK...

Acutally, I seem to remember that there have been some 'differences of opinion' between evo and Ferrari previously over a Car of the Year feature when the latest Ferrari which had received across the board rave reviews came second to a Porsche.

Can't remember which Ferrari that was or how long ago it was though.

Evo is Porsche biased? No! Surely not!

I wasn't suggesting they were biased More that Ferrari had a toys out the pram moment because their best had been deemed not quite as good as the competition!

[camshafted]

I find Evo creams itself the moment someone mentions 'Horacio Pagani'

[sleep envy]

robsco said:

R11ysf said:

ShadownINja said:

teen_cerbera said:

The question is, why are they so concerned about only using their press cars? Are their press cars "tweaked"?

Amusingly, considering your name, the Cerbera press cars were a bit more lively, I heard.

All TVR press cars were exactly as they would have come off the the production line and I won't hear otherwise (even if they did use 2 totally separate cars for the 0-60 and the top speed figures )

The Cerbera that walked all over its opponents on that famous Clarkson video was somewhat tweaked IIRC. Evo were frightened witless by the Cerbera when they had it on test too, I recall something about it swapping ends "if you so much as breathed on the throttle."

you wouldn't want to let it idle for half an hour either...

[E30M3SE]

pablo said:

ferrari care because the new mclaren will be a better car than the 458.

You have obviously already decided that.

[snowy slopes]

Tyre Smoke said:

lauda said:

fizz876 said:

Im guessing its most likely Ferrari- their PR machine would make Hitler look soft.

One word wrong and you better be sure you have an explaination as to why?

Not the first time this this has happenned - I heard rumours a few years back TG got in trouble with Aston and they refused to give them cars for a while but the power that TG is they had to relent - i heard they were not to happy with James May sitting naked in one of their Aston and the fact they didnt tell them the car would be leaving the UK...

Acutally, I seem to remember that there have been some 'differences of opinion' between evo and Ferrari previously over a Car of the Year feature when the latest Ferrari which had received across the board rave reviews came second to a Porsche.

Can't remember which Ferrari that was or how long ago it was though.

Evo is Porsche biased? No! Surely not!

Funny you should say that, but in the ferrari v porsche issue, you have harry metcalf explaining what to spend your money on if you want a ferrari, and chris harris doing the same for porsche. Then you have chris harris in the fast fleet section banging on about ferrari's, he got rid of one and bought another, yet he came down firmly on the side of the porsche's during the comparison tests. Coincedence?

[monthefish]

Most press cars are not anything other than standard. That's not to say that they won't be prepped to within an inch of their lives, but the days of press cars being properly fiddled with are long gone (in the majority - there may still be a few unscrupulous manufacturers out there however)

Poledriver said:

I had an MG ZT-T 260 'Press car'. It was fully loaded with every option and top spec interior, flip paint etc. All the panels were a much better fit than some of the other versions I've seen. I think they'll take a bit more effort with pre-delivery inspection to show them at their best.
Pity they don't just build every car to the same standard!

[Roop]

robsco said:

R11ysf said:

ShadownINja said:

teen_cerbera said:

The question is, why are they so concerned about only using their press cars? Are their press cars "tweaked"?

Amusingly, considering your name, the Cerbera press cars were a bit more lively, I heard.

All TVR press cars were exactly as they would have come off the the production line and I won't hear otherwise (even if they did use 2 totally separate cars for the 0-60 and the top speed figures )

The Cerbera that walked all over its opponents on that famous Clarkson video was somewhat tweaked IIRC.

The car in the Clarkson drag race was absolutely bone stock bar a decat and some slightly more open pipes.

[sleep envy]

which test car didn't have a battery to save weight?

[lauda]

Just finished reading the Veyron SS road test in this months issue and the overall conclusion seemed to be less critical than many previous articles I've read, including evo (not that the Veyron has been heavily criticised previously, just that many journos don't seem to have emotionally connected with them like they have the Zonda, for example).

This is then followed by a piece from Mr Metcalfe on the process and logistics of ordering one. Surely the Metcalfe chequebook hasn't been out again so soon after the Lambo?! Are we now to be subjected to constant praise of the Veyron rather than the Zonda? Call me cynical...

[AntJC]

petrolsniffer said:

teen_cerbera said:

The question is, why are they so concerned about only using their press cars? Are their press cars "tweaked"?

Apprently it was very common for BL to give tweaked cars to the press...

It was also a trick that Colin Chapman used to get up to with the Lotus press fleet.

Blueprinted engines, and big valve heads in non big valve spec cars etc....

[ManOpener]

lauda said:

Tyre Smoke said:

lauda said:

fizz876 said:

Im guessing its most likely Ferrari- their PR machine would make Hitler look soft.

One word wrong and you better be sure you have an explaination as to why?

Not the first time this this has happenned - I heard rumours a few years back TG got in trouble with Aston and they refused to give them cars for a while but the power that TG is they had to relent - i heard they were not to happy with James May sitting naked in one of their Aston and the fact they didnt tell them the car would be leaving the UK...

Acutally, I seem to remember that there have been some 'differences of opinion' between evo and Ferrari previously over a Car of the Year feature when the latest Ferrari which had received across the board rave reviews came second to a Porsche.

Can't remember which Ferrari that was or how long ago it was though.

Evo is Porsche biased? No! Surely not!

I wasn't suggesting they were biased More that Ferrari had a toys out the pram moment because their best had been deemed not quite as good as the competition!

Isn't that issue replicated in one of the recent ones where they were doing the "best drivers car" thing and the GT3 (or was it RS) topped the 458?

Edited by ManOpener on Friday 5th November 13:47

[Mastodon2]

Is the new Evo on sale yet?

[Harry Monk]

Who remembers Sutcliffe and Goodwin at the Ferrari 360 launch? lol

[Deva Link]

monthefish said:

Most press cars are not anything other than standard. That's not to say that they won't be prepped to within an inch of their lives, but the days of press cars being properly fiddled with are long gone (in the majority - there may still be a few unscrupulous manufacturers out there however)

Poledriver said:

I had an MG ZT-T 260 'Press car'. It was fully loaded with every option and top spec interior, flip paint etc. All the panels were a much better fit than some of the other versions I've seen. I think they'll take a bit more effort with pre-delivery inspection to show them at their best.
Pity they don't just build every car to the same standard!

BMW has a special build code for press cars.

[lauda]

Mastodon2 said:

Is the new Evo on sale yet?

My subscription issue arrived this morning.