My Faith with the Ferrari Brand

I have been a follower of the Ferrari brand since receiving a small metal model of the early formula 156 series race cars.  It had a wheel wrench, removable wheels and enough other detail to keep any 5 yr old occupied and dreaming for hours.  The release of the 308GT4 was noteworthy only from the perspective that one of my classmates at school, his parent used to come by to pick him up in a blue one.  It was the time of the Pantera, and I remember thinking that this 'domestic' Italian offering might be raw and loud, but it was still no Ferrari.  In 1987 I had the opportunity to purchase a '64 250GT Lusso for US$55k but was not in a position to do so.  What a shame to not have 'found a way' at the time.  Then I too could have felt as cool as Steve McQueen - ok that's just more dreaming.


With the installment of Luca De Montezemolo at the helm - and after the passing of Enzo himself, the company took on a decidedly more commercial appearance - at least to me - from the outside.  The licencing of products across the board became .... well, again to me, overdone.  That said, offerings like the 458 Italia have redefined this segment of the market.


Their cars continue to marvel and push the technological limits of automobiles.  Their appeal remains as strong as ever in my view, even with the release of the FF - although some purists have not settled well with this offering.  A 208mph 4x4 with room for four passengers?  The world changes, as do its products.


Their racing heritage also remains strong, even if their performance in the recent past has been less than stellar.  However, this morning's release of the designation for their 2011 single seat has me crying out loud, uncontrollably.  Why oh why would they use the moniker so globally recognized as the most successful truck ever?  Please, something other than F150 had to have been an option.