In October, Ferrari took its first step toward being an independent company, with 10% of its shares listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker RACE. The remaining 90% of its shares are still owned by shareholders of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), which is run by the highly successful and outspoken chief executive Sergio Marchionne, who virtually brought the company back from the brink of bankruptcy. Although, Ferrari has a couple of large shareholders, we wouldn’t be surprised if there was some interest in the entire company from some investors with very deep pockets and a love for the prancing horse. But a potential takeover offer is not a good enough reason to own a business in our view. Read more to find out what it boils down to: (VIEW LINK)
Patrick Poke
Great article Nathan, just a couple of points regarding the turbo engines. Firstly, I think as the F1s are now using turbos, they'll be more acceptable to high end buyers; a lot of the appeal of Ferrari comes from its racing heritage, particularly F1. Secondly, modern turbos have greatly reduced lag, as we've seen from Porsche over the past few years with their twin-scroll turbo. Ferrari is claiming that the engine in the 2016 488GTB has "zero turbo lag".
Nathan Bell
Thanks for the feedback Patrick. From my limited experience driving supercars (i.e. zero), I tend to agree i.e. I don't think it will be a big issue. The company is confident that once they get someone into the new cars they won't notice too much difference, assuming there is one. If you've got your heart set on owning a Ferrari this issue isn't likely to change your mind once you've sat in the cockpit, and there are certainly pros to the turbos as well. From what I've read they still sound ok and they go faster, not a bad compromise. I look forward to having an opinion based on experience some day. Cheers Patrick.
Patrick Poke
Unfortunately my comments are also based on what I've read, we can both look forward to that experience.
Richard Rouse
This discussion interested me as an owner of a Maserati GTS, which has a Ferrari engine. When I bought it I was a bit disappointed that they had moved from the 4.7l naturally aspirated V8, to a 3.8l twin turbo. I have owned various V8 vehicles for a number of years, and love the sound. I expected the turbo motor to have lost this V8 feature, but I must say the sound, power, and instant acceleration leave nothing to be desired. To my mind, there is no turbo lag. It is a brilliant car to drive. Richard Rouse