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So all the usual car rags are mau-mauing over the new Ferrari 16M Scuderia Spider. Fine, whatever. But this thing is all stripped down and lightened out, and it STILL weighs 3168 pounds?!?!
Can someone please tell me, after you strip all the excess stuff out, what is there that makes modern sports cars so dang heavy?
Grrrr!
See, Miata IS always the answer! 2200 pounds is perfect!
David
Maybe carbon is heavier than we thought!
well they probably don't want any of these breaking in half...
Strizzo wrote:well they probably don't want any of these breaking in half...
Why not? That executive dude that had many legal troubles the least of which was street racing and crashing his Enzo, had survived what was estimated to be a 160ish mph crash into a telephone pole with nothing more than a cut on his lip. Proper crash safety should allow the car to take all the impact and allow the occupant to walk away. Cars can be replaced even if they are in excess of a million dollars. I'd say that Enzo breaking in half was an true example of good engineering, cause the passenger crash structure stayed intact.
whoa hold on there scooter, look at the time of my post. serious stops around 1am for me.
If it was a regular metal car, I'd say it's because the chassis and body are built like a tank to meet modern safety standards. But a car like that? No idea. Sure the engine is big with twin superchargers, but that doesn't account for such horrendous weight...
Oh, I was just checking out the specs and read this:
Rsportscars said:functional Ferrari interior complemented by a custom Ferrari iPod Touch that can be mounted and removed from the dash and is used to control media functions.
Seemed so much more hardcore until I read that.
a miata is 2200lbs b/c it only has to deal with 110-130hp. at 400+hp, everything needs to be a lot stronger in order to last more than 6 months...and meet modern safety standards...and still ride like a Ferrari.
3100+ is indeed heavy, but there is a good reason for much of the weight gain...it's not necessarily just fat.
2200.... heavy weights.
Strizzo wrote:whoa hold on there scooter, look at the time of my post. serious stops around 1am for me.
Touche salesman.
Buzz Killington wrote:a miata is 2200lbs b/c it only has to deal with 110-130hp. at 400+hp, everything needs to be a lot stronger in order to last more than 6 months...and meet modern safety standards...and still ride like a Ferrari.
3100+ is indeed heavy, but there is a good reason for much of the weight gain...it's not necessarily just fat.
That's still a half ton more than what Mosler needed for their MT900S Photon, with 550 hp.
Crap, that's knocking on the door of my Mustang's weight....but then, I do sport an iPod Touch...
When was the last time a Miata weighed 2200 pounds? I think even my '02 is in the 2400 pound range.
I think I will need to test drive this Ferrari to determine how much of a factor the weight is.
My Lincoln weighs more, but not by so much...........
MadScientistMatt wrote:Buzz Killington wrote:a miata is 2200lbs b/c it only has to deal with 110-130hp. at 400+hp, everything needs to be a lot stronger in order to last more than 6 months...and meet modern safety standards...and still ride like a Ferrari.
3100+ is indeed heavy, but there is a good reason for much of the weight gain...it's not necessarily just fat.
That's still a half ton more than what Mosler needed for their MT900S Photon, with 550 hp.
and the Atom is even lighter. so?
i didn't say it wasn't possible, but last time i looked, Mosler wasn't a mainstream automaker whose customers expected to use the car on a daily basis and be able to track it, and be comfortable and be able to meet US safety standards, and all without breaking, for a period of years. 3100 pounds for a 500+hp car that offers that type of performance, comfort, and relative reliability doesn't strike me as particularly outrageous.
point is, there are plenty of good reasons for the additional weight..."well, car X weighed this much when it came out 18 years ago with 1/3 the power" or "X makes a dedicated track racer that makes a gajillion horsepowers and only weighs 110 pounds" are not especially relevant.
Same weight as a new Z06, and that is more of a mainstream automaker then a Ferrari. It is also not carbon fiber everything and probably costs a third of the price. You think that with all that $$ that they get for one of those Ferraris, that they could add in some lightness.
GameboyRMH wrote:Oh, I was just checking out the specs and read this:
Rsportscars said:functional Ferrari interior complemented by a custom Ferrari iPod Touch that can be mounted and removed from the dash and is used to control media functions.
Seemed so much more hardcore until I read that.
The Ferrari iPod will match your Ferrari embroidered Golf-towel, just in case the guys at the club missed you pulling up in the Spider. There's also a Ferrari Segway, presumably so you don't have to mingle with non-Ferrari driving peasants on the sidewalk. Or how about a set of Ferrari dice. Now you can gamble and play boardgames scuderia-style.
Seriously, I wonder how many owners buy that crap?
On topic, 3168lbs doesn't seem too outrageously heavy for a convertible. But I hope they can cap the weight at that, instead of next year's model gaining 100lbs or more.
I dont buy the more power= more weight argument.
My pathfinder weighs 3900 lbs and its a giant 4 door SUV that can tow 5000 lbs!!!
And thats only 800 more than the ferrari.
More power means that you need bigger tires for more grip, which means that you need bigger wheels. You also should have to upgrade to bigger brakes. You need bigger axles and a stronger trans and clutch. You also have to reinforce the chassis to handle the power and torque and lateral grip.
BUT - throwing money at lightweight materials like forged wheels, ceramic brakes and aluminum, magnesium, titanium and carbon fiber should more then offset that weight gain. The price of that car should allow it to weigh less then it does if that was a real goal from the factory.
Oh boy.... half a ton more than the celica. Ouch. About 13.9x the HP, but still....
However, drive it. I bet it doesn't FEEL heavy at all, and that's really what i would consider important.
If I had to guess, it is 3200lbs because light weight wasn't the primary focus. Ferrari has build some very light, fast cars so they do know how to get there... but this is a drop-top for wealthy poseur types who wouldn't buy a 430 because it was too hardcore and difficult to be seen in.
Buzz Killington wrote:MadScientistMatt wrote:Buzz Killington wrote:a miata is 2200lbs b/c it only has to deal with 110-130hp. at 400+hp, everything needs to be a lot stronger in order to last more than 6 months...and meet modern safety standards...and still ride like a Ferrari.
3100+ is indeed heavy, but there is a good reason for much of the weight gain...it's not necessarily just fat.
That's still a half ton more than what Mosler needed for their MT900S Photon, with 550 hp.
and the Atom is even lighter. so?
i didn't say it wasn't possible, but last time i looked, Ferrari wasn't a mainstream automaker whose customers expected to use the car on a DAILY basis......
There fixed it for you
walterj wrote:If I had to guess, it is 3200lbs because light weight wasn't the primary focus. Ferrari has build some very light, fast cars so they do know how to get there... but this is a drop-top for wealthy poseur types who wouldn't buy a 430 because it was too hardcore and difficult to be seen in.
I don't know, the F50 is a open top with lots of power and it still weighed just under 3000 lbs. Has Ferrari made a real lightweight non-race car lately?
If i ever make it rich, I am never buying a contemporary Ferrari...they haven't made a GOOD car since the F50....
If I make it rich, I am buying a Spyker...not because it is faster, lighter, or anything, but because not every rich douche has one...and I'm Dutch. And, in the words of Jeremy Clarkson, that car is a Van Gogh
Rusnak_322 wrote:walterj wrote:If I had to guess, it is 3200lbs because light weight wasn't the primary focus. Ferrari has build some very light, fast cars so they do know how to get there... but this is a drop-top for wealthy poseur types who wouldn't buy a 430 because it was too hardcore and difficult to be seen in.
I don't know, the F50 is a open top with lots of power and it still weighed just under 3000 lbs. Has Ferrari made a real lightweight non-race car lately?
I thought the 430 Scuderia or whatever the hell it was was fairly light? Not like... 2200lbs light, but i don't think it was that bad.
