Looks like Prost was right about Ferrari's handling like trucks... 
Ford is suing luxury automaker Ferrari for trademark infringement after Ferrari named its 2011 Formula 1 racing car the ‘F150’ – the same name as a Ford pick-up truck
What's more, Ferrari's F150 logo bears striking resemblance to the one on Ford's F-150 pickup truck, the top-selling vehicle in the United States, Ford said in a complaint filed in federal court.
"Ferrari has misappropriated the F-150 trademark in naming its new racing vehicle the 'F150' in order to capitalise on and profit from the substantial goodwill that Ford has developed in the F-150 trademark," Ford said in a complaint filed in US District Court in Detroit.
Ford is asking the court to bar Ferrari from using the name.
The automaker is also seeking unspecified damages, including damages of $100,000 (£62.330) under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act.
Fiat has an 85 per cent stake in Ferrari, and management control of Chrysler Group, in which it has a 25 per cent stake.
Ford and Ferrari could not be immediately reached for comment.
According to the complaint, the two automakers have a "legendary history as rivals in auto racing."
"The choice of name stems from Ferrari's desire to pay tribute to this year's one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the unification of Italy," Ferrari said on a website set up to promote the racing vehicle.
Reuters
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/10022011/58/ford-launch-ferrari-lawsuit-f150.html
I think I need to hear from Dennis Leary on this topic.
Also beting reported in the detroit free press.
http://www.freep.com/article/20110209/BLOG40/110209097/Motor-City-Today-Ford-sues-Ferrari-over-F150-race-car-name?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Auto News
Ferrari wants people to associate their Million Dollar F1 car with this?:
Dare I say it, but I'd rather have the van.
The Ferrari...that's a different story.
jrw1621
SuperDork
2/10/11 8:48 a.m.
The claim is that the 150 part is in honor of 150 years in Italy unification.
Ferrari can change the name to F1-150 and all should be fine.
F1-150 gets across the same 150 part, maybe even beter.
I would really think that Ferrari would not want their high-tech race car associated with mostly low-tech pickup truck.
Anyone else think there's still some animosity from the 60s when Ford tried and failed to buy Ferrari? First the GT40 was built to beat Ferrari on the track, now this lawsuit just to harrass them. When will it end?! 
pigeon wrote:
Anyone else think there's still some animosity from the 60s when Ford tried and failed to buy Ferrari? First the GT40 was built to beat Ferrari on the track, now this lawsuit just to harrass them. When will it end?!
No, but I do think that they have to protect the trademark. It would be silly not to and have it used against them later in another court case.
Strizzo
SuperDork
2/10/11 11:40 a.m.
In reply to wearymicrobe:
exactly. the f-series is what kept ford afloat through the 80's and 90's. its also been the best-selling vehicle, car, truck, whatever for over 40 years.
Ian F
SuperDork
2/10/11 11:57 a.m.
wearymicrobe wrote:
No, but I do think that they have to protect the trademark. It would be silly not to and have it used against them later in another court case.
Agreed. Silly and arguably trivial, but they have to do it.
Needs more F-teenthousand.
Watch it on YouTube. (NSFW language)
What would the Ferrari version of that be?
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/252392/ferrari-modifies-car-label-after-ford-complaint/
I love the steatment by ferrari:
Ferrari said:
On the subject of the name of the new Ferrari Formula 1 car, the Maranello company wishes to point out that it has sent a letter of reply to Ford, underlining the fact that the F150 designation (used as the abbreviated version of the complete name, which is Ferrari F150th Italia) never has, nor ever will be used as the name of a commercially available product – indeed there will definitely not be a production run of single-seaters.
In fact, it has always been the case in the history of Scuderia names, that they represent the nomenclature of a racing car project and are linked to a chronological order with a technical basis, or in exceptional cases, to special occasions. This year, the decision was taken to dedicate the car name to a particularly significant event, the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, an event of such great importance that the Italian government has declared, for this year only, a national holiday.
For these reasons, Ferrari believes that its own contender in the forthcoming F1 championship cannot be confused with other types of commercially available vehicle of any sort whatsoever, nor can it give the impression that there is a link to another brand of road-going vehicle. Therefore it is very difficult to understand Ford’s viewpoint on the matter.
Despite this and to further prove it is acting in good faith and that it operates in a completely correct manner, Ferrari has decided to ensure that in all areas of operation, the abbreviated version will be replaced at all times with the full version, Ferrari F150 th Italia.’
You're paying the lawyers anyway. Might as well use them to get some publicity.
I don't think Ferrari wants a repeat of the last time they ticked off Ford. 
DoctorBlade wrote:
I don't think Ferrari wants a repeat of the last time they ticked off Ford.
What are they going to do race a carbon fiber pickuo truck in F1
Bubbles wrote:
DoctorBlade wrote:
I don't think Ferrari wants a repeat of the last time they ticked off Ford.
What are they going to do race a carbon fiber pickuo truck in F1
If Renault can go F1 racing with a minivan, than Ford can do it with a pickup truck!
oldsaw
SuperDork
2/10/11 10:39 p.m.
The Espace F1 (an awesome vehicle, btw) was an engineering and marketing exercise, not a racing vehicle.
Ford used the Stewart F1 team to re-enter F1 under the Jaguar name; it didn't end well. And if there is still animosity between the Ford and Ferrari after 50yrs and a couple of generations of management, some people need to grow-up real fast. Or get back to competing with each on the track and the sales floors.
pigeon wrote:
Anyone else think there's still some animosity from the 60s when Ford tried and failed to buy Ferrari? First the GT40 was built to beat Ferrari on the track, now this lawsuit just to harrass them. When will it end?!
I thought about it for half a second, but I really don't think modern Business School executives have memories that long.
OTOH, that animosity does go back a looooong way..
Did you guys know that Elevator used to be a product? It wasn't a thing you use to go up and down floors in a tall building. It was actually a product name.
The reason it's now the generic word for a device to travel between floors is because the Elevator company did not defend their copyright. Since they didn't defend it so many other manufacturers used it they diluted it's value in the marketplace. Pretty soon everyone was making "elevators". Ultimately the Elevator company went out of business and was replaced by all imitators.
If Ford does not defend it's copyright, and defend it aggressively, the right to defend that brand will be lost in American courts. Ford really has to do this whether it's warranted or not.
One a side note. berkeley the Italians. They can't come up with a name on their own that doesn't DIRECTLY IMITATE a proven and recognized world wide American brand name? Those pompous pricks need to think of something else for their over priced spaghetti machines. They think just because they're Ferrari they're immune to copyright laws?! Do you think if Ford released the Ford Maranello that Ferrari would not crap their collective tailored and brand name linen suits? Do you think they wouldn't have a bunch of lawyers drunk on vino howling at the gates of the Ford Village? You damn right they would. It's a cop out to say "Excusey! It a be only for a race car! Excusey!" Screw them. Find another trade mark to infringe. Maybe they could make the Ferrari Corvette instead. The Ferrari Tundra. How about the Ferrari CRX?
Does anybody think Ferrari did this by accident? Really
