Ferrari F149 confirmed

[2ndclasscitizen]

From EVO:

Ferrari will reveal its 'F149' in Paris in October

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo surprised both the audience and the Ferrari PR department at the Geneva press conference by announcing Ferrari will reveal their new front-engined V8 GT car (known internally as the F149) at this year’s Paris motor show in October.

Those expecting an entry level Ferrari will be disappointed to hear the new F149 GT car will be priced above the basic F430 (priced at £138,500 here in the UK) when it goes on sale in 2009. Pervious reports that this car was to be a new Dino type Ferrari, priced sub £100,000, have proved to be very wide of the mark.

Ferrari are still being cagey with the details but we do know the car will be a brand new design and will feature versatile architecture, which is taken to mean a choice of either 2+2 or 2 seat plus a luggage bench inside the cabin. Expect to see a conventional steel roof as standard, with either a glass or folding roof as an option.

Engine is expected to be a revised version of the F430’s 4.3litre V8 with slightly more power thanks to new direct injection technology and new throttle bodies which should deliver lower CO2 emissions as well. This will be linked to the new gearbox that could be the DCT gearbox we know Ferrari have been working on.

It’s exciting times for Ferrari, with this new model Ferrari are hoping to gain a new set of customers who have always been put off by the mid-engined layout of it’s V8 models up to now.

Ferrari F149 confirmed | evo News | News | evo

[The_Canuck]

Sounds good to me.

[Ferrer]

Interesting. I wonder how this will fit within Ferrari's range.

[Jack_Bauer]

Interesting. I wonder how this will fit within Ferrari's range.

Well, as a front engined GT car it could end up a more tempting proposition than either the 599 or 612. It should be lighter and more nimble, and will most likely be cheaper. Choice of either 2 seat or 2+2 is interesting too.

Obviously, it will all depend on how she looks I guess.

[2ndclasscitizen]

Well, as a front engined GT car it could end up a more tempting proposition than either the 599 or 612. It should be lighter and more nimble, and will most likely be cheaper. Choice of either 2 seat or 2+2 is interesting too.

Could be priced against the DB9 maybe? And yeah, the seating arrangement choice is interesting. It could mean it's either going to be very cramped in the back, or bigger than it should be.

[Jack_Bauer]

Could be priced against the DB9 maybe?

If that report is true then not in the UK it won't. They say it'll be more than the F430, which is already a sizable amount more than a DB9. Not sure how things would stack up in different markets though.

[Roentgen]

I'm glad Ferrari aren't making another Dino. Last time they made one, it was so crap, that they badged it as a "Dino" rather than a Ferrari.

But I don't like the idea of it being a GT car... they should make a car smaller than the F430... a true driver's car... more of an Exige, than a DB9. They're making too many GTs... 599, and 612. That means soon, out of the 5 cars they make, 3 will be GT.

[dydzi]

Interesting. I wonder how this will fit within Ferrari's range.

this'll be the new entry level car. next F430 - F540, will be placed higher; it'll be more hardcore, closer to 430 scuderia in standard. presumably next V12 will be more expensive as well, ferrari has such a high demand they can make it

[-What-]

This car better look like GOD designed it, otherwise, I'd rather a V12 Ferrari 599.

[NicFromLA]

I really don't know what to make of this. When Ferrari announced a new line I was hoping for a true Dino; V6, mid-engine, light weight. In my head I pictured something somewhere between a 355 and an Elise. When they announced it would be a front engine V8 GT car and it would be called a Ferrari I was enraged. Now I just don't know what to think other than a latter-day GTE.

[NSXType-R]

Well in the 612 two people can be comfortable in the back. I'm thinking that this will be smaller.

[ScionDriver]

Hm this will be curious in how it fits into the range, but I am dying to know what it will look like.

[LandQuail]

Ferrari is, in some ways, confusing their product line-up.

That's Ferrari for you.

'Quail reserves all judgment until he sees something like the finished product, but I doubt the numb-skullery that brought us the Mondial will have presented itself under Ferrari's new leadership. 'Quail expects a great car, though this old bird is a little disappointed to see the price go up.

I really was expecting a Ferrari Exige rival. Turns out, it's going to be another Porsche GT2 rival. C'est la vie, but it's a shame nonetheless.

[dydzi]

now, you wait about 2-3 years for a brand new ferrari to be delievered for you. in some markets, due to little demand it's much shorter, like in egypt - about half a year, but in US or china it's about 4 years. some people are willing to spend much much more money, i remember a story of one chinese that wanted to pay twice the price of 612 for shortening the time of delivery, but he was turned down. it's perfectly understandable ferrari is rising the prices; like last year - they put carbon ceramic brakes in standard for all the lineup (as the first car maker in the world btw), increasing the price for each model for about 2000 euros iirc. i'd say it's that the prices now are too low for the demand, but they need to rise it in more of a diplomatic way

[LeonOfTheDead]

i know () for some facts that:

-the car is based on 430 platform (yes, with a front engine)
-the engine is based on the 430 engine (with direct injection), some extra hp and some less CO2 emissions
-it is a 2+2 cabrio/coupe (metal roof)
-the rear space is like that of a 911 (if you can understand what i mean)
-it uses a new dual-clutch transmission (not the double disc clutch of the new Gran Turismo S)
-multilink suspensions (from my last updates but it was september...i would doubt they change it at this/that point)

for all this reason i understood (with a silence of agreement) it is a little more comfortable than a 430 spyder, of course a little heavier, but from the tests, it appears it was like driving on rails, that were their exact words.

think of a 430 spyder, add a new gearbox and a metal automatic roof...you can figure out what the price would be, more or less...

i guess they will release some kind of pics/rendering a couple of months ahead of the Paris auto show, like they usually do for new cars.