Now I know what you're thinking: this perennial rivalry has been beaten to death in so many columns, articles, and posts throughout automotive history that you probably thought twice before even reading this. But does anyone else find it interesting that these two companies (who arguably remain the top two marques of the sports car industry) have adopted such different corporate strategies, and yet continue to manufacture products that are separated often by mere fractions in performance figures?
Don't get me wrong, a fraction of a second in lap times can mean the difference between winning and losing to say the 0.000001% of the population who race these machines for a living, not to mention the worth of bragging rights for those limited to street comparison. But in a post-"watered-down" (for the 911 purists) era where the product line is dictated as much by earnings and, dare I say (gulp), shareholder value as it is by advances in engineering and product heritage, the outright performance limits of the company's flagship vehicles (read Enzo and Carrera GT) for argument's sake, must be compared within categories like production volume (exclusivity) or worse still, the existence of a radio.
In the interest of "remaining independent," Porsche AG has taken what many consider to be the proverbial high road by expanding the product line into new territories, (Maser SUV anyone?), and happily adding volume to boot. And one can't argue that they recently posted both record earnings and sales with a little help of a certain joint production venture with VW and can afford to spend more in capital expenditure than ever before in their history. Ferrari S.p.A., conversely, is enjoying what appears to be yet another F1 world championship, continuing with the no-marketing, low-volume, wait list, charge-whatever-you-want corporate model, albeit with Fiat at the reins. In any case, both are enjoying periods of success in an otherwise level automotive economy. Which is the better strategy? I guess it depends on whether you prefer sausage or pasta, but I would say both ends justify the means.
For what its worth, comparing the Challenge Stradale to the "S" at this point is like comparing Palmer to Nicklaus, or even better, Palmer to say, McEnroe…there simply isn't much point. With the exception of the quickest quarter mile, top speed or (come on) hundredth of a lateral "g," the performance gap has all but closed between the sport and regular brands. We have entered a new era where performance is a given and the difference is made not by price, dependability, or customer service, but by some visceral childhood experience where we first saw or rode in one of these cars. There is no longer any cross shopping between these brands. You may respect and admire both, but for some historical reason, you're likely to be in one camp or the other.
The simple fact of the matter is that both the Germans and the Italians enjoy a long history of attaching four small patches of rubber to the pavement. The problem is that today even the likes of Subaru and Mitsubishi can produce wet-your-pants-performance for the price of a loaded Taurus, forcing the performance brands to press customer loyalty to the limit.
Regardless of that, these stereotypically German and Italian companies continue to partake in what has to be one of the industrial age's longest standing pi**ing contests. Like many who follow the brands, I'm eternally looking forward to the next and newest bout.
I happen to prefer mine with sauerkraut and mustard, but there's always room for Mama's lasagna.
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