Ferrari name tweakposted in F107 | 03 | 2011
FERRARI HAS taken another — and final — sardonic step to ensure there is absolutely no confusion between the name of its 2011 Formula One racer, and Ford's F-150 pick-up truck.
You might remember the twitchy people at Ford launched a legal case against the Maranello outfit after the 2011 car was badged F150; the name was chosen to mark the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. Ford though — and I know, like me, you'll find this rather difficult to comprehend — feared the name would cause confusion with customers considering buying an F-150 Ford pick-up.
In what was a rather clumsy solution, Ferrari originally solved the 'problem' by switching the name of its F1 racer to 'F150th Italia'. That met with Ford's approval. But now, as the team prepares to head to Barcelona for this week's final pre-season test, the name has been changed again to the Ferrari 150° Italia.
"It might seem like a Kafkaesque scenario, but the affair relating to the name of the car with which Fernando Alonso (pictured) and Felipe Massa will tackle this year's Formula 1 World Championship saw its final and decisive episode played out these past few days with the concomitant withdrawal by Ford of the summons," Ferrari said on its website. "Therefore common sense has prevailed.
"In order to avoid the slightest risk of anyone confusing a Formula 1 car with a pick-up truck, for their part, the men from Maranello have decided the car will lose the F that precedes the number 150 and which stands for Ferrari, as it has done on numerous occasions when it's come to giving a car a code name, be it for the race track or the road.
"It appears that this could have caused so much confusion in the minds of the consumer across the Pond that, at the same time as losing the F, the name will be completely Italianised, replacing the English 'th' with the equivalent Italian symbol.
"Therefore the name will now read as the Ferrari 150° Italia, which should make it clear even to the thickest of people that the name of the car is a tribute to the anniversary of the unification of our country.
"Let's hope the matter is now definitely closed and that we can concentrate on more serious matters, namely ensuring that our car that already seems to be pretty good out of the box, becomes a real winner."
Can't really argue with that; well put Ferrari!
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Jim McGill