Ferrari Enzo named world's 'most iconic car'
When the The Zurich Iconic Car Index sought out to find the best of the best in the Super Car market, there were a lot of really tough choices. High-dollar items like the Bugatti Veyron, Carerra GT, and the Vanquish cost a ton and have cache coming out their tail pipes. The competition was based off of a "complicated" formula of price, power, performance, and marquee.
Of course there can only be one winner, and the one vehicle that has probably received the most attention over the past couple years is the Ferarri Enzo. Whether they're turning heads on Miami Beach or bending telephone poles on the PCH, the Enzo is at the top of its game. Microsoft founder Paul Allen and the Pope have been owners of this posh speed demon. Ferrari actually dominated the entire top ten with three vehicles making the list. No other automaker had more than one entry.
If you are lucky enough to own one of the few hundred Enzos (left) in existence, take some time to celebrate. You officially own the best of the best. If you want to celebrate your victory on the road, however, wear your seat belt and a helmet. The Enzo can prove to be, well, crash-prone.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
speedfan 7:21AM (2/13/2007)
The Enzo is all style and no substance, decent engineering but awful handling. It will leave no trace in engineering or design. The Bugatti Veyron will prove to be more iconic, red paint or not.
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Peter 7:33AM (2/13/2007)
#1
As you obviously seem to have so much intricate experience with the Enzo and its other high-end competitiors, would you care to elaborate? Would be a nice deviation from the usual and useless silly "Furrari is teh sux" comments by all those 15 year olds...
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NoNameDenton 7:34AM (2/13/2007)
The Enzo is a great car, too bad we have seen people handle them and crash so many in the past while, but I love the new Ferrari that it spawned, the 599, it is a wonderful car
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speedfan 7:38AM (2/13/2007)
Get your own head off the sand, Peter. Name one feature where the Enzo dominates, given the supposed formula.
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BCM 9:08AM (2/13/2007)
Chris, if you're going to write, you really need to get a Strunk & White, a dictionary, and a thesaurus and learn the difference between, e. g., "cache" and "cachet." This makes two pieces in less than 24 hours wherein you made the same usage error.
Or, just stop trying to talk fancy-like.
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speedfan 7:53AM (2/13/2007)
I'm with you on this much, NND. The thing about the Veyron is, you can actually drive it around - and it still kicks Enzo butt on a circuit.
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Peter 7:58AM (2/13/2007)
I wasn't commenting on some silly formula, and there are indeed quite a few cars I'd personally consider more "iconic" than the Enzo. The point is just if you say the Enzo had "awful handling" either you can back that up, or risk sounding silly.
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Peter 8:03AM (2/13/2007)
#5
Kicks butt? Source? Given the Veyron's bulk, I'd seriously doubt that. So far VW has refused to allow the car to any test where they would take a laptime.
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Avinash machado 8:13AM (2/13/2007)
I never knew the Pope owned an Enzo. This is news to me.
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speedfan 8:27AM (2/13/2007)
Peter, there is still sand in your eyes, but now eat my dirt.
0-100: You are behind .5 secs - that's 20% late, lazy boy.
Quarter mile (if anyone uses the stupid distance anymore): 2.2 ticks - you are awful even by some Ferrari standards.
Max speed:
Enzo: Theoretical, 217; effective, 205 if you are lucky.
Veyron: *Effective*, 253; theoretical, who knows (and who cares at this point in the comparison). And that's on a circuit with turns, buddy - no pretend straightaway sprint.
Braking: You look ridiculous, despite the weight advantage.
Veyron's handling as described by McLaren designer Gordon Murray, who was a critique at first: " "It hardly feels its weight. Driving it on a circuit I expected a sack of cement, but you can really throw it at tight chicanes... The braking is phenomenal... The primary ride and body control are good too... It's a huge achievement."
Oh, and the Veyron has 4WD.
Like we've ever seen an Enzo do much on a circuit. Might be fun, though - could add to its awful on-road safety record.
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Ermanno 8:36AM (2/13/2007)
Veyron isn't stable as a ferrari enzo!
the horsepower is different and veyrons has many problems..
the max speed of the enzo is not 205mph..is over 225
how can you tell 205?you tried it on a videogame or have you seed some documentation and video?
sorry but ferrari is an icon and that cars are full of tecnologies, remember that F40 was the first sport car with ABS and the gearbox like F1 were invented by ferrari!
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speedfan 8:57AM (2/13/2007)
Don't be silly about the Enzo, Ermanno. Look at http://www.modernracer.com/features/worldsfastestcars4.html for instance - the Enzo is actually the slowest of four cars, and that's pre-Veyron. And that 118 is (est), buddy. Not even Ferrari dares makes the claim, to my knowledge.
As for handling, have fun here:
Lateral stability:
http://www.wreckedexotics.com/enzo/
Longitudinal and braking:
http://www.wreckedexotics.com/enzo/index3.shtml
Feel free to look for photos of a crashed Veyron at the same site, though by now the production numbers are not that different. Hmmm...
Of course, on the Enzo, the moment you get past the aerodynamic characteristics, you're toast. The car has disaster built into it.
Then again, I'll take Gordon Murray's word over yours - feel free to take his over mine. Fair, no.
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Scott 9:27AM (2/13/2007)
Speedfan: Wow. Just...wow.
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Peter 9:10AM (2/13/2007)
#9
You're funny.
"And that's on a circuit with turns, buddy - no pretend straightaway sprint."
Yet all figures you cite are pretty useless as soon as there is a turn. I think it's well established that in a straight line the Veyron is the fastest production car there is, no discussion here. At the same time a lot of the choices they had to make to achieve that inevitably will adversely affect its handling. Gigantic engine, the aerodynamics (Enzo generates massive downforce as far as street cars go, which hurts it with regards to top speed, but helps a lot in turns), tires that can't be optimized for grip but need to withstand to forces of 4000lbs of car going 250+, etc. The Enzo Ferrari and the Veyron are simply two very different animals, designed with different goals in mind. I'd be very curious to see any representative laptime of a Veyron on any track, but so far VW has shown very little interest of that happening, and I suppose they know why.
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FrankTheCrank 9:26AM (2/13/2007)
Lamborghini get the shaft, AGAIN!
Lamborghini has been building iconic cars since the 70's, and they still get no cred.
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speedfan 9:31AM (2/13/2007)
# 13 (it adds up, doesn't it?)
Just read. Then again, you vs. Murray...
Ah, the fabled downdraft and handling on the Enzo...:
Enzo + pebble =
http://www.wreckedexotics.com/enzo/index2.shtml
Enzo + sharpie =
http://thecarnut.typepad.com/steve_parker_the_car_nut_/2006/11/ferrari_enzo_an.html
Enzo + lane change =
http://www.automoblog.net/2006/06/27/another-ferrari-enzo-wrecked/
I like the comment that this will increase the retail value of the remaining Enzos, though. Like logic were in support of anything Ferrari.
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MK 9:34AM (2/13/2007)
Lets not forget why this list was compiled...
"The insurance company developed the Iconic Car Index to better understand what type of cars millionaires are putting top of their shopping list."
Like #13 said, the Enzo & Veyron were "designed with different goals in mind".
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speedfan 9:50AM (2/13/2007)
Yes, MK (# 17). The point is that the Enzo, and two other Ferraris, are high on conspicuous consumption lists. As cars, though... as I said, all style and no substance.
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John P. 9:45AM (2/13/2007)
All this Enzo/Veyron comparison, they really aren't that comparable, other than both being cars. They have completely different missions, the Enzo is a track car for the road, the veyron is a luxojewelry speed experiment, not much a handler. Both are not even close to the best design efforts historically from either company. The enzo is just kit-car ugly, and the veyron has an overweight design that's not going to age well I think. A foo foo french design like something out of the fifth element, or a dr. suess book, take your pick.
I guess of the two I'd have to say I'd take the veyron, it's the one I could live with more easily as the ferrari just seems too track focused, with uglied up looks to match. I can't even count how many cars I'd take ahead of either of these.
Now Iconic, The most iconic car has to be the Porsche 911, as far as sports cars go. way ahead of the Enzo.
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Peter 9:46AM (2/13/2007)
#16
Murray says the Veyron handles surprisingly good, but I don't see him making any comparisons to the Enzo. The Queen Mary 2 probably also handles very well for a cruise ship, so what?
People with more money than driving skills + fast car = accident. Nothing new about that. Any Camry will be less dangerous, no doubt. But by your logic, it would have better handling than the Ferrari as well?
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