Ferrari's 2011 F1 car was originally unveiled as the Ferrari F150 - a hat tip to the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification. That got Ford's boxers in a knot, as Uncle Henry's boys feared that its customers would get confused by the name similarities with the Ford F-150 pickup.
Ferrari grudgingly obliged FoMoCo, and changed the car's name to the Ferrari F150th Italia. Ford liked that, and declared the matter settled. Ferrari, however wasn't done. Still galled that they had to change the name of the racer in the first place, they decided to make one final change to get it just the way they want it.
Now, Ferrari's 2011 Formula 1 effort will be called the Ferrari F150° Italia. The added symbol is the Italian equivalent of the English "th" suffix, and Ferrari added it to give the name more Italian flair. Maranello announced the move in a biting, sarcastic news release saying, "...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.
Ferrari grudgingly obliged FoMoCo, and changed the car's name to the Ferrari F150th Italia. Ford liked that, and declared the matter settled. Ferrari, however wasn't done. Still galled that they had to change the name of the racer in the first place, they decided to make one final change to get it just the way they want it.
Now, Ferrari's 2011 Formula 1 effort will be called the Ferrari F150° Italia. The added symbol is the Italian equivalent of the English "th" suffix, and Ferrari added it to give the name more Italian flair. Maranello announced the move in a biting, sarcastic news release saying, "...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." Thanks for the tip, mcman!
[Source: Autosport, Ferrari]
The Horse Whisperer
The name changes but not the sense
It might seem like a Kafkaesque scenario, but the affair relating to the name of the car with which Fernando Alonso 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.
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 that 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.
The name changes but not the sense
It might seem like a Kafkaesque scenario, but the affair relating to the name of the car with which Fernando Alonso 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.
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 that 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.
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