A question that crossed my mind one day

“Why are Porsche fans and Ferrari fans so different?” The thought popped into my head one day. Porsche fans seem pretty hardcore, for lack of a better word. I was surprised when I took a quick look at posts in a Facebook group for Porsche enthusiasts that my husband belongs to. There were plenty of deeply nerdy posts about things like air-cooled engines and someone saying, “I’ve finally finished the break-in period after 200,000 kilometers! ( ´ー｀)!”

My husband says much the same about Porsche driving schools:

“Porsche fans really are a bunch of car nerds. Even while someone else is driving, there are loads of people muttering to themselves and studying what’s going on: ‘Ah, so that’s how you do it. Hmm, I see.’”

Ferrari fans, on the other hand, often seem like they’ve stepped straight out of LEON, a Japanese men’s fashion magazine—stylish and well put together.

Comparing Porsche and Ferrari

So, I decided to compare Porsche and Ferrari.

*Figures quoted from the Wikipedia articles on “Porsche” and “Ferrari.”

Porsche’s name literally translates to “F. Porsche Honorary Doctor of Engineering Corporation”… That’s pretty funny! (laughs) And when it comes to profit per car, Ferrari’s figure has climbed even higher—to ¥12 million today, apparently. (For comparison, BMW is said to make ¥560,000 per car, Toyota ¥210,000, and Subaru ¥360,000.)

¥12 million in profit from selling just one car?! (；ﾟДﾟ))))…

Porsche’s ¥1.94 million per vehicle is impressive by automaker standards, too—but Ferrari’s numbers are incredible.

Thinking about it in terms of watches

I’m neither a management consultant nor a motoring journalist, so I can’t claim to know the ins and outs. But I get the impression that Ferrari is exceptionally good at marketing, while Porsche focuses more on developing and improving the technology in the cars themselves (and does that well, too).

This is just my personal take, but if I compare them to watches, Ferrari feels a bit like Hublot… (Though Hublot is Swiss, of course.)

Of course, Hublot watches are well made and look great. But the brand is even better at marketing.
By signing up high-profile ambassadors—including Usain Bolt(though apparently he no longer represents the brand), baseball pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, footballers, and Olympic athletes—and releasing limited editions, Hublot built a reputation as “the watch successful, stylish men wear.”

The Japanese watchmaker Grand Seiko is the brand I find myself comparing it with.

Unlike Hublot, Grand Seiko seems to put its energy into craftsmanship rather than marketing. Its designs are stylish, but many still have that classic “watch” look (though its higher-priced collections have expanded in recent years). You can sense a craftsman’s dedication to pursuing “perfect accuracy” and “the function of a watch.”

In my experience, plenty of Ferrari fans also like Hublot, but I haven’t come across many Porsche fans who are into Hublot.

My husband’s take

The other day, I casually asked my husband, “What’s the difference between people who love Ferraris and people who love Porsches?” He thought about it for a while, then said:

“Ferrari fans look outside themselves for validation. Porsche fans look within. That’s the difference, I think.”

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?” I asked. He went on:

“Ferrari fans may have a stronger desire to be admired by others—to make people think, ‘I look cool driving a Ferrari!’ Porsche fans feel that too, of course, but what matters more to them is the satisfaction of driving a car they genuinely believe is good: one that lets them experience the kind of driving they want.”

That makes sense. When you think about it, both Porsche and Ferrari probably understand their fan bases very well. I studied business at university, and now I can’t help thinking that it would have been fascinating to research “the differences between Porsche and Ferrari” for my senior thesis. That’s where my thoughts are these days. (-_-) (laughs)