Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) MG vs Ferrari

TBM, seems there is a bit of difference in the valuation of a brand name, if that is all that Nanjing got for £53 mil, when it seems someone bought the Austin brand name for £170....! All of which suggests to me that Nanjing must have aquired more than the name and all the marketing rights related to it...?

I also wonder what liabilities transferred with the Austin name.... could have been a bit of a minefield...?

It was the name and 'assets'.....

https://www.tyrepress.com/2005/07/nanjing-automobile-acquires-mg-rover-assets/

Thanks for the heads up TBM.

No it doesnt do well. Leaving aside that performance outside the USA is about more than just the quarter mile drag strip, the EV has no class. No one can rationally argue a case for sports cars on our congested , speed limited and potholed cart tracks, so people buying either car are doing so for reasons other than performance. Comparing these two is a bit like comparing a meal at la Gavrotte and Subway - one is special, the other isnt. Simple as that.

I bet on a blind test with the cars debadged and you being told this is a famous marques first true EV people would be less critical.

Brand loyalty & perception is a strange thing & whilst I avoid the subways of this world I also have no desire to overspend at top end restaurants. Each to their own I guess.

Totally, it’s all about inflating egos and snobbery and fortunately all that nonsense is fading away with the generation that nurtured it.

Perhaps not entirely pointless for the target market Howard...? I suspect many of us will be in varying degrees pay more than we might otherwise be inclined to as the result of a bit of clever marketing, be that in engineering terms of items of clothing where the difference in price may in no way be justified in terms of the difference in quality, imagined or otherwise, either on the surface or when looked into in great detail...?

I suspect any petrol head may regard average daily use EV`s as the equivalent of white goods... I feel much the same about my EV as being far more convenient than a mangle compared to the capabilities of an up to a spin dryer..?

We could go on endlessly of what a real sports car or even a modern GT might be in terms of acceptability to those of us who have for the majority of our lives been car enthusiasts.... but times ever change, and IF it seems that those in generations following the baby boomers think that the MG compares more than favourably with a Ferrari.... Shrug..

Agreed. Same reason that some will spend £15k on a watch that does exactly the same thing as a £30 one

Playing Devil's Advocate... using that argument, why would someone buy a used Morgan for £30,000 and not a £500 MX-5? Or, if we want to compare new to new, why is a Plus Four £70,000 base price and an MX-5 £27,000?

I do understand, and agree with the sentiment that many luxury items are simply purchased for 'bragging rights' by some people; however, there are other intangible reasons that are less about how the person perceive it makes others see them and more about how it makes them feel or see themselves. I truly believe that in many instances, people purchase items constructed by craftspeople for that very reason - they appreciate the care, craftsmanship, heritage and time that went into creating the item (in fact, want to support that with their purchase).

I agree that the cost disparity between a digital mass produced watch and a hand made mechanical watch is vast; however, and holding my head above the parapet, I have a mechanical watch, hand made by a father and son in the Blackforest (https://www.dornblueth.com/en). I purchased it many years ago but even then it was many times the cost of a "£30 one" - not remotely close to the price you mentioned above but still a massive difference to a digital watch. It does everything my Casio G-Shock does, in fact my G-Shock does a lot more, including never having to be wound and running off solar power! ; however, I know which one makes me happier and which one gets worn whenever I have a special occasion. Like a Morgan, I got to speak to the person making it, choose any changes I wanted made (colour of dial, hands, engraving) and the buying experience was part of the ownership. To my eyes, it is beautiful, and the fact it has a mechanical heart, which I can see via the glass case back, and that mankind engineered such a device, in such a small space, is a constant marvel to me. The G-Shock tells the time, is very reliable but other than sentimental value (it has been on my wrist for some adventures), I am not passionate about it, it is simply a functional tool.

Just my two pence for the defence of craftsperson build products that may cost more than a mass produced item that costs an awful lot less.

Agreed Simon. Mechanical watches are a thing of beauty as are our Morgans.