Porsche Versus Ferrari Styling

The other evening I was getting ice cream at a roadside stand in Canada. A truck pulled into the lot and a man got out along with several young children. One of the kids asked, "What kind of car is this?"

"It's a Porsche Boxster," I answered.

Oh," the man said. "I thought it was a Ferrari. We don't get many cars like this one here."

I thought about his remarks and was reminded of a comment I read by Enzo Ferrari who asked that the nose of the original racing Testa Rossa be redesigned because "It isn't mean looking enough."

A Boxster, 911 or Cayman do not look mean at all. That, it seems to me, is a key difference between the look of a Porsche and a Ferrari. Ferraris often seem intent on intimidation while Porsches are inviting, almost innocent in their looks.

I wouldn't mind a more aggressive look to the Boxster-- a pointier nose perhaps and more sculpted flanks.

But then maybe it would be too little like a Porsche and too much like a Ferrari.