REUTERS/Heino Kalis
Quick: What do Ferrari and Ford have in common? Not much, except the name F150, and Ford’s new lawsuit against the luxury Italian automaker makes it clear that they’re willing to race for it — to court that is.
After Ferrari dubbed its Formula One race car the F150 in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification (and created the corresponding website, ferrarif150.com), Ford reacted by charging the company with misappropriation. They claim Ferrari’s use of the name could create confusion with their own Ford F-150 truck.
NewsFeed doesn’t understand why Ford thinks anyone would confuse a gas-guzzling truck with a slick racecar, but nonetheless, it appears that Ferrari isn’t interested in going head-to-head with America’s leading automaker — the company announced today that they would hereby refer to the racecar as the “Ferrari F150th Italia.” While the revised name doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, Ferrari obviously hopes to avoid a legal scuffle before the F1 Championship series roars to a start in March.
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In a statement, Ferrari’s spokesperson said, “Ferrari believes that its own contender in the forthcoming F1 championship cannot be confused with other types of commercially available vehicle of any sort whatsoever, nor can it give the impression that there is a link to another brand of road-going vehicle. Therefore it is very difficult to understand Ford’s viewpoint on the matter. Despite this and to further prove it is acting in good faith and that it operates in a completely correct manner, Ferrari has decided to ensure that in all areas of operation, the abbreviated version will be replaced at all times with the full version, Ferrari F150th Italia.”
Ford has yet to respond to Ferrari’s statement or drop the lawsuit.
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