Nick,

You are basing that assumption on the 430 which is now very old tech for Ferrari and was built in a very different way. Speak to your dealer's service guys. They'll confirm that the Cali and latest 599 models are huge steps forward in build quality and reliability and that the 458 takes this on further still.

Having owned several examples of both marques I can confidently say that the Cali has the measure of the 997. LDM has made quality a top priority and it really shows in the new models. Porsche however should be top drawer considering they produce 10 times Ferrari's annual output. Customers are no longer prepared to tolerate shoddy quality as a "character trait" of the brand and the senior team at Maranello know this. Great emphasis was placed upon the improvements made in this area at the launches of both the Cali and 458 models and when you visit the new production hall you can see they are serious about it. The engine build hall is a fascinating part of the factory trip and the attention to detail there is fascinating to see.

I don't know where you are getting the 6000 per year figure for the 458 I know that the UK is one of Ferraris largest European markets after Germany and Italy and we are only getting 160 examples of this model this year with only around 200 next year I'm reliably informed. Porsche GB will sell more examples of the tt.2 than that in a year here.