REALZEUS:
No not really, even though he didn't say anything bad about their performance. My problems with his statement are the following:

1) Independent customer cars have achieved the claimed Ferrari numbers in performance testing; the Enzo that at the time broke all of R&T records was a privetely owned car.

2) No other journo uttered anything similar to what he insinuated. Surely Clarkson would not have hesitated as he is famous enough to do so relatively unscathed.

3) Even if we do subscribe to CH's theory, what was he doing for the past 10 years? Why didn't he say anything earlier? How credible does he look now? 

4) It remains a well known fact that he is a strong Porsche supporter. Some even call him an unnoficial P spokesman.

 

You do realize up until the Enzo, no one really say anything about Ferrari's special press cars? Enzo is produced when Ferrari is at the top of their game, it was and still is a godly car, best Ferrari ever made in all of Ferrari's history? It's performance is so good on it's own that nothing else can touch it for quite a long time?

360 is the first Ferrari disappointment, and the 430 and in a way the 458 too. These cars' performance are lacking to say the least, barely matching older comparable offerings from Porsche's 996 Turbo, 996 Turbo S, 997 Turbo, 997 Turbo S? Not to mention Lambo's and now McLaren. 

Seems like right now Ferrari is content with selling good enough cars to Russians and Mainland Chinese students based on their reputation alone. 

The special Ferrari press cars is really no secret, Chris is not the first to say something about it, all the magazines reviewers all 'knows', the 'rumors' are mentioned every now and then in little bits just to not upset Ferrari and getting embargoed. Something Mr Harris didn't care.