Lamborghini may well be playing the me-too game via its recently revealed Estoque (more here) -- conceived to rival the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide -- but Ferrari has no intention of adding a four-door model to its line-up.

Leftlanenews.com quoted Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo as saying that as long as he is in charge at Ferrari, the prancing horse will never build a sedan.

Montezemolo told Leftlanenews that Ferrari's sister brand Maserati had the four-door segment adequately covered, negating the need for Ferrari to toss its hat in the ring.

The charismatic Ferrari boss's statement comes in the wake of a similar statement by company spokesperson Davide Kluzer, who said SUVs and sedans are something "we will never do."

Montezemolo was also quoted by Leftlanenews as saying the Maranello marque would steer clear of V10 engines (unlike Lamborghini), focusing instead on V8s and eco-friendly technologies such as the Formula One Kinetic Energy Recovery System (which will debut in next year's F1 cars).

Ferrari currently has three distinct model lines -- comprising the F430, 599 GTB and 612 -- and the range will soon gain the recently revealed California roadster.

The prancing horse has never offered a four-door production model, and the boxy 2+2 400/412 (built from 1976 to 1989) was the farthest it deviated from its sports car roots.

Like Lamborghini, the company is enjoying a purple patch at present, selling a record 6,465 cars in 2007, compared with 5,671 a year earlier.

Revenues jumped 15.3 percent in 2007, to $US2.4 billion from $US2.1 billion the previous year. Operating profit rose 45.4 percent to $388 million, while net profit climbed 40.4 percent to $436 million.

What's more, in 2007 the Financial Times put Ferrari at the top of its list of 100 Best Workplaces in Europe -- so the management seems to be doing pretty much everything right.

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