No, it's not the same as Ford vs. Ferrari, but the choice of investments between Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) or Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA) comes down to blue-chip value that under-performs versus big speculative growth. The only thing that truly makes Tesla different from the established car names is its reliance purely on electric engines. Some could point to things like the solar panel business, or energy storage, but 89.4% of third quarter revenues stemmed from car sales. This is a car company. Yet, the shares are valued as if it is something else. The EV factor is becoming less and less important, as the majority of automakers are adding electric models to their lineups to go along with their traditional cars.
https://ir.tesla.com/static-files/47313d21-3cac-4f69-9497-d161bce15da4
So your choice depends on your style of investing and your overall strategy. Many investors who favor Tesla believe in a monumental shift, in which traditional automakers are being outmaneuvered by the "genius" of Elon Musk. The opposite school would say that Tesla isn't doing anything that the established names can't do as well; to that end, Ford carries the same potential, with a cheaper
Source Fool.com