Ferrari may stop selling retired Formula One cars to customers

The new cars aren't even worth watching on TV let alone forking over loads of cash to own for occasional track days. I wouldn't be surprised if no one is interested in buying these cars anyway, but Ferrari still says that it's too complex to sell.

 

I can see it... all they need is some Muliti Millionaire's kid getting shocked to death by a Kers Battery... makes sense to me .... or they supply the car with out the Kers system...

 

Would be interesting to see input of some members here that are in the Clienti programme (there are a few). Do they build up new chassis of a car the client wants if none of them are for sale? Say a buyer wants an F2004, but there are none...would they build one from the ground up?

I'm not surprised to see the 2014+ cars not selling. They're far too complicated and too complex for a gentleman driver to truly enjoy. I'd be highly surprised to see a genuine client choosing one over a pre 2014 car, ignoring cost and complication issues.

 

To be fair, it's hard to argue that the cars are not too complex/expensive for amateurs to run now.

 

Interesting... My thought is if its a matter of maintenance difficulty, that is usually addressed via increased expense. If its a matter of technical driving ability, I think even the older F1 cars are pretty fast and demanding to drive. My feeling is something else is going on here... maybe they feel they have too many people in the club now...

 

No, F1 Clienti will not do that.

 

No, I don't think the owners of the original would be pleased if they did.

I've heard they do remake parts.

 

And this is the way it ought to be...

So many people on this forum suggest that NA 10 or 12 cylinder engines without KERS, etc. should be used...a throwback if you will.

No thank you. F1 technology should be out of the hands of amateurs. I want...no, NEED it to be more than amateurish pastimes. NASCAR is where the support should come from Jegs or Summit. F1 tech should come from somewhere well "north" of there.

Where is it dictated that former F1 cars should immediately be available to amateurs? Personally, I feel like F1 technology should be well ahead of the mainstream.

At some level this has been the case for at least twenty years. How many former F1 cars are in amateur hands with the exact electronic management systems that were used on track? ...and, how many have "aftermarket" management solutions?

IOW...F1 cars have been "dumbed down" for the amateurs for years (decades?)...dumbing down is just less of an option now. Mainstream technology will eventually catch up.

 

It sounds like transportation of the battery system is an issue. It may very well be as much of a logistics issue as well as a technical issue.

 

They want to push this eras cars to the back of the warehouse, cover them up, and forget about them.
"Our long national nightmare is over"

 

Not at all surprised. Makes sense to pull the dust covers over them, or scrap 'em.

 

Corse Clienti cars all run with all the systems they raced with on as far as I know.

BOSSGP some just use chassis with a Judd engine, but there are a few that run fully fledged F1 cars with original engine, run by ''aftermarket'' companies, but still the original systems in place.

I'm not sure what your grief is, it's not like every man and his dog goes and buy last years F1 cars for their weekend passtime! Most people that own them (to drive) are businessmen that race in other series as well (GT3 type stuff).

 

Is that a fact or opinion?

I don't know. There are so few chassis to go around, and the people that can buy these things are very few...an extra chassis (and of course marked ''F1 clienti'' not marked ''raced by MS''), I doubt would hurt values very much.

They can and do make parts and I'm sure in a heavy enough accident, a new chassis will be made, too.

 

One more reason to produce road based track only cars like the FXXK

 

I think that building a "new" old F1 car from scratch would be too expensive even for Corse Clienti. I suppose that they can build a new tub if one is crashed, but the bill won´t be pretty.

 

Fact. Extra chassis are not simply popped out. No car is marked either F1 Clienti or raced by...but has a chassis number (just like a road car) and the chassis numbers for a given model year are a known given. Chassis can Los usually be repaired unless the damage is extremely serious

 

Thanks for that Peter

 

A. who wants them anyway?
B. Ferrari will find a way to make a buck off of them.

 

curious that there would be interest in cars that have not won a pole or an event in quite a few years....

 

You can bet on that. Someone will want to buy not running cars just for display.

 

I'd love to be own one. Wouldn't matter to me whether it won anything or not.

Scrapping them would be a terrible sin. Think about some of the unsuccessful F1 cars from the sixties or seventies: What would they be worth now?

Cue in Glick's 0846. Another seemingly worthless race car that got scrapped

 

How many races a car has won wouldn't really matter to me either. I wouldn't buy a 2014+ car, though, especially if your options are V8, V10 or V12! Easy decision. Even the old 1993 V12 car will be incredibly fast (and with a surprisingly roomy cockpit!). If we're talking winless cars I'd rather have the '93 car.

Would the 2014+ cars really be scrapped though? I don't think they have many chassis in any case, so even if they can't be sold I'm sure they can find somewhere to store them...H.R. Owen (Ferrari dealer) has for the past 2 years been best UK or EU seller and each year had a Ferrari F1 car on display as a reward. Not sure if this is done throughout the world but could be another option.

As for the old, scrapped F1 cars from 60's and 70's...very difficult to price them in a ''what if'' scenario. Classic #f1 Car For Sale - 1974 Shadow DN3 - Retro Race Cars
This Shadow is for sale at 400K USD, most others however are POA these days, but from memory many cars where at least half that for a long time.

 

I'm with desoto on this, ferrari will likely not allow them to be sold to run, given the complicated systems, but may well allow rolling chassi for displays, collections and museums. Cash is cash!

 

If Ferrari wanted to make a real crapload of cash, they would resurrect F1 cars from 1967 to about 1980,
make a dozen or two from each year, and auction those off. Especially from 1970 - 1975.