Would you buy an F40 with 300 miles on the odometer?

Lee Iacocca's F40 is going to the auction block:

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/15/lee-iacoccas-own-ferrari-f40-up-for-auction/

Less than 300 miles covered in 21 years...what a waste.

 

If I had the money, I would buy it.

 

If I had a huge car collection I could see paying up and purchasing it. Its a neat car to look at.

For me it would not be worth it. I put about 500 to 1000 miles a year on my cars.

Drew

 

Assuming there was nothing mechanically wrong with the car after sitting for so long.....sure.

 

That's a big assumption...

 

picture looks like a photoshop
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That, or it's a road in the country 1.33 lanes wide....

I guess being a private estate that is quite possible...

 

Haha, I love how the light that bends around the car, doesn't seem exactly proportional to the amount of light emitted by the sun.
Photoshop is starting to sound like the most appropriate answer.

 

The Prancing Horse on the rear mesh grill is an add on and should not be there.

 

Looks more like pre-PS photography technique to me. I.e. fill flash or reflectors.

 

I enjoy driving to much. Would rther pick up one with some miles on it.

 

Was definitely going to say this, you can see the highlights from them on the rear wing and engine cover. You can also tell because the tires under the car are lit from the back as well.

 

What a shame to own a car like that and never drive it.

 

plan on a min further expenditure of 50k on top of whatever you pay in order to get it in the right spec to run fast and hot.

otherwise, a perfect car for the non-using collector

 

Wouldn't see the point in it. One Euro trip and you'd lose all the premium paid for it, and as Ross said, a lot of cash is needed to get it running right to start with.

I'd rather buy a completely disfigured F40 and have Ferrari built me a brand new one, for sure it'll have a salvage VIN but I couldn't care less...

 

I'm not sure that would be more cost-effective than buying a low-mileage preserved F40 and having Ferrari bring the services up-to-date for you. Then in the long run you'd own a car worth something, rather than a car with a salvage title.

Yes, Ive heard it all, "I'll never sell it", "I'll be buried in it", etc etc. Fact is, they all get sold in the end even if a generation later, so why not have a car that will have the best value to you or your family when the time comes?

 

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/01/17/ferrari-f40-once-owned-by-lee-iacocca-up-for-auction/?intcmp=features

Ferrari F40 once owned by Lee Iacocca up for auction

Apparently he found a better car.

A Ferrari F40 once owned by former Chrysler head Lee Iacocca will cross the block at the RM Auctions Arizona event in Phoenix this weekend.

The 1991 model year supercar is one of just 213 of the coupes that were built for the U.S. market during its five-year run from 1987-1992. Despite having had two owners since Iacocca let go of it, the F40 has just 283 miles on the odometer.

Considered by many to be one of, if not the greatest Ferrari of all time, the F40 was built to celebrate the company's 40th anniversary and was the last car introduced by the automaker during the lifetime of its founder, Enzo Ferrari.

The lightweight, carbon-fiber bodied car is powered by a 471 hp twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V8 and was the first street-legal production car to break the 200 mph barrier.

Review: Ferrari 458 Italia

While it’s not uncommon for captains of the automotive industry to own high-performance machines bReview: 2011 Ferrari 458 Italiauilt by other companies, especially when they don’t compete with their own cars, Iacocca purchased the F40 while Chrysler owned Ferrari’s arch-rival in the exotic car business, Lamborghini, emphasizing the draw of this machine.

Iacocca, the driving force behind such legendary sports cars as the original Ford Mustang and Dodge Viper, includes the F40 among his favorite cars of all time, once telling CNBC that “it looks exactly like a super car should!”

Originally sold for $400,000, F40s have traded hands for well over $1 million over the years. RM’s pre-sale estimate for this one is pegged at $650,000-$750,000, which could turn out to be conservative considering its almost-new condition.*

 

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=352442

 

+1

 

LOL!

Isn't that the truth!

 

Might want to keep your AAA card handy.

IIRC there was a uber low miles car sold a few years ago, overheated (I think it was a combination of leaky gaskets and plugged up radiator), scored the cylinder walls, needed a rebuild, and so on. This was basically a brand new car. Personally for less or the same money I'd rather have a low miles car (5k - 10k) that has been regularly driven and looked after. I'd be a bit nervous driving a car like that.

 

let's remember that it's entirely possible, and quite reasonable, to encounter an ultra-low mileage car that has been started, and serviced, regularly not necessarily common, to be sure ... but these are the most desirable examples to these aging eyes.

I'm not saying that's the case with this car ... i really don't know for sure, one way or the other.

 

So true.

Indeed, like the proverbial 'hen's teeth' they are a rare commodity, but to be sure, they exist. I know of one or two (now elderly) F40 owners who along life's way have mastered the art of taking care of things, on a regular & consistent basis, by the simple expedient of proper storage conditions and using qualified people without sparing any needed expense. The trick is to be aware when or under what conditions those cars are ripe for changing hands, and it is my considered & very humble opinion that such examples rarely come to the open or auction market. The reason for that is, because of their prime condition and long-term tenure, there are parties that have become aware of their ultimate status and are ready & willing to facilitate a new home. Parties such as myself

 

starting a car and never driving it just to casually warm up the engine is harder on it than just driving it. It doesn't do anything for the crankcase and other moving parts, and the condensation build up is not good for it. Fluids (esp fuel) can separate as well, and they don't mix just sitting and idling. IMO just drive it, even a little (50 miles) is better than nothing.

 

+ 1. The regimen of care must include some driving, no matter how minimal..