It was PRESENTED to Lowey as the first GTO produced. We know 52465 is NOT the first. BUT, lets allow Hartley or someone who knows to clarify if indeed the car Hartley sold is indeed 52465. IF the car Hartley sold is 52465, then, it was misrepresented, accidentally or otherwise. Agreed, another beauty regardless.
The number of people in this country that claim to have the original Earls Court Motor Show Dino is hilarious. To be frank if all the Dinos I have seen claiming this status then it would have to be that Ferrari set up a production line in Earls Court for a period. There would be loads of them! So the claim of this 288 doesn't surprise me. I don't know alot about the history of my 288. I am not sure there is a great deal. Maybe I'm the odd one out but it just doesn't really interest. What I really car about is that it is mechanically sound, drives well and has no issues. Of course history can substantiate that and give peace of mind. I count myself as a driving enthusiast and not a collector per se. The cars appeal to me because of how they look, smell, feel and generally appeal to my senses.
Tom Hartley kindly wrote back to me this morning. The car is 52465, as indeed was recently concluded upon this thread. My e-mail to him was as follows: "Tom, Can you clarify the production standing of the GTO you recently sold, and, can you share with me roughly how much it brought please? Very Best, Joe" Here is his response: "Hi Joe, Sold it to a friend, can't say price....Tom. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device" Now you have all the news that I have. No question it is a very early production 288 GTO, in the first half-dozen cars (the 5th or 6th depending on whom you speak to) and its a rare 1984 example, one of the original 200 Homologation cars, so all is good. As for the price, obviously Tom does not kiss-and-tell with private deals (neither do I) so we shall have to assume that a million bucks between friends is a fair-enough proposition. Best,
My comment about "a million between friends" was purely in jest, I haven't a clue what it changed hands for, and this is often the case in private deals.
I wish I knew. All I have is: 56197 - ZFFPA16B000056197, AC, PW, VM8500 (all-black interior), Helge Pehrsson/Sweden
Call me biased but 1m wouldn't even get me to return your call for the 288. They are more than that and are set to go one way unless the unforeseen hits the whole market. Last I heard, the Mexborough car sold for £700+ and that was 28k. Hartley claimed his car was one owner and the first off the production line, even if he misrepresented he doesn't sell cars cheap. That would have started with a 7 for sure. Dick Lovett have a car for 750 sterling. I'm not selling so I am not talking up values. But for this sort of car, it is a sellers market. Any other owners care to add their thoughts on value?
The 288 is the modern Ferrari for me, but i think they're going up too much, too quickly. First class cars were trading for £500k in the summer. Is an additional 40% within six months sustainable? I guess time will tell.
I bought mine for 460 two and half years ago. I think. I then spent 17k on it because it was low miles and hasn't had the attention it deserved. If last summer you could have bought good examples for 450 you should have stockpiled. I would buy again today if I could for 500. Happy days. The SWB has moved on 500k since the summer if you take headline figures as gospel. I agree pricing is silly. It's moving too fast and feels like a bubble. But I bet it isn't a bubble. It's just different this time. Less speculation, more money, less alternatives for investors wanting a return etc. I could go on. What I will say is, hand on heart - if my 288 is suddenly worth 100k. I would not care. I want to own it for what it is, not what it is worth today or tomorrow. I can't say the same about my property investments. I only hope all other buyers of Ferraris are the same.
Brilliant! The 288 is poetry in curves. Unfortunately quite a few are in it only for the speculation. A moving market is great for keeping more of these cars operable at least.
I don't think first class cars were £500k or anywhere near it in the summer. More like high 600's. The ex-Barazai car sold by DK over the summer went for about 500 but it had relatively high miles (c 29kms if I recall) and was imo a little tired inside (holes in the dash fabric etc). The ex-Patrick car was rumoured to be high 600/low 700
That's correct. I've charted the progress of 288 GTOs over the last 5 years and the increases have been incremental & steady. More of a correction than an upswing, and as jimjams suggests, they are where they ought to be. I'm discreetly looking for some to buy, and I know quite a few owners, most of whom have cars I sold them over the last 5 years. When I ask about the possibility of getting the car back for sale at today's prices, I generally get two answers: - "I'll think about it" (and I never hear back again). - "Absolutely not". So there you have it, that's what I know.
Relativley being the operative word. 18,000 miles on a 25+ year old car is not really high miles. Dont get me wrong, imo 288's were undervalued for so long. Imo by far the best looking Ferrari of the last 30 years. Enjoy!
Having taken a look at the Essai Supercar vids posted on another thread here today, I fall in love with this car more and more... I noticed the reviewer talks abut the famous Ferrari cold 2nd gear syndrome... This may be a naïve question, but for those of you who own/drive these cars, do you just shift to 3rd as it warms up? What's a common way to get around this "problem" and not cause much damage to the car?
