Which model be the next classic model?

Usually what ever I want eventually goes up in value so I'm going to say fiberglass 308, Challenge Stradale, Scuderia/16M, 458 Speciale.

 

Maybe I'm biased but I think the next will be the 328. It is one of the last old school Ferraris. The maintenance is way cheaper and easier than some of the proceeding models, it looks good, nice ones are getting harder to find, it's nice to drive, and I think it was built better than the 348. It's never going to get to Dino levels but it definitely has a lot of room to appreciate. The 360 is pretty but not exactly rare and not as stunning as the 355 in my opinion.

 

lets agree on some ground rules for 'classic' eligibility
- the car cannot have been produced in great quantity, compared to other models within the same marque.
- the car cannot have been unpopular in period, and suddenly become popular later.
- it must be an icon of some sort in order to become sought after as a classic later.

these are in my opinion of course, so feel free to flame me.

but, given that, i do not think the 348, the regular 360, the testarossa, the mondial, the 430 etc can ever become classics.

the 348 is underpowered, has copied style elements of the tr, poor build quality and poor reliability, and was completely eclipsed in style and performance by the 355. fail.

i also dont think the 308/328 will ever be a high priced car - but it is a classic.

the regular 360 is very pretty but they made over 17k of them and that in ferrariland is a ****load. only the very special cs will maintain and given its already cult status it will become a classic.

the regular testarossa will not make it either purely on build quantity, quality, and poor engineering faults that were then rectified in the 512tr, as were several key design elements. the 512tr will become a classic, but the prices may not reflect that as much as the 512m - which although design wise was a bit of a dogs breakfast, wins due to build number of 500.

the mondial is just not performant or pretty enough.

the bb is the next one to go dino-like.

 

Barchetta

Second runner up: 16 M

 

Had a Dino from 72 to the mid 80's and yes it escalated in price in those years to the 50's then was stuck there for a number of years. The Dino mind you at the time was not even accepted as a true Ferrari. There is no way to predict and the Dino did not fall into all future classic criterea at the time. In the 70's they could be bought in the teens, the 275 in the low 30's all day long. I believe in the following criteria,but nothing is a guarantee. Relative low production numbers, some sort of a racing history, Beautiful lines, something unusual as to lines, tech or powertrain. I have put away a 97 Blue white series two Viper Coupe as this fulfills my criteria. I do like the 360 series from the standpoint of something different, overall beauty, worldwide production numbers are not that numerous. The front fender bulges do remind me of the bulbous ones seen on the Dino.

 

good candidates.
but i thought the question was which one would be next. i think both those are good models and will become classics, but just wont be next.

 

I certainly won't flame you, but I may disagree with you

I would sum up the "classic" as a car that has an emotional tug that outweighs other factors and results in an irrational ramp up in price.

With that in mind, I think the testarossa line is the next Ferrari to soar for a few reasons:

1. Iconic and distinctive look. This is something that is easy to miss when just looking at photos, but when you see a testarossa rolling down the road the width and presence of the vehicle is very recognizable. The TR was also an icon of the 80s that is going to tug at the heartstrings of the upcoming deep pocket generation.

2. Numbers won't play as big of a factor as in the past. 7,000 units produced SOUNDS like a lot, but when you open it up to the global market and just the sheer population growth there won't end up being a lot to go around. Especially clean TRs. The price dip has ended up with a lot of abused TRs. I have a feeling that there will be competition for the best 30% of those 7,000 cars.

3. The 512TR will be the royalty of the line, but I don't think that is going to stop the base testarossas from moving up in the world. To the uneducated, they don't look different enough and drive quality has moved up enough that people will be willing to tolerate the quirks of the base TR and not feel the need to get the added refinement of the 512TR. The rough driving nature of the TR will feel quaint.

4. It has 12 cylinders. That's just cool.

As to when? Could easily still be another 20 years...

 

People like convertible collector cars.

 

I agree with that.

Problem with this thread is what you define as 'classic'. Everything is ultimately either classic or a used car, and the myth the Ferrari owners have bought into for the last 30 years is that anything with the prancing horse is destined to be a classic.

Main qualifications for 'classic' in my view:

1. Produced/designed in 1975 or earlier. (I would put the 308/328 here, also the Merc R117 series and Porsche 911 3.2 -- all were old cars that lived on -- arguably because they got the recipe right and were 'classics in their own time'.) In part this is because the content of modern cars is almost always a liability in the long run -- airbags, digital displays, proprietary traction control software -- not stuff that ages well.

2. Widely and almost universally regarded as a timeless design. This doesn't mean an "I own one and I think it's beautiful" rationale. (Someone bought those Pontiac Azteks off the showroom floor, and the designer's mom thought it was destined to be classic.) It means it is generally admired among the collector community. Most people like Porsche 911s, and they haven't been made since 1989, so something like that is a safe bet. E-Type? Slam dunk. Alfa Giulietta? No doubt. Pontiac Fiero? No. 246? Beauty queen.

3. Distinctive. E.g., the 246 looks like nothing else on the road. Ditto the Daytona or 275 GTB, or E-Type. Distinctive has to go hand in hand with "widely admired" -- otherwise we'd have Gremlins and humpback Sevilles on the list. The original Mini Cooper -- yes.

4. Produced in a way no longer current. I.e., a Daytona or 246 where the bodies were largely hand fabricated and there was no CAD/CAM involved in the design or build. (So, a 2006 MINI Cooper -- not a classic...)

5. Driving experience is distinctly different from modern cars. I.e., it probably has carburetters, probably a three-pedal manual gearbox. There has to be something different about driving it, otherwise a modern car is simply better.

6. Components themselves are regarded as classic. For example, the instruments in an early Mercedes, toggles on the dash of an S1 E-Type, Borranis on a 250 GT Lusso, ducktail on a 911 RS 2.7, etc. The opposite is also true. Crap like the 1984 Corvette digital instruments, motorized seat belts or cheap plastics can knock a car out of the classic category.

That said...

The fibreglass 308 is already a classic. I think the early pre-cat 308s and Boxers are next, and that the 328s are the last regular production Ferraris that will be considered as long term keepers. I would put money there now if you find an original, unmodified car.

The later stuff fails on most of the criteria. Some of it is already collectible -- Carrera GT, 993 Turbo, Ford GT -- but in all cases the serious classics are the originals -- 904/906, 930 and GT40. That applies to Ferrari equally -- i.e., the modern California won't be, but the original certainly is. The 308 will be, but the successors have never recaptured the iconic looks or mechanical simplicity. Etc.

 

This is true. Doesn't explain the Dino so much though, or the 275gtb, or the 330gtc etc. yes when the top comes down the price goes up.

But we are still debating the NEXT car to be considered a classic, and/or experience a sudden price rise.

 

the CS. its got it all. In thirty years when I'm retiring, that car will be highly desirable.

 

The BB is doing it right now. They've almost doubled in price in the last 5 years where you could get a nice BBi (lets face it, the low end of the line value wise) for $80-100k 5 years ago, they're $150k+ now. There's your 'next', or more correctly, 'current' classic. If you're talking next, I think it's out of the discussion as it's already made it's move.

 

Given my multiple posts saying this, I do agree with you!
But I don't think it has made its move, it has merely begun.
As difficult as it is to compare cars, even among the same marque, it is clear to me that if the Dino now regularly achieves prices over 300k, then the bb which is twice the car in many ways, should at least be equal in price if not more. So there is more upside to come in my mind.

One of the main reasons for that disparity at the moment IMO is the ease of driving. Dino's are a dawdle to drive,whereas the bb is not for the faint of heart or wrist.

 

I agree it has more movement to come, but it's already taken that first jump so it's too late to be 'next' .

 

Ok. If you want to split that hair, i will go along and say the NEXT one to be recognized as such will b the 512tr

 

after looking at the GTC/4 on Sheehan's site at $279k asking it's hard to believe my lowly BBi has languished for so long.....trains leaving the station though!
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If 348 has poor reliability and build quality then so does 355 .

Personally I think you assessment is tad off .

 

I see by your handle that you must have some affinity for the 348. Sorry to have offended you.

I owned a 348 ts and it was one of the worst cars i ever owned. I have driven plenty of 355's and found them better in every way. That was the experience that is the basis of my assessment of build quality and performance.

I am sure there are some good 348's out there. But I am also convinced it will never be a classic car. But that is only my opinion.

 

The 348 has suffered since Luca's famously derogatory comments. It's no where near as bad as some think but there are better candidates for appreciation.

 

Coming back to GTC/4.
Even in mid $200k for a perfect car it is severely underpriced,IMO.
It started an upswing lately but I think we will see it in $400k range sooner then anyone thinks.
Btw,agree with Ross and others saying the 512BB(BBi) is the next car to rocket up in price with 512TR rising quickly second.

 

Second the 16m. The evolution of the 360/430 where the sum of all the parts is something magic, the car has limited production numbers, very special transmission that marks the end of the era, and it is unusual in that it was a track focused car offered as a convertible.

The CS is also on my list and probably a tie with the 16M. It will probably realize "modern classic" state sooner if it has not already...

 

Just to put things into perspective, in 1967, there were over 20,000 corvettes produced. While we make a big deal about "too common place" for Ferraris who have had 8K, 10k, 15k, production numbers over an entire run, I think ALL of them stand to become collector cars, with a cherished place in someone's garage, as a centerpiece of their collection, and testament to their life's efforts. It's just a matter of which ones the communities of enthusiasts and owners decide to tear down as being high production, quirky, expensive, etc.

 

I wouldn't say never. I believe they have great styling and as with many other cars with great styling, it won't matter 10-15 years from now when someone remembered the car from their youth and always wanted one. I can think of a lot worse cars that have climbed the collectibility ranks.

 

Just judging from my perception, I'd have to say the 355 is well on its way to being a classic. 360 CS could be as well. Throw in manual 430s, too?

As for 12 cylinder cars, many have said the 512s, but I also think the 550 and 575 (especially the Barchetta and SA) are future classics. They're classy and beautiful, and perhaps reminiscent of a modern day 275. Plus, again, they were the tail end of the F-cars offered with manual transmissions. Another future classic would be the 599 GTO.

Any Ferraris before the 348/355 and 550 are already classics, in my opinion.

 

^^^
I thought the same thing before I read your post so you beat me to it. What is classic? Give it another 40 years and any and all Ferraris today--those already classics and those new--will be classics. In the year 2055 every Ferrari built today will be a classic. So I don't see the concern for anything here.