My memory is that the 246 didn't get to $75,000 until the late 90's as I know of someone who purchased one for that amount and I thought he was crazy. Do you have any classifies from 1989 to support your statement. I don't want to go in the attic to retrieve my 89 Autoweeks.
I guess the biggest thing I'm seeing is that people expect this car to do what the 246 dino did, because it was the successor in the lineup. Now, I was born in 1986, so that makes me a bit of a "yungin" but the 246 wasn't at all iconic to my generation. The 308/328 and Testarossa were probably the first hot wheels we had, I think as the late 70s/80s kids get money, they will spend it on these examples. As with most of these types of purchases, they are purely emotionally driven, and logic will not dictate prices. Can I someday see the price of a 308 exceeding the price of a new Ferrari? Certainly!
Depending on who ends up owning Ferrari and what their definition of "entry level" is it could happen a lot sooner than you expect.
I'm not a big fan of the 360, but if they start to litter Craigslist for $18-20k I'm going to buy one!
I find it hard to believe that 246s could have been 150-200k U$ in 1989 except if that year they followed the "bubble". I can state with certainty that in France their "accepted level of value" was +/- 60.000 for a 246 GT and +/- 80.000 for a GTS in 2001, because I still have the article from "Sport Auto" giving those values. At the same time, the value of a 328 by the same magazine was 42.000 for a GTB and 44.000 for a GTS (value that stayed more or less the same until end of 2013) Rgds
Same for myself; I have something of a "soft spot" however for the 355 (especially for its noise - glorious) and the 550. Rgds
That argument may be true in the United States, I don't know, I'm not able to say. But as for Europe, the "Dino" was HUGELY popular here for kids of my age: I was 12 in 1972 and the enormous success of "The Persuaders" on TV made the "Dino" the most easily recognised car among kids at the time. Ever. Among the whole world inventory of cars. Period. When any european guy of my age today sees one, be him a car guy or not, his first words will be "ah, the car of Danny Wilde in "the Persuaders". The 246 is a true ICON here for our generation. Rgds
Completely agree. Most people (men and women) who see my Dino for the first time (of a certain age) mention the Persuaders.
You are a lucky Ferraristi indeed...even if thinking that I am now of "a certain age" is slightly difficult to believe; but thinking of that car makes me young again. I seem to recall that the original one - chassis # 00810 - has left the Pirozzi collection in Naples?
It indeed an age-thing. I'm from '64 but the persuaders do not ring any bell to me. Among our group the 246 is seen as a true classic but i do not feel it's generally very appealing to me and the (slightly younger) group. In front of the TV for Magnum PI, well that a comletely different story... my 2ct on the whole bubble-discussion. I think it's not. -cars getting scarer, there are still cars crashed every year. -increasing demand from Asia/China -interest rates on an all time low. -stock markets might have been reasonble but in general the people do not put that much trust there anymore after 2008. Tangible assets are just, much more tangible -they don't make them anymore -they are indeed the last of a generation of analogue cars, real levers, real controls. I truly think the 308s, regardless which model, will be a 100k euro car within 5 years. The big difference between the vetros and the rest will be getting (relatively) smaller. As in the end people will realize that paying a 50-100% premium on a car because its made of glassfiber is a bit odd. I know, production numbers do count, i agree but in the end the surviving pool of all car will be much to small to serve the demand
I remember both the Persuaders and Magnum. Those TV shows definitely made both cars iconic to a whole generation. Was never into Brett Sinclair's Aston though.
I do not know if this is a bubble. I Just know i have a five years old Porsche 911 book that says "911 3.2 speedster and 911 2.7 RS have out of mind asking prices that are due just to speculation and does not reflect the car real value". The 3.2 speedster value was 60 k euro at the time, the book author was an aircooled Porsche 911 megaexpert. So, nobody can predict the future: who knows. My opinion is that this high prices period won't end very soon and nor soon too. But, as I already wrote above: who knows. ciao
I'm also from 64 and The Persuaders was a far better show than Magnum could ever be As for the cars, both are amongst the best examples of classics for their respective eras. I'd take either on looks, but for me the 308 wins with its 2 extra cyls.
Absolutely: to my ear, that small V6 is much more "musical" than any flat-crank V8; really, that V6 sounds like half a V12. Even the engine of the 355, which makes a nice noise (the nicest of all Ferrari V8s) cannot compete with the 2400 Dino V6 to my ear. Rgds
I'm with Nerofer: the 246 sound is one of the best i have ever heard. But I consider the 308 shape (with 16" and deep spoiler) better looking than the Dino one: there are some angle where 246 doesn't looks so good, while the 308 looks great from every angle you look at it. Just my opinion, of course. ciao
The 246 will always have the advantage of being an Enzo Era car and of being unique among that cohort. Its small, mid engined and usable (value considerations aside) in a way that the V12s aren't. It also looks great, if not perfect, and has value momentum.
I've probably seen all episodes of each, and I wouldn't buy a car based on either show. All they accomplished, in the case of Magnum, was to make a young guy in wintry Cleveland aware of what a Ferrari looked like outside a magazine. Neither series, IMHO, is really driving values for the 246 or 308 (or Aston V8, which by the way isn't cheap any more...) any longer. At some point the cars have to stand on their own merits.
the 308 success wasn't due to Magnum P.I. TV series. Rather maybe the Magnum P.I. TV series success was due to the 308 too! ciao
I think everyone liked more Danny Wilde and his red Dino (with Modena plate) than Brett Sinclair and his Aston V8: there was no game! ciao
