John- You know better than to say F1 in the 575M is an automatic. Have personally never pushed that button in nearly 17 years of ownership.
OK, Taz, I'll split hairs with you. You may not have pushed "that button", but nor have you pushed the clutch pedal in 17 years, because it is operated for you - automatically.
John- Same transaxle in both 3 pedal and F1. Yup, electro-hydraulic actuation of the clutch and gear selection. Got it because I do not know how to operate a clutch pedal after owning 50 or so over the years.
Woah. The F1 automatic flappy paddle crowd is even more sensitive than fuel injected Countach QV owners. Proceed with extreme caution, cowboy.
We used to have an old Ford truck that was a 3 on the tree and I wonder what the age cut off is for more than 5% of the population that would know what to do……maybe….maybe…?…5% of people 45 years old have driven one? Might be as high as 5% of 55 year olds?
First stick shift car I drove was a Plymouth Valiant with 3 on the tree. Bill- No, not sensitive. Just tired of the same old crap.
My first car was a stick as well it was a 1979 Diesel VW rabbit….full throttle in 5th…down hill with the windows up maybe you could just eclipse 75 mph! I won’t get this exactly right but I think that Rabbit had 49 HP and a few years later my first new-to-me motorcycle was a 1976 Kawasaki KZ750 parallel twin with 50 HP! LOL
The Valiant belonged to a high school friend. My actual first car was a rusted out, seals shot Porsche 356A. Got about the same mileage from a gallon of gas or a quart of oil. You could put your hand behind the exhaust pipe and oil would drip off your hand. My grandmother (South Carolina) used to say "It is real pretty, but it won't go." Sold and bought a 1961 Corvette, but the 356 taught me about oversteer, but definitely not power oversteer. 1957 Normal with 60 hp DIN.
Transmission notwithstanding, there has been a massive upsurge in wealth among a younger generation over the last 10 years, and that has translated into booms in everything from crypto to handbags to luxury travel, but not to Maranellos, automated manual or otherwise. No reason to think the next 10 years will bring anything different. But perhaps they will, who knows..
I don't disagree with you but I still can't wrap my head around what has been going on in the Porsche 911 (and other) universe. How they value those so much higher than 456/550/575's is bananas. I like and appreciate a porsche but...... EDIT -- maybe people outside the major metropolitan areas don't worry or think twice about a "normal independent mechanic" working on a Porsche and yet they think....ooooh a Ferrari I have to have a specialist for that. I say that and yet the guys I go to are all italian!
Eric- Not just Porsches, but also C2 and C3 Corvettes with rare engine options like L-88 or ZL-1, or even the early injected models or ones with highly desirable options. Like the C2 big fuel tank or early Z06 package.
I need to check the registry to see how many of these beauties are this color? Image Unavailable, Please Login
One of the standard colors in 1999, looks like it may have been replaced by the very similar Grigio Ingrid later. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Doug DeMuro, on the Smoking Tire podcast, said he's not buying any more cars for himself. Then Matt asked him about the 575M manual he had been looking at earlier. Doug dodged the question.....
Whole thing is interesting but those here , 58:30... “Car Values Are Plummeting!” Doug Demuro Exposes MASSIVE Price Cuts, Deals, & Ripoffs in 2025
So, if you own a Maranello, and you enjoy driving it, and you can afford the upkeep, keep it. And if you don't own one, and you want to enjoy driving one, buy one. You probably won't lose money, but you probably won't make any either, but one thing is certain - you will have a lot of fun. However, if it is more important to you that your money makes you more money, then sell / don't buy. Same applies to most classic cars today. As to new cars, there have been periods when some went up in value the day they were driven out of the showroom, but, except for certain very rare models, those periods have been few and far between, and now is not one of those periods. It is also interesting to note that the average Maranello in pristine condition with FSH, and driven a modest mileage - say 1,000 miles a year - is worth today a little short of what it cost the first owner. The same is not true of similar cars of e.g. the 1960s - even a humble E-type would probably command 50+ times what it cost new.
If you compare Countach/testarossa and Diablo/550, it seems to me the Lambo have performed financially far better than the Ferrari over the last decades.
About 3,000 550s were made over 5 years, and just about as many Diablos over 10 years, but we're also talking 10 different Diablo versions compared to the one 550 model (not including specialties like WSR or Barchetta). Diablo has far more visual shock value, should do well for years to come. Countachs for sure are having their moment, especially the Downdraft. I sold mine simply because it ballooned from a wicked car into a stupidly valuable piece of art. The F512M and 512 TR have done pretty well, but the first gen TR, not as much since 7,000 were made. First gen TRs remain a real bargain for enthusiasts.
Terry I LOVE Nathan’s book. Again, not perfect and some data missing…, That being said….finally found some time to go thru the registry in his book. Found the following…. In 1998 42 cars don’t have their color listed. In 1999 33 cars don’t have their color listed. The ONLY Oro Chiaro of any 550 or 575 that I could find and I had my wife double check me was 1998 chassis 111550 a Euro (Netherlands) with black calipers, Modular’s and the license plate GT550. There was one other interesting car…. 132176 is a 2003 Euro in special request Champagna Oro over Grigio Scuro with dark Grigio dash and steering wheel. Rosso calipers, Daytonas, Bordeaux stitching. Has anyone here ever seen a Oro Chiaro in person? I do love the “Trainspotting” of sorts for unique colors and options among our beauties!
