GTC4 Half Off Pricing?

The first time I saw a GTC/4, I didn't even know what it was. I was headed west on the NY Thruway, headed for Buffalo. I saw a dark red (Barchetta?) car speeding toward me in my rearview mirror. It was driven by a very attractive young lady, and followed by an Alfa GTV. I later surmised that the cars were headed for Bobcor, a Buffalo Alfa dealer that occasionally delivered new Ferraris for Chinetti-Garthwaite in Philadelphia. Interestingly enough, a few months later I saw their yellow-pages ad in the Buffalo directory, and it featured a GTC/4. Not bad exposure for a car that only saw 500 units! Fred

 

Hi Fred:
As everyone may recall - the last of the 365 GTC/4's were built in early 1973 - right when the "Fuel Crisis" threw our economy into a tail spin. When I first moved here to Florida in 73 the unemployment rate was 13% and all construction had shut down. The real estate boom went bust etc etc.

Car sales dropped off a cliff - and that included Ferrari Sales... Bottom line, is we could see some other current Ferrari consumer models, that turn out with very low production numbers.

FWIW,
Carl B.

 

Yes, the 70's were a bunch of pretty grim years for the economy and the markets. Inflation, "Whip Inflation Now", the gas "shortages" of 1973 and 1978, wage and price controls, high unemployment, terrible stock market, high interest rates, disco music. Amazing to think that Ferrari had a tough time selling their cars, they would sit in dealer inventory for a year or more and they really needed to advertise their cars. Helps put the current environment into perspective. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Ferrari new model advertising and the end of waiting lists in the not too distant future.

Which Ferrari dealers have managed their customer relationships well and which ones will suffer the backlash of the years of indifferent customer service?

 

No GTC4 that was not in perfect show room conditions should have broken the six figure mark. Seems to me the "lesser" V-12 Ferrari's are making the proper market correction after the run up.

 

Which Ferrari dealers have managed their customer relationships well and which ones will suffer the backlash of the years of indifferent customer service?[/QUOTE]

I think that dealers who maintained phantom "lists" and spiked hardly-used cars on sweetheart deals with longtime customers may well suffer. From what I've heard, that seems like a large number of authorized dealers. Ask yourself, when is the last time you saw a current-model Ferrari for sale, advertised as new, with no non-factory miles? Fred

 

Greetings Carl,

I'm getting the impression we may be living in parallel universes. I as well kept my original R&T test of the C/4 in my collection of special cars, and I still have it to this day. Being in my late teens at the time I readily accepted the "new" styling theme initiated with the Daytona, and advanced by the C/4.

As a previous owner you had naturally discovered (as would anyone with substantial first-hand reality-based C/4 experience) that it is a two seater sport/touring coupe -- with a couple of cushions stowed under the rear luggage shelf. There is more room for back seat passengers in a (63-67) mid-year Corvette than a 365 GTC/4!

On the other hand, it was this very miss-perception - silly as it may be - that made my obtaining a classic 72 V12 Ferrari sport coupe a financial viability (if only just barely).

By the way, 15215 is alive and well, and is living in Maryland, as it has for nearly ten years now. Currently she (the old gray mare) is awaiting me to finish detailing the carbs and to get on with checking/adjusting the valves (this spring).

To say the least, I could be very interested in anything you may still have from your days with 15215.

Cheers,
Les Putnam
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Just relating what I have seen in the last 12 months. One for 109k and one for 119k come to mind, extensive pictures including the undercarriage, neither were close to "perfect". Again, these were "asking" prices which I am sure was not met on the one that is no longer advertised.

 

Hi Les:
Good to hear from you. Agreed, parallel universes.

I worked for Honeywell Space Systems - last major program was the Space Station Freedom. {Aerospace Systems Engineering}.

Here is a picture of 15215 taken at the Daytona Speedway circa 1980 I'm guessing. I did not yet own the car, but when I saw it at the track I had my son go stand by it so we could get a picture. He was about 7 or 8 years old at the time.

As I recall, I bought it around 1988. Below is a picture that I can find now...I have several more I'll look up when I get back from Amelia. I have lots of stories to tell about my relationship with 15215 { a divorce and an IRS Investigation etc}.. Send me an e-mail at [email protected]

Did you buy the car from a man named Haines?

kind regards,
Carl B.
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Bravo!