Is this a bubble?

This.

I can't really make the argument without using sweeping generalisations. But I don't think the fascination that many of us had with cars or in fact many other mechanical items in our youth is being carried over to the same number of youngsters growing up now.

There are lots of other arguments but they all end up at the same point: our cars becoming less relevant and therefore less valuable.

 

I'm afraid Andy may be correct. Many young people view an automobile as a mere appliance. To them it is about as dynamic and interesting as a refrigerator or a dryer. The fringe sports car companies such as Lotus, Morgan, Aston and Alfa (& I'm talking only about Alfa's sports cars) depend upon passion for buyers, and therefore they could be in trouble. Marques like Ferrari & Porsche have so much non sports car revenue (SUVs for Porsche & merchandising for Ferrari) that they should always be around.
I hope I'm wrong!

 

Well, I would just nit-pick slightly and caution about the revenues from merchandising for Ferrari, which are indeed important, but nowhere as important as those from their car business.
But for the rest, I agree completly with what is said here and by Andy and Mark...

Rgds

 

I think the question comes down to how primal the human need is to connect to the natural world.

Old cars are cause-and-effect machines; their cables and bearings and gears make natural mechanical sense. Do people need the feeling of “control” they get when they understand how mechanical things work? Can people live without that need for that connection? Will interest in mechanical wristwatches die away? Will interest in record playing turntables die away? Will interest in hand tools die away? Will interest in airplanes die away? Will interest in war machines die away?

Only time will tell.

 

I generally agree with this. but I was at a car show over the weekend and a little boy who must have been only 5 years old walked by me with his dad and he said "look dad, theres a viper!" i was amazed. there is hope.

 

Yeah, this thread has taken a dark, depressing turn. Hahaha!!

I get a lot of young guys telling me "nice car!" when I'm driving around. And cars will never be as beautiful as these ever again, so there will always be the aesthetic appeal.


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at car shows and C&Cs.

Come to the Dallas C&C - there's thousands of young (less than 30) people there. Hundreds of them showing cars.

There is a difference in cars. The younger crowd generally brings/shows new/more modern cars (WRX, STI, mustangs, vettes) and the older crowd brings the exotics, high $ muscle cars, etc. But this I attribute to economic factors and what was popular when going through adolescence.

I have no doubt the car hobby will grow and remain strong. The types of cars in "vogue" may change. But young men (and lately young women) will always lust after "cool" mechanical things - including cars.

Sid

 

I've always had guys in their teens and 20's/30's complimenting me on the cars, but I've actually had quite a few kids in the 7-12 range that have given me the thumbs up or said "hey, cool car." That gives some hope for the future.

One thing that has always been consistent though is this: girls of all ages do not seem to give a damn at all.




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One thing that has always been consistent though is this: girls of all ages do not seem to give a damn at all.

No kidding! The twenty-something girls in my building here in Brooklyn only care about their lap dogs, a spot that used to be reserved for twenty-somethings guys...

 

I dunno about that. I dragged my 16 year old daughter's sorry butt to a Tire Rack Street Survival School (threshold braking, skid pad, slalom, spin recovery etc.). Did not want to go. Within 20 minutes of getting home, she was on the computer signing herself up for autocross. She loved it and continued until she went off to college (we/she even autocrossed the 308).

And Ashley Freiberg writes a great column about racing for Roundel Magazine.

 

That is great to hear! I can honestly say that in the 13 years that I've had Ferraris, I've only had one compliment/acknowledgment from a woman, and that was about two weeks ago! Otherwise, I seem to be invisible.

Now, my wife on the other hand. She always gets noticed when she drives the Ferrari. 😀


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I'm not so sure. Classic cars are a niche market and always will be. Not that many people are into or own classic cars and even less exotics so it's a small market and I think there will always be enough people that are into these things. I have a 19 year old son and he's really into tech etc but also loves turntables and vinyl and many other mechanical things. Vinyl sales are on the up and it's youngsters who are buying it !

 

Enjoying the car that you purchased for what ever reason, driving, collecting or showing, will be and is the reward in itself.

Sell when you want to or need to, but keeping these cars for the long term will most likely be give the best results.

I just think they are stunningly beautiful and mechanically nothing can serve up a similar experience, especially for the price, even today!

 

Well said!

 

Not my experience at all! Won't share details on a public forum, but I could not disagree more strongly with the statement...

 

What can I say? You're a lucky guy.


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Great article in the latest Sports car Collerctor mag... by our own Steve Alghrim.

It was following an auction sale of a 328. basically saying that this was an average used Ferrari 328 GTS - nothing special and it sold for $60K+ and that couple of years ago $40K would have been all the money in the world.

So his commentary when I first read it - hit me like a brick to the head... MY GENERATION... those of us in our teens during the mid 80's and graduating College in early 90's - are now celebrating college graduation of our own kids!!!! so people Gen X'ers. are coming into the market... the Magnum effect and Miami vice effect are finally driving the numbers higher.

those who could not - for what ever reasons are now reaching middle age... and its now or never time...

I've had my car for a long time and while its nice to see it double from what I paid for it... its worrying as well... Not much longer and I will not be able to afford my own car.... or for that matter any other Ferrari. ( that I'd want) ... Steve's article points to these prices are the new "normal" ... ???

 

^ this.

young boys always stare at my 308 when i drive by. it's in our DNA. not going away anytime soon.

1000 years from now? evolution? sure. but not while we're alive.

- sean

 

I always find that people are drawn to my car and just want to ask questions.

Most do not know about the 328 and are kids up to 30 somethings. They don't take their eyes off the car and just want to take it in.

Testimony to the design/beauty and of course they wait for me to drive off to hear that sound we all love.

 

I have both a 328 and a 355. While I think that the 355 is one of the most beautifully styled cars ever built, the 328 (or 308) is simply iconic. I live in LA and exotic cars are all over the place. When I drive one of my Ferraris, its the 328 that gets the thumb's up, the comments or the smiles.

 

They must think that your car is a 308 when they give the thumb's up.

 

I'm sure they do. To the untrained novice they are all Magnum's car. Just so long as its red.

 

..........is there another color besides RED ?

 

This is no bubble, prices will continue to rise. The 308 is an Iconic Classic Car with the last one off the line 31 years ago, this price action is well deserved and the values are rising and will continue to rise. The Glass being the most collectable, followed by the 3 year run of the 308QV. Let's face it, the 308 saved Ferrari from being extinct. Being what I believe the last of the hand built Ferrari's, with a gated shifter, no power steering, one really gets the interaction with the road in its purest form.

Note the rise in gated 430s/360s, one paid a premium for the F1 paddles on those versus the MT when purchased new. Now the MT on those models command a 10 to 20k premium. Purely Supply and Demand, Econ 101.

Off-Topic:
I'm not sold on the F1 paddle shifters as of yet, but I haven't driven a 430/360 with F1 paddles. So the jury is still out. Personally, I love barreling down into a turn braking hard, and down shifting / rev matching, etc. Your adrenaline starts pumping harder, knowing it's you, the car, and the road, pushing it to the limits. I will most likely buy a F1 paddle Ferrari one day, but I will never sell my 308qv.

 

I know people tend to prefer one over the other, but both transmissions are great as long as they are executed well. I have a 430 scud and its superfast 2 automated manual is amazing as well as engaging, and enables you to drive at speeds that are just not possible with a manual transmission. That said, the gated manual transmission in my QV is a joy to drive as well, especially on a spirited cruise in the mountains.