Superamerica Market

Outsider view: yes/yes/negligible - read the regular threads about the roof before you get too excited

 

The super america is not a true numbered car but it is a limited edition car ..the roof is a real problem that aside ,they are a real car that can be driven.....best of luck i have considered getting one as two of my friends own them and they love them

 

You would be better off with a 550 Barchetta. You will have the gated gearbox and would not have any issues with the glass roof.

 

Do all SuperAmericas have GTC Handling Packages or were they optional? How could you tell if a car has it if you don't have a window sticker?

 

HGTC was optional and the easiest way to tell she has it is the 398 mm F, 360 mm R CCM brakes. These were not available separately.

 

Not to sound stupid, But does the CCM brakes mean Ceramic?

 

Yes

 

There have been a few of SAs that have sold at auctions over the past year or so. The high is low $300s for a very low mile car in 2+ or better condition. The low has been around $250k for a car that needed a new top. I don't even think tops are made anymore but not sure.

On my SA the top went bad [delamination] but I "knew somebody" and got a free replacement. Only paid for the install. Back then tops were available and cost $30k. Bet they are more like $50k + if you can find one. The "supposed" reason for the delimitation was when the car sat and the battery voltage dropped current the tops would begin their slow deterioration. I cannot verify that to be true. But I do know that Ferrari issued a tech bulletin and sold a simple plug and play ecu that prevents the delaminating from occurring. I had this ecu installed in my car.

To be more cautious I had the shop disconnect the circuit to the glass top altogether. Although I can't control the "lighter-darker" glass setting I don't really care. I wish they had made the top out of carbon fiber instead of heavy glass. As long as the top goes up and down I am happy. I don't spend time looking through the glass roof when I am driving. I tend to prefer to look through the glass windshield in front of me....lol.

There were [I think] 39 6-speed manual SAs built. These cars are probably double the value of the F1 versions. But the F1 in the SA is pretty quick being one of the later versions of the system. Not quite as fast as the 599, but maybe that's just my perception between the two.

 

The roof is an issue period
The mechanics of it are horrible to say the least, couple that with a glass top made in North Korea, you see where I am going with this
That’s being said if you have deep enough pockets price should not be an issue
Because they seem to ask a lot for a 575 with a roof that is terrible
but some guys like dumb blondes
There are about 30 or so with 6 speeds, why I don’t know
The car was designed around the F-1 box
But you can’t fix stupid
Me I would not pay more than $100 k for one just because of the roof
Autobidmaster.com had a car on there site a while back it was hit but put back together perfectly
It had 300 miles on it
It was an insurance buy back
It’s your money and remember
Every convertible leaks!
Everyone !!!

 

The Superamerica has a hot roddded engine in it, different from the 612 engine, and all the upgrades of the last 575Ms. They are the most refined of Maranellos and have the F1A software shared with the 612, with min shift times of 180 ms, compared to 220 ms for the 575M. Ferrari spent a lot of effort for such a small run of only 559. The SA gearbox is a refined and strengthened version of the 550 gearbox, with parts shared with the Enzo and 612. It is a manual gearbox adapted to the F1 system.

 

I doubt seriously if anyone could feel the difference in 180 ms 220 ms
But I could be wrong

 

Clyde- It is not just the speed, but also the smoothness of operation and clutch saving algorithms incorporated in the F1A software.

 

taz if you say so
the bulk of the guys who own 575 with F-1 boxes rarely drive the cars
so I doubt seriously if they would notice any difference

 

Clyde, I understand you are a highly respected retired airline pilot, a stalwart of the community, with an aura of being funny and outspoken, and so on. But I am afraid you risk sounding like someone of a less admired tribe, with your comments.

All but 246 575s were made with the F1 box, so you are firing a broadside at most owners here by saying they "rarely drive the cars" - do you mean to do so?

Conversely, you state that a SA was "designed around the F1 box". The SA is a version of the 575, which was a modification of the all-new 550, which only came with a gated manual box (we know about the one F1 prototype which may or may not have been real). No design around an F1 box there: it was added at the refresh when 550 became 575.

The 458 was designed around a DCT transmission, the 599 was designed to take a F1 box (with a few manuals), but the 575 was a development of an all-gated manual car, with a choice of F1 and manual transmissions. As Taz has explained many times, its F1 is an automated version of a gated manual (as was the 430's and 599's), while a DCT does not have a manual alternative.

Of course you or anyone can post random opinons on Fchat, like a drunk guy can shout at my Ferrari as I drive past, but from what I have read of you, you have more knowledge and kudos than these posts.

 

Yes, with the F1 shifter, faster is better. Not easier to drive, but that’s not what the F1 is all about.


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat

 

A DCT is a totally different animal. Ferrari made a mistake putting the F1 in street cars. F1 works when you floor it and flick the lever as fast as you can. Works on the track, not so well on the street.


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat

 

A long time ago, Tom “toasted pony” Shaughnessy told me, “The price goes up when the top drops over two seats” I wrote in the FML that a SuperAmerica would be a collectible. But that, and two bucks, won’t buy you a cup of coffee.


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat

 

Funny that the 550's have a F1 Transmission failure warning light in the instrument panel,(no bulb was fitted) and a gearbox ECU control relay (S) in the relay panel (not connected to anything)

This is clear evidence that the F1 shifting system was considered for the 550

 

Thanks for the critique

 

I respectfully disagree
If you drive an F-1 like a 3 pedal car the car performs well
No matter where street or track
But what do I know
I only have 17k on my 575 since I’ve had it, I now have over 40k on the car
Stay tuned

 

Tex.....while you and I might not see the value of a convertible Ferrari V-12 rise look back at the past. 250 cabs...$7k to $1.5m. 250 calis $6k to $14m. 275 GTS $8k to $1.5m 330 GTS $9k to $2.4m, Daytona Spider $17k to $1.5m. I won't bother w/ the 275 NART Spyders...only 10 built. My ole man bought a 330 GTS for $6500 in 1973. My brother sold that car for $2.4m a couple of years ago.

While I can't say with certainty that the Superamerica will become a huge winner in the $$$ department I don't think they are going to drop in value. Next to the GTC it's my second favorite of all the 16 Fcars I have owned.

We might not live long enough to see the SA become what the past V-12 drop-tops achieved in the value appreciation. Maybe my kids will benefit like my brother did. Cause I ain't selling my SA.

 

There's no doubt you can drive a F1 on the street. Ferrari slowed it down just for that reason. But a DCT is far superior.

 

That's exactly what Tom was saying. A convertible will always be worth more than a tintop. Whatever a SA lacks in execution, it makes up for being the only Maranello with a droptop.

 

From an engineering and efficiency standpoint the DCT is far superior than any F1. But talk to a Scud owner about the coolest F1 ever. Hard driving and fast shifting hits you in the back of the head. The visceral experience is far more fun than the automatic feeling of the DCT. Unfortunately I have never been a big fan of the 430 styling so I have no interest in a Scud. To me the BEST deal out there is the 2009 Maserati Gran Turismo S. For $30-40k you can buy a beautiful design w/ a 430 engine and a 599 F1 w/ a screaming exhaust. It's the deal of the century that nobody knows [or cares] about. Only 300 US cars. It's on my "hit" list.