612 Design - Renaissance Man or Ugly Duckling

I think this kid at a recent car show agrees!


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The 612 is an amazing drive and an absolute beaut. The fact that anyone chooses to debate if it is "ugly" is just a waste of time. Everyone has an opinion and they are entitled to such, however the more people that bring up old reviewers statements then the more that derogatory opinion comes back up. It has aged gracefully and is an incredible driving car in manual form. It deserves the Ferrari emblem on the hood and the Scaglietti badge on the side, couple that with the beast of a V12 and you have one of the best all around GTs that has ever come out of Maranello.

 

I remember when the car was first introduced and seeing all these negative reviews, which I did not understand. Then I was in Switzerland and saw the car for the first time and I just melted. I love my 599 but a 612 might be my future years from now.

 

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That’s a beauty!


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Is that Pozzi Blu?


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No, Blue Tour de France

 

Mine is the same Blue/Tan except not a manual. An understated, classic design...at least in my mind!
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99% same car

 

Very nice with the giallo brake calipers

 

I like the design of the 612, would love to own one if the right combination comes along.

 

Good choice. The 612 Scaglietti is not very well known and even unloved by some Ferrari fans , it is a Ferrari Grand'coupé 2+2 like the 250 GTE. 25/30 years ago, the 250 GTE suffered the same fate and it was even cut up to make recreations of GTO or SWB.... But it is like good wine and it is appreciated with the time going. The 612 is a great car and I really don't regret buying it.

 

Last week a 1962 250 GTE 2+2 Series II sold for €410,000 at an RM Sotheby's auction in Munich. Add a 10% buyer's premium and you're at €450,000. Then there's the VAT. . . .

This is truly an outlier price for a 250 GTE, and I have no idea why it got bid up so high. Matching numbers and a vague suggestion that the car was restored about ten years ago. ("It is believed that sometime between May 2008 and October 2012, chassis 3947 underwent restoration.") I expect there are 250 GTE-based GTO replicas that have sold for less. It would be great if the 612 could command such a price, but I'm afraid I can't wait 60 years for this to happen; I would be 128 years old.

 

Personally, I buy the Ferraris that I like for their beauty, their technical characteristics, the happiness they give me on the road. NOT for financial investment and speculation. Money has rotted the world of collectible cars and it's very sad; I started in 1986 to collect cars with my father and at the time, it was the passion that animated the collectors, the real ones. Today, I should say for a few years now, "pseudo" collectors think first of the profit they could make on resale before buying a car.... I would say: buy what you like and enjoy it, the life is short..........

 

In my previous post, I did not talk about Ferraris which have been since the mid-80s the target of speculators, happy AND unhappy, it depends on the period....

 

The reference to 1986 reminded me of the Daytona Spyder bubble of the '80s, when those cars were trading for $1 million or more. According to the inflation calculators this would be an inflation-adjusted $2.6 million today. Can you imagine?

 

I agree. The last Daytona spider I know (genuine, not a fake) was auctioned for $2.250M. The value for a 275 GTB was $1M/$1,2M at the end of 90S. Today +/- $2M. In fact, a Ferrari is not a good and reliable financial asset ;-) The ones who make a lot of money are the auction houses, and I hate them.

 

I feel kind of bad when I see nice/older Ferraris with really low miles for sale or auction. I wonder if the owners really even cared about cars. Or were they just seen as an investment? The thought of these cars being stashed-away and not driven seems contrary to what a true enthusiast of the marque would do. These cars should be driven. They should be shared. They should be maintained. They should be LOVED! That's how I see it. Investment potential isn't even part of that equation for me.

 

I agree 100% with you. Personally, I don't drive my cars a lot due to lack of time, but I know some collectors who don't drive at all in the hope of seeing their toys increase in value. I don't understand. On the other hand, I really like a guy like Richard Losee; but he is a bit extreme.

 

"Timeless automobile" are THE perfect words to qualify the 612.

 

What's wrong with belts? No reliability issues for me. Just 1500/2000 euros of investment every 5/6 years. It's not a lot to pay for the privilege of driving such a car.

 

My Scag is ex-Mark Tippetts. He loved it but sold it because of 2 knee operations. He could no longer use it for his annual European tour. If the 612 had been as ugly as some say, Mr Tippetts would certainly never have bought this model.

 

In the United States, I had calculated (after talking with Indies and Fchat members, for a car that was already in good condition) about $10,000 every 5 years with belts done ($2,000 a year on average). That’s actually a low maintenance cost in the Ferrari world…