Best classic manual V12 in 10-15 years from now?

nobody wants an suv, the reason people buy SUV’s is because the dealerships offer lots of incentives and if people can only pick one car they have to get something with extra space and utility, people don’t want the urus. They want the Lamborghini with the doors up.

 

About 110,000 miles (~175,000 kms) on the odometer, worthless.

 

IMHO, OEM manual 599GTB is a perfect example of a car that, due to its rarity, is overvalued in relation to its intrinsic qualities.

 

The 550 is the right sleek size and was designed for a six speed manual. That’s why it drives so nice

 

The Daytona is missing. Yet there is a 512 , a BB. What gives?

Regards, Alberto

 

The math says otherwise, esp when most weren’t sold below msrp including Porsche lambo ferrari suvs. Those are brilliant vehicles. I use mine due to inclement weather conditions yet wanting sports car like capabilities.

 

I am with the overwhelming majority here 550 / 575, can't wait to own one, the closer I get though, the further out of reach they get!

 

Yeah they will eventually become unobtainable and be 1M+ cars
We need to keep trying to get our hands on one !

 

I love my 2002 575, 6 speed, FHP
Have enjoyed every single one of the the almost 60,000 miles.
Here is a pic from my old garage when it had some good company.

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They won't, because will not know how to operate a manual... All this current hype for MT's will die sooner than most of us think (and that is if in ~20 years we will be to allowed to drive internal combustion cars at all...)

 

Your thinking is ridiculous. Why is a neve analog console so expensive. Why is an audemar piguet moon phase so expensive. The same reason a gated manual v12 Ferrari will remain expensive 100 and even 1000 years from now

 

I really hope for you to be right…

 

If we're just sticking to your list, the 599 is the obvious choice—only about 30 manuals exist, right? Unicorn status achieved. That said, I think properly done conversions will get more love over time. So if everything else is equal, my money's on the 550/575.

Personally, my favorite from your list is the 456M—yeah, I know, not exactly the crowd favorite. I fully admit my taste in cars is a bit... unconventional. But that’s the beauty of Ferrari ownership. At first, it feels like an external flex, but the real magic happens when you stop caring what others think and love the car *you* want.

That’s when you really get it.

 

I voted with the majority.

 

Yeah, I can totally see it getting banned in some places. I see plenty of classic cars will get grandfathered in. Eventually, 95% of the cars on the road in developed countries will be electric, and the other 5% will be classics—basically the automotive version of steam trains, rolling around with special exemptions and making old guys nostalgic.

And let’s be honest, this isn’t happening in our lifetimes. Even if politicians tried, both sides would have to agree on forcing people to junk their beloved Hyundai Excels… and no one’s out here trying to start a revolution over a beater from the ‘90s.

 

funny i feel like the 550/575 feels like the bus with the jet engine in the back, while the 599 is much more twitchy and nervous but at the same time very comfortable for 6'6 me. Both sublime with a stick, have not owned the other ones but am lucky enough to own these two. If i was to get another it would definitely be the 512..

 

I get where you're coming from, Nic, but hear me out. For a century, 'big cars' meant handling like a barge, moving like a snail, and offering about as much excitement as watching paint dry.

But you said it yourself—emotion, right? And 'masculine,' which, I take as a synonym for peak sports performance.

So if we’re going purely off feelings (let’s not open that Pandora’s box), and 'ultimate' performance—well, a Purosangue would leave plenty of classic Ferraris gasping for air on a track today. Honestly, it’s probably quicker than 90% of cars on the road. So yeah, it ticks the speed box. And as for emotions? If rolling up to a Miami nightclub where haters sneer and random bystanders go 'oooooohhh' doesn’t stir your soul, that’s cool. Just like it’s cool that, for some folks, this thing is basically automotive lingerie.

Ain't your thing? Great - don't buy it. The 40% (and growing) of Ferrari buyers that are in their 30s and 20s today will. Yeah, they TikTok.

 

Nah, electric cars are just a fad—like automatic seatbelts. Speed? Whatever. I’m not looking for a car that launches me with whiplash. I need a masculine car that gives me feelings, man. The kind that make my soul tingle—not my spine compress. How do I measure that? I don't know - It’s totally subjective, which means no one else can possibly feel the same way about my car. And it has to sound good—none of that spaceship hum bs. I’m talking about a custom exhaust that fine-tunes the engine’s roar like it’s a rock concert for gearheads. You get me? That real sound, you know just like how everybody loves the sound of a civic w/ a coffee canister coming out of it's arse.

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Some folks took their sweet time letting go of VHS too. Seriously though, plenty of people just parrot what they hear without ever experiencing 0–60 in under two seconds for themselves. Or go around a track with some of the more extreme offerings now available. We just gotta be patient… or wait for them to get lapped. (but hey at least they 'sounded' good LOSING.) I think do they give out participation trophies for 'best sound' though? Too bad races aren't won that way.

 

100% agree. When you consider the cross town rival bull with a v12 is less refined, drivable and harder to maintain it is the obvious choice. The interesting thing though is how ppl respond when i drive around town. In my argento gated 575 the ppl that notice are very enthusiastically in favor and love it, but most dont see it at all. I think this is actually the perfect formula to avoid parking lot haters. The 599 on the other hand has a powercraft exhaust and is nero on crema, subjectively I feel the response is less positive. I get the looks that suggest Im trying to draw attention to myself, as well as tons of stares from teenage boys ...lol all part of the fun

 

If by "less refined" you mean more raw and exciting to drive, agreed

If you mean "less drivable", you mean it takes a greater skill level to master, I kinda agree, although the mid-engine layout Lamborghini employs provides much better dynamics so more drivable really

Would completely disagree with "harder to maintain" what does that even mean? You need more wrenches or something?....LOL

It is a really bad comparison to make, as Ferrari builds the vast majority of its V-12 offerings as GT cars, obscured by their V-8s, while Lamborghini's V-12 is the top of the food chain for them as sports/hyper cars.

Why Ferrari threw in the towel on regular production mid-engine V-12s as all-out sports cars has always been a mystery to me. The Boxer was the only car of its breed (not including the low production cars like the F50 or Enzo).

 

These two cars were pitted against each other in the market, hence they are directly comparable.. their usage case is somewhat different I agree. None the less ppl who want to buy one often cross shop the other. As for maintenance, I have an n of 3, friends with murcis seem to have no end of electronic gremlins and parts shortages where myself and friends with 599s have had a much smoother maintenance journey... Maybe others have faired differently...just my 2c

 

The 550 is the one that will appreciate the most in the coming years