296 VS

Good info, in line with what my dealer told me. 18 coupes and 7 aperta.

 

Picking up on this previous comment. I was at the dealership finalizing my spec. I decided to go with the rear wings in glossy carbon. They told me that option is only available if you also order the glossy carbon rear bumper. Which is actually not the rear bumper, but the entire rear panel just above the bumper. Unfortunately, I don’t like that look at all. I prefer that big panel in the paint color. So, I’m not going with either. They did confirm that the inside of the rear wings is in the normal body paint color, not black plastic that someone mentioned in a previous comment.

 

BTW, anyone going to the FCA National event in Charlotte this week. See you all there.

 

I think he is from the UK market which is quite different to the rest of the world at the moment so his concern might be valid. Your use of the term donkey did make me laugh so thank you for that

 

Excellent observation. Oil and water needs to be up to temp before load is placed on an engine. This also gives time for the rotating masses and friction points to expand properly. There's no way around this fact especially in cooler weather. Another consideration when purchasing a hybrid or used hybrid with an electric only capability.

 

The car has systems in place to protect itself. Sometimes upon start up it won’t go into electric it will just start the engine automatically. There’s 15+ years of data to examine on hybrids by large forehead people in virtually every use case.

 

They must be large dealers; mine had 4 and 2!

 

Yes, that's my worry. In any event, it will be nice to have that option. I suppose if I feel uncomfortable about it, I can stop at the church parking lot outside my neighborhood and let the ICE warm up before continuing on. That wouldn't actually add time to my trip versus what I do now, I'll just spend a few moments stationary there instead of in my garage.

As for buying pre-owned, I don't think this concern would be worse for hybrids. It could be better. I'd guess that most owners fire up their ICE cars and drive off immediately. With the hybrid, the engineers may have more flexibility to limit load on the ICE until it has a little warmth in it.

My guess is that with today's engines, this is a smaller deal than I'm imagining. But, I love my cars. Mechanical sympathy can be a powerful emotion.

 

I do think this question of spec importance is critical and plays into some of these depreciation questions (and other considerations). Ferrari has done an excellent job at dramatically focusing clients on customization and I think it does drive decision making. For example, I took my VS (coupe) allocation because I want one and believe it will be a benchmark type car to drive but also because I enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to complete a custom spec that is meaningful to me. Let’s suppose it does depreciate $150k (making up hypothetical) and it is the difference between buying new for $700k with my personal spec or buying used for $550k with a likeable but not “my” spec, I personally would pay the extra for the custom spec opportunity.

 

I believe a lot of people feel this way

 

And I would be the happy second buyer with a beautiful car- essentially unused- because expensive Ferraris aren’t driven- by most buyers. The greater the depreciation- the more likely the car will be both enjoyed and driven. The 2nd mouse gets the cheese.

 

Letting a car idle from a cold start is actually worse for the ICE. The quicker the oil comes up to operating temperature, the less the wear on the engine. Driving the car slowly, with light throttle opening and at low RPM, is better than letting it idle. That said, the difference is negligible and shouldn't be of any concern.