1984 Ferrari 512BBi Chassis 50749

Nice car but it needs a little TLC. I think besides the high mileage, what effected the low bid price is the overall condition. In my opinion, the seller could have done a better job preparing the car prior to presenting it to BaT for sale. The missing tools and some of the books, incorrect paint at the front lower bumper, missing door light at the driver’s side door, warped dashboard, missing spare tire etc. I believe if all these issues were not present the car would have done better. The seller was focusing more of the history of the car and who owned it than the condition of it which it was the big elephant in the room. My 2 cents.

 

I would agree. The general presentation was poor as I watched this auction from the start. The underside of that car could have used a detail as it really put me off the first time I saw the pics. Does anyone have a guess as to the value today of this car in this condition? Should it have sold at the high bid?

 

Either out of touch with the market or out of touch with the condition of the car or both. That is the strangest color dash I've ever seen on a Boxer.

 

High mileage on the ODO is the kiss of death in USA.

We're at that weird point where dollar/value wise Boxers are not worth restoring in terms of financial return, and given their age many just need it.

Ghilkblis were there for a long time, and then their value hit that point where it was worth buying and restoring.

I dont know what the mechanism is to get there, but at this point if you want a great driving boxer there are very few about and if you can get one that has been well kept up and drives as it should its worth a premium over other unrestored cars, which we see from time to time.
The alternative is a car to restore or has been restored, then (unless you did the work yourself) the math does not add up, but you have a new near perfect boxer experience which may well feel worth it.

Either find a very well kept up car and pay some premium over most unrestored cars, or pay for a restored car/restoration and have a near new one. Beyond that, mostly your talking about cars that to put it kindly can move from a to b run under their own power. Values reflect these options.

 

Very well said. On a good note, most of the boxers that we’ve seen recently for sale are not demanding strip down to metal restoration. We haven’t seen any rust buckets. The work they require are simple things. Major engine service, suspension refurbish, tires, interior (cosmetic work, re dye leather if necessary). Recent sales suggest the same

 

problem at restored cars:
to restore a car 100 % it needs 100 % time
but
to restore a car only 90 % it only takes about 30 - 40 % of the time but for the rest 10 % restoring of the car it needs the other 60 - 70 % of time
and someone not knows much about car restauration is dazzled by the first sight of the car
so it always needs a second and 3rd look, also a magnet and of course photos, photos, photos from this car and not from an other car what has been restored. have seen this already several times.

 

I not think so. high mileage in germany should be much more bad because of speeding on the autobahn.

I imported from 1984 until 1990 several cars from california to germany ( most fiat 124 spider ) and engines with more than 150.000 miles on it have been lookiung inside still like new. only put in new main and rod bearings and piston rings ( standard size, not oversize ). in the US you not go always with high rpm´s like in germany. also high mileage is a sign of not so much short trips. those short trips are the kisses of dead when the water and the oil not getting warm.

 

The high mileage doesn’t bother me and it’s not a deal breaker for me as long as the car has been maintained properly. You can ask any mechanic and he will tell you that the not regularly driven cars tend to have more problems.

 

i agree
Meerly pointing out how the market works here which explains the low ish price for this car

in newer Ferraris like say a 458 below 5000 miles is one price and 5001 miles another.
I just keep thinking of a low miles car that maybe had 2-3 owners none of who cared, warmed it up properly or as you say drove any distance. It’s almost junk but the market loves low miles cause they think it makes a car more pristine.
Part of that is because few drive at speed and most wouldnt t know a car that drives well from one that can just move, nor do they care as long as the paint looks new and the odometer is low, that’s just how it is.

 

Surprised me for a second with that serial #. Crazy what switching a few numbers around can do.

 

Hi Sam.
No problem. When I saw that I gasped.

 

I think it's a beautiful machine. Yes, due diligence is important on an expensive old car; But there aren't many Boxers - period. I'm talking about the entire production run from '73 to '85. Also, that BAR sticker is pretty sexy for California!

Tires are very important, but I'd expect to get involved with his after suspension and EO work. Imagine the final product! Suspension + alignment + EO + dash leather + tires. Put ~35k into it, and you'd have a cream-puff with 76k miles. The miles don't scare me. I know of Ferrari's with wayy past 100k miles that run terrific. 37 year old car puts miles at ~ ~2,050 average per year. Does that sound bad?

Just MHO

 

Now at Gullwing for $229,500. They are also claiming it only has 38K on the clock.

https://www.gullwingmotorcars.com/1983-ferrari-512bbi-c-4775.htm

 

Different seats (red "Daytona strips"), and dash color (black). Probably not the same car.

It's not like Red/Tan is rare among the BBi run.

 

Wow, interesting. They are very close. The Gullwing car does look like the engine is a little more grimy than the auction car which looks like it was dry iced cleaned.