25% duty on classic car imports???

Glad you got that off your chest Statler, but does that change the fact that dave said a 246 GT was rare and a 575 wasn't when the 575 was rarer? No it doesn't......just shows that Dave like many others on here comment without looking through details and do so OFTEN.

Thats exactly why I left the thread,its silly, I can't comment without risk of being banned so I've moved on

 

You choose not to comment because you are incapable of doing so within standard decorum. That’s different. (And clearly you haven’t left at all.... compulsion). Involuntary nastiness. Must be difficult at work.

But hey, my mondial is more rare than your 575. Let me know when it takes off and fits your theory.

 

Never once have I ever heard anyone call the mondial beautiful,it’s not nor will it ever be....the maranellos are one of the most gorgeous Ferraris ever made and a throwback to classic f cars. The mondial is 1 of a kind and for good reason. The only positive the mondial has is the scent of a woman scene that’s about it

 

Perhaps rarity is a very very minor factor if at all.
Perhaps what I thought wasn’t subtle subtext was too subtle.

 

Well, opinions...we all have them. There is a Mondial following so for each their own.

Those are critical words you use. If the Mondial is that bad then I ask myself why was it in production so long.




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The Mondial is a very pleasing design. In the sense that we use the word beautiful to describe Ferrari cars I would call it beautiful.

The 550 Maranello design is ageing very well. However it is not one of the wonderful Ferrari bodies. Some of its details seem applied to the design and not part of a whole. It has a nose it's own mother would love. The body can seem a little disjointed. It does not work as a whole like the Daytona which is a truly magnificent design. Having said that the 550 body design and its failings are easy to forgive because it is a characterful shape, it has a certain strength, and the cars has a valid place in Ferrari's history because it drives so well, has such a great engine, was so reliable and so usable. All of this adds to the whole. These failings were less easy to forgive when the car was new, and it's body design was criticised when new, and even compared unfavourably to a Toyota Supra.

On body design I would personally put the Mondial and the 550 about equal. They are both desirable shapes. The 550 has proved itself as an all round car more so. Its a pretty special car. However, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo interfered, demanding his own alterations with the more pure design proposed by Pininfarina to the detriment of the shape. The 456 is a much better body design than the 550, though the 550 seems to have achieved a greater overall standing all round, at least at this point in time.

Beautiful is a word we often use, but very few Ferrari are beautiful. Most cars that are beautiful are early French cars. The wonderful Ferrari body designs are often aggressive and strong, and therefore not beautiful. A Daytona is not beautiful but its close to perfect.

 

The Mondial is not one of a kind. It continues onwards from the 308 GT4 which is also a great design.

 

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lol you said the mondial and the maranello are equal looks wise???? Wowwwwww,the market disagrees with you, the manager of my condo bought a mondial in the mid 30s a few months ago, you will never see a maranello for $35k EVER....what’s next the 412i is as gorgeous as the maranello as well??? Lol

 

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The market once thought a Ferrari 250 GTO was only worth abondoning in a field.

 

Thé 412 body design is one of the most elegant production cars of all time. My sentiments, but not my words, instead of Peter Stevens, désigner of the McLaren F1. It’s predecessor was good enough for Enzo Ferrari himself, but obviously not for you. You are on a different level. The 412 body is superior to the 550 Maranello.

 

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Of course the 246 and 575 are developments of the 206 and the 550, and while Ferrari did make 3715 550’s, they only made 152 206’s. Of course the 550 is probably the better investment - you did get a manual didn’t you?

 

Wells girls, if you are buying a new Ferrari, you certainly saved more money from the Trumpet tax cuts (for the wealthy) than you did paying another $50k import duties, so no bitching.... buy a Ford GT instead

 

I tereting thread
From what I remember of the past there was many a period whe. Cars were. Worth more in Europe and many a ferrari crossed the Pond out. In other decades it’s the other way around.

I know of more than a few boxers and 288gtos that went back to Europe in the 90s because the market here was poor or prices there better.

As to the 575 debate which I just skimmed.
The 575 is a evolved 550 so we would need to look at total 550/575 production to determine rarity. On top of that the 575 is considered by most to be less desirable than The 550 both stylistically and dynamically. Pretty much every 575 is paddle and most had floppy suspension.

The 246 while imo being overpriced has stood the test of time stylistically and numbers produced mean little it’s question of how many survive too and of course demand for the notion of Enzo era cars.

The 575 like the 360 paddle cars are near the bottom of the desireability range for their era because of their paddle systems.

If I were at the bottom of my favorite mountain road and you offered me the keys to a 575 or a mondialT it’s not even a question that I would go for the mondial.
Of course a euro 308gt4 would be even more fun.

But yeah if I were going 30 mph in a high humidity climate and traffic to a strip club the 575 is probably a better bet, but the. So is a Lexus lc500.

In a great economy tariffs may support the price of truly rare cars like a 288 or some 275s but in general the past few decades have shown us that these prices are supported by a global market.

 

Interesting thread and probably not because of a massive 25% tariff.
However is this tariff going into effect or is it just a Trump threat?

 

Post number 25.

 

at least half of your statement is wrong. but to explain it to you would force the thread to p&r.

 

I dont see these tarrifs happening, or not for more than a few months at most, it would be doom for Germany whose economy and employment fundementaly relies on the auto industry, and Germany controlls the EU. You dont take a knife to a gun fight.

 

Honestly, I hope the tariffs go through, but ONLY on Mercedes-Benz. Those jerks are the ones that made the 25 year ban on importing cars into the US. That's why I am having a hard time finding a decent Defender 110 to buy this summer. And I have to wait another damn 9 years for a final year production R34 GTR. 15 years would have been reasonable like Canada so that the condition of the car would still be okay. 25 is absurd.

 

I just gotta comment on the Mondial and rarity.

For some, the Mondial (especially the coupe) is one of the most beautiful shapes ever.

And how's this for rarity -- my coupe is 1 of 19 total coupes sold in NA in 1985 (1 of only 69 total QV coupes 83-85 sold in NA).

And here she is, battle scars and all:


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Sid

 

The number of individuals and dealers importing cars subject to this tariff is relatively small; this tariff as applied to vintage cars is just symbolic as it won't generate any appreciable tax income. The relative handful of individuals importing vintage cars are doing so with Land Rovers, Alfas, etc., for which there's already a decent supply on our shores; their car hobby thirst can still be satisfied without penalty. For the collector pursing ultra rare machinery, the search net inevitably must encompass the entire globe. Those particular buyers can generally afford an extra 22.5%, even if in principle they shouldn't have to pay for trade war fallout.

The OP letter was authored by the owner of a vehicle shipping company, which stands to lose the most of anyone on this forum from the tariff in question. Where we stand to lose is the proposed 20-25% tariff on imported EU car parts. All our Euro cars require parts, and a meaningful percentage (of OEM quality parts) still come from Europe. It's not a discretionary purchase, it's a necessity. That's the fight for which we should band together.

 

You have an "internet education" about the Mondial and you are trying to apply "absolutes" to styling when that is impossible to do. The Mondial was not "one of a kind", it was four of a kind with the 8, the QV, the 3.2, and the t over a 13-year production cycle. It is the longest-running model with the same body shape of any Ferrari (except for the combined production period of the 308/328). It's true that the Mondial 8 was problematic -- performance was killed mostly by bad luck timing of emissions, but the electrical systems were overtaxed as a result of bad design. The QV, 3.2, and t models that followed the 8 are amazing cars -- they are very reliable and have great performance (relative to the period they were created). Try to find anybody who has actually owned a Mondial, other than an 8, who speaks poorly of it. I'm sure they are out there, but they are few and far between, and I've never met one even though I spoke to a lot of owners when I had mine. It's usually the exact opposite of speaking poorly about it, they gush about the car.

Regarding styling, it's subjective. You can have your own opinion, don't expect it to match anybody else's. When the Mondial came out, I thought it was gorgeous, but at the same time I was very disappointed that it was slow. Fortunately they fixed the performance and reliability problems quickly with the QV model. I still think they are great looking today and I've talked to many who feel that way. I suspect that a good chunk of those who don't like looks of the Mondial have had their perception warped by their internet (mis)education about how horrible the Mondial is rather than basing their opinion purely on the actual styling of the car. Styling is subjective, but it's grossly inaccurate to say that the Mondial has never and will never be considered attractive.

When the Maranello's came out, I thought it was really boring. For years I thought that. Now, I love the Maranello also, but it was an acquired taste. I attribute that to my own fault -- Ferrari was ahead of its time with that subtle shape, and it took a while for me to catch up. Honestly, if I had the garage space, getting another 3.2 Mondial and getting my first 550/575 are both on the short list, so I love both cars. As far as the public perception is concerned, if you put a mint Mondial next to a mint 575/550 and asked the random public to vote on which car styling they like better, I don't think that vote would work to your favor.

 

Sheehan and many others have been saying this for a while. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and taste's vary, for what it's worth I was born in the 80s and the newest Ferrari I own is a Dino. I know several people who have similar cars as well.