550 Barchetta's: future collectors car?

I am biased because I own one. However, a one year model, limited production, V-12, Barchetta, I think an owner's patience will be worth it and filled with a lot of years of great driving. Mine has 600 miles on it, was in the Petersen Museum in SoCal, and it finally found a home where its history will be preserved and it will be driven....as soon as the heat, rain and humidity in my part of the world subsides!

 

Sorry, but the answer is no.

Number one, it still looks like a Maranello (not that there is anything wrong with that), and Ferrari made jillions of Maranellos.

Number two, the "top" is a joke. The only place to drive this car is in sunny southern California where it never rains in the summertime.

Dale

 

I saw one on Sunday in Washington DC. What a gorgeous car.
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Sorry, I can not agree, it is not just a Maranello, there are many changes to the 550 , Windscreen, is lower, rear is different, performance better. Soft top is a pain however there are some fixes available. I think it will be more collectable than the Super america. IMO it is one of the best looking Ferraris out there and very coolectable.

 

A 288 GTO looks similiar to a 308GTB
And no one would want a 330 TRI/LM, 750 Monz Spyder, 412 S, Dino 246 SP / 196 SP Spider or any other topless Ferrari....Please!

 

I dont think the top is relevant...in fact the lack of a proper top is part of what might make it collectible as its doubtful Ferrari will ever produce anything like this again.

The 550 B is one of my dream cars.

 

Good points.
I know folks who drove them and support your opinion of the top being a joke; its Fugly and limited to 70mph.
When the top is down and a light mist occurred, then the water gathered on the windshield and was only propelled to fall on their faces when the wipers were used.

OTOH, I thought there were only 3500 550 Maranellos and the 448 + 12 prototypes 550 BPF are only a fraction of that.

Let's not forget that the 550 Barchetta Pinin Farina was built to commemorate 70 years of PF, so it is a significant milestone.

Personally I love the design and the high mileage black one that sold at Sean Harris' Ferrari earlier this year ($129k asking) seriously got my attention.

 

I love the 550 Barchetta for all the reasons mentioned earlier in this thread.

However, the one part of the design I wish was different is the roll bars behind the seats. The later 360 Spider roll bars are a much lower, better design, IMHO. The 360 & later 430 roll bars are to one side of the hump in the rear deck - not centered on the humps like the 550's. The 550's roll bars are just too tall and are the main reason any top looks fugly when put on the car.

Yet, I do think it will become a collector car. But limited to sunny day use.

 

Prices came down recently. back in 2007 they would still easily go for 250K. I even saw some for sale well into the 300's. Same with the superamerica.

Not sure what the price is on either at the moment though, and slow african internet (pretty much the whole of africa's 'broadband' is down atm due to a broken cable or something), can't really check.

 

Also, the future price and desirability of the 550 Barchetta is also likely to be affected by the design of a future possible 599 Spider.

If Ferrari does a really great job on a 599 Spider, then it might overshadow the 550 Barchetta over the years.

I hope the 599 comes out as a full convertible, similar to the tops on the 360 and 430 Spiders, rather than a hard-top convertible like the recent Ferrari California car. If the 599 comes out with the hard-top convertible, that will make the 550 Barchetta even more desirable in the long run IMO.

Here is a pic of the 360 Spider top which shows the lower roll bars and how they are mounted on one side of the rear-deck humps.
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I have seen it all over town this summer and now fall. The guy has been driving it like he stole it!

 

But only when it's sunny!

 

Important point about the 599 Spider.
The defining attribute of the 550B was that it was the only open V-12 available. Once that changes it loses cache'.
BTW Practicality has little if anything to do with desirability. As long it's streetable.

 

Have owned a 550BPF from new. Generally, the feeling among the "cognoscenti" at SpA and elsewhere is that it will be a classic. In time. There's no crystal ball, though. However, I wouldn't buy a car because of what someone else thinks about it. Our car has a few thousand miles on it. We purchased the after market hardtop to give it more usability, and I'm under-whelmed with the looks of it. But, it does give it year-round capabilities.

I, too, dislike the roll hoops. When I was talking with Spangler and Pininfarina on the "one off" concept idea (a la Napolis' P4/5), they pitched a 550 GTC racer "replica" that had "swept" hoops. LOVED the look. LOVED the idea. HATED the price!

CW

 

Care to share that number ?

 

only time will tell, but limited production is one of the few things that will help any modern car be collectable. Give it some time and I think that it will do fairly well. My picks for collectability (some obvious, some not) 550 bar, 575 SA, 288 gto, f40, f50, enzo, 360 cs, scud, 16m, 328 GTS. All other cars will hold vaule pretty well, but will be too plentiful to become collectable. They are drivable. Look at 360 and 430 values when the 458 comes out and you will see why. A new version of a Ferrari always makes the old version depreciate. Only something special will hold any real value. To this point, high mile 360s can get the same price as a low mile 328. Not saying that it makes sense to all buyers, but the fact that people are asking higher prices for 328s now gives a hint to the long term collectability. Give it 20 years and the Barchettas will be doing better than they are. If you want something that you have a chance at making money on, it must be low production.

 

IIRC, the number was $500K USD. They were contemplating a limited run of 10. You provide the base car plus the cash.

CW

 

Of course, there are two important aspects of what makes a "collectible car" the best one to buy.

The first aspect is what will its value increase to over time relative to other models. For example, will a 365 GTB/4 Daytona, Dino GTS, 512 BBi, or 275 GTS rise more in relative value than a 550B over the next 10 years? Tough to answer that one.

The second aspect is what makes the "collectible car" so desirable in functionality or performance compared to other models at a similar price point. For example, is the 575 Superamerica the better car because of its all weather capability? Is an early fiberglass 308 GTS a better buy for social and local track events?

The bottom line is you really can't go wrong with a good-looking, front-engine, V12, top-down design like the 550B in the long run.

 

Difficult to draw any real comparisons with a car that doesn't exist. Regardless, IMO one has nothing to do with the other.

 

For a car to be collectible, it has to be rare, unique in it's period, and desired.

I like the little boat-- but "collectible"? I''m not sure.

For rare, it's about a B+, for unique in it's period, it's a B- (its too closely related to the 550), and for desired.... well, I think that's were it goes down to a C.

That being said... I wouldn't mind having one at all! I think they are gorgeous.

 

I think many would argue with your grading scale, bdelp. But, you're entitled to your opinions.

CW

 

Almost all Ferraris are collectible over time, even unloved 2 + 2 cars from the 60's are now gathering steam as the more desirable models of the period climb out of reach.

It all depends what people want, if they want to make a fortune, well it is too late for most cars, though the supercars will have some steam left yet, 288, F40 and F50 fo sure, more so as Enzo prices have gone silly.

But for mainstream of recent years, well you have to look for the rarer models, but you will need 20 years plus before you can say you have made money or they are worth what you paid for them. The 550 Barchetta will be sought after for sure, no matter what we think of it today, as will the SA and the CS. Going back a few years, the 512TR. I wanted a manual 575, as it will be one of the last of the manual v12 Ferraris. Not becuase it will be worth any great money, but because it will have a small place in the company history. It depends on your desire, I will keep my 575 forever, some will buy them now, keep a year or so and move on. I will also buy a CS to keep and a Dino too. Others want the 308 fibreglass, 328 without abs or a BB. No one will retire on these cars, but they will always have something about them, and be unique in years to come. But even the 8 cylinder volume models, I am sure in 30 years I will see a 355 and regret neverbuying one now !

Almost all classic dealers feel the 550/575 will have a big following for many years, and will become a mini Daytona. True volumes are higher, but also the cars were sold over a wider range, and density per country is actually quite low. All the dealers I speak to say get a good one now and wrap it up and keep it good. In 30 years, like the Daytona, people will want them, and you will have a nice, collectable and desirable car. Much as today. But you will not have a 250 GTO. Maybe the FXX will fill that gap.

Well that is my take

 

I disagree. I don't have the time to explore this fully right now. But as Sheehan first expressed it in print, there are three eras of Ferraris:

1. The Enzo cars beginning sometime in the fog of the fifties up to the Daytona and C/4.

2. The Fiat years from the 308 cars to the 348 and 512M.

3. The Luca di Montezemolo years beginning with the 456 and the 355 and up to the current day.

All of the Enzo cars, 40 to 50 years later, are collector cars. There are any number of reasons for this, but perhaps the major one is these cars are representative of an era that no longer exists. Common people did not buy Ferraris during the 50s and 60s. There were instead brought by hip members of the "Jet Set." You know, that period of time where only the wealthy actually flew by jet. If you want to get a small taste of that time, watch "Mad Men."

From the Fiat years, IMO, only the 288 GTO, F40, F50, and maybe, maybe, the 512M have a shot at becoming collector cars. To keep things in perspective, Daytona's originally sold for less than $20,000 when new. Today's even the rattiest Daytona goes for over $200,000, which is a factor of 10. I forget, but let's assume that an F40 sold for $400,000 new. To match the Daytona, it will need to sell for more than $4,000,000 to achieve the same collector car status.

Finally, I don't see any cars from the Montezemolo years, including the Enzo, becoming collector cars in the next 30 to 40 years. They will be "desirable," which means that they may move back up in price to their original MSRP, but collectible? Sorry, no.

That said, I love the Montezemolo cars. I owned a Maranello for five years, had a Stradale for a while, and a 1967 GTC. While I loved driving the old banger, worrying about the cost of fixing what was sure to break took all the fun out of it, at least for me.

My advice, which along with $3 bucks will not even buy you a cuppa of joe, is to buy these cars and enjoy them. Buying them as an investment is a very, very bad idea.

Dale