Best way to get a 488 GTO Allocation?

in the USA it doesnt really matter that there isnt any info on the car. there will be some type of limited edition for the 488 and the dealers are certainly thinking about who to give them to. Not sure how it works in europe etc

 

I always find it funny that whenever we have a question about a strategy or issue with a dealer, the OP thinks the dealer isn't reading Fchat.

Now, if you went to ANY dealer in the USA, you're not gonna get the special version of the 488 GTB.

So, forget about it. 95% of us here will never qualify and the list of who gets one and who doesn't will never be published.

I guess that's why I never got a response from my request to get a LaFerrari spider. I thought maybe the Email just didn't get through.

 

Yes and no

Yes.. the dealers know nothing about this car, how many they will get, what it costs, when it will arrive or even IF it will arrive ever. But, looking at how Ferrari handled the Specialie is a pretty good indication of what will happen next time.

What they do know is they will get many more requests than they are allocated and their best customers will expect them first.

It's like frequent flier mileage. If I fly 1,000,000 miles with one airline and you never flew on the same airline, I'd be pretty upset if you got an upgrade before I did.

Believe me... Dealers have many customers that they have sold sell 5 or more cars to. The local Vegas dealer may only get 2 or 3 allocated to him if he's lucky. Then again, he may get 20. Who knows?

The best shot at getting one if you're not one of the qualified buyers is finding one in the used market-- but you're going to pay way over MSRP for it.

 

Perhaps you're right, but I don't believe that would work if the 488 GTO is a limited edition (and I don't think they would make it as a low production / non - limited car)
At least where I am based, the Ferrari factory decides -centrally- who gets such a car, not the dealer. Dealers propose and then execute whatever the factory decides. Also it appears to me that the rules differ depending on where the car is to be sold. i.e it is hard to expect the same rules to apply to China and the U.S. ; the former is a potentially large but still developing market for Ferrari and the latter is the world's largest car collector market with hundreds or thousands of "qualifying owners"

Personally I think they will employ a similar system to the TDF; you need to have 5 cars in your collection, at least 1 limited series, no "flips", strong relationship with your dealer and some exposure/connection to the factory.
If the car is not limited, I am sure they will prioritize 488 GTB/Spider owners, past owners of Speciale/Scud etc. but then the car will not be called 488GTO

 

Indeed Murat !

 

I believe they will ....

 

First off, is this mystery 488 "GTO" going to be a "Speciale Series" like the Scuderia and 458 Speciale or a "Limited Edition" like the Speciale Aperta or the Tdf?

If truly is a LE, then yes I too would think there are going to be some pretty tough requirements. If it is a special series and there will be a 488 GTO Aperta, then it would be that Aperta that will be the unicorn everyone wants.

As for who decides, as far as I know, here in the U.S. each dealer submits names to FNA. FNA does their thing and forwards the list to Italy. The dealer is then told who qualifies. Oh yes...and it has little to do with who has owned a 458 Speciale or 488. It has to do with that point system someone else mentioned and total number of cars/events/previews/Corso Pilotas bought or attended. Also lots more weight given to those who buy FFs and Lussos.

 

It's definitely not going to be limited. It will be the same as the CS, Scud, and Speciale. Why would this suddenly change this? This is a very, very profitable segment and one of the only ways to keep sales up as the years drag on. No one is buying coupes going into 4-5 years and used supply has increased substantially by this time. A normal, track oriented model is the only logical solution from a business perspective.

 

This game is so damn tiring!!

I am just going to get a used one... Screw it.

 

Don't be bluffed, guys. This car is not going to come out this year, maybe will be introduced next year, and delivery maybe by the end of next year. So it's too early now. In the end, Ferrari needs to sell car more than you need to buy car. This is totally not a limited edition car. Maybe it will be hard to get first batch, but not after that. Don't trust the "story" about many millionaires or billionaires are hunting the LE cars. The fact that 458 SA asking 600K, sitting and not moving, explains the market condition. And again, this is by far not a limited edition car.

 

Exactly, it is that sadomasochistic game the factory plays ... and some buyers follow ...

 

My dealer said they expect the GTO to debut at the Genova Auto Show next year, and begin to see the first hit the market at the end of the year. They also know nothing about the car and said it's still largely in development.

 

Expect the 488 replacement to be shown one year after the GTO version, whenever that is. But my guess is the Mac 720s was a wake up call

First i expect an upgrade to the 488 next year for the last 2 years. The improvements should be announced at the same show.

Second I expect in the last year you'll be hard pressed to get a new 488 coupe as production will stay on spiders and the GTO coupe. Coupe allocations will be cut as total 488 production will be capped.

Third in the last year they will off a limited edition convertible as they've done this since 2009.

If they do nothing many will just order a Mac or even pick one up off the showroom floor. The 720s may be the best thing to happen to us in a long time.

 

Exactly - The 720s has guaranteed us a phenomenal 488 replacement with probably 750hp or more
Which in turn will make room for a Dino below the V8 line say a 550hp turbo 6

 

It's 100% true.

 

If they do that it will either be an Alfa or a Maserati. Perhaps a new Merak. If they do it it will only be to shake up three existing brands. My understanding is they are cutting back on Maserati's sportiness to concentrate on being another Bentley while a Alfa will become another BMW / Audi in the long run.

I don't see them making a new brand. Too expensive.

 

I agree, another brand makes no sense.

That said, I believe most posters do not mean "another brand" when they say "dino". They think of it as another ferrari model. I know technically Dino was a brand and not a ferrari model...but the perception by most is the opposite.

So...the question is more accurately stated as: "is adding a car below the current ferrari offerings a good idea in terms of growing sales and profits?"

My personal guess, is that given their high PE and implied growth expectations, more models are going to come...slowly but surely. An SUV type offering? Yup. A lower cost entry level to slot below the V8 GT? Perhaps (in 10 years or so). Even a four door or sedan 2+2 would not surprise me eventually. Being a stand-alone, publicly traded company with a heavily watched stock is going to have impacts in ways that history would not support.

 

Ill admit.......for the longest time I thought that the 458 Speciale, 430 Scuderia and 360 Challenge Stradale were limited production. I'm still scratching my head as to why the F12 tdf would be a limited production but the 458 Speciale wouldn't have been( I guess you could say they made good with the limited Speciale Aperta).

as for Mclarens.......besides the F1 and P1, I just can't get excited about their Super car line. Maybe something else will come down the pipe but even the 720 doesn't do it for me(especially the looks). Ah well.......

 

Sorry I didn't mean another brand but a Ferrari badged product with 200k base price
It doesn't have to be called Dino.I just feel these cars are getting so fast and expensive
That it's creating a vacuum to be filled.200k car would be exclusive IMO plus 550hp is plenty fast

 

I think they will look at a car with an MSRP of $270K (like the 458 was) while the 488 replacement comes in at $350-$380K base price

That $270K car may in fact be the replacement for the California.

Just a guess but if the Mac 720s can start at $320K now I don't see why they can't go higher.

Most likely the replacement 488 will be a hybrid that will run on full electric power. Europe is driving this idea that cars have to run on electric inside the cities in the next 10 years. And my guess is it has a CF tub that is not made in Italy to save costs.

But its just speculation. I have no evidence but that is what I would do. Above $350K the air is pretty thin. Most cars with that base price will be sold with an MSRP of over $400k

I really do not understand their recent statement "they will never build a cheap Ferrari". Lambo makes the Huracan and Aventador. Mac makes the 570, 650 and now the 720. Porsche makes the 911 and the Cayenne.

Do any of them feel it was a mistake to make a less expensive version? I doubt it. But Ferrari is known for saying one thing and doing the exact opposite. Look at the SUV news a few weeks ago or how they swore there would never be a "specialie" version of the 458.

 

Looking at 720s' straight performance, I doubt the 488 GTO will run faster than 720s in straight race. Ferrari has a tradizione that V8 must not run faster than V12, in this case it should not run faster than 812 Superfast. The 720s is already pretty close to the 812 if not faster.
As for the allocation, I think this will be easier to get. Because at the same time Mclaren will upgrade the 720s' power (like MP4). And if Ferrari makes it hard, money will turn to Mclaren. The 720s' doors are just too beautiful. And compared to 488, they are both turbocharged. With a normal heartbeat, I will take 488GTO, but if Ferrari dealer makes my heartbeat faster by telling me to wait until next election, I will easily turn to Mclaren.

 

Then go to mac and be done with it. The rest of us will divide up and enjoy your eventual allocation. A McLaren loses its luster after a year. Ferrari does not. Ferrari is unique and an instant classic. If you don't see it that way, and unwilling to wait for one, we can certainly understand that you would go elsewhere. You can get a new McLaren virtually instantly upon demand. Not so with Ferrari. There is a reason.

 

One problem with that.

If the 720s is like all the other Macs have been, in one year and 2000 miles you just threw 60 - 70 grand out the window.

 

FYI, here in Europe (at least Germany), based on my dealer's info, there will be no particular conditions to get an allocation for the upcoming 488 GTO.

The Ferrari owners will be prioritized in terms of delivery date but "anyone" can get a 488 GTO.

Aso here the expectation that the car will be launched in Geneva in March 2018 with first car deliveries end 2018 / early 2019.

Still a long time to wait while the 720S and the GT2RS are on the market or first deliveries soon...

 

Worth checking around since dealers are only too happy to take your deposit, and let you down later blaming it on the allocation criteria.