Ferrari Market Letter

Is that Volume 32 No. 21?

 

I agree. I was reflecting on it today. Not to raise any of the debates, there is a lot of room for thought.

I'm glad Gerald can print it.

 

i don't claim to be a ferrari expert by any means,but i think there some truth to dealership not carring about a guy like me who has older ferraris and have no intrest at all about buying a new one.i mean i could not get on list for track day...thats not carring at all........MO

 

For those of us who don't currently subscribe to the FML...what the heck are you guys talking about?

 

Ferrari Classiche program, a subject of intensive debate (criticisim) in mags and on this site

 

brave article I would say.

 

I mean, how anal can we get here? For me and other lower-end vintage owners, the Classiche certification isn't a meaningless idea, but it is disproportionately and obviously snob-appealing expensive.

As far as "official" certification goes, the old buildsheet-availability program was fine...but it was free, too, and maybe that was asking too much.

U.S. $500 would be a reasonable fee for legible buildsheets from Ferrari and Pininfarina or other bodywork supplier, a Heritage Certificate, and some type of letter of certification, all in a nice little package.

 

There a some problems with the program as Gerald Rouch and others have described at length.

Assuming the program works (biggest problems are where do they get the experts and blanket certification of their own work on questionable cars) but when you get into the later series production stuff ,say mid 60s and later,
authenticity and originality is pretty easy to determine, at least for the stuff that matters. I think you would get a better and more objective evaluation from real experts at Cavallino or FCA concours at a lower price.

 

I read the article. I do not own any multi million dollar Ferraris, and I am not a seller, but if I were selling a Testa Rossa, or a Boxer, or a 328...etc...I could not care less what Classiche says...I would inspect the car and decide for myself. Maybe for the more expensive cars, and a truly credible program, it might make a difference.

 

Im with you Coachi!

I dont need to pony up some big check to Ferrari to have them tell my car is "authenticated" or whatever such nonsense they want to call it. I have the build sheets, I have maintenance records and documentation going back to 1974 and I have a well documented ownership history. If someone wants to ignore all that and consider the car as "lacking" in some way because I have not forked over a value extortion check to Ferrari for some fancy pieces of paper documenting what anyone with a brain can tell from simple observation and a bit of reading then they can kiss my Ferrari driving butt.

Ferrari today is just another giant multinational corporation focused 100% on the bottom line. The Classiche program is nothing more than another profit center being run to maximize revenue. I am sure it will be very effective and plenty of the blind faithful will smile as they write big checks. Fine by me, but I wont be playing that game.

This entire kind of thing and the stark reality it paints of what todays Ferrari really is contributes to why I could care less about ever owning a newish modern Ferrari. The old passion of Ferrari that was "sell on Friday to race on Sunday" died with Enzo. Today its more about selling lots of t-shirts and tote bags and maximizing the revenue stream through global brand management and such crap. There is plenty of that in the world already, I dont need to pay a premium for more.



Terry

 

Is best to hire Marcel Massini to authentication of vintage automobili

 

I applaud Gerald for writing the article and getting things out in the open. It is one of the most interesting and better written articles I have seen in FML.

I think the older hobby type collectors , rich and poor, will continue to rely on the dinosaurs for authentication; and I use that word with the utmost respect. I wonder if this program was developed, to some extent, for Ferrari's new markets where their new cars are going and the older non-official authenticators are not so well known. This would allow them to purchase vintage cars with the Ferrari seal of approval.

Drew Altemara

 

i m sorry to disturb you, but i m curious...what are you talking about? i don t have access to the Ferrari market letter
if someone generous can download here this letter it will be knid

thanks in advance

Best

 

Le market letter est un site ( www.ferrarimarketletter.com ) .

Tu as des articles , des annonces etc..mais il faut s'abonner.

 

There were quite a few comments in FML regarding how Ferrari allocates new cars, which is probably not really relevant the the value proposition of Classiche, IMHO. I know I'm in the minority, but I have no problems with Ferrari being allowed to choose which markets to ship their new cars to, or how many they make, or how long someone has to wait to get a new one, or how mid-range customers who have spent $1,000,000 over the last 5 years feel they are getting a raw deal when it comes to getting a new car. Ferrari currently has the envious position of being able to pre-sell every car it makes, and it has drawn up plans for how to best deal with that.

So what if they look to funnel cars into the program by withholding allocations to customers. As a potential customer for a new car, you always have the option to say "No, thank you", take your name off the list, and buy a good used example 5 years later.

 

How do you all feel about those who do jump on the newest list and are a part of the reason all the new models are almost instantaneously sold? For those of you who know FNA intimately, is it generally the same group of people who order every few years; the same folks on the list for the 599 two years ago as on the Enzo list in 2001?

Is there resentment to those who simply plough through to get onto the list when one or two cars always seem to turn up at a dealership somewhere? Like a wine-o eating grapes, is there a part of you guys that just hangs back and watches them fly out, whilst the rest simply go in a little later and get the same product? Any feelings towards that crowd?


Best,
Jon

 

Mince alors....
non c est ok; on me l a envoyé.

 

there s a long time i read something like this, i love this FML !
production lines near to 6000 units but no mentions about quality production.....shame because the true it s also this!
Classiche departement, we re thinking all the same thing about reproduction engine.

 

something similar concerning the production lines,

http://www.ferrariownersclub.co.uk/happenings/2007/october/brand_dilution/report.asp

 

very true...cant hide truth foerever........MO

 

The Factory ought to stick to their knitting, there are several shops in the US that are far more core competent at this than Ferrari. They have enough trouble building quality into their current products without recreating skills lost 50 and 40 years ago that have been assembled and exercised for decades in the very best restoration houses in the US and Europe. To make a sharp point, do you suppose the heads they will someday make for 355s and 456s will be flawed the second time around to preserve authenticity? The very best global businesses understand the limits to "core competency", just because Ferrari does not does not compel us as consumers to ignore it. There is also the matter of conflict of interst, Marcel Massini is a far more reliable test of what is authenitic and, he is not influenced by an ability to sell the various "bits" "required" for certification. M

 

My take-a-way from Gerald's comments, with which I agree 100%, is that Ferrari's arrogance is finally starting to wear a bit thin. Yeah, I've heard the same things that you have: the Old Man could be a pain to deal with, the cars have always been over priced, what do you expect from Italians, and so forth and so on. But, and this is a big but, there always was the cars, what wonderful, wonderful cars.

However, the recent profit maximization attitude is really chapping my ass. It is like the company is being run by a bunch of MBAs.

What's worse is that the thrill is gone. Compare the Enzo, for example, to the F40. No, please don't. It will only make you sad.

Dale